The linear friction welding (LFW) performance of hydrogenated Ti-6Al-4V alloy was investigated. The effects of hydrogen on macro-features and axial shortening as well as microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V alloy joints welded by LFW were analyzed. The mechanical properties of joints after dehydrogenation were also examined by tensile test at room temperature. The results indicated that the hydrogenated Ti-6Al-4V specimens containing 0.3~0.4 wt% hydrogen had a better microstructure and plastic deformation ability, which resulted in the optimum welding performance improvement of LFW. The critical power input of LFW could be lowered by addition of hydrogen to Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The results of tensile test showed that joints which experienced thermohydrogen processing possessed the same tensile strength and plasticity as original joints.


A dual-band fully integrated transceiver for IEEE 802.11a/b/g/j/n wireless local area network (WLAN) was implemented using 0.13 µm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology. The proposed hybrid up/down-conversion architecture, which is mixed double- and direct-conversion, was employed in 5 and 2.4 GHz bands, respectively, in order to eliminate the needs for high local-oscillator frequency generations. The hybrid up/down conversion transceiver was archived with small silicon size by block sharing, including such things as mixer sharing for each band, low-pass filter sharing between RX and TX chain and load inductor sharing of the low-noise amplifier and mixer of the Rx chain. The error vector magnitude (EVM) limit of the proposed receiver was measured to be 3.4/3.1% in the 2.4/5 GHz band, respectively. The Tx EVM was measured under the average output power of +12 dBm with external power amplifier to be 2.9/3.5% in the 2.4/5 GHz band, respectively.


Administration of IL-1 beta and 125-129 fragment of alpha 2-interferon improved learning and retention of active avoidance behaviour in memory in rats. It also improved the correlation between intersignal runs and success of the avoidance behaviour learning. The data obtained suggest that an activation of the intersignal retention process is one of the mechanisms of the immunomodulators effect on learning and memory.


This paper presents a non-linear control of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) fed by a PWM voltage source inverter. To improve the performance of this control technique, the input-output linearization technique is proposed for a system driving a mechanical load with two masses. In order to ensure a steady operation of PMSM with a high dynamic, a non-linear correction is employed to improve torque, speed and currents characteristics. To validate and confirm the theoretical developments simulation tests were conducted and the obtained results have demonstrated the robustness of the proposed control strategy and the efficiency of nonlinear controllers operating with several masses.


: The prevalence of general binocular dysfunction with asthenopia was determined for non-presbyopes at an urban optometry clinic serving municipal workers and their dependents. Of the sample of 119 patients, 42.9% had jobs with heavy desk work demands (primarily secretarial and clerical) and 39.5% were students. The prevalence of symptomatic general binocular dysfunction was 21.0%. Accommodative dysfunctions were the most commonly encountered condition at 16.8%. Symptomatic near esophoria was found in 5.9% of patients and convergence insufficiency in 4.2%. Both vergence dysfunctions overlapped with accommodative dysfunctions.


The spectroscopic and thermal properties of swollen Nafion membranes in methanol aqueous mixtures were investigated to understand the behavior of commercial electrolytes in the presence of polar solvents. Several differences were observed in the absorption processes depending on the composition of the solvent. Deconvolution methods were applied to study specific contributions of solvents and polymer groups based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The results evidence compositional effects on the interactions between solvents and Nafion. A major influence of the nonpolar domains (hydrophobic regions) in the absorption of methanol together with a reduction of the interactions with sulfonate groups was observed. Such changes are accompanied by a modification of the cluster morphology of the equilibrated membranes evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry. These findings can be useful to improve the knowledge on Nafion's microstructure in the presence of polar solvents. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013


Total daily energy expenditure (TEE) by the doubly-labelled (2H218O) water method and basal metabolic rate (BMR) by indirect calorimetry were measured in thirty-two healthy free-living adults in Northern Ireland. Habitual physical activity patterns in occupational and discretionary activities were assessed by interview questionnaire. Expressed as a multiple of BMR the TEE values for the sixteen males (1.88 (sd 0.28), range 1.44–2.57) and sixteen females (1.77 (sd 0.16), range 1.50–2.06) were compatible with current Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS; 1979) and Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (FAO/WHO/UNU; 1985) estimates of energy requirements. The results suggest that discretionary physical activity is now emerging as an equally important determinant of energy expenditure in the UK as the occupational classifications currently used as the basis of DHSS (1979) and FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) recommendations for energy requirements. Therefore, realistically achievable inputs of recreational exercise can have a significant impact in counteracting low levels of energy expenditure which are associated with modern lifestyles and are implicated as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and obesity.


The dismissal by way of redundancy in Britain is analysed in this contribution with regard to both its legislative pillars and the most recent judicial stances. However, the discussion goes beyond the mere revision of secondary sources, as the Authors propose to contrast the British jurisprudence with the Italian one, a jurisdiction that has just recently ushered into its legislative body, under the pressure of the European Union and against the backdrop of an increasingly deteriorated economic scenario, an up-dated, albeit partly flawed, form of redundancy (the redundancy for economic reasons or giustificato motivo oggettivo).
The results of the discussion (a pure comparative analysis in law, within the area of the employment law) are quintessentially groundbreaking, as a theory is corroborated that the British legislation in the matter of the redundancy should be used as a decidedly apt yardstick to which its Italian counterpart should work towards, particularly in respect of the possibility (rectius the necessity) to extend this legislative tool, just recently made tenuously applicable to private sector workers, to the public arena also.


Background and objectives: Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of imminent concern in March 2020, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its related disease (COVID-19) has become a topic of much-needed research. This study primarily focused on what effect smoking had on hospitalization; however, asymptomaticity and severity were discussed. Data: Data was collected through searches on databases including PubMed and Google Scholar. Eligibility criteria included being RT-PCR verified and including smoking data. Discussion: This study found that smokers were significantly underrepresented in COVID-19 hospitalization on a purely epidemiological level in some areas, including China and Manhattan, but not others: Seattle, Greater New York City Area, and Italy. Furthermore, smokers were equally represented in asymptomatic populations, but smokers will likely experience a more severe manifestation of the disease if they are symptomatic. Further inquiry into possible mechanisms by which the observed epidemiological effect is necessary, as it has implications for recommendations on loosening restrictions on social distancing measures. Conclusions and Recommendations: This study recommends that smokers consider themselves to be at higher risk for COVID-19, as they may experience a more severe manifestation of the disease. Health care providers and policymakers should consider smokers at higher risk as well, as there is evidence to claim that smokers may contract a more severe form of COVID-19.


Previous studies have shown that the kinetics of heart rate (HR) recovery are delayed in older individuals after exercise. This study was designed to determine whether this observation held when the variables of physical fitness and work intensity were controlled. Twenty male subjects were categorized into four groups (n = 5) according to age and fitness level (peak O2 consumption ml. kg-1.min-1): young trained (YT) 24 +/- 2 yr, 63 +/- 3 ml.kg-1. min-1; old trained (OT) 51 +/- 2 yr, 57 +/- 3 ml.kg-1.min-1; young untrained (YU) 25 +/- 3 yr, 44 +/- 2 ml.kg-1.min-1; old untrained (OU) 57 +/- 4 yr, 36 +/- 4 ml.kg-1.min-1. Bicycle ergometry exercise was performed in incremental stages to a maximally tolerated level of exertion, and HR was monitored continuously postexercise. Regression analysis of the fast (15-120 s) and initial slow (120-240 s) phases of recovery showed no effect of age on HR recovery when comparing YT vs. OT and YU vs. OU. Trained subjects, irrespective of age, demonstrated a significantly faster HR recovery than untrained subjects which was particularly marked during fast-phase recovery (P less than 0.005). These results indicate that the slower HR recovery previously reported in older subjects may be due to a failure to control for variables that influence recovery HR.


Hydrogen-assisted stress-corrosion cracking failure occurred in four AISI 4137 chromium molybdenum steel bolts having a hardness of 42 HRC. The normal service temperature (400 deg C, or 750 deg F) was too high for hydrogen embrittlement but, the bolts were subjected also to extended shutdown periods at ambient temperatures. The corrosive environment contained trace hydrogen chloride and acetic acid vapors as well as calcium chloride if leaks occurred. The exact service life was unknown. The bolt surfaces showed extensive corrosion deposits. Cracks had initiated at both the thread roots and the fillet under the bolt head. Multiple, branched cracking was present in a longitudinal section through the failed end of one bolt, typical of hydrogen-assisted SCC in hardened steels. Chlorides were detected within the cracks and on the fracture surface. The failed bolts were replaced with 17-4 PH stainless steel bolts (Condition H 1150M) having a hardness of 22 HRC.


Low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) is widely used to treat metabolic disorders, but its physiologic effects have not been well determined. In the present study, we investigated the metabolic effects of LMWF in obese diabetic mice (leptin receptor–deficient db/db mice) and the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressresponsive L6 myotubes. The effect of LMWF-mediated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation on insulin resistance via regulation of the ER stress-dependent pathway was examined in vitro and in vivo. In db/db mice, LMWF markedly reduced serum glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein levels, and gradually reduced body weights by reducing lipid parameters. Furthermore, it effectively ameliorated glucose homeostasis by elevating glucose tolerance. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of AMPK and Akt were markedly reduced by ER stressor, and subsequently, glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation were also reduced. However, these adverse effects of ER stress were significantly ameliorated by LMWF. Finally, in L6 myotubes, LMWF markedly reduced the ER stress-induced upregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin–p70S61 kinase network and subsequently improved the action of insulin via AMPK stimulation. Our findings suggest that AMPK activation by LMWF could prevent metabolic diseases by controlling the ER stress-dependent pathway and that this beneficial effect of LMWF provides a potential therapeutic strategy for ameliorating ER stress-mediated metabolic dysfunctions.


Antigenic relationships among 24 bunyaviruses of the Simbu serogroup were determined by complement-fixation (CF), serum dilution-plaque reduction neutralization (N) and, where possible, hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) tests. By CF, three distinct complexes of closely related viruses were identified within the serogroup. Nola and Thimiri viruses, which showed little relationship with other members of the serogroup, may represent two additional complexes. N tests in Vero cells showed that individual viruses generally were distinguishable with little difficulty. Aino and Kaikalur viruses were indistinguishable by CF or N. Seven viruses showed hemagglutination activity, and antigenic relationships among these viruses by HI paralleled those established by N tests. A classification scheme, based on both CF and N test results, for the viruses of the Simbu serogroup is proposed.


Strictly equal utility is seldom used as a compensation principle in real-world policy applications. We specify less radical norms for deriving income tax rates and find that equivalence defined as equal proportional sacrifice best fits the observed income tax structure in the Netherlands. We use the Leyden welfare function of income as our measure of utility.


Completion of an audit loop assessing vestibular schwannoma screening practice in a sub-regional ENT centre shows good agreement between the guidelines given and indications used for selecting patients to undergo screening MRIg. The proportion of cerebellopontine angle tumours diagnosed is consistent with other reports from the United Kingdom. During the audit period the proportion of patients screened because of unilateral tinnitus increased, but not beyond a reasonable estimate of the proportion that could expect to be screened because of this symptom. There was a reduction in the number of inappropriate scan requests after introduction of a guideline reminder. During the initial period after introducing screening guidelines there is increased screening activity, but this plateaus at a steady level.


Endocannabinoids form a novel class of intercellular messengers, the functions of which include retrograde signaling in the brain and mediation or modulation of several types of synaptic plasticity. Yet, the signaling mechanisms and long-term effects of the stimulation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1-R) are poorly understood. We show that anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol, and Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in hippocampal slices. In living mice, THC activated ERK in hippocampal neurons and induced its accumulation in the nuclei of pyramidal cells in CA1 and CA3. Both effects were attributable to stimulation of CB1-R and activation of MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK). In hippocampal slices, the stimulation of ERK was independent of phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase but was regulated by cAMP. The endocannabinoid-induced stimulation of ERK was lost in Fyn knock-out mice, in slices and in vivo, although it was insensitive to inhibitors of Src-family tyrosine kinases in vitro, suggesting a noncatalytic role of Fyn. Finally, the effects of cannabinoids on ERK activation were dependent on the activity of glutamate NMDA receptors in vivo, but not in hippocampal slices, indicating the existence of several pathways linking CB1-R to the ERK cascade. In vivo THC induced the expression of immediate-early genes products (c-Fos protein, Zif268, and BDNF mRNAs), and this induction was prevented by an inhibitor of MEK. The strong potential of cannabinoids for inducing long-term alterations in hippocampal neurons through the activation of the ERK pathway may be important for the physiological control of synaptic plasticity and for the general effects of THC in the context of drug abuse.


Cooperative behavior is a desired trait in many fields from computer games to robotics. Yet, achieving cooperative behavior is often difficult, as maintaining shared information about the dynamics of agents in the world can be complex. We focus on the specific task of cooperative pathfinding and introduce a new approach based on the idea of "direction maps" that learns about the movement of agents in the world. This learned data then is used to produce implicit cooperation between agents. This approach is less expensive and has better performance than several existing cooperative algorithms.


In this Article, a contribution to a retrospective symposium dedicated to Red Lion, I argue that the "inevitable" wasteland of commercial television programming has, over time, become an "irrelevant" wasteland. The most common critique of Red Lion relates to the discredited (and nonsensical) scarcity doctrine used to justify reduced First Amendment protection for radio and television broadcasters. A larger problem with Red Lion relates to the public interest doctrine itself, which seeks to obtain the production and provision of public goods from entities with little economic incentive to meet these programming needs. In sum, the Federal Communications Commission's efforts to enforce the public interest doctrine have done little to change the programming behavior of commercial broadcasters, notwithstanding the Supreme Court's endorsement of such efforts. In thinking more broadly about the "public interest," however, government might be able to take helpful steps to improve the vibrancy of the marketplace of ideas. In particular, imposing public interest duties or regulations on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and also on entities that own or control popular web search engines might help to facilitate realizing the Internet's full potential as the ultimate marketplace of ideas. Thus, Congress and the Commission need to fundamentally rethink the public interest project; in the contemporary United States, the need to secure public interest values relates - or at least should relate - much more to ISPs and web browser providers than to commercial radio and television broadcasters. This is so because ISPs and companies that own popular web browsers have the ability to skew access to information and ideas in ways that are utterly non-transparent. In sum, in thinking about Red Lion, we should embrace the concept of the public interest and the concomitant principle that government may enact regulations to secure and advance it, but for the concept to retain relevance, it must be redeployed and redefined to reach the most important modalities of distributing and receiving information and ideas.


Importance driven half-toning (IDH) presents a method for reduced resource rendering of gray scale images. This approach uses an image pyramid to distribute drawing primitives to different areas of the image based on an importance function. The original paper showed how a wide variety of effects can be achieved using a combination of importance functions and drawing primitives. In this paper we show that by storing multiple pyramid representations of the image we can use different geometric primitives in different areas of the image. The application of IDH to colour is then explored. We show that each of the red, green, and blue bands of the image can be used as bases for IDH. We show some images that are obtained in this manner. Finally we introduce a drawing mode based on a teaching drawing style (Esgrafiado with black ink) where a black layer is scratched off a coloured background. The resulting system provides the artist with a large number of parameters with which to render stylized images. We conclude the paper with some examples of our technique being applied to standard images.


Background: Alexithymia is a sub-clinical condition characterized by an inability to identify and describe emotions, together with an externally oriented thinking style. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sex, education and marital status on alexithymia in African university students.

Methods: A total of 368 Nigerian university students were involved in the study. Participants were 170 men and 198 women who were 17-27 years of age. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to assess the points associated with alexithymia. Data were analyzed by applying student's t-test (independent sample test) and one way ANOVA tests in SPSS for Windows (version 18) statistical program.

Results: Alexithymia score was higher in female than in male subjects (t=2.83, pE'0.01). There was an inverse relationship between alexithymia scores and years of education (F=5.74, pE'0.001). Single subjects had the statistically higher alexithymia scores than the married subjects (t=2.18, pE'0.05).

Conclusions: According to these results, it can be stated that male gender, university education and marriage may be related to the lower alexithymia scores in university students. Also, these results suggested that university education individualize to students and improves their mental health by decreasing their alexithymia scores.


Professor Edward Said concludes that the Road Map demands are overwhelmingly heavy on the Palestinian side (stop armed resistance against the occupying forces, government reforms, disarm the militias, etc.); demands on Israel are insignificant (dismantle some illegal settlements and somehow make Palestinian daily lives easier). No mention is made of human rights violations, nor of the Separation Wall and its damaging consequences for the Palestinians. No timetables are fixed either. His analysis of Abu Mazen portrays a bureaucratic man who works behind the scene, close to the West. He was one of the architects of the Oslo accords, which were ill-prepared and brought about catastrophic results for the Palestinians. A new and fast growing independent movement, the Palestinian Initiative, whose Director is Dr. Mustapha Bargouthi, is gaining ground among the masses. The movement is known for contacting any government that wishes to collaborate with the Palestinian people. It has a solid reputation of honesty and efficiency, is democratic in its conception and advocates for a state on all Palestine at once.


We study the complexity of finding communication trees with the lowest possible completion time for rooted, irregular gather and scatter collective communication operations in fully connected, $k$k-ported communication networks under a linear-time transmission cost model. Consecutively numbered processors specify data blocks of possibly different sizes to be collected at (gather) or distributed from (scatter) some (given) root processor where they are stored in processor order. We distinguish between ordered and non-ordered communication trees depending on whether segments of blocks are maintained in processor order. We show that lowest completion time, ordered communication trees under one-ported communication can be found in polynomial time by giving simple, but costly dynamic programming algorithms. In contrast, we show that it is an NP-hard problem to construct completion-time optimal, non-ordered communication trees. We have implemented the dynamic programming algorithms for homogeneous networks to evaluate the quality of different types of communication trees, in particular to analyze a recent, distributed, problem-adaptive tree construction algorithm. Model experiments show that this algorithm is close to optimum for a selection of block size and root processor distributions. A concrete implementation for specially structured problems shows that optimal, non-binomial trees can possibly have even further practical advantage.


Absfrocr- Thi paper presents a comparative performance analysis of a wind power generation unit with and without the inclusion of a reactive Compensator known as Saturated Core Reactor (SCR) to improve voltage variations resulting from the wind power. Besides demonstrating the solution efficiency and adequacy for voltage control, the results can also be used to validate the established computational model. Field results, derived from a real system with and without the compensator insertion are given to enhance the overall systemleompensatorlgenerators behanor.


S ince the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its problems last appeared on this page, new administrator Michael Griffin has had about 6 months to deal with his budget problems, one of the largest of which is funding the space shuttle program. Operating the shuttle for the next 5 years could cost $5 billion more than NASA had projected. Just to remind you, there was some hope in April that President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration (VSE, or Moon-to-Mars) would neither cripple basic science programs nor signal the end of a number of planned robotic space missions. Alas, there has been even more damage to both than Science expected. That would be enough bad news, but there's more to the story and it is an international problem, not just a domestic one.

Present concerns at NASA have gone beyond sorrow over the lost robotic missions. Instead, they now focus on the necessary preparations for the VSE mission itself. People are going to fly to the Moon, establish a base, and use the experience gained from getting and living there to send humans on the longest trip in history. Let's ponder the work that has to be done first.

The International Space Station (ISS) has a limited crew (two or three instead of seven), and shuttle flights (of which NASA may only be able to afford eight) are arbitrarily scheduled to end at the end of this decade to meet the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Some hope for a complete ISS soon after that, but doubts remain. Remember that ISS is an international project, billed to serve as a science laboratory for non-U.S. users. Russia helped build it and is using it. The European Space Agency and Japan have produced major components of the station, on the promise that they will get to work there. But important modules such as the Centrifuge Accommodation Module constructed by the Japanese will not be launched. The international space science community is dismayed at the bait-and-switch appearance of the situation.

![Figure][1]

CREDIT: TIM SMITH

Because the Moon mission comes first, research in support of the long Mars mission is being eliminated or "deferred." Basic science and technology programs, including physiology and life support, robotics, and information systems, have been "descoped": that's NASA-speak for dropped. Worse still, NASA's life science program has been relegated to a corner in an exploration office that is more concerned with rockets than with cutting-edge research.

How did all this come about? Charles Oman, the director of the Man Vehicle Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was chair of NASA's Space Station Utilization Advisory Committee and was a member of its Biological and Physical Research Advisory Committee. When the president announced VSE, the latter group was assured by an associate administrator that basic research would be continued because it would be essential to the vision. Well, Oman's committee has been disbanded, and the associate administrator who gave the assurances has been reassigned. Oman adds that "all the NASA Advisory Council subcommittees that spoke to the value of basic research are gone."

What is likely to be the fate of science in this new vision for space exploration? Even if NASA finds the money and the will to do the research needed to protect the human travelers, the agency's history offers little reason for confidence. Larry Young, MIT bioengineer, longtime NASA adviser, and one-time payload specialist astronaut in training, has this to say about those prospects: "NASA always uses research as justification for its large manned missions, but once they are under way the engineering, political, and fiscal factors take over and the science constituency is often cast aside."

We can hope that VSE will come to represent the triumph of hope over experience. But will the basic and applied science be done beforehand that is necessary to keep the explorers safe and healthy, or will these professionals seem more like participants in another extreme sport? There are promises that some of these programs will be restarted after the Moon piece of VSE is done, but then the scientists will be someplace else, and NASA will need years to grow some more seed corn. Griffin should consider some fixes: First, restore NASA's Advisory Council to its full membership; second, ask it to conduct a thorough study of which life sciences efforts are essential to the new vision; and finally, rescue the life scientists and bring them back to the science office.

 [1]: pending:yes


Congenital tracheal stenosis is a rare malformation of the fibrino-cartilaginous tracheal skeleton, frequently associated with cardiac malformations. The symptoms and the age of presentation varie according to the severity of the stenosis. There is a risk of airway obstruction. The diagnosis is based on endoscopy and surgery is usually required.


BACKGROUND
The Red Queen hypothesis is an evolutionary theory that describes the reciprocal coevolution of competing species. We sought to study whether introduction of the 7- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV7 and PCV13, respectively) altered pneumococcal serotype dynamics among children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) as predicted by the Red Queen hypothesis.

METHODS
This study examined pneumococcal isolates (n = 641) obtained from children <18 years of age hospitalized with IPD from 1997 to 2014 in Utah. A review of the literature also identified several additional studies conducted in the United States and Europe that were used to test the external generalizability of our Utah findings. Simpson's index was used to quantify pneumococcal serotype diversity.

RESULTS
In Utah, the introduction of PCV7 and PCV13 was associated with rapid increases in serotype diversity (P < .001). Serotypes rarely present before vaccine introduction emerged as common causes of IPD. Diversity then decreased (P < .001) as competition selected for the fittest serotypes and new evolutionary equilibriums were established. This pattern was also observed more broadly in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Spain.

CONCLUSIONS
This vaccine-driven example of human/bacterial coevolution appears to confirm the Red Queen hypothesis, which reveals a limitation of serotype-specific vaccines and offers insights that may facilitate alternative strategies for the elimination of IPD.


According to the previous pieces of research, the building sector consumes about 40 % of total yield energy and produce one-third of GHG pollution emission. This point shows the significant potential in two aspects of energy optimization and pollution reduction in this field. The purpose of this research as a case study is to construct a residential building and develop the paths for reaching a zero-energy building, considering GHG emissions in the climate of Tehran, Iran. In thirty scenarios of this study, solar panels, solar water heaters, ground source heat pumps, and combined heat and power generators were selected to provide the required power and energy in the building. All three passive, single active, and hybrid active scenarios were defined and analyzed with respect to technical and economic factors. In all of the defined scenarios, the conditions are two-folded: (a) considering the effect of national profits, fuel saving, and pollution reduction and (b) without considering them so that the results would become more realistic. In the end, three different types of conclusions were made with respect to macro-engineering, energy, and economic perspectives. Statistical conclusions based on a questionnaire filled by 50 people and the perspective of achieving NZEB definition are presented.


Based on the equivalence principle of bending deflection and torsional displacement, the concentrated vertical load which acts on the center of a continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is translated into an equivalent half-wave sine load by Fourier transform. On the basis of this transform and deformation harmony condition of crack, the equations of load transfer are established. According to the translation principle of the force, the equations of load transfer of adjacent slabs are worked out. With the small deflection theory of elastic thin slabs, the bending deflection and torsional displacement formulas of CRCP under the concentrated vertical load with hollow foundation are deduced, which is verified by the results of finite element(FE). The results show that the characteristic of CRCP after cracking is related to the rigidity factor which is proportional to the spacing of adjacent cracks and the width of CRCP.


Abstract Browning rhizome (also known as "browning tuber disease") in Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) caused by the nematode Hirschmanniella diversa is an emerging agronomic problem. In this study, the authors documented the early infection processes of H. diversa in the apices of young rhizomes of Indian lotus by electron microscopy analysis using an artificial inoculation method. Nematodes were attracted to young rhizome apices, invading them via narrow indentations by 4.5 hr after inoculation. Host cells adjacent to the cavity around the invading nematodes were absent and appeared to have disintegrated during infestation. Following contact with the nematodes, host cell walls and cellular contents became electron-dense and less defined, likely due to digestive enzymes secreted by the invading nematodes. Nematodes invaded to a depth of about 1 mm by 24 hr after inoculation, but did not penetrate the plant any further vertically, similar to the observation of browning in mature rhizomes in the field. The authors propose that the invasion sites of young rhizome apices become blackish-brown blotches as rhizomes mature in the field due to oxidation.


Affirmative action, since its inception in 1961, has been under siege. The backlash against affirmative action began in earnest almost immediately following its origination through President John F. Kennedy's and President Lyndon B. Johnson's Executive Orders. Organized hostility in opposition to affirmative action crystallized early with "color-blind" theories posited and adopted, "reverse discrimination" alleged and embraced, and constitutional narrowing through adoption of white-privileged justifications. Enmity against affirmative action continues unabated today as exemplified by recent academic writings and studies purporting to prove that affirmative action positively injures African Americans and recent state-wide campaigns seeking to eradicate affirmative action through state constitutional amendments. Further, a more subtle affront to affirmative action has emerged recently as dozens of commentators and millions of Americans now argue that, with the election of Barack Obama as president, the United States has officially entered a postracial era. Postracialism, in averring that the election of an African American president formally moves the nation past its racial problems, essentially maintains that affirmative action has run its course, is no longer necessary, and is a relic of a past that has been affirmatively overcome. Affirmative action, as a progressive doctrine aimed at diversifying our classrooms and country to the benefit of all and leveling the American playing field, appears to be fighting for survival.Into this breach steps Professor Deirdre Bowen and her crucially important study Brilliant Disguise: An Empirical Analysis of a Social Experiment Banning Affirmative Action. In this article, detailing the results of her empirical study, Professor Bowen carefully analyzes the experiences of minority students currently attending U.S. undergraduate and graduate programs in the hard sciences. While her findings are disheartening (i.e., racism and discrimination continues at alarming rates in upper-level educational institutions), they are critical to understanding what must be done to ensure equality and social justice in the future. What is remarkable about Brilliant Disguise is that Professor Bowen asks the right questions and gathers the right information that allows her to provide the kind of empirical analysis that brings honesty and reality to the affirmative action debate.For the past decade, as I have carefully followed, engaged in, and written about affirmative action, I have often and openly lamented that modern opponents of affirmative action are frequently dishonest and disingenuous in their opposition. The most outspoken critics of affirmative action have warily refused to ask meaningful questions and have continuously balked at opportunities to analyze consequential issues, data, and material that might serve to cast long shadows over their antagonistic positions. Anti-affirmative action adherents, from the beginning, have focused their attention on the wrong criteria in evaluating the doctrine's potential and effectiveness, leading to wrong-headed arguments that serve to perpetuate white privilege and power. Opponents of affirmative action routinely rely on several "go-to" arguments as justification for why the doctrine must be eliminated. For the most part, arguments such as stigma, color-blind constitutionalism, and mismatch have gone unchallenged from an empirical perspective, allowing oppositionists to use simple opinion to perpetuate their objections. But now, Brilliant Disguise provides valuable empirical data that can be used to evaluate the justifications most often posited for ending affirmative action. This data allows vital insights into race relations in the twenty-first century and the utility of affirmative action as an effective tool in the quest to achieve social justice in the United States. Professor Bowen's findings are explosive, and in my mind, serve to undermine each of the primary backward-looking oppositionist arguments against affirmative action.To that end, this Commentary will introduce and inspect three of the most popular arguments posited by affirmative action opponents: stigma, mismatch, and a combination of reverse discrimination and color-blind constitutionalism. Part I describes Justice Clarence Thomas's stigma justification for eradicating affirmative action and then describes normative contentions that have been made in response. Part II explores Professor Richard Sander's mismatch theory as a basis for eliminating affirmative action. And Part III examines Ward Connerly's reverse discrimination and color-blind ideal justification for terminating affirmative action. Each Part then summarizes the critical findings of Brilliant Disguise and applies those findings to illustrate how Bowen's new data undermines each oppositionist argument in insightful ways.


OBJECTIVE
Higher mortality has been reported with weekend or after-hours patient admission across a wide range of surgical and medical specialties, a phenomenon termed the "weekend effect." The authors evaluated whether weekend admission contributed to death and long-term neurological outcome in patients following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

METHODS
A post hoc analysis of the Clazosentan to Overcome Neurological Ischemia and Infarction Occurring After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (CONSCIOUS-1) study was conducted. Univariable and stepwise multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between weekend admission and mortality and long-term neurological outcome.

RESULTS
Of 413 subjects included in the CONSCIOUS-1 study, 140 patients had been admitted during the weekend. A significant interaction was identified between weekend admission and neurological grade on presentation, suggesting that the outcomes of patients who had initially presented with a poor grade were disproportionately influenced by the weekend admission. On stepwise multivariable logistic regression in the subgroup of patients who had presented with a poor neurological grade (29 of 100 patients), admission on the weekend was found to be independently associated with death (OR 6.59, 95% CI 1.62–26.88, p = 0.009). Weekend admission was not associated with long-term neurological outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
Weekend admission was an independent risk factor for death within 12 weeks following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in patients presenting with a poor neurological grade. Further work is required to identify and mitigate any mediating factors.


International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research Available online at www.globalresearchonline.net © Copyright protected. Unauthorised republication, reproduction, distribution, dissemination and copying of this document in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. © Copyright protected. 227 Merina Paul Das*, Manas Bhowmick, Maggidi Reynolds Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Bharath University, Chennai, India. *Corresponding author's E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


The structural behavior of Np2Co17 is investigated by means of high-pressure diamond-anvil compression measurements and is compared with that of the isostructural compounds Lu2Co17 and Lu2Ni17. The Th2Ni17-type hexagonal crystal structure is preserved with no measurable discontinuous volume collapses up to the highest achieved pressure, p = 43 GPa. For Np2Co17, fits to the Birch-Murnaghan and Vinet equations of state give values of the isothermal bulk modulus and its pressure derivative of B-0 = 286 GPa and B-0' = 3, revealing that this Np compound is a highly incompressible solid with stiffness comparable to that of superhard covalently bonded materials. For the Lu2T17 (T = Co, Ni) compounds, the measured bulk modulus changes from B-0 = 137 GPa for T = Co to B-0 = 257 GPa for T = Ni. The isothermal equation of state for the studied compounds are in excellent agreement with the results of ab initio fully relativistic, full-potential local spin-density functional calculations. Theoretical estimates of the bulk modulus are given also for Np2Ni17, for which B-0 is predicted to assume values intermediate between those measured for Lu2Ni17 and Np2Co17.


Summary The Indian riverine buffaloes are more susceptible to variations in the environment. These variations affect seminal plasma proteins, which in turn affect fertility. This study was conducted to evaluate variations in the Indian Bubalus bubalis seminal plasma protein profile using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) during winter and summer seasons, and its relation with sperm motility and viability. The nine ejaculates from three animals were from winter season while the other nine ejaculates from the same animals were from summer season. The semen samples collected from all bulls in both seasons have similar characteristics of mass activity and total concentration. However, sperm viability was significantly higher in winter season. The 2D-PAGE pattern displayed 42, 29 and 28 protein spots during winter season while 44, 29 and 29 spots during summer season for the first, second and third bull, respectively. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was performed to identify expressed protein spots in winter and summer seasons. During both seasons, four commonly expressed protein spots B6 (pI 8.5, Mr 122.54 kDa), B7 (pI 9.7, Mr 89.98 kDa), B9 (pI 9.3, Mr 19.72 kDa) and B10 (pI 9.7, Mr 16.80 kDa) were identified as glucose phosphate isomerase, epididymal secretory protein E1, peroxiredoxin 5 precursor and tubulin polymerization-promoting protein, respectively. These proteins are involved in either the mechanism of sperm maturation or structural formation. In addition, B37W (pI 6.0, Mr 32.88 kDa), B48W (pI 8.2, Mr 80.14 kDa), B59W (pI 5.6, Mr 90.37 kDa) and B61W (pI 5.8, Mr 15.34 kDa) were differentially expressed protein spots in winter season only. Spots B37W, B48W, B59W, B61W, B6, B7, B9 and B10 were identified as phosphoglycerate kinase LOC538592, androgen regulated protein, hypothetical protein LOC514663, sorbitol dehydrogenase, glucose phosphate isomerase, epididymal secretory protein E1, peroxiredoxin 5 precursor and tubulin polymerization-promoting protein family member. These proteins are known to have modulating properties on sperm motility and viability and also to provide high energy source to sperm. The better fertilizing ability of bull during winter season can be due to the differentially expressed proteins.


Environmental microplastic (MP) is ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems providing artificial habitats for microbes. Mechanisms of MP colonization, MP polymer impacts, and effects on soil microbiomes are largely unknown in terrestrial systems. Therefore, we experimentally tested the hypothesis that MP polymer type is an important deterministic factor affecting MP community assembly by incubating common MP polymer types in situ in landfill soil for 14 months. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that MP polymers have specific impacts on plastisphere microbiomes, which are subsets of the soil microbiome. Chloroflexota, Gammaproteobacteria, certain Nitrososphaerota, and Nanoarchaeota explained differences among MP polymers and time points. Plastisphere microbial community composition derived from different MP diverged over time and was enriched in potential pathogens. PICRUSt predictions of pathway abundances and quantitative PCR of functional marker genes indicated that MP polymers exerted an ambivalent effect on genetic potentials of biogeochemical cycles. Overall, the data indicates that (i) polymer type as deterministic factor rather than stochastic factors drives plastisphere community assembly, (ii) MP impacts greenhouse gas metabolism, xenobiotic degradation and pathogen distribution, and (iii) MP serves as an ideal model system for studying fundamental questions in microbial ecology such as community assembly mechanisms in terrestrial environments.


BMP signaling is modulated by a number of extracellular proteins, including the inhibitor Chordin, Tolloid-related enzymes (Tld), and the interacting protein Twisted Gastrulation (Tsg). Although in vitro studies have demonstrated Chordin cleavage by Tld enzymes, its significance as a regulatory mechanism in vivo has not been established in vertebrates. In addition, Tsg has been reported in different contexts to either enhance or inhibit BMP signaling through its interactions with Chordin. We have used the zebrafish gastrula to carry out structure/function studies on Chordin, by making versions of Chordin partially or wholly resistant to Tld cleavage and introducing them into chordin-deficient embryos. We examined the cleavage products generated in vivo from wild-type and altered Chordins, and tested their efficacy as BMP inhibitors in the embryo. We demonstrate that Tld cleavage is crucial in restricting Chordin function in vivo, and is carried out by redundant enzymes in the zebrafish gastrula. We also present evidence that partially cleaved Chordin is a stronger BMP inhibitor than the full-length protein, suggesting a positive role for Tld in regulating Chordin. We find that depletion of the embryo for Tsg leads to decreased BMP signaling, and to increased levels of Chordin. Finally, we show that Tsg also enhances BMP signaling in the absence of Chordin, and its depletion can partially rescue the chordin mutant phenotype, demonstrating that important components of the BMP signaling pathway remain unidentified.


Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the third leading cause of mortality in the United States in 2009 and accounts for millions of dollars in health care expenses annually. It is characterized by slow declines in functional ability and exercise tolerance, which are strongly predictive of poor health-related quality of life and survival. The cycle of physical, social, and psychosocial consequences of COPD is more easily prevented than remedied; therefore, maintaining baseline respiratory function is a key goal of early treatment. Although medical management of COPD is generally well understood and implemented by most primary care physicians, multidisciplinary approaches that include nonpharmacologic modalities (eg, exercise training) are not often used. Exercise training can alleviate dyspnea and improve exercise tolerance and health-related quality of life in patients with mild-to-severe COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation, which includes exercise training, nutritional and psychological counseling, and patient education, is an important component of COPD treatment and management programs, and is currently underutilized in the United States. This article addresses the role of exercise as part of a multidisciplinary approach to the management of COPD, especially with regard to pulmonary rehabilitation.


Recovery affects the amount a debtholder receives if a bond issuer defaults. This article examines the impact of recovery rate modeling on risk-neutral default probabilities and the pricing of credit default swaps using a reduced-form model. A multiperiod reduced-form model using different assumptions as to recovery of treasury, of market value, and of face value leads to different expressions for the term structure of risk-neutral default probabilities and the price of credit default swaps. There are small differences for investment-grade and short-maturity default swaps. As the credit quality of an issuer deteriorates, the differences in the risk-neutral default probabilities and default swap prices become more pronounced for the three recovery rate models.


Abstract Many RNA-binding proteins including a master regulator of splicing in developing brain and muscle, polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1), can either activate or repress alternative exons depending on the pre-mRNA recruitment position. When bound upstream or within regulated exons PTBP1 tends to promote their skipping, whereas binding to downstream sites often stimulates inclusion. How this switch is orchestrated at the molecular level is poorly understood. Using bioinformatics and biochemical approaches we show that interaction of PTBP1 with downstream intronic sequences can activate natural cassette exons by promoting productive docking of the spliceosomal U1 snRNP to a suboptimal 5′ splice site. Strikingly, introducing upstream PTBP1 sites to this circuitry leads to a potent splicing repression accompanied by the assembly of an exonic ribonucleoprotein complex with a tightly bound U1 but not U2 snRNP. Our data suggest a molecular mechanism underlying the transition between a better-known repressive function of PTBP1 and its role as a bona fide splicing activator. More generally, we argue that the functional outcome of individual RNA contacts made by an RNA-binding protein is subject to extensive context-specific modulation.


Protocadherins are a major subfamily of the cadherin superfamily, but little is known about their functions and intracellular signal transduction. We identified a homozygous loss of protocadherin 20 (PCDH20 , 13q21.2) in the course of a program to screen a panel of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (1 of 20 lines) for genomic copy number aberrations using an in-house array-based comparative genomic hybridization. PCDH20 mRNA was expressed in normal lung tissue but was not expressed in the majority of NSCLC cell lines without a homozygous deletion of this gene (10 of 19 lines, 52.6%). Expression of PCDH20 mRNA was restored in gene-silenced NSCLC cells after treatment with 5-aza 2V-deoxycytidine. The DNA methylation status of the PCDH20 CpG-rich region correlated inversely with the expression of the gene and a putative target region for methylation showed clear promoter activity in vitro. Methylation of this PCDH20 promoter was frequently observed in primary NSCLC tissues (32 of 59 tumors, 54.2%). Among our primary NSCLC cases, the methylated PCDH20 seemed to be associated with a shorter overall survival (P = 0.0140 and 0.0211 in all and stage I tumors, respectively; log-rank test), and a multivariate analysis showed that the PCDH20 methylation status was an independent prognosticator. Moreover, restoration of PCDH20 expression in NSCLC cells reduced cell numbers in colony formation and anchorage-independent assays. These results suggest that epigenetic silencing by hypermethylation of the CpG-rich promoter region of PCDH20 leads to loss of PCDH20 function, which may be a factor in the carcinogenesis of NSCLC. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(9): 4617-26)


Objectives: To compare self-reported and observational work sampling techniques when applied to ward-based nurses. Methods: A self-reported work sampling study was undertaken with nine registered nurses in an Australian teaching hospital over 8.5 weeks, followed by an observational work sampling study conducted over 4.5 weeks. Both studies used a random reminder method and a multidimensional work task classification. Field notes were also recorded and analysed. Results: 3910 data points were collected, 667 during the self-report study and 3243 in the observational study. The two techniques yielded significant differences in work patterns of registered nurses. The observational study showed that compared with the self-reported study, patient care (40% versus 33%, P <0.000) and ward-related activities (7% versus 3%; P <0.001) were recorded significantly more frequently, and documentation less frequently (8% versus 19%; P <0.000). Both the techniques generated similar proportions of time spent in breaks (12%), medication tasks (13%) and clinical discussion (15%). The self-report technique was poorly accepted by nursing staff. The observational technique was well accepted and data collection was more effcient. Conclusions: The self-report work sampling technique is not a reliable method for obtaining an accurate reflection of the work tasks of ward-based nurses. The observational technique was preferred by nurses, and despite concern regarding a potential Hawthorne effect, this was not substantiated.


The recording of 100% Electronic Resident Identity Card (e-KTP) is one of the targets for the performance of population administration services set by Nawacita or the RPJMN 2015-2019. Until the end of December 2019 the achievement of recording e-KTP in West Sumatra Province is 96.26% of the 3,883,189 residents required to do KTP. In providing e-KTP services of Population and Civil Registry Regency/City Office needs support, collaboration with stakeholders. This study aims to identify stakeholders who collaborate and describe the collaborative process of the Population and Civil Registry Regency/City Office in West Sumatra Province. This type of descriptive qualitative research, the source of the data is the informant namely the Head of Population and Civil Registry Regency/City Office and staff. Data collection methods use documentation, interviews and observations. The results showed that: 1) Actors who collaborate varied from the ranks of government at all levels (central, provincial, district /city, sub district, village), private elements and civil society. 2) The collaborative process is seen from the dynamics of collaboration, collaborative actions, and the impact and adaptation on the collaboration process that occurs by involving stakeholder actors. Practical suggestions on the collaboration process should be improved in population administration services where e-KTP services have been shown to have the expected impact on improving the performance of public services. Theoretical suggestions need to be continued studies related to leadership dimensions, human resource capacity, service innovation and the performance of the Population and Civil Registry Regency / City Office in population administration services. Keywords: Kolaborasi, Stakeholder, Pelayanan Kartu Tanda Penduduk, Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil


The utilization of nano- and well-ordered carbon materials such as graphene especially in carbon-based electrical devices and in energy storage areas is becoming important in terms of developing economical methods and reducing the dimensions of the electrical devices. These applied carbon materials are mostly originated from fossil sources which are diminishing. Hence, renewable carbon resources are gaining importance. Biomass is the single renewable carbon resource and can be refined to highly ordered carbon materials such as graphene by top to down methods. In this work, industrial tea waste biomass was converted to carbonized material by pyrolysis and refined by some further chemical treatments towards the ordered structured carbon. The newly derived refined carbon material was characterized by Raman, TGA, FTIR, SEM and XRD methods, and its optical and electrical properties were determined. The experimental results showed that the band gap energies of refined carbon derived from tea waste and reduced graphene oxide prepared in this study are in the similar level as 2.375 and 2.264 eV, respectively. Furthermore, the electrical conductivities are at the same stage as 3.16 and 3.28 × 10−4 (1/Ω·cm) for reduced graphene oxide and refined carbon. The optically active and electrical conductive refined carbon material from biomass could be a proper carbon in energy related applications in terms of renewable and sustainable processing.


The aerodynamic properties of bird wings were examined at Reynolds numbers of 1-5 x io 4 and were correlated with morphological parameters such as apsect ratio, camber, nose radius and position of maximum thickness. The many qualitative differences between the aerodynamic properties of bird, insect and aeroplane wings are attributable mainly to their differing Reynolds numbers. Bird wings, which operate at lower Reynolds numbers than aerofoils, have high minimum drag coefficients (oo3-o-i3), low maximum lift coefficients (o-8-i -2) and low maximum lift/drag ratios (3-17). Bird and insect wings have low aerofoil efficiency factors (0-2-0-8) compared to conventional aerofoils (0-9-0-95) because of their low Reynolds numbers and high profile drag, rather than because of a reduced mechanical efficiency of animal wings. For bird wings there is clearly a trade-off between lift and drag performance. Bird wings with low drag generally had low maximum lift coefficients whereas wings with high maximum lift coefficients had high drag coefficients. The pattern of air flow over bird wings, as indicated by pressure-distribution data, is consistent with aerodynamic theory for aeroplane wings at low Reynolds numbers, and with the observed lift and drag coefficients.


National Treasure was one of American popular film in the end of 2004
and early of 2005 directed by John Turteltaub. It stayed for several weeks in the
first level of American box office. The original VCD of National Treasure
distributed by PT. Vision Interprima Pictures in 2005 was analyzed and became
the source of the main data. It consisted of dialogues, actions, pictures, sounds,
setting of time, setting of place, etc in a whole movie. Meanwhile, the supporting
data were from other informations from books and websites.
The thesis presents a discussion about American beliefs and values as
reflected in the movie National Treasure. It is a reflective study; thus the focus of
the thesis is directed on the beliefs and values. Concerning the focus, the
sociological approach, semiotic approach, and historical approach are used
proportionally from their own specific context. Popular culture study leads the
thesis to reveal the beliefs and values of the culture but it cannot judge whether
they are good or bad. This is not film criticism which can freely do that, but it is
the popular culture study which objectively combines the theory of popular
culture, film semiotics, sociology, and history. Here, National Treasure is not
seen as a film only from its aesthetic point of view, but also as an art which
reflects several society's beliefs and values.
There are several beliefs and values which can be revealed in the movie
National Treasure, they are: (1) Sometimes action with a high consequence
(illegal or criminal) must be faced to continue reaching the final goal, (2) America
is a special nation with special government, people, and duty, (3) Technology is
needed as a means to do some acts, (4) Individuals have their own freedom to do
anything, (5) A belief in process or practice to prove something is more important
than the legend or theories, (6) Every individual is actually running for their
material success, (7) The happiness will be completely reached after having a
family, (8) America has a very much great treasure, (9) Romantic love can happen
to anyone in a very unique condition, (10) The success has not completed without
living in a house with certain expected condition.


Design of sub-level blasting rounds and optimisation has become more important now when the sizes of the blasting rings get larger. Sufficient fragmentation is one of the key factors, and in confined blasting as in sub-level caving, this influences the mobilisation of the blasted ring. Model scale tests have been made to understand the mechanisms of rock breakage and therefore fragmentation under relatively confined conditions. By using the acoustic impedance between the blasted material and the confining debris, a relationship for fragmentation has been found depending on material, specific charge (powder factor) and physical properties of the debris. The results can be comparable with confined blasting in large scale.


Cationic surfactants of general structure [RNH2(CH2)3NH3]2+ 2[R'COO]- can be
used in rubber processing as multifunctional additives (MFA) which act as processing
aids, accelerators and mould release agents. The effects of MFA on gum rubber,
carbon black and silica filled compounds were investigated and attempts have been
made to explain the mechanism of their action. This was done by studying mixing,
vulcanisation behaviour, rheology, and mould release. The principal MFA used was
Akzo-Nobel EN444. [Continues.]


A study on population dynamics of microarthropods (oribatids and collembolans) in rainfed paddy field ecosystem in Pati, Central Java was undertaken with the aim to evaluate which group of soil microarthropods that dominated in each phase of rain fed paddy field. The soil fauna was collected using a soil corer of20 cm diameter to a depth of 0-15 cm, every 30 days.In the fallow, soil fauna was sampled from 4 randomized points per plot, meanwhile in the rice field phases (dry seeded rice and transplanted rice), it was sampled from 4 randomized points in the fields and in the bunds, respectively. per plot. Soil microarthropods in each season were then extracted in a Berlese funnel extractor. During the fallow phase, the dominant soil microarthropods were Oribatida of the Acari (1200 individual m,l) and some groups of Collembola, namely Hypogastruridae (/200 individual m:2), Entomobryidae (500 individual m,l) and Isotomidae (620 individual m,2), meanwhile Sminthuridae of Collembola did not appear in this phase. In the rice phase, however, Sminthuridae of the Collembola occurred in high numbers, i.e., 860 individual m,2 (field) and 6/0 individual m,l (bund).Regarding the population dynamics of soil microarthropods in rainfed paddy field, we can assumed that oribatids and some groups of collembolans (Hypogastruridae, Entomobryidae and Isotomidae) play an important role in improving the nutrient availability during the fallow phase. meanwhile the Sminthuridae of collembolan seemed to play such role in the rice field phase. more than the other soil microarthropods.


Appropriate selection of rheological models is important for hydraulic calculations of pressure loss prediction and hole cleaning efficiency of drilling fluids. Power law, Bingham-Plastic and Herschel-Bulkley models are the conventional fluid models used in the oilfield. However, there are other models that have been proposed in literature which are under/or not utilized in the petroleum industry. The primary objective of this paper is to recommend a rheological model that best-fits the rheological behaviour of xanthan gum-based biopolymer drill-in fluids for hydraulic evaluations. Ten rheological models were evaluated in this study. These rheological models have been posed deterministically and due to the unrealistic nature have been replaced by statistical models, by adding an error (disturbance) term and making suitable assumptions about them. Rheological model parameters were estimated by least-square regression method. Models like Sisko and modified Sisko which are not conventional models in oil industry gave a good fit. Modified Sisko model which is a four parameter rheological model was selected as the best-fit model since it produced the least residual mean square of 0.61 Ibf2/100ft4. There is 95% certainty that the true best-fit curve lies within the confidence band of this function of interest. Keywords: Biopolymer; Least-Square Regression; Residual Mean Squares; Rheologram


A constant-volume visual cell was used to measure vapor-liquid phase equilibrium data of 2-butanol in supercritical carbon dioxide from 323.2K to 353.2K. The phase equilibrium solubilities were predicted by Peng-Robinson equation of state together with Vander Waals-2 mixing regulation. Dependence of solubility of CO2 in liquid 2-butanol on pressure was discussed by Krichevsky-kasarnovsky equation. Meanwhile, Henry's constants and partial molar volume at infinite dilution were determined. Also partial molar volumes of vapor phase and liquid phase at equation state were evaluated from proposed model. The correlation between calculated values and the experimental data showed good agreement.


Cr-α-Al2O3 composite coatings were prepared by direct current deposition experiments from Cr(Ⅲ) plating bath and the thickness of composite coatings could be up to 14 μm. The obtained Cr-α-Al2O3 coatings and Cr coatings were characterized by means of EDS, SEM and microhardness measurement. Results revealed that Cr-α-Al2O3 coatings exhibit fine-grained structure with uniform surface and the highest microhardness values(692 HV) when the α-Al2O3 content of coatings was 15g/L, although some pores and defects are still present in the coatings. Analysis of Tafel curves indicated that the presence of α-Al2O3 in the Cr coatings show better features in the corrosion resistance both in H2SO4 and NaOH solution than those prepared from the bath without α-Al2O3.


We report the findings recorded in 42 children suffering cerebrovascular disease and assisted at the Hospital das Clínicas FCM-UNICAMP, over a 8 years period (January 1990 until April 1998). The ischemic type was the most common, and involvement of the middle cerebral artery, sudden onset of clinical manifestation with seizures and motor disability were more common in early aged children. Motor sequelae predominated in the follow-up of these children.


The Brain in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia • While neurological symptoms are often mentioned in reports of families with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and are frequently assumed to be due to vascular anomalies of the central nervous system, documentation of such anomalies is surprisingly rare. Two cases of surgically treated symptomatic cerebral vascular malformations in HHT have been published previously. In addition, there are three descriptions of vascular anomalies discovered at autopsy in the brains of neurologically asymptomatic patients with HHT available in the literature. A complete postmortem examination of a patient with a symptomatic cerebral vascular anomaly associated with HHT has not been recorded previously. The patient reported in this paper presented with seizures and underwent surgical resection of infarcted brain tissue associated with a venous angioma. He died six months later and, at autopsy, was found to have multiple "cryptic" venous angiomas of the brain. Hypoxic damage to brain tissue related to small venous angiomas is one mechanism whereby these lesions may become symptomatic. Hemorrhage may also occur. Neurological symptoms in patients with HHT cannot be assumed to be due to cerebral vascular anomalies, and consideration must be especially given to the complications of pulmonary arteriovenous fistula such as polycythemia, embolism, and abscess. ADDITIONAL


This thesis consists of five self-contained articles, and hence each paper can be read independently. Still, all five papers have one important feature in common: environmental taxation. Paper 1: The Phase-Out of Leaded Gasoline in the EU: A Successful Failure? (with Henrik Hammar) The objective of this paper is to analyze in both descriptive and econometric terms the phase-out of leaded gasoline consumption in the EU countries. The phase-out process is characterized by increased consumption of unleaded gasoline. We analyze the importance of price differences, share of catalytic converters, income per capita, and country characteristics in the phase-out process. Since the expected maintenance costs of using unleaded gasoline in cars without catalytic converters compared to the use of leaded gasoline differ insignificantly according to available evidence, and consumers still use leaded gasoline even though unleaded gasoline is cheaper; we interpret this as a lack of reliable information. The results indicate that countries, which have not yet phased out leaded gasoline, should do this by either banning leaded gasoline or use a larger tax differential complemented with information. Paper 2: The Determinants of Sulfur Emissions from Oil Consumption in Swedish Manufacturing Industry, 1976-1995. (with Henrik Hammar) Using a structural decomposition analysis, we analyze the causes of reduction of emitted sulfur originating from oil consumption in the manufacturing industry in Sweden during 1976-1995. Our decomposition results provide a good point of departure for a discussion on the causes of the large reduction of emitted sulfur. The Swedish case is of interest since Sweden is one of the countries that have pursued the most ambitious policy when it comes to combating the precursors of acid rain. A large part, 59 percent between 1989 and 1995, of the reduction of emitted sulfur from the manufacturing industry can be attributed to the announcement and implementation of the Swedish sulfur tax. Paper 3: Political Economy Obstacles to Fuel Taxation. (with Henrik Hammar & Thomas Sterner) Many studies have shown that fuel demand is quite elastic and that the best way to reduce fuel use (to deal with global warming) is by taxing fuel. Yet it seems almost impossible to do so, particularly in those countries with low prices and high demand. We show, by a Granger non-causality test, using data on rich OECD countries that the direction of causality is ambiguous. We find evidence that the causality runs from consumption to price rather than, or in addition to, the conventional causality from price to quantity. We believe that one of the reasons for this is that lobby groups influence the political decisions regarding taxation of gasoline consumption. Following our results we argue that it is essential to take into account the political environment as an important factor when designing environmental policy instruments such as gasoline taxes. Paper 4: The Effect of Addiction on Environmental Taxation in a First and Second-best world. We examine the effect of addictive behavior on a socially optimal environmental tax. If utility in part depends on past consumption and individuals are time-consistent, the socially optimal environmental tax is shown to be equal to the conventional Pigovian tax. In a second-best world where the social planner has a restriction on the future environmental tax level, the current optimal tax is no longer equal to the Pigovian tax. We extend the analysis with time-inconsistent (myopic) individuals to both the first (no restriction on future environmental tax) and second-best world (restriction on future environmental tax). Also, the importance of addiction in an environmental framework is discussed. Paper 5: Habit Formation in Environmental Quality: Dynamic Optimal Environmental Taxation. In this article we propose a model in which individuals experience habit formation in environmental quality. Further, a consumption good causes a negative external effect on the environment. A benevolent social planner maximize utility given the negative effect of the consumption good on the environment, taking into account that there is habit formation in environmental quality. Given a simple model we show that the level and time path of the corresponding optimal environmental tax is affected by the assumption of habit formation; more specifically the stronger the habit, the higher the optimal level of environmental quality in steady state, and the faster the transition towards the steady state tax level. Furthermore the initial value of the habit stock is of crucial importance for the time path of the tax. Also, we solve for, and analyze, dynamics and the existence and characteristics of equilibria in the model and discuss how the characteristics of the habit formation affect steady state.


The sixth Rejuvenate dialogue was held on 15th September 2022. Six panellists working across contexts and themes joined the Rejuvenate team on a discussion on uncertainty and it's intersection with child and youth rights and participation. From past research, we know that young people do not necessarily view uncertainty in their lives as negative. This is especially true for some of the most-marginalised youth who see their 'certainty' as poverty, unemployment and environmental fragility. This dialogue focuses on how adults, including those working on policy and practice in rights and philanthropy, can learn from how children and youth positively navigate uncertainty. Further, this dialogue makes the case for working with children and youth if we are to find new, more hopeful futures in the face of uncertainty.


The biological value of fodder is estimated on the basis of its content of particular macroelements (N, P, K, Ca, Mg). Concentration of these components in fodder depends on many factors, mainly on the properties of soil, type of land use and growth phase of crops. The aim of this paper was to estimate the effect of soil properties, land use and species composition of a sward mixture on the content of macroelements, total protein and acid detergent fibre in grass-legumes sward. In 2002-2005 a field study was carried out on mineral and organic soil in Sosnowica (near the Wieprz-Krzna Canal). Two land use types were tested: pasture (sward grazed by cattle) and simulated (sward frequently cut, proportionally to the grazings). Six grass-legumes mixtures were sown, including the following species: Poa pratensis, Festulolium braunii, Festulolium loliaceum (2 strains), Lolium perenne and Festuca pratensis. Tetraploid hybrids of Festulolium loliaceum [Festuca pratensis (4x) x Lolium perenne (4x) were obtained at the Institute of Plant Genetics PAS in Poznan. Pasture sward was grazed by Limousine cattle 5-6 times during the grazing season, while the simulated sward was cut at the same time. Chemical composition of fodder (total protein, ADF, P, K, Ca, Mg) was estimated. Sward on organic soil was characterized by a significantly higher content of total protein, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium as well as a significantly lower content of potassium in comparison to sward on mineral soil. Moreover, a significantly higher content of potassium and significantly lower content of magnesium in pasture sward were observed. Sward was of perfect quality (content of ADF) and had an optimum content of basic macroelements. No influence of the examined species in the mixtures on feed quality was observed. Consequently, compared to the other species, Festulolium loliaceum hybrids prove to be suitable for to pasture mixtures in a postboggy habitat. .


We proposed a novel method called HARP-I, which enhances the estimation of motion from tagged Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The harmonic phase of the images is unwrapped and treated as noisy measurements of reference coordinates on a deformed domain, obtaining motion with high accuracy using Radial Basis Functions interpolations. Results were compared against Shortest Path HARP Refinement (SP-HR) and Sine-wave Modeling (SinMod), two harmonic image-based techniques for motion estimation from tagged images. HARP-I showed a favorable similarity with both methods under noise-free conditions, whereas a more robust performance was found in the presence of noise. Cardiac strain was better estimated using HARP-I at almost any motion level, giving strain maps with less artifacts. Additionally, HARP-I showed better temporal consistency as a new method was developed to fix phase jumps between frames. In conclusion, HARP-I showed to be a robust method for the estimation of motion and strain under ideal and non-ideal conditions.


In the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), rapid elevation of serum sodium concentration may be imperative to correct neurological symptoms. Seven patients with hyponatremia secondary to SIADH were treated by oral intake of two to three doses of 30 g of urea over 24 hours or infusion of 80 g of urea as a 30% solution of over six hours, water restriction (500 mL/24 hr), and sodium supplements (120 to 360 mmole/24 hr). Serum sodium concentration increased from 117 +/- 2 to 126 +/- 1.4 mmole/L (mean +/- SEM) after eight hours, to 130 +/- 1.3 mmole/L after 12 hours, and to 134.5 +/- 1.2 mmole/L after 24 hours. The normalization of serum sodium was secondary to osmotic diuresis and to sodium retention induced by urea. Use of urea should be considered when symptomatic hyponatremia in SIADH must be quickly corrected.


Solar irradiance at the ground level can be determinated from Meteosat images by the means of several methods. The purpose of this work is to present the method Heliosat 2, an improved version of the well known Heliosat 1 method. Heliosat 1 converts observations made by geostationary meteorological satellites into estimates of the global irradiation at ground level. It was implemented in many places and is routinely used to produce maps. It suffers from some drawbacks, which come from several empirically defined parameters inside the method. The accuracy of the estimates is very sensitive to their tuning during the implementation phase. This method cannot cope with changes in spaceborne radiometers. Consequently, parameters have to be tuned at each change. Four points of improvements were identified. Values in images were calibrated, hence large time-series spanning over several changes of sensors and satellite may be processed. It also permits to adopt known models of the physical processes in atmospheric optics; thus removing the need of empirically defined parameters. A new model of clear sky irradiation was used for a better accuracy of the estimates performed by the method. The computation of the ground albedo and the cloud albedo makes use of recognised models of the radiance and the atmospheric transmittance. The relationship between the cloud index and the hourly global irradiation was modified to better represent the cloudy skies. This new method Heliosat 2 exhibits results that are more accurate than those provided by the method Heliosat 1 by approximately 30 %. Comparisons were made with ground measurements obtained at 35 sites in Europe. For daily irradiation we observed a relative mean square error of less than 200 J. cm-2 and 110 J.cm-2 for the monthly mean of daily irradiation.


The focus of this dissertation is the computational determination of collision induced ab sorption spectra. We have focused on two different types of collision induced absorption: that of translational absorption and that of broadening of atomic spectral lines. We have focused on generating high quality ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces, and using these surfaces to calculate fully quantum mechanical absorption spectra for the systems of interest, He-Xe and Na-He. In the case of He-Xe we have calculated the potential energy and dipole moment surface using the coupled cluster single and doubles method, with a perturbative triples correc tion, using large correlation consistent basis sets, midbond functions, and an effective core potential on Xenon. We find our potential to be in excellent agreement with several em pirical He-Xe potentials in the literature. Using these calculated surfaces, we generate fully quantum mechanical translational absorption spectra for the dimer at 298 K and 1000 K. Our results at 298 K are in good agreement with experimental results. We have also per formed an analysis of the functional derivative of the absorption coefficient with respect to the dipole moment at both of these temperatures, and used these derivatives to analyze differences between the spectra calculated using our ab initio potentials, and the spectra computed by other researchers. Finally, we have presented results for the transition dipole moment integrals of the pure rotational transitions of of He-Xe dimers, in order to compare with future theoretical and experimental results. We have also calculated the potential energy curves for the ground and low-lying ex cited states of the Na-He dimer using a multi-configurational ab initio approach and large correlation consistent basis sets. We have calculated the ground state dipole moment of the dimer, and used linear response theory to calculate the transition dipole moments between the ground and excited states. We have used these surfaces to calculate a fully quantum mechanical translational absorption spectrum for the ground state of Na-He at 300 K and 1000 K, which is in reasonable agreement with previous theoretical results. We have also used these surfaces to calculate the broadening of the Na-D line due to atomic helium at 1000 K. We present results for the wings of the broadened line, which we find in reasonable agreement with other theoretical results.


Purpose

As technology-mediated communication improves, many organizations increasingly use new types of collaborative online tools to promote team-based learning and performance. The purpose of this study is to explore how virtual team leaders cope with process challenges in developing a context for team creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors interviewed nine leaders who have worked for more than five years and managed virtual teams in different fields.

Findings

This research uncovered distrust, personality differences, generational differences in views, scheduling issues and technology difficulties as the top five inhibitors for virtual team creativity and success. The authors identified seven main strategies for developing virtual team creativity and success. The authors found that building "team norms" and guidelines to encourage positive interactions between team members can facilitate team creativity. In addition, a concept of trust-based open communication was identified as one of the important strategies when teams actively use technology-mediated communication tools.

Practical implications

Organizational practitioners can use the results of this study when developing knowledge to establish assessments regarding which employees possess the appropriate characteristics to lead virtual teams and implement virtual team training.

Originality/value

This study emphasizes the importance of technology in professional lives by showing how technology-mediated work leads to success in learning and producing creative ideas and performance in a virtual team environment.


A hallmark of N-linked glycosylation in the secretory compartments of eukaryotic cells is the sequential remodeling of an initially uniform oligosaccharide to a site-specific, heterogeneous ensemble of glycostructures on mature proteins. To understand site-specific processing, we used protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), a model protein with five glycosylation sites, for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and compared the result to a biochemical in vitro analysis with four different glycan processing enzymes. As predicted by an analysis of the accessibility of the N-glycans for their processing enzymes derived from the MD simulations, N-glycans at different glycosylation sites showed different kinetic properties for the processing enzymes. In addition, altering the tertiary structure context of N-glycan substrates affected N-glycan remodeling in a site-specific way. We propose that differential, tertiary structure context dependent N-glycan reactivities lead to different glycan structures in the same protein through kinetically controlled processing pathways.


Citation for published version (APA): Woelders, T., Leenheers, T., Gordijn, M. C. M., Hut, R. A., Beersma, D. G. M., & Wams, E. J. (2018). Correction: Melanopsinand L-cone-induced pupil constriction is inhibited by Sand M-cones in humans (vol 115, pg 792, 2018). Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, 115(9), E2147. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1801001115


Purpose To develop and optimize a method to monitor real-time mitochondrial function by measuring the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in murine corneal biopsy punches with a Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer. Methods Murine corneal biopsies were obtained using a biopsy punch immediately after euthanasia. The corneal metabolic profile was assessed using a Seahorse XFe96 pro analyzer, and mitochondrial respiration was analyzed with specific settings. Results Real-time adenosine triphosphate rate assay showed that mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is a major source of adenosine triphosphate production in ex vivo live murine corneal biopsies. Euthanasia methods (carbon dioxide asphyxiation vs. overdosing on anesthetic drugs) did not affect corneal OCR values. Mouse corneal biopsy punches in 1.5-mm diameter generated higher and more reproducible OCR values than those in 1.0-mm diameter. The biopsy punches from the central and off-central cornea did not show significant differences in OCR values. There was no difference in OCR reading by the tissue orientations (the epithelium side up vs. the endothelium side up). No significant differences were found in corneal OCR levels between sexes, strains (C57BL/6J vs. BALB/cJ), or ages (4, 8, and 32 weeks). Using this method, we showed that the wound healing process in the mouse cornea affected mitochondrial activity. Conclusions The present study validated a new strategy to measure real-time mitochondrial function in fresh mouse corneal tissues. This procedure should be helpful for studies of the ex vivo live corneal metabolism in response to genetic manipulations, disease conditions, or pharmacological treatments in mouse models.


In this paper we develop the first algorithms for online submodular minimization that preserve differential privacy under full information feedback and bandit feedback. Our first result is in the full information setting, where the algorithm can observe the entire function after making its decision at each time step. We give an algorithm in this setting that is $\eps$-differentially private and achieves expected regret $\tilde{O}\left(\frac{n\sqrt{T}}{\eps}\right)$ over $T$ rounds for a collection of $n$ elements. Our second result is in the bandit setting, where the algorithm can only observe the cost incurred by its chosen set, and does not have access to the entire function. This setting is significantly more challenging due to the limited information. Our algorithm using bandit feedback is $\eps$-differentially private and achieves expected regret $\tilde{O}\left(\frac{n^{3/2}T^{2/3}}{\eps}\right)$.


Shanna Daly is an Assistant Research Scientist and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Her research focuses on idea generation, design strategies, design ethnography, creativity instruction, and engineering practitioners who return to graduate school. She teaches design and entrepreneurship courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her work is often cross-disciplinary, collaborating with colleagues from engineering, education, psychology, and industrial design.


Chickan Lake is famous historical lake located at Palh village 26o 57'33.94 N, 67o 51' 06. 10 E in the province of Sindh, 28 km North of Dadu city and Present investigation of an ecological studies of phytoplankton of Chickan Lake during January 20016 to December 2016. In this study there were four sampling station selected for sampling purpose at the commanding area of lake? The research work is concerned the assessment of different water quality parameters and determinations of planktons, which is essential for investigation and productivity of lake. To assess the hydrological parameters of lake i.e.: Temperature, Transparency, pH, TSS, TDS, Salinity, Hardness, Chlorides, Dissolve Oxygen, the analysis of biological parameters indicates the presence of Plankton population which belongs to different groups such as Cynophayta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta and Bacillariophyta, the population of phytoplankton belongs to different groups were dominant as compare to the zooplankton. The water quality is being changed due to seasonal variation which impact on plankton flora and fauna resulting in seasonal variation in their numbers and composition.


Research universities in the United States have increasingly become involved in economic development since the mid-1980s. There has been a corresponding growth of interest in measuring the impacts of higher education on regional economies. This article reviews the approaches used to examine the influence of research universities on regional economic development outcomes. Considerable attention is paid to the methodological advantages and shortcomings of four major research designs evidenced in the literature: single-university impact studies, surveys, knowledge production functions, and cross-sectional and quasiexperimental designs. University activities, particularly knowledge-based activities such as teaching and basic research, have been found to have substantial positive effects on a variety of measures of regional economic progress.


This article aims to extend our understanding of the link between socioeconomic conditions and psychological variables. It focuses on the effects of five distinct socioeconomic indicators on a range of psychological variables in samples of 162 individuals living below the poverty line and 188 of their more well-off counterparts in Russia. Participants completed a questionnaire containing measures of socioeconomic indicators (i.e., income, education, perceived deprivation, subjective socioeconomic status, and childhood socioeconomic status) and psychological variables representing self-regulation, motivation, and well-being. Our main findings include: (a) significant effects of socioeconomic status on all psychological variables, which are in line with other studies seeking to answer similar questions, (b) varying importance of different socioeconomic indicators for different psychological variables, and (c) centrality of all socioeconomic indicators except childhood socioeconomic status, and of values of openness to change and self-transcendence, satisfaction with life and self-esteem in the network of relationships between socioeconomic indicators and psychological variables.


Thallium(I) ethoxide promotes Suzuki cross couplings for a range of vinyl- and arylboronic acids with vinyl and aryl halide partners in good to excellent yields. This reagent offers distinct advantages over thallium(I) hydroxide in terms of commercial availability, stability, and ease of use.


Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the infectious diseases. Despite the implementation of national pneumococcal polyvalent vaccine-based immunisation strategies targeted at high-risk groups, Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) remains the most common cause of CAP. Notwithstanding the HIV pandemic, major challenges confronting the control of CAP include the range of bacterial and viral pathogens causing this condition, the ever-increasing problem of antibiotic resistance worldwide, and increased vulnerability associated with steadily aging populations in developed countries. These and other risk factors, as well as diagnostic strategies, are covered in the first section of this review. Thereafter, the review is focused on the pneumococcus, specifically the major virulence factors of this microbial pathogen and their role in triggering overexuberant inflammatory responses which contribute to the immunopathogenesis of invasive disease. The final section of the review is devoted to a consideration of pharmacological, anti-inflammatory strategies with adjunctive potential in the antimicrobial chemotherapy of CAP. This is focused on macrolides, corticosteroids, and statins with respect to their modes of anti-inflammatory action, current status, and limitations.


A major low-angle ductile shear zone containing S-C mylonites involves metamorphosed granitic rocks at the southeastern edge of the Nyainqentanglha mountain range, southern Tibet. Prominent triangular facet geomorphology is developed by valley erosion of the detachment surface, defined by the top of the southeast-dipping mylonitec shear zone. Kinematic criteria consistently indicate a top-to-southeast sense of shear. The ductile shearing deformation is inferred, from isotopic cooling ages, to have occurred during the interval 11-5 Ma (late Miocene). We interpret the shear zone as a regional extensional detachment; its development indicates when the extensional tectonics in this area started, which in turn may mark the time when the maximum sustainable surface elevation, and perhaps crustal thickness, was reached in southern Tibet.


The catalytic dehydrochlorination of 2-chlorobutane has been studied using promoted alumina catalysts. The modified alumina (AI2O 3-HCI, K-AI2O3), zirconia-alumina (Zr02-Al203) and silver-alumina (Ag/AC) catalysts were synthesized and characterised before being tested for catalyst activity. In addition, silver-silica (Ag/SiC) and silver-zirconia-alumina (Ag/ZrCVAhOs) were also prepared as different supported silver catalysts for dehydrochlorination of 2-chlorobutane. y-alumina catalysts were active for the dehydrochlorination reaction due to the presence of Lewis acid sites. The catalyst performance and the acid-base properties suggest the reaction was acid-catalysed. Doping K or Na on y-alumina inhibited the activity due to the loss of acidic sites from the alumina surface. Despite the inhibition effect of the alkaline doped catalyst, acid-base bifunctional catalysis was proposed over zirconia-alumina catalysts. The presence of Al-O-Zr surface structural defects on zirconia- alumina controlled the acid-base properties which relate to the catalytic activity. The role of basic sites is to stabilise the carbonium ion and activates the C-H bond, while the acid sites encourage the abstraction of CI-ions. A correlation between the ratio of base/acid sites and conversion is suggested, depending on the reaction conditions (i.e. space velocity). Finally, the silver-promoted catalysts were prepared, emphasis placed on the metal-support interaction. The results suggest that as well as the active species distribution which is important for the reaction, the acid-base properties of the support are vital.


Previous studies conducted in the economy, finance and business management fields have found that there exists a collection of business agglomerations, which contain various numbers of firms that are spread on a specific region. Based on this realness, the selection of apt business locale for a new establishment should then be considered as a trial to identify the prospective business agglomeration in which the new establishment would be able to compete with existing firms. Consequently, a pertinent method that works by characterising the business agglomerations from a collection of business firm's data and subsequently computes the projection of business performance level of a new establishment in each identified agglomeration is developed in this study. A two-stage graph-clustering algorithm that purposively designed to unravel the task of business agglomerations identification is introduced, whereas the localised classification models perform the prediction of business performance level in each known agglomerations. Decisively, results from conducted experiment suggest that the proposed method is beneficial to distinguish the apt business locale for new establishments in a particular region with a collection of business agglomerations.


Hypercapnia (HC) improves systemic oxygen delivery (DO₂) and microvascular hemoglobin oxygenation of the mucosa (μHbO₂). Simultaneously, HC increases plasma levels of vasopressin. Although vasopressin is generally regarded a potent vasoconstrictor particularly in the splanchnic region, its effects on splanchnic microcirculation during HC is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of endogenous vasopressin on gastric mucosal oxygenation and hemodynamic variables during physiological (normocapnia) and hypercapnic conditions. Five dogs were repeatedly anesthetized to study the effect of vasopressin V(1A) receptor blockade ([Pmp¹,Tyr(Me)²]-Arg⁸-Vasopressin, 35  μg/kg) on hemodynamic variables and μHbO₂ during normocapnia or HC (end-tidal CO₂ 70  mmHg). In a control group, animals were subjected to HC alone. μHbO₂ was measured by reflectance spectrophotometry, systemic DO₂ was calculated from intermittent blood gas analysis, and cardiac output was measured by transpulmonary thermodilution. Data are presented as mean±s.e.m. for n=5 animals. During HC alone, DO₂ increased from 12±1 to 16±1 ml/kg per min and μHbO₂ from 70±4 to 80±2%. By contrast, additional vasopressin V(1A) receptor blockade abolished the increase in μHbO₂ (80±2 vs. 69±2%) without altering the increase in DO₂ (16±1 vs. 19±2  ml/kg per min). Vasopressin V1A receptor blockade (VB) during normocapnia neither affected DO₂ (13±1 vs. 14±1  ml/kg per min) nor μHbO₂ (75±3 vs. 71±5%). Vasopressin V(1A) receptor blockade abolished the increase in μHbO₂ during HC independent of DO₂. Thus, in contrast to its generally vasoconstrictive properties, the vasopressin V1A receptors seem to mediate the increase in gastric microcirculatory mucosal oxygenation induced by acute HC.