Objective We aimed to evaluate local tumor control after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma using miriplatin and low-dose epirubicin combination therapy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients who underwent TACE using miriplatin plus low-dose epirubicin (30 patients, 61 nodules, August 2011–March 2012) and control patients who underwent TACE using miriplatin alone (36 patients, 70 nodules, June 2010–July 2011). The local control rate was compared between the two groups using the Kaplan–Meier estimator and the log-rank test. Factors affecting local tumor recurrence were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Treatment-related toxicity was evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Results The local control rates at 6 months and 1 year were 87% and 65% for the miriplatin plus low-dose epirubicin group, and 61% and 43% for the miriplatin group, respectively. Local tumor control rates were significantly better in the miriplatin plus low-dose epirubicin group than in the miriplatin group (P = 0.038). Multivariate analysis showed that the addition of epirubicin was an independent factor associated with better local tumor control (hazard ratio 0.2, P = 0.001). Overall incidence rates for adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion Additional usage of low-dose epirubicin for TACE using miriplatin improved local tumor control of hepatocellular carcinoma with adverse effects comparable to those observed with TACE using miriplatin alone.


This study aimed to evaluate the potential allelopathic effects of four species of green manure ( Canavalia ensiformis, Crota- laria spectabilis, Mucuna aterrima and Sorghum bicolor cv. AG 2005) on the seed germination and initial growth of seedlings of Lactuca sativa and Digitaria horizontalis. In the first experiment, the effects of dilute solutions of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% and 10% of shoot and root aqueous extracts of green manure were evaluated on germination, speed of germination index (SGI) and root length of L. sativa. In the second experiment, the incorporation into the soil of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g dm-3 of biomass of green manure was evaluated on the accumulation of dry weight (shoots and roots) and root development of seedlings of L. sativa and D. horizontalis. In conclusion, the aqueous extracts of the species C. ensiformis, C. spectabilis, M. aterrima and S. bi- color cv. AG 2005 promoted negative allelopathic effects on seed germination and SGI of L. sativa. The incorporation into the soil of the biomass also negatively affected the initial development of seedlings of L. sativa. However, there were beneficial allelopathic eff ects on the early development of D. horizontalis with incorporation into the soil biomass of C. spectabilis.


The force sensitive characteristic of integrated quartz crystal resonator assembled on one quartz crystal substrate with a certain radial direction force are studied, and it is also studied that the force sensitive characteristic of output frequency which is the mixing frequency by resonant frequency corresponded to the resonators in the different position of the same quartz crystal wafer outputted in difference frequency way. The research result shows the force sensitive characteristic of AT-cut integrated three-electrode quartz crystal resonator outputted in difference frequency way is 1.3 times of that of the traditional single-electrode resonator. The force sensitive characteristic of the integrated four-electrode resonator is a little bit smaller, but two sets of output can be obtained at the same time. The frequency stability of all integrated quartz resonator can get to the magnitude of 10-10 and relative frequency variation is about ±5ppm in the range of -50°C to 60°C.


This paper seeks to discern the political factors that determine the results of negotiations in international cooperation. On the one hand, it makes a contribution to the broader theoretical debate on international regimes by combining regime theory and theories on globalisation into an integrated framework for the analysis of international policy results, or in this case treaties (theoretical objective). More generally, globalisation theory will help us understand why it has become important to initiate international cooperation, and regime theory to elucidate how these international cooperations emerge. To many observers, it is the large transnational corporations of the rich North, which have done best out of free trade. Through the huge influence they wield over governments at the WTO (World Trade Organisation), these corporations have won the freedom to move around the globe without restriction, making use of cheap labour, and locating wherever they can best tap into the largest and most lucrative markets. Suprastate global governance, such as the WTO and its TRIPs (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) regime, is the response to deal with the reality in which we live - the globalised reality. But global governance comes to a price. States have lost their supreme sovereignty in the face of globalisation and the power of the globalised economy and transnational corporations. This paper presents evidence that it does not seem likely that the parties to both the TRIPs Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, in reality, can meet the obligations set out by these two agreements. Furthermore, this study points to those negative impacts the TRIPs Agreement poses to an enhancing of biological diversity and protection of indigenous knowledge.


This article reports on the findings of a literature review undertaken to examine factors that influenced breastfeeding among mothers of babies with Down's syndrome. Seven studies were identified, with the earliest published in 1983. The review indicates that higher rates of breastfeeding initiation were associated with professional breastfeeding support, whereas barriers to breastfeeding initiation were linked to the infants' inability to feed or to issues with the medical condition. The review underlines that despite the clearly identified health benefits of breastfeeding there is limited evidence on how new mothers of infants with Down's syndrome are supported to take advantage of such health benefits. More focussed research is urgently needed to seek a deeper understanding of the support needs of both mother and infant to enhance the breastfeeding experience. Such a concerted effort would provide a more up-to-date evidence base to health professionals directly involved in the maternity care of these w...


The role of trust in the success of crowdfunding campaigns remains an unexplored field. This study seeks to understand the factors of trust among web users. The literature on the motivations of the project creators and the contributors, as well as the success factors of a campaign, is enriched by research on trust and its characteristics in a context of online purchasing and monetary investment. A conceptual model of web users' trust determinants in a crowdfunding campaign is suggested. A questionnaire is administered through an online survey, targeting French communities with an interest in crowdfunding. The results show that the web user's trust in a crowdfunding context is determined by factors related to the quality of the project, the relational characteristics and behavior of the project creator, as well as the behavior of the web user. JEL Codes: L26, M13, M31


Imagine the following advertisement popping up on Craigslist: "FEDERAL JUDGE SEEKS PATENT CASES! (Waco) — Former patent litigator, recently appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, longs for the intellectual challenge of a good patent fight. Can promise special procedural rules, efficient discovery, and speedy trials. Dismissal, stay, or transfer of case extremely unlikely. File in Waco and get the patent court you've always dreamed of!"

That probably seems bizarre. Still — and startlingly — it accurately portrays what's happening right now in the Western District of Texas. One judge, appointed to the court less than two years ago, has been advertising his district — through presentations to patent lawyers, comments to the media, procedures in his courtroom, and decisions in patent cases — as the place to file your patent infringement lawsuit. And he has succeeded. In 2018, the Western District received only 90 patent cases — a mere 2.5% of patent suits nationwide. In 2020, the Western District is on track to receive more than 800 — the most of any district in the country. Importantly, these suits are overwhelmingly filed by so-called patent trolls — entities that don't make any products or provide services but instead exist solely to enforce patents.

The centralization of patent cases before a single judge, acting entirely on his own to seek out patent litigation, is facilitated by the Western District's case filing system, which allows plaintiffs to choose not just the court but the specific judge who will hear their case. These dynamics — a judge advertising for patent cases and plaintiffs shopping for that judge — undermine public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary, make the court an uneven playing field for litigants, and facilitate the nuisance suits patent trolls favor. Two reforms would help solve this problem: first, district judges should — by law — be randomly assigned to cases and, second, venue in patent cases should be tied to geographic divisions within a judicial district, not just the district as a whole.


The operational sex ratio (ratio of sexually receptive males to females) has been extensively studied in behavioral ecology, whereas other demographic factors such as the effect of density on mating behavior have received less empirical attention. We manipulated mating competition by establishing breeding populations of the sex-role reversed broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) at 2 sex ratios (male biased or female biased) and 2 densities. We used mean crowding (m*) and the index of association (X) to measure spatial distributions within and between the sexes, respectively, and investigated how these measures reflect the predicted strength of mating competition. In general, female m* increased as fewer males were available for mating, which suggests increased intrasexual competition in the most competitive sex. However, male m* also increased as the operational sex ratio became more female biased, suggesting that m* did not reflect mating competition for males. Association between the sexes (X) was higher under male bias than female bias, probably because males were still available for mating under male bias. In addition, X decreased in the female-biased treatment as the operational sex ratio became even more female biased. Higher density increased m* in both sex ratios and sexes, although for both sexes in the female-biased high-density treatment the operational sex ratio did not influence m*, probably because female–female competition inhibits further crowding in this treatment. In this study, we show that the use of m* and X can be a useful tool in behavioral studies but their interpretation requires detailed information about the mating system. Therefore, we recommend caution with their broadscale application.


The development of vehicle connectivity and autonomy in the ground transportation sector is not only able to enhance traffic safety and driving comfort as well as fuel economy. This study presents a receding-horizon optimization-based control strategy integrated with the preceding vehicle speed prediction model to achieve an eco-driving strategy for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). In the real traffic scenario where the CAV follows the preceding vehicle on the road, a gated recurrent unit (GRU) network is used to predict the behavior of the preceding vehicle by utilizing the historical inter-vehicle information collected through on-board sensors. Then, a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) algorithm is adopted for CAV to minimize the accumulated fuel consumption within the preview horizon. The NMPC approach solves the fuel-optimal speed profile of the CAV, considering a predicted short-term speed preview of the preceding vehicle. With the awareness of the preview speed conditions, the fuel consumption of the CAV is reduced by avoiding unnecessary braking and acceleration, especially during transient traffic conditions. The Pareto front framework is used to examine a trade-off between the vehicle speed prediction accuracy, computational burden, and the fuel consumption of the CAV in the proposed GRU-NMPC design. To analyze the effectiveness of the GRU-NMPC design, adaptive cruise control with constant time headway policy (ACC-CTH) is adopted as a benchmark control design. Comparison results show significant fuel economy improvement of the proposed design and expose possible fuel benefits from vehicle autonomy and sensor fusion technology.


The most significant development in criminal sentencing in recent decades has been the shift from indeterminate to determinate sentencing. Yet no study has systematically explored the factors leading to this shift. In this Article, we provide the first analysis to explain why state legislatures enact reforms that significantly reduce both judges' and parole boards' discretion over criminal sentencing. First, we develop a political economy model that explains why legislatures acting in their own self-interest may be motivated to enact these laws. Our model predicts that legislatures are more likely to enact determinate sentencing reforms when there is tension among the political ideologies of legislatures, judges, and parole boards. Then, we empirically test the predictions of our political economy model using data from all fifty states over the period from 1960 to 2000. Our analyses confirm that political variables, such as divided government, are the primary influences on legislatures' decisions to enact determinate sentencing reforms. These results are consistent with our model's hypothesis: long histories of divided government produce clashes among the sentencing goals of legislatures, parole boards, and judges, and legislatures respond by enacting reforms that take power away from thejudges and parole boards. Our conclusions are especially important given recent court cases and criticisms that challenge the future of determinate sentencing reforms.


In the information society, electronic intrusion has become a new form of trespassing often causing significant problems and posing great risks for individuals and businesses. Socioeconomic and Legal Implications of Electronic Intrusion focuses on abusive and illegal practices of penetration in the sphere of private communications. A leading international reference source within the field, this book provides legal and political practitioners, academicians, and intrusion researchers with expert knowledge into global theft and spam perspectives, identity theft and fraud, and electronic crime issues.


The introduction of modular large head metal-on-metal (LHMoM) hip replacements promised lower wear rates and reduced chance of dislocation coupled with an increased range of motion compared to conventional metal-on-metal hips. However, the 2010 National Joint Registry reports a 5 year failure rate of LHMoM hips of 7.8% compared to 6.3% for hip resurfacings and comparisons of well functioning hips have shown the LHMoM have significantly increased metal ion levels compared to resurfacings. This has led to a widely held hypothesis that the modular head/neck taper junction could be a site of secondary wear debris and indeed wear has been indentified in this area on a number of retrieved bearing tapers.
It is clear that the correct specification of this junction is vital to the optimum in-vivo performance of these bearings and that this could reduce the number of observed failures. This study will investigate the example of a number of newly manufactured total hip replacement femoral stems and will be the first to develop a method for specifying and measuring the underlying form of the textured surface of the critical neck taper which is characterised by a micro-thread. This was achieved through developing a filtering routine that allows for the extraction and isolation of the profile points that would contact the femoral head female taper counterface when in operation.
In this study a series of measurements were taken on each component, axially along the neck taper. The measurements were performed using a Talyrond 365 roundness machine with a 5m diamond stylus. The subsequently extracted profiles were firstly levelled using a least squares method in a post-process routine and were then processed using a newly developed morphological filtering routine to extract the envelope profile of contact points from the primary texture inherent in each profile.
The proposed morphological filtering method differs from the traditional implementation in that instead of calculating the extreme value in height for each sampling position the algorithm sets out to compute the contact points as the ball is rolling over the profile. The proposed method is derived from the Graham scan algorithm original developed for computing the convex hull of the planar point set. The algorithm handles the points in an incremental manner and a stack structure is maintained to hold the contact points by evaluating the coming point with those in the stack. To correct the end effect of filtration on the open profile, two ends of the profile are padded by reflection before the filtering process. At the final of computation, the stack contains all the contact points and the envelope ordinates are archived by interpolating points on the arcs determined by the adjacent contact point pairs.
The application of the unique morphological filtering method allows for the relationship between stylus ball size and the consequent measurement result to be investigated through application of different morphological filter sizes. The use of the morphological filter in this way allows for the production of a statement of the optimised measurement parameters for this critical and yet previously overlooked feature.


Salvia marashica A. İlçim, F. Celep & Doğan sp. nova (Lamiaceae) is described from Turkey and illustrated. It is confined to C6 Kahramanmaraş in South Anatolia where it flowers early in the year and grows on rocky mountain slopes. The diagnostic morphological characteristics from closely similar species are discussed. Notes are also presented on its ecology and pollen characteristics along with scanning electron micrographs of the calyx hairs. A distribution map of the new and the similar species is also provided.


When Beijing won the bid for the 2008 Olympics in 2001, thousands of Chinese citizens flooded Tiananmen Square in celebration of the momentous event. Unlike most people around the world, the Chinese seem unfazed by the scandals that have recently wreaked havoc on the reputation of the Olympics. There is an estimated 95 percent approval rating from the citizens of Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. To the Chinese people the Olympics are not simply construction contracts, athleticism, or the spirit of the games. For the people, but more importantly for the Chinese government, winning the bid for the 2008 Olympics was an affirmation of China's 30 years of social and economic progress and its new status as a great world power. In the success of the 2008 Olympics Beijing hopes to prove that China is coming of age in the 21st century. Despite continual criticism by various human rights organizations of widespread human rights abuses in China, which was a factor in China's lost 2000 Olympic bid, Beijing was able to beat out its main competitors, Toronto and Paris, in its bid to host the 2008 Olympics. Recognizing the importance of China's involvement in world affairs and its growing economic prowess, various human rights organizations, some dissidents, and even Taiwan felt that the bid would open up China to the world and, consequently, supported it. Human Rights Watch, the largest human rights organization in the United States, recognizes China's abysmal human rights record, but at the same time stated that the "2008 Beijing Olympics will provide an opportunity for China to come into compliance with international legal standards that protect human rights." But according to the International Olympic Committee, 2008 was simply time for an Asian country to host the games, and Beijing showed true commitment and enthusiasm for hosting the Olympics. For the 2008 Olympics, Beijing has focused on three main principles: "Green Games," "High-tech Games," and the "People's Games"--themes that show off China's new environmental attitudes, entrance to modernity, and the continual strength of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as a ruling entity. According to Du Zhanyuan, an official with China's Ministry of Science and Technology, almost 1.3 billion yuan (US$157 million) of government funds and 1.8 billion yuan (US$217 million) from companies have been channeled into 449 science and technology projects in hopes of integrating the latest technological innovations from China and abroad for the 2008 Olympics. In its efforts to make the 2008 Olympics the "Green Games," China has promised that all Olympic venues and structures will be built according to strict environmental standards. …


Background: In OSA genioglossus (GG) EMG may increase during flow-limitation (IFL) without restoring pharyngeal patency. In comparison, retractors activation is diminished during sleep. Goal: To compare the mode of recruitment of multiple dilator muscles during IFL in OSA and healthy subjects. Methods: Esophageal pressure (Pes), airflow and EMG of the GG, styloglossus, geniohyoid, sternocleidomastoid and sternohyoid (3 EMGs/subject) were recorded in 6 OSA patients and 8 healthy subjects. EMG/Pes wasassessed when the subjects breathed through a variable resistor. During sleep, EMG/Pes was evaluated during IFL. Pre-arousal sleepEMG was compared to awakeEMG at the same Pes. Results: During resistive breathing (wakefulness), activity of all muscles increased. During IFL GG-EMG was much larger than during wakefulness (SleepEMG/awakeEMG ratio 3.1±1.3 and 2.6±1.0 for OSA and healthy subjects). The ratio for the other dilator muscles was <1.
 Conclusions: 1. During sleep GG activity may increase during IFL more than during wakefulness. Other peri- pharyngeal muscles9 activity is diminished. 2. This alteration occurs both in health and OSA. It may disrupt dilator muscle coordination, thereby preventing restitution of pharyngeal patency even when the GG is highly active.


A term infant was delivered at home by his father after a pregnancy which involved no organized medical care. By the third day of life the infant developed fever, poor feeding and severe jaundice. The infant was found to have a serum indirect bilirubin of 49 mg/dl secondary to isoimmune hemolytic anemia due to anti-c antibody. The infant survived but suffers from clinical manifestations of kernicterus.


During the seventies, the Central Marine Fisheri^ lleseardi Institute gave a lead in researches on
mariculture and has carved for itself a pioneering role in the R& D programmes of mariculture in the countiy
which has been well recognised. Impressed by the outstanding contributions made during the decade, the
infrastructure facilities built up and, above all, the scientific and techni<ial competence it has acquittdi jm
UNDP/ICAR Centre of Advanced Studies in Mariculture has been instituted at the Central Marine Fisheries
Research Institute since June 1979. The Centre aims at providing postgraduate education in the new
discipline of Mariculture and improvmg the quality of research through doct(»ral and post-doctoral research
programmes in identified areas.
One of the priority areas of mariculture in India is mussel culture. Although considered a poor relation
of the oyster in Europe, mussel has one of the highest potentials in India for increaang production of protein-
rich sea food. Mussel gives the highest conversion of primary producera ^hytojrfankton) to human food and
culture production in column waters enhances the yield several fold. India has a traditional sustenance
fishery for the mmsels at a few centres but the scope for increasing natural production from the existing beds
is rather limited.


Thomas Laqueur has brought together half a century of research on modern European mortuary culture into an impressive narrative of how the Christian churchyard was replaced by the modern cemetery, how interment was partly replaced by the technology of cremation, and how writing and preserving the names of the dead coincided with democratization and social reform. Beyond the grand narrative of the history of modern burial, he also shows how the modern culture of history and memory is intertwined with the transformation of mortuary practices. On a deeper level, he points toward new ways of conceptualizing the relation between the living and the dead, leading up toward, if not fully confronting, the challenge that propels his own endeavor, namely the existential-ontological predicament of living after those who have been and the nature of spectrality.


Transforming Education challenges the current global orthodoxy that 'educational transformation' can be achieved through a step-by-step implementation of centralised, performance-based strategies for school improvement. Complex responsive processes theory is utilised in an original way to critique leadership myths and explore the alternative, deeper meanings of educational transformation. The theory opens up new forms of understanding about how ordinary practitioners negotiate the meanings of 'improvement' in their everyday practice. It is in the gap between the emergence of these local interactions and the predetermined designs of policy-makers that educational transformation can be lost or found. This book is an essential read for education professionals and students interested in the fields of complexity, education policy, leadership and management.


Aim: A major cause of low back pain is disc degeneration. Nevertheless, no specific and reliable markers of the degeneration of the nucleus pulposus (NP) are available. This presented study aimed to examine changes in the expressions of genes in primary cell cultures isolated from intact and degenerated tissues to give insights into the biopathogenesis of intervertebral disc (IVD) tissue. Material and Methods: Tissues of eight patients (n = 8; average age: 41.74 ± 9.86 years) were resected through microdiscectomy, and primary cell cultures were prepared using degenerated disc tissue. The cultured degenerated tissues served as the study group. The samples in the control group comprised the intact tissues of patients (n = 8; average age: 38.68 ± 7.91 years) resected following a trauma. Morphology of the cell surface were evaluated using an inverted light/fluorescent microscopy at 0 and 24 h on days 10 and 21. The expressions of the chondroadherin (CHAD), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 and MMP-19 genes were evaluated using the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The data obtained were statistically analyzed. Results: The four genes investigated, except COMP (P > 0.05), changed significantly in primary cell cultures isolated from degenerative IVD tissues. This result was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The gene expressions in the samples derived from intact IVD tissues changed markedly and these changes were associated with proliferation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Analyzing the changes in gene expression levels associated with IVD should contribute to future studies on the prevention and treatment of such pathologies. The data obtained from the present study will shed light on cellular-based personal targeted therapies through which genetic information can be transmitted to cells.


The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of Système-D, a composition resource tool, in a first-year university level advanced language classroom environment, incorporating a simple text editor, a small bidirectional French-English dictionary, a lexicon of thematically related vocabulary and phrases, and elementary grammar notes. Système-D has great potential to enhance basic writing skills. Unfortunately, on their own, few students show themselves willing or able to profit from what Système-D has to offer. Maximum exploitation of the program requires its integration into the curriculum and the classroom. When used as a vehicle for directed text manipulation exercises. In combination with peer group teaching, Système-D can lead to welcome improvements in grammatical accuracy. The active involvement of the instructor in the process, however, is crucial to its success. Complete control of Système-D's functions and a thorough knowledge of the contents of its data bases are a sine qua non for the selection of topics, preparation of exercise texts, and provision of supplementary pedagogical materials.


Summary In cereal species, seed and grain size is influenced by growth of the ovule integuments (seed coat), the spikelet hull (lemma and palea) and the filial endosperm. It has remained unclear whether a highly conserved ovule tissue, the nucellus, has any impact on grain size. Immunolabelling revealed that the barley nucellus comprises two distinct cell types that differ in terms of cell wall homogalacturonan (HG) accumulation. Transcriptional profiling of the nucellus identified two pectin methylesterase genes, OVULE PECTIN MODIFIER 1 (OPM1) and OPM2, which are expressed in the ovule but absent from the seed. Ovules from an opm1 opm2 mutant, and plants expressing an ovule-specific pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI), exhibit reduced HG accumulation. This results in changes to ovule cell size and shape, and ovules that are longer than wild-type controls. At grain maturity, this is manifested as significantly longer grain. These findings indicate that cell wall composition during ovule development acts to limit ovule and seed growth. The investigation of ovule PME and PMEI activity reveals an unexpected role of maternal tissues in controlling grain growth prior to fertilisation, one that has been lacking from models exploring improvements in grain size.


: The containing of taurine and carnosine (low-molecular biologically active substances) was studied in tissues of molluscs (Gastropodae, Brahiopodae and Cephalopodae) by 38 species. The highest concentration of taurine found in the octopus and 5 species of shells (Gastropodae). The containing of carnosine in mollusks is highly lower than in bovine muscles. Organoleptic quality of lyophilized water-spirit extracts by soft tissues of molluscs allow to use it as a taurine-enriching food addition.


Young people are increasingly having access to their own TV-set, video recorder, or computer. New interactive digital media, like CD-Rom and Internet, are entering contemporary homes. Inspired by the ideas of a present European comparative study n the Himmelweit project, my thesis wanted to provide and understanding of Swedish children¥s and teenagers¥use of screen-based electronic media, and how these are intertwined in daily life. It was shown that young people, who spent much time with the peer group or were active in various associations had a low media consumption. The opposite was true for the persons who preferred to stay at home.


Background. Although several trials of early dexamethasone therapy have been completed to determine if such therapy would reduce mortality and chronic lung disease (CLD) in infants with respiratory distress, optimal duration and side effects of such therapy remain unknown. Purpose. The purpose of this study was: 1) to determine if a 3-day course of early dexamethasone therapy would reduce CLD and increase survival without CLD in neonates who received surfactant therapy for respiratory distress syndrome and 2) to determine adverse effects associated with such therapy. Design. This was a prospective multicenter randomized trial comparing a 3-day course of dexamethasone therapy beginning at 24 to 48 hours of life to placebo therapy. Two hundred forty-one neonates (dexamethasone n = 118, placebon = 123), who weighed between 500 g and 1500 g, received surfactant therapy, and were at significant risk for CLD or death using a model to predict CLD or death at 24 hours of life, were enrolled in the trial. Infants randomized to receive early dexamethasone were given 6 doses of dexamethasone at 12-hour intervals beginning at 24 to 48 hours of life. The primary outcomes compared were survival without CLD and CLD. CLD was defined by the need for supplemental oxygen at the gestational age of 36 weeks. Complication rates and adverse effects of study drug therapy were also compared. Results. Neonates randomized to early dexamethasone treatment were more likely to survive without CLD (RR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.7) and were less likely to develop CLD (RR: 0.6; CI: 0.3, 0.98). Mortality rates were not significantly different. Subsequent dexamethasone therapy use was less in early dexamethasone-treated neonates (RR: 0.8; CI: 0.7, 0.96). Very early (≤7 days of life) intestinal perforations were more common among dexamethasone-treated neonates (8% vs 1%). Conclusion. We conclude that an early 3-day course of dexamethasone therapy increases survival without CLD, reduces CLD, and reduces late dexamethasone therapy in high-risk, low birth weight infants who receive surfactant therapy for respiratory distress syndrome. Potential benefits of early dexamethasone therapy at the dosing schedule used in this trial need to be weighed against the risk for early intestinal perforation.


The value gains that alleged to accrue to the large and growing wave of merger and acquisition activity have not been verified. Thus leading the research community in quandary on whether the industry has followed a path of massive restructuring on a misguided belief of value gains or whether the financial regulators and operators are lying to the public and shareholders about the effects of their activity on shareholders value and banking performance. It is important to address this issue by reconciling data with empirical reality of continued merger and acquisition activity. This paper fills the gap by investigating the effects of mergers and acquisitions on the efficiency of financial intermediation in the Nigerian banking industry. This is carried out by estimating a model that incorporates some key financial variables in a model that regress interest rates on these financial variables. Two models are estimated: one for the lending activity and the other is for the deposit activities. The model for lending activity has interest rate on loan as the dependent variable and deposit rate represents the dependent variable in the deposit model. The study found evidence to support the thesis that the consolidation programme-induced mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry had improved competitiveness and efficiency of the borrowing and lending operations of the Nigerian banking industry.


Although ganglioside GD3 levels are highly elevated in malignant melanomas, the role of GD3 in melanomas' malignant properties has not been clearly shown. To investigate this problem, we genetically generated GD3-positive (GD3 ) transfectant cells from a GD3-negative (GD3 ) mutant line SK-MEL-28-N1 and analyzed the phenotypic changes in the transfected cells. GD3 cells showed markedly increased cell growth and invasive characteristics. Two bands that underwent stronger tyrosine phosphorylation in GD3 cell lines than in controls after treatment with FCS were found with molecular masses of 130 and 68 kDa. They were identified as p130Cas and paxillin by sequential immunoprecipitation. Their roles in cell growth and invasion were analyzed with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) approach. Cell growth, as analyzed by BrdUrd uptake, was strongly suppressed in GD3 cells to near the levels of GD3 cells when treated with siRNA for p130Cas but not when treated with siRNA for paxillin. However, treatment with siRNAs of either p130Cas or paxillin resulted in the marked suppression of the invasive activity of GD3 cells almost to the levels of control cells. These results suggested that these two molecules function as effectors of GD3-mediated signaling, leading to such malignant properties as rapid cell growth and invasion.


The angiotensin receptors type 1 (AT1) have affinity by Losartan(R), low affinity to non-peptides antagonists and similar effect as Angiotensin-convert-enzyme inhibitors. It have been reported that natural and synthetic products might reduce the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects related to stannous chloride (SnCl2). SnCl2 is used in nuclear medicine as a reducing agent to obtain technetium-99 m-radiopharmaceuticals. The aim of this work was to evaluate the cellular effects produced by a solution of Losartan(R) (25 mg/ml) on the survival of Escherichia coli AB1157 in the presence and absence of SnCl2, and on the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes of the blood of Wistar rats. Briefly, blood sample was withdrawn by Wistar rats with heparinized syringe and incubated with Losartan(R) solution. Saline (NaCL 0.9%) was used as a control. The samples were gently mixed with hypotonic solutions of NaCl. After that it was centrifuged and the supernadant isolated for optical determination of the hemoglobin present. E. coli AB1157 cultures (exponential growth phase) were collected by centrifugation, washed and resuspended in 0.9%NaCl. Samples were incubated in water bath shaker with: (a) SnCl2 (25 μg/ml), (b) Losartan(R) (25 mg/ml) and (c) SnCl2 (25 μg/ml) + Losartan(R) (25 mg/ml). Incubation with 0.9% NaCl was also carried out (control). At 60 min intervals, aliquots were withdrawn, diluted, spread onto Petri dishes with solid LB medium and incubated overnight. The colonies formed were counted and the survival fractions calculated. Statistical analysis was performed. The results showed that there was a significantly increase (P < 0.05) in the osmotic fragility of the blood cells treated with Losartan(R). Moreover, Losartan(R) was also able to protect the E. coli cultures against the lesive action of SnCl2. Although, in erythrocyte the osmotic fragility was increased by the presence of Losartan(R) that could 1) alter the physical properties of this cell, or 2) had a direct or indirect effect on the intracellular sodium concentration or 3) had acted on the cardiovascular system. It suggested that the Losartan(R) did interfere strongly with cellular metabolism and did alter the survival fractions of E. coli AB1157.


Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the kidney. Delayed diagnosis may result in progression and metastasis. Markers for early detection of RCC are lacking. The ATP-binding cassette transporter D1 (ABCD1) is located in the human peroxisome membrane. Its mutation causes X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), a peroxisomal disorder affecting lipid storage. The role of ABCD1 in human renal tumorigenesis was unclear. In this study, three pairs of RCC tissues were examined by cDNA microarray and data suggested that ABCD1 mRNA is downregulated. Downregulation of ABCD1 expression was confirmed by real-time PCR. ABCD1 expression was also downregulated in four renal cancer cell lines compared to immortalized benign renal tubular cells. ABCD1 mRNA and protein expression levels assessed by immunohistochemistry in the RCC tissues were similar between genders, tumor grades, and tumor stages. Immunohistochemical assays also showed that ABCD1 expression was significantly higher in normal than in cancerous tissues (p<0.001). ABCD1 downregulation may be involved in human renal tumorigenesis.


In The Netherlands, a long-term multicentre intervention study was performed in asthmatic children, comparing different treatment regimens. The study consists of three integrated parts. Part 1, 116 children randomized to receive either 0.2 mg salbutamol plus 0.2 mg budesonide t.i.d. (steroid group) or 0.2 mg salbutamol plus placebo t.i.d. (placebo group). Endpoints were symptoms, airway calibre, expressed as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) before and after bronchodilation, and airway responsiveness (PD20 histamine). Part 2, steroid group follow-up of 28-36 months. The further course of endpoints and the remission (symptom-free during any 8 month period) rate were studied. Part 3, the effect of cessation of long-term administration of inhaled corticosteroid on FEV1 PD20 histamine and symptoms was investigated for 6 months in 28 steroid group children. Randomization (2:1) to either decrease and stop (after 2 months) corticosteroid (cessation group), or to continue treatment (continuous group). Part 1, withdrawals: placebo group 26/58; steroid group 3/58. This part of the study was stopped after a median follow-up period of 22 months. All endpoints improved in the steroid group and PD20 histamine continued to improve and remained unchanged in the placebo group. Part 2, symptoms tended to improve during the whole follow-up period. PD20 histamine plateaued after 22 months at a subnormal level. Thirty five patients (60%) achieved a remission during treatment; 23 (66%) relapsed. Part 3, 8/20 in the cessation group withdrew (symptoms increased, FEV1 and PD20 histamine decreased). In the continuous group no withdrawals occurred (FEV1 and PD20 histamine remained stable).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Two-year-olds engage in many behaviors that ostensibly require the attribution of mental states to other individuals. Yet the overwhelming consensus has been that children of this age are unable to attribute false beliefs. In the current study, we used an eyetracker to record infants' looking behavior while they watched actions on a computer monitor. Our data demonstrate that 25-month-old infants correctly anticipate an actor's actions when these actions can be predicted only by attributing a false belief to the actor.


Developing effective algorithm for segmenting image is very important in pattern recognition, medical MRI, X-Ray images analysis and in computer vision. Fuzzy c-means (FCM) is one of the mostly used methodologies in clustering image for segmentation. However, the results of the standard and the modified version FCM are not always satisfactory.  This paper introduces a spatial FCM that considers the weighted fuzzy effect of neighboring pixels on the cluster center depending on the location and intensity (kernel metric). The objective function in the FCM algorithm is modified to minimize the intensity inhomogeneities, by implicating the spatial neighborhood information and modifying the membership weighting of each cluster.  The advantages of the new FCM algorithm are: (a) produces homogeneous regions more than FCM algorithm, (b) handles noisy spots, and (c) it is relatively less sensitive to noise. Experimental results on real images show that the algorithm is effective, efficient, and is relatively independent of the type of noise. Especially, it can process non-noisy and noisy images without knowing the type of the noise.


A total of 162 patients (55 with neurasthenia, 53 with hysteric neuroses, 54 with neurosis of obsessive states) have been followed up with emphasis on the evolutional and age-specific characteristics. The authors have established a peculiar nature of the predisposing and pathogenetic factors in the genesis of neuroses and their subsequent dynamics in relation to age (infantile-adolescent, mature, late). The obtained data have made it possible to develop the principles of the pathogenetic therapy of the main forms of neuroses. These principles are based on the mandatory consideration of age-specific features.


With the improper application of fungicides, Phytophthora sojae begins to develop resistance to fungicides, and biological control is one of the potential ways to control it. We screened two strains of Bacillus; Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JDF3 and Bacillus subtilis RSS-1, which had an efficient inhibitory effect on P. sojae. They could inhibit mycelial growth, the germination of the cysts, and the swimming of the motile zoospores. To elucidate the response of P. sojae under the stress of B. amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis, and the molecular mechanism of biological control, comparative transcriptome analysis was applied. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression gene of P. sojae showed significant changes, and a total of 1616 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected. They participated in two major types of regulation, namely "specificity" regulation and "common" regulation. They might inhibit the growth of P. sojae mainly by inhibiting the activity of ribosome. A pot experiment indicated that B. amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis enhanced the resistance of soybean to P. sojae, and their control effects of them were 70.7% and 65.5%, respectively. In addition, B. amyloliquefaciens fermentation broth could induce an active oxygen burst, NO production, callose deposition, and lignification. B. subtilis could also stimulate the systemic to develop the resistance of soybean by lignification, and phytoalexin.


We employ the narrowing-based execution mechanism of the functional logic programming language Curry in order to automatically generate a system of test cases for glass-box testing of Curry programs. The test cases for a given function are computed by narrowing a call to that function with initially uninstantiated arguments. The generated test cases are produced w.r.t. a selected code-coverage criterion such as control-flow coverage. Besides an adaption of the notion of control-flow coverage to functional (logic) programming, we present a novel coverage criterion for this programming paradigm. A particular difficulty of the adaption is the handling of laziness.


CREATIVE PROCESSES IN AKAN MUSIC: INNOVATIONS WITHIN TRADITIONEric Odame Beeko, Ph.D.University of Pittsburgh, 2005The aim of this dissertation is to explain the creative processes in composition and performance of traditional music, and the subsequent innovations that emerge out of these processes in the musical traditions of the Akan people of Ghana. The study is premised on the fact that traditional musicians in the Akan culture, like most people on the surface of the earth, also have the natural capacity to consciously or unconsciously effect changes in their environments, play significant roles in most human-initiated change processes, and make contributions to both the material and institutional aspects of their culture, as their creative sensibilities or tendencies continue to bring about various forms of innovations from time to time. Based on this fact, the present study is oriented more toward the creative activities of individual composer-performers in the Akan society who are believed to be making profound contributions through their creative activities, consciously or unconsciously and directly or indirectly, to sustain the entire music traditions of Akan. Akan traditional music is transmitted orally and musicians literally compose the music either before or during performance; the music that they produce is either entirely new or a partial re-composition of pre-existing music. Accordingly, the study investigates the processes by which new ideas are generated and added to existing ones. It examines how Akan traditional musicians, working within the constraints imposed by the artistic parameters of the culture, consciously and subconsciously generate new ideas as they reproduce, reconstruct, reorder, and reinterpret the existing musical elements through their creative processes, and as a result bring about innovation in the tradition. These innovations are a necessary factor for sustaining the tradition, and for making it relevant to every period. Although the primary focus of this study is the Akan culture, it, however, highlights several issues—relating to creativity, change and innovation—that may also concern many cultures of Africa. Therefore, by using the Akan culture as a premise, what the study also seeks to establish is that an approach to the study of social change in relation to African art in general cannot focus on institutions without taking into account the human creative activities. The human creative tendencies that reveal both the innate capacity (the personality) and the culturally acquired knowledge are of primary relevance in understanding both change and continuity, particularly in Africa, and generally in any oral tradition.


The accuracy of diagnostic tests is of utmost importance as biased test results may lead to wrong decisions in clinical practice. In diagnostic accuracy research the results of a diagnostic test, model or strategy are compared to those of the reference standard, i.e. the best available method to determine whether a certain condition or disease is present or absent. Problems with the reference standard lead to biased test results. The umbrella term for this is 'verification bias'. Verification bias arises if the reference standard cannot be applied to all patients, if investigators use different reference standards or simply because there is no reference standard. Correction of these problems is often possible, and, if it is applied in a transparent and reproducible fashion it will deliver useful diagnostic information. Clinicians who use a diagnostic test should take possible verification bias into account.


Particulate layers of hydroxyapatite were deposited on the inner and outer surfaces of porous poly(L-lactic acid) monolith, PLLA, by using enzymatically derived ammonia as the precipitant. PLLA specimens were surface-modified with urease and were impregnated with aqueous solutions containing Ca2+, PO4 3- and urea. As ammonia was produced by hydrolysis of urea with the aid of the urease, hydroxyapatite precipitated predominantly on the surfaces of the porous PLLA. In contrast to the conventional biomimetic method or the alternate soaking method, it took shorter time period for hydroxyapatite particles to cover the surfaces of PLLA. The resultant hydroxyapatite was proved to be bone-like apatite because it had low crystallinity, contained carbonate ion in the lattice, and had a calcium-deficient composition.


Vesicular stomatitis virus is a negative-stranded RNA virus. Its nucleoprotein (N) binds the viral genomic RNA and is involved in multiple functions including transcription, replication, and assembly. We have determined a 2.9 angstrom structure of a complex containing 10 molecules of the N protein and 90 bases of RNA. The RNA is tightly sequestered in a cavity at the interface between two lobes of the N protein. This serves to protect the RNA in the absence of polynucleotide synthesis. For the RNA to be accessed, some conformational change in the N protein should be necessary.


OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to determine the molecular characteristics of clonotypic autoantibodies in the sera of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). This characterization is hampered by the presence of mixed anti-Ro/La specificities that may conceal clonotypic species. In order to narrow clonotypic diversity, a positive selection step was performed on a peg-like determinant of Ro 60 (termed Ro 60-peg) prior to analysis of the autoantibody proteome.

METHODS
Monospecific anti-Ro 60-peg IgG were isolated by affinity purification from the sera of 7 patients with primary SS and anti-Ro/La and subjected to 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometric sequencing. V regions of heavy and light chains were analyzed by combined database and de novo amino acid sequencing.

RESULTS
Proteomic analysis revealed a Ro 60-peg-specific IgG1κ-restricted monoclonal autoantibody that was present in the sera of all patients and specified by a V(H) 3-23 heavy chain paired with a V(κ) 3-20 light chain. The public anti-Ro 60-peg clonotype was specified further by common mutations in the heavy-chain and light-chain complementarity-determining regions. Titers and relative affinities of clonotypic IgG did not vary over the course of the disease.

CONCLUSION
The expression of a Ro 60-reactive public B cell clonotype in a subset of patients with primary SS as a long-lived, class-switched circulating autoantibody implies a common breach of B cell tolerance checkpoints in these patients. The unique heavy chain/light chain signature opens the possibility of tracking the development of a "forbidden" clone against a bona fide systemic autoantigen in human disease.


Abstract New finds of Hyolitha in the Devonian of Bolivia consist of the hyolithid Bolithes crasquinae new genus and species, which is the first well-preserved hyolithid from strata of this age in the region. In addition, specimens of the orthothecids Bolitheca steinmanni (Knod, 1908) and Neobactrotheca pharetra Marek and Isaacson, 1992 serve to increase knowledge concerning the range of morphologic variability within those taxa. Incompletely preserved hyoliths include Hyolithes sp. indet.? which would be the first definitive representative of that genus from South America. Two polyclaviculate hyolithid opercula, and an unusually large hyolithid conch are left in open nomenclature. The large conch is noteworthy because of signs of failed predation, making this only the second hyolithid on record on which the effects of predation can be recognized, and the first from the Devonian of South America. Hyolithes dorbignyi Kozlowski, 1923 is transferred to 'Hyolithes' owing to poor preservation.


ABSTRACT An Escherichia coli O157:H7 subtyping method based on PCR amplification of variable DNA sequences between the repetitive element IS3 was developed. Template DNA was prepared by boiling cells in Chelex. Two separate IS3 PCR amplifications were performed for each isolate: one with a single primer (primer IS3A) and one with two primers (primers IS3A and IS3B). The IS3 PCR subtyping method was applied to 35 epidemiologically related and unrelated E. coli O157:H7 isolates that had been previously characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE identified 25 different subtypes (difference of one or more bands). PCR with single primer IS3A and primer pair IS3A-IS3B identified 6 and 14 different subtypes, respectively. By combining the results of the two PCR amplifications, 15 different IS3 PCR subtypes were identified. While not as sensitive as PFGE, IS3 PCR subtyping grouped all outbreak-related isolates. IS3 PCR banding patterns were reproducible between amplifications and between subcultures. IS3 PCR could serve as a simple, rapid screening method for the identification of unrelated E. coli O157:H7 isolates.


Emotion recognition in conversation (ERC) has received much attention, lately, from researchers due to its potential widespread applications in diverse areas, such as health-care, education, and human resources. In this paper, we present Dialogue Graph Convolutional Network (DialogueGCN), a graph neural network based approach to ERC. We leverage self and inter-speaker dependency of the interlocutors to model conversational context for emotion recognition. Through the graph network, DialogueGCN addresses context propagation issues present in the current RNN-based methods. We empirically show that this method alleviates such issues, while outperforming the current state of the art on a number of benchmark emotion classification datasets.


We have shown that in the osteopetrotic rat mutation toothless (tl) osteoblasts are absent from older bone surfaces in mutants and that mutant osteoblasts in vivo lack the prominent stress fiber bundles polarized along bone surfaces in osteoblasts from normal littermates. Our recent data demonstrate that in normal osteoblasts in vitro b - and g -actin mRNAs have different, characteristic intracellular distributions and that tl (mutant) osteoblasts fail to differentially sort these mRNAs. Because bone resorption and formation are highly interdependent and injections of CSF-1, a growth factor, increase bone resorption and growth in tl rats, we examined the effects of CSF-1 treatment on osteoblast survival and ultrastructure in vivo and ability to sort actin mRNAs in vitro. Neonatal CSF-1 treatment of mutants restores osteoblasts on older bone surfaces, normalizes the intracellular distribution of stress fibers in osteoblasts in vivo and promotes normal sorting of b -actin mRNA in mutant osteoblasts in vitro without normalizing g -actin distribution. These data suggest the b - and g -actin mRNAs in osteoblasts are sorted by different mechanisms and that the differential sorting of b -actin mRNA is related to the characteristic polarization of stress fibers in osteoblasts and their survival on bone surfaces. This experimental system can be used to explore the relationships and regulation of these aspects of cell and


In all its activities, the Union shall observe the principle of the equality of its citizens, who shall receive equal attention from its institutions, bodies, offices and agencies. Every national of a Member State shall be a citizen of the Union. Citizenship of the Union shall be additional to and not replace national citizenship.


This article discusses the significance of Paul Robinson's and John Darley's book, Justice, Liability, and Blame: Community Views and the Criminal Law ("Justice"), and why the book is an excellent springboard for further research comparing community standards and legal codes. However, contrary to Justice's conclusions, this article particularly emphasizes the perils of incorporating public opinion into the law based upon three major sources: (1) this article's own study of national and New Jersey demographic and political affiliation data, (2) the results presented in Justice, and (3) the results of public opinion research.This article suggests that public opinion research may fail to measure accurately the public's fundamental values or "moral intuitions." Rather, the research may be far more successful in reflecting individuals' erroneous knowledge and distorted attitudes, which can range enormously depending on demographics and personal experiences. This article considers whether the goal of incorporating community standards into the law at the level Justice recommends can be achieved with any accuracy under even the most ideal empirical circumstances. This article also questions whether the attempt is worth the effort in light of the potential measurement problems. Lastly, this article points to research showing that public opinion already has a marked effect on police, courts, legislatures, and politicians. It seems the public can be quite successful in achieving the goal Justice has proposed for it, at least in the areas and on the levels the public believes significant. Given the public's influence, it may be a worthy effort to educate the public more about how the law actually operates in order to correct the distorted impressions the public currently holds. Therefore, whatever impact individuals do have can better reflect a reasoned, educated, judgment rather than personal experience.


Abstract Two hundred sixty-five students from four classes at one school of osteopathic medicine were studied to determine the correlation between several frequently used premedical admission criteria to predict performance on the early and current versions of the osteopathic medical licensure examinations. Further analysis evaluated the predictive value of the examination of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) and its successor, the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) in determining subsequent performance in the ascending levels of the examination sequence, as well as to predict performance in the courses and rotations of osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). This study also investigated the relationship between the early and later parts of the osteopathic medical licensure examinations. Analysis showed that of all premedical parameters, only the Medical College Aptitude Test score was positively correlated with performance on COMLEX-USA. In addition, a positive correlation was demonstrated between the performance in either Level 1 of COMLEX-USA or in the earlier form of the NBOME examination Part I and subsequent performance on the current Level 2 of COMLEX-USA or the old NBOME Part II. Finally, analysis indicated that COMLEX-USA predicted performance in OPP knowledge and skills.


The acoustics of a straight annular lined duct containing a swirling mean flow is considered. The classical Ingard–Myers impedance boundary condition is shown not to be correct for swirling flow. By considering behaviour within the thin boundary layers at the duct walls, the correct impedance boundary condition for an infinitely thin boundary layer with swirl is derived, which reduces to the Ingard–Myers condition when the swirl is set to zero. The correct boundary condition contains a spring-like term due to centrifugal acceleration at the walls, and consequently has a different sign at the inner (hub) and outer (tip) walls. Examples are given for mean flows relevant to the interstage region of aeroengines. Surface waves in swirling flows are also considered, and are shown to obey a more complicated dispersion relation than for non-swirling flows. The stability of the surface waves is also investigated, and as in the non-swirling case, one unstable surface wave per wall is found.


ABSTRACT Relationships at work are important to the psychosocial work environment and may be resources for the employees' well-being. There is a need for a better understanding of what generate positive relationships at work. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between employees and managers in municipal healthcare. A qualitative study with twenty-seven individual interviews was conducted with healthcare employees and managers in municipal healthcare. The relationship between manager and employees and its possible contribution to well-being was a key focus. A comparison and tentative analysis, inspired by hermeneutics, was used in order to analyse similarities and differences in employee and manager experiences. The findings revealed similarities as well as considerable differences between employees and managers in their experiences. Two themes emerged from the interpretation of the text: (i) Health-promoting relationships are characterized by asymmetry and by a manager that stands outside the group; and (ii) Health-promoting relationships are characterized by mutuality and symmetry and by a manager that is part of the group. The relationship between the employees and the managers are both a resource for doing a good job and a means for achieving belongingness at work. To highlight well-working aspects of relationships at work, may contribute to a better psychosocial work environment and, ultimately, the well-being among healthcare recipients.


Human Resource Management (H.R.M) in local government has been said to be a hybrid. The characteristics of local government H.R.M are different from those depicted in some models of the 'ideal-type' H.R.M due to the influence of particular cultural and management factors within local councils. This study compares the characteristics of H.R.M in local government with a model of the 'ideal-type' characteristics of H.R.M. The views of heads of HR working in local councils were sought to identify how and why these characteristics differ. The study found that there are significant differences between the 'ideal type' and the local government model. These differences which will need to be taken into consideration in the development of HR strategy if higher organisational performance is to be achieved.


The inhibition effect of N,N-diethylammonium O,O'-dicyclohexyldithiophosphate(NOCP) against the corrosion of carbon steel in HCl solution was studied by weight loss measurement, potentiodynamic polarization and atomic force microscopy techniques. The studies of weight loss measurement show that the inhibition efficiency was up to 99.54 % at the inhibitor concentration of 2.717×10-4 M in 1.0 M HCl solution at 25°C. The adsorption of NOCP on carbon steel surface obeys the Langmuir isotherm. Polarization curves indicate NOCP is a mixed-type inhibitor, and the obtained standard free energy of adsorption suggests that the chemisorption takes place spontaneously. The effects of temperature, acid concentration and immersion time were also studied.


Ruptures of the calcaneal tendon, when neglected, cause marked disturbance to gait and support at the tip of the foot. Most causes of pain in this region are related to overload injuries. Previous studies have shown that surgical treatment is the best option for chronic injuries. The purpose of this report is to describe a new endoscopic surgical technique used for treatment of chronic injury of the calcaneal tendon by reconstruction with flexor hallucis longus tendon transfer and fixation with an interference screw at the calcaneus in an elderly diabetic patient with signs of Achilles insertional tendinopathy. Level of Evidence V; Therapeutic studies; Expert opinion.


Animal models have provided a wealth of information on mechanisms of epileptogenesis and comorbidogenesis, and have significantly advanced our ability to investigate the potential of new therapies. Processes implicating brain inflammation have been increasingly observed in epilepsy research. Herein we discuss the progress on animal models of epilepsy and comorbidities that inform us on the potential role of inflammation in epileptogenesis and comorbidity pathogenesis in rodent models of West syndrome and the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) mouse model of viral encephalitis–induced epilepsy. Rat models of infantile spasms were generated in rat pups after right intracerebral injections of proinflammatory compounds (lipopolysaccharides with or without doxorubicin, or cytokines) and were longitudinally monitored for epileptic spasms and neurodevelopmental and cognitive deficits. Anti‐inflammatory treatments were tested after the onset of spasms. The TMEV mouse model was induced with intracerebral administration of TMEV and prospective monitoring for handling‐induced seizures or seizure susceptibility, as well as long‐term evaluations of behavioral comorbidities of epilepsy. Inflammatory processes are evident in both models and are implicated in the pathogenesis of the observed seizures and comorbidities. A common feature of these models, based on the data so far available, is their pharmacoresistant profile. The presented data support the role of inflammatory pathways in epileptogenesis and comorbidities in two distinct epilepsy models. Pharmacoresistance is a common feature of both inflammation‐based models. Utilization of these models may facilitate the identification of age‐specific, syndrome‐ or etiology‐specific therapies for the epilepsies and attendant comorbidities, including the drug‐resistant forms.


OBJECTIVE
This study examined lifetime, 12-month, and current mental health service use among older youths in the foster care system and examined variations in mental health care by race, gender, maltreatment history, living situation, and geographic region.

METHOD
The Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents, the Child Trauma Questionnaire, and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule were used in interviews with 406 youths in Missouri's foster care system who were aged 17 years.

RESULTS
Ninety-four percent of the youths had used a mental health service in their lifetime, 83 percent used a mental health service in the past year, and 66 percent were currently receiving a mental health service. Lifetime rates for inpatient psychiatric care (42 percent) and other residential programs (77 percent) were exceptionally high. A quarter of the youths received mental health services before they entered the foster care system. Among youths who received residential services, half did not receive community-based services before receiving residential services. After the analyses controlled for need, predisposing characteristics, and enabling characteristics, youths of color were less likely to receive outpatient therapy, psychotherapeutic medications, and inpatient services, and they were more likely to receive residential services. Youths who had been neglected and youths in kinship care were less likely to receive some types of services. Geographic differences in service use were common and sometimes mediated the effect of race on service use.

CONCLUSIONS
The child welfare system was actively engaged in arranging mental health services for youths in the foster care system, but the system was unable to maintain many youths in less restrictive living situations. The variations by race and geography indirectly indicate quality concerns.


All harp seal populations form breeding aggregations on the Arctic pack ice. However, pack ice conditions vary spatially and temporally among these aggregations with variation in envi- ronmental and oceanographic conditions, which may affect the behavioral interactions between mothers and their newborn pups. We investigated the variation in mother-pup behavior between harp seal breeding aggregations in the NE (Greenland Sea) and NW Atlantic coastal shelf region (Front). Acoustic cues provided by the pups are thought to be important in facilitating reunions with their mothers. Consequently, we measured variation in vocal parameters among seals to investigate geographic differences in pup vocalizations. Classification trees showed a distinctive split between Front and Greenland Sea pup vocalizations. There were no clear differences between male and female pups at the Front, where 42% of male and 38% of female pup calls could be attributed to a given individual. This contrasts with the Greenland Sea, where 55% of vocalizations of female pups were attributed to individuals compared with only 8% for males. Analyses of behavioral observations of mother-pup pairs made in the afternoon and evening showed that pups in the Greenland Sea suck- led more and were more alert than pups in the Front. Further, mother-pup attendance patterns dif- fered between sites. Mothers at the Front attended their pups 85.1% of the time, whereas mothers in the Greenland Sea attended their pups 52.2% of the time. These substantial differences between sites might be related to evolutionary changes in behavior resulting from commercial hunting or vari- able environmental conditions.


Secure authentication in roaming services is being designed to allow legal users to get access to wireless network services when they are away from their home location. Recently, to protect the location privacy of users, there have been researches on anonymous authentication. In particular, anonymous authentication without the participation of home servers has attracted considerable interest owing to its influence on the communication efficiency. Unfortunately, the previously proposed anonymous authentication schemes have serious practical shortcomings, such as high communication and computation costs and huge revocation lists. In this paper, we propose a novel three-round anonymous roaming protocol that does not require the participation of home servers. The proposed protocol uses a pseudo-identity-based signcryption scheme to perform efficient revocation with a short revocation list and efficient authentication. The use of a signcryption algorithm minimizes the number of pseudo-identities stored in a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card with limited storage capacity. The authentication efficiency is also higher than that of existing protocols. The proposed protocol is formally proved in the Canetti-Krawczyk (CK) model.


Introduction: A better understanding of pain treatment satisfaction in patients with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) and substance use is needed, especially as opioid prescribing policies are changing. We sought to identify factors associated with pain treatment satisfaction in individuals with CNCP on recent opioid therapy and prior or active substance use. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from a cohort study of 300 adults with CNCP receiving >20 morphine milligram equivalents of opioids for ≥3 of the preceding 12 months and prior or active substance use. Participants completed interviews, clinical assessments, urine drug screening, and medical chart review. Results: Participants were predominantly middle-aged (mean age 57.5 years), Black (44%), and cisgender men (60%). One-third (33%) had high, 28% moderate, and 39% low pain treatment satisfaction. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tobacco use, past-year opioid discontinuation, and higher average pain scores were associated with lower satisfaction. HIV and prescription cannabis use were associated with higher satisfaction. Conclusions: The relationship between PTSD and tobacco use with lower satisfaction should be explored to augment pain outcomes. Higher satisfaction among individuals with HIV and prescription cannabis use presents potential research areas to guide CNCP management and reduce reliance on opioid therapies.


The international HyMeX (Hydrological Mediterranean Experiment) program aims to improve our understanding of the water cycle in the Mediterranean, using a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach and with emphasis on extreme events. This program will improve our understanding and our predictive ability of hydrometeorological hazards including their evolution within the next century. One of the most important results of the program will be its observational campaigns, which will greatly improve the data available, leading to significant scientific results. The interest of the program for the Spanish research groups is described, as the active participation of some of them in the design and execution of the observational activities. At the same time, due to its location, Spain is key to the program, being a good observation platform. HyMeX will enrich the work of the Spanish research groups, it will improve the predictive ability of the weather services, will help us to have a better understanding of the impacts of hydrometeorological extremes on our society and will lead to better strategies for adapting to climate change.


Diamond is a promising semiconductor material for high power, high voltage, high temperature and high frequency applications due to its remarkable material properties: it has the highest thermal conductivity, it is the hardest material, chemically inert, radiation hard and has the widest transparency in the electromagnetic spectrum. It also exhibits excellent electrical properties like high breakdown field, high mobilities and a wide bandgap. Hence, it may find applications in extreme conditions out of reach for conventional semiconductor materials, e.g. in high power density systems, high temperature conditions, automotive and aerospace industries, and space applications. With the recent progress in the growth of high purity single-crystalline CVD diamond, the realization of electronic devices is now possible. Natural and HPHT diamonds inevitably have too high a concentration of impurities and defects for electrical applications. To develop efficient electronic devices based on diamond, it is crucial to understand charge transport properties. Time-of-flight is one of the most powerful methods used to study charge transport properties like mobility, drift velocity and charge collection efficiency in highly resistive semiconductors, such as diamond. For commercial diamond devices to become a reality, it is necessary to have an effective surface passivation since the passivation determines the ability of a device to withstand high surface electric fields. Surface passivation studies on intrinsic SC-CVD diamond using materials like silicon oxide, silicon nitride and high-k materials have been conducted and observations reveal an increase in measured hole mobilities. Planar MOS capacitor structures form the basic building block of MOSFETs. Consequently, the understanding of MOS structures is crucial to make MOSFETs based on diamond. Planar MOS structures with aluminum oxide as gate dielectric were fabricated on boron doped diamond. The phenomenon of inversion was observed for the first time in diamond. In addition, low temperature hole transport in the range of 10-80 K has been investigated and the results are used to identify the type of scattering mechanisms affecting hole transport at these temperatures.To utilize the potential of diamonds properties and with diamond being the hardest and most chemically inert material, new processing technologies are needed to produce devices for electrical, optical or mechanical applications. Etching of diamond is one of the important processing steps required to make devices. Achieving an isotropic etch with a high etch rate is a challenge. Semi-isotropic etch profiles with smooth surfaces were obtained by using anisotropic etching technique by placing diamond samples in a Faraday cage and etch rates of approximately 80 nm/min were achieved.Valleytronics, which is a novel concept to encode information based on the valley quantum number of electrons has been investigated for the first time in diamond. Valley-polarized electrons with the longest relaxation time ever recorded in any material (300 ns) were observed. This is a first step towards demonstrating valleytronic devices.


AbstractWITHDRAWAL NOTICEThis Viewpoint essay has been withdrawn at the request of the academic journal editor, and in agreement with the author of the essay. Following a number of complaints, Taylor & Francis conducted a thorough investigation into the peer review process on this article. Whilst this clearly demonstrated the essay had undergone double-blind peer review, in line with the journal's editorial policy, the journal editor has subsequently received serious and credible threats of personal violence. These threats are linked to the publication of this essay. As the publisher, we must take this seriously. Taylor & Francis has a strong and supportive duty of care to all our academic editorial teams, and this is why we are withdrawing this essay.


Most law and economics literature employs efficiency criteria that fit poorly with the structural features of the legal environment. The major limitations trace back to the analytical separation of law from its formative process, which has resulted in an almost exclusive focus on the allocative efficiency of legal entitlements and little or no attention paid to the causal relationship between the efficiency of legal rules and the efficiency of the lawmaking process. I contend that this conventional output-oriented approach is susceptible to the following criticisms: 1) it is affected by logical circularity and/or logical incompleteness; 2) it fails to provide any assurance of increased social welfare, 3) it does not account for the presence of losers, and 4) it does not account for the predictability/adaptivity trade-off associated with legal change.Based on the foregoing considerations, this paper proposes an alternative understanding of legal efficiency. Efficiency is not an objective property of the outcome independent of the process; rather, it depends on the ability of the law-making process to embody, in a cost-effective manner, the general consensus of all the people concerned. Based on this premise, this paper proposes a methodology focused on the "process-outcome" relationship within the production of law, which I call "process efficiency analysis". It relies on the analytical tools offered by transaction-cost economics and is grounded in the normative principles of constitutional contractarianism. In the last section of the paper, I illustrate process efficiency analysis by using an example from tort law.


Background: We investigated whether increasing daily steps by 3000 improves glycemic indices (HbA1c and glycemic variability), cardiometabolic risk factors (BMI, blood pressure (BP) and lipids) and aortic stiffness in middle-aged Chinese men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In this 12 weeks, pre and post intervention, prospective study, 20 chinese men (40-70 years old; baseline HbA1c 7-10%) with T2DM were recruited. They were on stable therapeutic regime and had no preexisting macrovascular complications. Measurements included glycemic profile (HbA1c, CGMS (Medtronics iPro)), BMI, BP, fasting lipids, aortic BP and stiffness (SphygmoCor Xcel) and daily steps (pedometer). The intervention was to increase the daily step count by 3000/day. We compared group 1 who achieved an increase of >3000 steps/day (N=7) with group 2 who failed to achieve target (N=11). All comparisons were performed using Student's independent t test. Results: We found that compared to Group 2, Group 1 had a significant improvement in BMI (-1.14 vs. +0.11), aortic systolic (-1.38 vs. +6.58mmHg) and diastolic (-4.63 vs. +4.08mmHg) BP(p Conclusion: Increasing step counts by more than 3000 steps/day resulted in improvement in BMI and aortic BP with an interactive improvement in HbA1c in the long term. Further studies with a larger sample size and a longer follow-up are needed to confirm our findings. Disclosure C. Seow: None. L. Xia: None. J.S. Tan: None. X. Tang: None. B. Sun: None. R. Dalan: None.


Background: Teachers have conventionally been using different teaching methods to educate dental students by blackboard and slide projectors. It is very important for any dental teacher to meet the educational need of the students regarding their knowledge, attitude and skills. Audiovisual (AV) aids help the conventional teaching methods like a Blackboard (BB), overhead projector (OHP), power point presentation (PPT), audiotapes and film loops. The present study was an attempt to assess the student's perceptions for the use of AV aids in teaching dental subjects. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based analytical cross-sectional study was carried out among 500 dental students attending lectures in a regional dental college, Bhimavaram, A.P. Students were made familiar with all the dental subjects and exposed to different AV aids like blackboard, OHP and PPT, used for lecture delivery. Various parameters were included in the questionnaire forms to evaluate the student's perception for AV aids during teaching dental subjects. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: The questionnaire provided was found to be reliable with Cronbach's α value of 0.774. 70.6% of students showed interest in taking notes rather than taking handouts [29.4%]. Students reported that all the dental subjects were effectively taught using PPT followed by BB except for Biochemistry and Pharmacology. The perception of diagrams, flowcharts and note taking was best accepted with a PPT followed by BB, lectures were clear, understandable, well-organized and students were stimulated by PPT for further reading. Conclusion: Our study showed that lectures delivered using PPT were more appreciated by the students followed by BB and narration. OHP was the least preferred method by the dental students.


In our engagement with Lars and the Real Girl (LRG), we encourage a reading of the film that emphasizes how it playfully and performatively reproduces and, in the process, undoes norms of temporality and collectivity. In particular, LRG queers normative understandings of public culture, identity, and community in three primary ways. First, the film queers typical understandings of time, challenging the presumed distinctions between past, present, and future. Second, LRG forwards a prosthetic understanding of identity, asserting that all identities are relationally contingent and therefore queering the subject-object binary. Finally, the film envisions queer kinship structures that not only critique hegemonic gender norms but also call attention to the performativity of gendered identities. Ultimately, we deploy LRG to respond to those who advocate antirelationality as the properly queer way of moving through space and time.


Abstract The role of alcohol and drugs (AOD) in domestic and family violence is increasingly difficult to ignore, yet challenging to reconcile with dominant feminist analyses of the problem. The landmark 2015–16 Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence recommended service integration between the AOD and domestic and family violence (DFV) sectors, but this may be difficult to achieve due to differences in history, language use and treatment philosophy between the two sectors. A central point of contention about the role of AOD in DFV can be represented by the question: "are alcohol and other drugs a cause of DFV?" Unpacking this question is essential to understanding contested problem framing in this area, and requires attention to differences in language use and research traditions; varying acceptance of gender inequity as a central causal factor; cultural attitudes about alcohol and disinhibition; and notions of accountability across the different sectors. I argue that substance abuse affects DFV in gendered ways, and that more attention should be paid to how AOD and gender intersect to affect the perpetration and experience of DFV. This article will be useful to practitioners seeking to understand the sensitivities surrounding discussion of AOD in relation to DFV, and will assist them in navigating these sensitivities to improve service coordination and thus deliver better outcomes for those affected by DFV.


This paper presents the details of nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) of three point bending specimens made up of high strength concrete (HSC, HSC1) and ultra high strength concrete (UHSC). Brief details about characterization and experimentation of HSC, HSC1 and UHSC have been provided. Cracking strength criterion has been used for simulation of crack propagation by conducting nonlinear FEA. The description about FEA using crack strength criterion has been outlined. Bi-linear tension softening relation has been used for modeling the cohesive stresses ahead of the crack tip. Numerical studies have been carried out on fracture analysis of three point bending specimens. It is observed from the studies that the computed values from FEA are in very good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. The computed values of stress vs crack width will be useful for evaluation of fracture energy, crack tip opening displacement and fracture toughness. Further, these values can also be used for crack growth study, remaining life assessment and residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components.


A laser speckle, differential strain measurement system has been built and tested for future applications in hostile environments. One-dimensional electronic correlation of speckle pattern movement allows a quasi-real time measure of strain. The system has been used successfully to measure uniaxial strain reaching into plastic deformation of a test specimen, at temperatures ranging to 450°C. A resolution of 16 microstrain is given by the photodiode array sensor pitch and the specimen to sensor separation. The strain meas-urement error is estimated to be ±18 microstrain ±0.3 percent of the strain reading. The upper temperature limit of the gauge is determined by air density perturbations causing decorrelation of the reference and shifted speckle patterns, and may be improved by limiting convective flow in the immediate vicinity of the test specimen.


The effect of asymmetry caused by oblique line-shaped laser ablation on the generation of ultrasonic waves in metal, especially the effect of transverse component of the ablation force source on the ultrasonic waves is analyzed. Due to the oblique force source, the displacements of shear wave increase obviously by the enhanced shear force, the energy concentration area of longitudinal wave deflects to the small range centered on the incident direction while that of shear wave is approximately perpendicular to incident direction. In addition, surface wave enhances in the direction of transverse power flow. Furthermore, some ultrasonic characteristics under vortex laser ablation condition are inferred.


Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and efficacy of avelumab plus axitinib or sunitinib. Experimental Design: Adult patients with untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with a clear-cell component, ≥1 measurable lesions, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, fresh or archival tumor specimen, and adequate renal, cardiac, and hepatic function were included. Retrospective analyses of the association between baseline NLR and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the avelumab plus axitinib or sunitinib arms were performed using the first interim analysis of the phase 3 JAVELIN Renal 101 trial (NCT02684006). Multivariate Cox regression analyses of PFS and OS were conducted. Translational data were assessed to elucidate the underlying biology associated with differences in NLR. Results: Patients with below-median NLR had longer observed PFS with avelumab plus axitinib [stratified HR, 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.634–1.153] or sunitinib (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.415–0.745). In the avelumab plus axitinib or sunitinib arms, respectively, median PFS was 13.8 and 11.2 months in patients with below-median NLR, and 13.3 and 5.6 months in patients with median-or-higher NLR. Below-median NLR was also associated with longer observed OS in the avelumab plus axitinib (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.300–0.871) and sunitinib arms (HR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.174–0.511). Tumor analyses showed an association between NLR and key biological characteristics, suggesting a role of NLR in underlying mechanisms influencing clinical outcome. Conclusions: Current data support NLR as a prognostic biomarker in patients with advanced RCC receiving avelumab plus axitinib or sunitinib.


Entity disambiguation with Wikipedia relies on structured information from redirect pages, article text, inter-article links, and categories. We explore whether web links can replace a curated encyclopaedia, obtaining entity prior, name, context, and coherence models from a corpus of web pages with links to Wikipedia. Experiments compare web link models to Wikipedia models on well-known conll and tac data sets. Results show that using 34 million web links approaches Wikipedia performance. Combining web link and Wikipedia models produces the best-known disambiguation accuracy of 88.7 on standard newswire test data.


In this paper we investigated self-similar Solutions for Magneto Hy-drodynamic shock waves for the equation of state of Mie-Gruneisen type. Solutions are obtained numerically and the effect of viscosity (K) and the non-idealness parameter (d) on the self-similar solutions are studied in detail. The findings confirmed that, the non-idealness parameter and the viscosity parameter have major effect on the shock strength and the flow variables. All discontinuities of the physical pa-rameters are removed by the viscosity and complete flow field depends upon the magnitude of the viscosity. The obtained results are in good agreement with the results obtained by some of the researchers. All the analysis is presented pictorially in this paper.


The DAG scheduling problem is a rich land of research and a plethora of algorithms for solving this problem have been reported in the literature. However, designing a scheduling algorithm of low complexity without sacrificing performance remains a challenging obstacle from a practical perspective. In this paper, we present a local search-based scheduling algorithm that attempts to meet this challenge. The proposed algorithm is called Fast Assignment using Search Technique (FAST). Its overall time complexity is only O(e) where e is the number of edges in the DAG. The algorithm works by first generating an initial solution and then refining it using local neighborhood search. The algorithm outperforms numerous previous algorithms while taking dramatically smaller execution times. The distinctive feature of our research is that the performance evaluation is not carried out using simulation, rather we have tested our proposed algorithm and compared it with other algorithms using a parallel compiler with real applications on the Intel Paragon.


The smell of rotten fish is one of the characteristics of bacterial vaginosis (BV), and is due to trimethylamine (TMA). Trimethylamine can be found in human urine, although most of it occurs as the nonvolatile oxide (TMAO) form. The fraction TMA/TMAO can be expected to be the same in different body fluids if no local production of TMA occurs. In women with BV, TMAO in the vaginal fluid is expected to be chemically reduced by the local bacterial flora to the much more odorous TMA. We have therefore studied the local vaginal production of TMA in vaginal secretion compared to the general TMA‐TMAO metabolism that was measured in urine using gas chromatography. Both vaginal fluid and random urine samples were collected from women, with and without BV, attending a Swedish clinic for sexually transmitted diseases, and these samples were analyzed for TMA and TMAO. The results show that a local production of TMA occurs in the vagina that is not part of the general metabolism of TMA‐TMAO.


Abstract Seasonal changes of abundance and composition of planktonic polychaete larvae were investigated monthly from January 2007 to December 2009 in Onagawa Bay, northeastern Japan. Larvae belonging to 18 families were identified: Spionidae, Serpulidae, Nephtyidae, Magelonidae, Phyllodocidae, Polynoidae, Syllidae, Capitellidae, Nereididae, Terebellidae, Arenicolidae, Chaetopteridae, Oweniidae, Pectinariidae, Glyceridae, Dorvilleidae, Sabellidae, and Lumbrineridae. The density of polychaete larvae varied from 18 to 6901 ind m−3. Spionid larvae occurred throughout the year, being the dominant family throughout the year, comprising 88.7% of the total, with those belonging to genus Polydora dominant during winter to spring and Pseudopolydora during summer to autumn. Larvae belonging to the Serpulidae, Magelonidae, Nephtyidae, Phyllodocidae, and Polynoidae tended to be frequent in summer and autumn. The close timing between phytoplankton blooms and the production of planktonic polychaete larvae is discussed, and it is noted that most planktonic polychaete larvae tended to synchronize with summer phytoplankton increases and autumn blooms in the near-surface water, but not with spring blooms. One possible explanation is the diversity of food during summer to autumn in Onagawa Bay. Only larvae belonging to the genus Polydora were synchronized with spring phytoplankton blooms, perhaps reflecting their northern biogeographic origin.


Single crystal Si, Si0.948Ge0.052 and Si0.66Ge0.34 diode as well as Ge transistor structures with high electroluminescence (EL) intensities in the region of interband transitions at room temperature were fabricated by different techniques and their luminescence properties were studies. The analysis of the experimental data shows that recombination involving excitons is the dominant mechanism of near-band edge radiative recombination in all the light-emitting structures at room temperature. Some of the structures are characterized by record values of EL intensity and/or external quantum efficiency, so they can be used as effective light emitters for Si optoelectronics.


In this paper, the lean manufacturing method using value stream mapping was adopted to investigate and analyst the value of activities throughout production processes in order to eliminate the production wastes. While the simulation technique was used to support decision for proposing measures to increase a firm productivity in the case study, a hard disk drive component manufacturer. The results shown that the purposed method could reduce production cycle time (takt time) from 21.18 to 19.89 s., workforces from 10 to 8, work-in-process about 60% and eliminate production bottleneck. That led to more efficiency (12.19% increase) in production line balancing, indicating more effective production lines. Furthermore, improvement of production process continued progressively in the step of adhesive dispensing and the one of drying the glue by UV light. It led to ability to control the amount of glue dispensing more effectively, increasing quantity of work (33%) (from one syringe of glue) from 3,078 into 4,104 pieces of work per syringe, and reducing cost of glue (25%).


A simple solution to linear least-mean-squared-error smoothing, filtering, and prediction problems that is based on series representations for continuous-time random processes is presented. A method for arbitrarily closely approximating correlation functions is employed to obtain approximants that lead to a simple but general closed-form solution for the impulse-response function of the estimating system. The system is asymptotically optimum, and is automatically synthesized with a canonical structure that is convenient for implementation and amenable to adjustment. The method of solution is valid when the observations are restricted to a finite interval and contain a white component.