The inflow of foreign capital is generally seen as an accelerating force to economic growth, due to provision of additional resources, and these funds are considered complementary to local savings. It could also help to transfer technology and, therefore, increase productivity. Besides it enhances purchasing power of the recipients [Mullick (1988)] and as a result stimulates growth. The purpose of foreign debt is to increase real transfer of resources from the developed countries to the developing countries, so that these countries could pick up momentum of economic growth and as a result improve their welfare. The rapid increase in the external debt obligations of the developing countries, during the 1970s, had given rise to concerns about the dangers of increasing trend in interest and amortisation payments and, therefore, this situation posed a threat to debtor countries. The foreign debt of the developing countries has become a threat to their economic growth. The debt servicing of some of the LDC's exceeded to their growth rates.2 Initially, most analysts believed that debt servicing problem would be temporary. It was hoped that creditworthiness and more normal growth of most of the countries would be restored with the influx of foreign resources. However, the debt crises have demonstrated that this assessment was optimistic and seemed never to be realised.


The aim of this thesis is to explore correlation functions in two dimensional quantum field theories in two distinct ways. In part I a new method for calculating the differential equations parametrising the correlation functions of twist fields associated with the U (1) symmetry of the Dirac model is presented. While developing this method a new family of descendent twist fields are identified and their form factors calculated. This provides a novel way of calculating the vacuum expectation values of the primary twist fields and is shown to be entirely consistent with known results. The method of calculating the correlation functions of twist fields provides a parametrisation of several other correlation functions for various quantum states. Since this method relies on the Ward identities found in a double copy model it is hoped to have wider applications in other free fermion models. Part II concerns the truncated conformal space approach which has been developed to approximate perturbed conformal field theories. In this part the theory underpinning the approach is discussed and a working algorithm is developed for both bulk and boundary perturbed minimal models. The energy levels, mass gaps and one point functions of various models are computed using the truncated conformal space approach and are shown to be in good agreement with previous calculations. A possible method for using this approach to approximate two point functions in perturbed conformal field theories is discussed.


Polymer solar cells (PSCs) have garnered considerable attention in recent years. However, improving the fill factor (FF) remains a big challenge. The FF is closely related to the mobilities of the donor. Thus, improving the mobilites of the donor by constructing an enlarged π-conjugated fused ring in polymeric backnones could improve FF and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, a fused-ring dithienosilolodithiophene (DTTS)-based low-bandgap polymer of PDTTS with an enlarged π-conjugated system was created and its thermal stability, absorption range, molecular energy, and the corresponding photovoltaic properties were investigated. UV-vis absorption spectra showed that PDTTS with enlarged conjugation on polymeric backbones exhibited a more obvious absorption shoulder peak compared with a similar polymer of PDTS containing a dithienosilole (DTS) unit. Hence, PDTTS had a more planar structure than PDTS and resulted in stronger intermolecular π–π interactions. X-ray diffraction revealed PDTTS to exhibit greater crystallinity than PDTS, which suggested more ordered π–π stacking in PDTTS backbones. The mobility of PDTTS was more than one order of magnitude higher than that of PDTS, and benefited from the more planar conjugated structure of PDTTS. Photovoltaic devices based upon PDTTS/PC71BM blends exhibited efficiencies up to 6.33% with a higher FF of 65% for as-cast films without processing additives. Under optimized processing conditions, PDTS/PC71BM blends exhibited an efficiency of 3.22% with a FF of 53%. These preliminary results suggest that polymers with an enlarged π-conjugated system possess higher mobility and facilitate effective carrier transportation, and boost FF and PCE values.


This paper deals with the design of underground rail system timetables that synchronize the movement of trains to allow the energy consumption from substations to be reduced by maximizing the use of regenerative-braking energy. Nowadays, most trains are equipped with regenerative-braking systems and any of this recovered energy not used by on-board auxiliary services can be consumed by other trains in the same rail section. A mathematical programming optimization model has been designed to synchronize the braking of trains arriving at station with the acceleration of trains exiting from the same or another station. In addition, a power flow model of the electrical network has been developed to calculate the power-saving factor for each synchronization event in order to encourage better synchronizations, particularly those which have fewer energy losses. These models were applied in the design of a schedule for line 3 of the Madrid underground system. This schedule was then trialled for a week. Energy savings were measured and a significant correlation with the synchronization of train movements was observed. It was concluded that a modification in the published timetables would result in energy savings, with no effect on the quality of service for passengers and low associated investment costs.


Set in the frontier of Michigan in the 1930s, A New Home is the first realistic portrayal of western village life in the United States. Based on Caroline Kirkland's own experiences--and written from a woman's perspective--it narrates with a keen eye and wit the absorbing story of the establishment of the village of Montacute, Michigan. A New Home is a vivid contribution to a new kind of narrative developed during the antebellum period, ethnographic fiction. Kirkland highlights the importance and the drama of local practices and everyday life in Montacute. She traces the way two groups of settlers slowly adjust to each other--the old hands and the newcomers from the East. Dramatizing differences of class and culture, she also shows how the groups finally form a genuine community and a new, diverse culture. Kirkland also gives enthographic fiction an original twist: she satirizes the provincialism and the rigidity of both groups of settlers. After writing A New Home, Kirkland became a professional literary woman, working as an editor as well as a writer. In her introduction, Sandra Zagarell explores the implications of Kirkland's writing and professional career for our understanding of women, writing, and the world of literature in antebellum America.


Titles in Dictionaries for the Modern Musician: A Scarecrow Press Music Series offer both the novice and the advanced artist key information designed to convey the field of study and performance for a major instrument or instrument class, as well as the workings of musicians in areas from conducting to composing. Unlike other encyclopedic works, contributions to this series focus primarily on the knowledge required by the contemporary musical student or performer. Each dictionary covers topics from instrument parts to playing technique, major works to key figures. A must-have for any musician's personal library! Filling a vital need in the rapidly changing and complex field of conducting, A Dictionary for the Modern Conductor is a concise one-volume reference tool that brings together for the first time information covering a broad array of topics essential for today's conductor to know. Author and conductor Emily Freeman Brown offers easy-to-read definitions of key musical terms, translated foreign terms, examples of usage from orchestral music and practical vocabulary in multiple languages. A Dictionary for the Modern Conductor includes biographies of major conductors and other individual important to the world of modern conducting, emphasizing throughout their contributions to the progress of the conducting professional; critical information on major orchestras, significant ensembles, key institutions and organizations, with a focus on the ways in which they preserve and advance today's musical life; and practical entries covering baton and rehearsal techniques, bowing terms, information about instruments, voice types and much more. In a series of appendixes, A Dictionary for the Modern Conductor also covers such topics as orchestral works that changed the art and practice of conducting, a short historiography of conducting, a comprehensive bibliography, a look at conducting recitative, and a list of pitches, interval names, rhythmic terms, orchestral and percussion instrument names, and finally translations of all of these categories of information into French, German, Italian, and Spanish. A Dictionary for the Modern Conductor will appeal to aspiring conductors and seasoned professionals. It is an invaluable resource.


Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) is an important anti-inflammatory cytokine that blocks all known actions of IL-1 and markedly protects against experimentally induced ischemic, excitotoxic, and traumatic brain insults. Cannabinoids (CBs) also exert potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, but the mechanisms of their actions are unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that the actions of CBs are mediated by endogenous IL-1ra. We report for the first time that both CB1 and CB2 receptors modulate release of endogenous IL-1ra from primary cultured glial cells. Activation of CB1 or CB2 receptors increased lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-1ra release, and specific CB1 or CB2 antagonists blocked lipopolysaccharide-induced production of IL-1ra from glial cells. Comparison of neuronal cultures from wild-type mice and mice lacking IL-1ra (knock-out) indicates that endogenous IL-1ra is essential for the neuro-protective effects of CBs against excessive activation of glutamate receptors (excitotoxicity) in response to S-AMPA or NMDA. Similarly, analysis of mixed glial cultures from IL-1ra knock-out mice indicates that endogenous IL-1ra is required for the CB-induced inhibition of nitric oxide production in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. These data suggest a novel neuroprotective mechanism of action for CBs in response to inflammatory or excitotoxic insults that is mediated by both CB1 and CB2 receptor-dependent pathways.


Introduction: Alexithymia is an important factor for the therapy of traumatic experiences, because it restrains the verbal expression of emotions during the recall of happy memories. The psychiatric disorder reduces the ability to express negative emotions, but in the recent literature it is not clear if this is also the case for positive emotions. However, the expression of positive emotions in the recall of happy memories is very important for de clinical practice. Moreover, alexithymia influence also the vividness of positive memories which is crucial for a therapist to understand his client en his emotional state. This investigation studies therefore if there is a relationship between the degree of alexithymia en the verbal expression of positive emotions, as well as the relationship between the degree of alexithymia and the vividness of happy memories. Furthermore, there will be an explorative study with reference to the association of vividness of happy memories and the verbal expression of positive emotions. Methods: The 35 students of the study were between 18-39 years old. In the first part of the study, the participants were asked to recall eight personal memories (calm, angry, sad and happy) as well as three neutral memories. The participants rated the personal memories if they are happy, calm, angry or sad about them today. They gave also an indication if the personal memories are important or vivid today. During the first part of the study the memories are videotaped and recorded. In the second part, the participants were asked to give an answer on two questionnaires. These were the demographic information and the TAS-20 measuring the degree of alexithymia. Before the answers were analyzed, the LIWC counted the amount of positive emotion words. Finally the correlations are examined. Results: There was a significant difference between the amount of positive words of the happy and neutral memories. The total TAS-20 en every subcategory of the TAS-20 did not correlate with the amount of positive emotion words during neutral en happy memories. Moreover there was no significant correlation between the degree of alexithymia and the vividness of memories as well as between the vividness and the amount of positive emotion words. Discussion: There is no relation between the amount of positive emotion words and the degree of alexithymia. Furthermore, there is no indication that de degree of vividness in happy memories is related to the amount of positive emotion words as well as to the degree of alexithymia. The difference in results between this study and other studies can be explained because of the usage of different methods. More research is needed to investigate the three subjects and their relations.


Web searching is a basic daily activity for computer users. However, providing the appropriate keywords for a search is not easy, especially when a user is unfamiliar with the subject being searched. Web services provide a suitable technical framework for making business processes accessible within enterprises and across enterprises, so that they have promoted a new paradigm of a business process which is called the service-oriented business process. In order to define a suitable ontology representation of business reporting language structures, an analysis of the logical principles of the reporting metadata taxonomies and further classification systems is presented. We show how emerging semantic web services technologies such as the web services execution environment facilitate the creation of such applications, and we discuss the advantages of such applications.


Plasma reactor operating at low pressures (0.2-1 Torr) at 13.56 MHz has been developed with an idea to optimize the treatment of polymers, biological and textile materials. The reactor proved very effective in treatment of polymer surfaces and wool fabrics in order to improve wettability, efficiency of dyeing and printing as well as to reduce the felting shrinkage. It also gave good results in improving germination of seeds. The basic conditions that the reactor has to satisfy are: the energy of ions that hit the surface has to be low and the reactor should be efficient in production of active radicals. Two systems with different geometries were studied, both capacitively coupled plasma reactors operating at 13.56 MHz. Cylindrical geometry was selected in order to minimize the energy of ions reaching the surface. Modeling of the discharge was performed with an aim to verify the energy distribution function of ions. As a critical diagnostic test of the system, voltage and current probes were developed to check the operation mode of the discharge. Oxygen, air and argon were used with different results.


The bonds of T2 copper/50steel were studied by inertial radial friction welding techniques at different conditions. Ultrasonic C-scan testing was employed to evaluate the bonding situation. In order to verify the reliability of ultrasonic C-scan testing results, the optical microscope, SEM and shear test were used to analyse the microstructure and mechanical properties. It was found that ultrasonic C-scan testing was useful to evaluate the inertial radial friction welding joint situations by analyzing the ratio of good bonded area in the bond area of ultrasonic C-scan images. And the correctness of ultrasonic C-scan testing was testified by microstructure examination. Furthermore, it was concluded that enough metalline plastic deformation occurred, oxide film of joint was destroyed and constituent elements were mutually diffused sufficiently, when two stage pressure was employed and friction pressure 78 MPa, friction speed 3200r/min were used.


Cardiovascular (CV) complications are the leading cause of non–graft‐related death in orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) patients. Pretransplant cardiac evaluation using dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is commonly utilized for risk stratification of OLT candidates. To determine if clinical and echocardiographic variables identify patients with increased CV risk, we performed a retrospective chart review of all 284 patients that underwent OLT at our institution between June 1999 and August 2005. Of these patients, 157 had a DSE prior to their OLT. Serious adverse CV events occurring during surgery and up to 4 months post‐transplantation were defined as cardiac‐related death, myocardial infarction (MI), new heart failure, or asystole or unstable ventricular arrhythmia requiring acute treatment. Sixteen of 157 patients (10%) had an adverse CV event with 2 deaths. These included ventricular tachycardia (n = 8), asystole (n = 2), MI (n = 5), and new heart failure (n = 1). Nine of the 16 CV events occurred at the time of surgery (including both deaths), 5 occurred postoperatively, and 3 occurred after hospital discharge. Variables that correlated with increased CV events were inability during DSE to achieve >82% of the maximum predicted heart rate (22% versus 6%, P = 0.01), a peak rate pressure product during DSE of <16,333 (17% versus 5%, P = 0.02), and a Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score of >24 at the time of OLT. A multivariate model calculated from the DSE maximum achieved heart rate (MAHR) and MELD score (result = 3.78 + 0.07 MELD − 0.05 MAHR) identified a 47% risk for a value > 0 versus a 6% risk for a value < 0 (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the maximum heart rate achieved during DSE together with the MELD score may be a predictor of adverse CV events up to 4 months post‐OLT. A large prospective study is needed to more decisively support this conclusion. Liver Transpl 14:886–892, 2008. © 2008 AASLD.


The aim of the present study, which was performed in 2003 and 2005 in Sinop, Kastamonu, Samsun, Amasya, Tokat, Ordu, Giresun, Gumushane, and Trabzon provinces, located in the middle and eastern Black Sea regions of Turkey, is to determine the species belonging to Geometridae family. Sweep net and light traps were used to collect the samples. Totally 76 species belonging to 59 genera in 5 subfamilies of the Geometridae family were identified. It is determined in the present study that the following number of species were found to be the first record for the fauna of the provinces from which they were collected: 19 species among 23 in Sinop, 5 species among 6 in Kastamonu, 1 species in Samsun, 4 species among 10 in Amasya, 16 species among 19 in Tokat, 14 species among 18 in Ordu, all of 4 species in Giresun, 6 species among 7 in Gumushane, and 34 species among 51 in Trabzon.


Nowadays, power electronics systems developed need small size, reliable, high quality and efficient switch mode power supplies. However, switch mode power supplies also require determining the operating parameters accurately for achieving intended energy conversion effectively and faultlessly. In this study, an interactive and object oriented parameter determination system was designed for Buck, Boost, Buck-Boost and Cuk converter topologies. Users have used the system interface easily through the interactivity of the system and the user requests have been accomplished quickly through the object oriented programming. Accuracy and reliability of the system have been tested separately for each type of the converter and it has been shown that the performance in the process of determining the parameters of the system is effective and optimum.


Pharmaceutical packaging is linked to important demographic changes. Aging ofpopulations is one of the demographic changes which has called for more attention, especially in well-developed countries. The increase in life expectancy represents a positive consequence of years of research, development of medications, and improvement in life habits. In spite of that, the growth in the number of people living beyond 65 has put more pressure on healthcare systems, as well as increasing the expectations on many industries to innovate and support an extended life. Previous research shows that, although medication products make it possible for seniors to have a prolonged lifespan, medication packages are a source of uncertainties, confusion, and daily struggles. Consequently, the overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the field of pharmaceutical packaging design and innovation in order to improve the everyday life of older patients. The research is applied, interdisciplinary, and has an explorative approach, following a qualitative research strategy. Primarily, three major revisions of existing literature were performed to provide greater awareness of pharmaceutical packaging when combined with perspectives on design and innovation. The first revision presented the use of medication packages by older patients, as reported in the literature. By that, not only the characteristics of older patients became evident, but also the choice(s) of methodologies in the research field, the design features of packaging assessed, and the dilemmas which surround the use of medication packaging. A second revision shed light on the design research practices. As found, inclusive design is one approach to design which provides tools and guidelines to make products and packages usable by as many people as possible. An inclusive design approach to pharmaceutical packaging is greatly needed in research. Inidentifying that need, four major propositions to support empirical studies wereelaborated. A third revision focused on conceptualization of innovationopportunities guided through a design innovation process. By that, it was possible to conceptually revise a design innovation process within the complex context of pharmaceutical packaging development. In general, this conceptual revision reinforced the idea that packaging is one of the choices companies have to innovate in the delivery and use of medication by patients. Moreover, design permits the exploration of opportunities where business and social innovation opportunities meet. As a logical step after the revisions, a final empirical study was performed. This empirical study was designed as a case study, conducted on a pharmaceutical packaging supplier. The initial results present packaging supplier who works closely connected with the pharmaceutical producer. A standard portfolio of packages is preferred; some limited special projects were elaborated with external partners. The research contributes to the field of pharmaceutical packaging, both in theory and practice. In theory, the research provides a comprehensive view of the research landscape in pharmaceutical packaging, which can provide guidance for packaging and design scholars. The research expands the rather technological aspects of packaging, moving toward the social aspects of innovating with the support of design. Furthermore, the research presents propositions on empirical studies to be continued. The exploration of a conceptual design innovation process opens the way for other similar studies, and for the further exploration of inclusive design and social aspects of pharmaceutical packaging design. In practice, the research contributes with empirical data about the pharmaceutical packaging designcarried out in a single-case study. Packaging practitioners can benefit from theresults obtained to benchmark their own processes. Policy and decision makers can benefit from the results of this research to reflect about the dilemmas of innovating pharmaceutical packaging. (Less)


Introduction: Differences in female and male patient perception of care and satisfaction following primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were assessed via Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, demographic, and clinical data. Methods: After institutional review board approval, a retrospective review of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey responses at a private, academic, level-I trauma center was performed from January 2011 to December 2013. Inclusion criteria were primary THA and TKA patients who were 18 years or older and returned the survey. Results: Overall, 1,166 THA and 1,411 TKA were included, with 55.0% of female THA patients and 64.5% of male THA patients highly satisfied (P = 0.002). The mean overall hospital rating was 7.2 for female THA and 7.8 for male THA (P = 0.003) patients. No significant differences was found in the TKA cohort. For all cohorts, the Nurse Communication with Nurses domain reported the greatest correlation with overall hospital rating (range, &rgr; = 0.418 to &rgr; = 0.502; P < 0.0001). Discussion: This series indicated that initiatives to improve patient care and patient perception of care should focus on nurse-patient communication, hospital staff responsiveness, the care transition process, and hospital environment. Patient sex was a significant factor in the overall satisfaction for THA, with female patients reporting significantly lower ratings than male patients.


Failure of American and Soviet Cultural Imperialism In German Universities, 1945-1990 shows how and why both American and Soviet policies of the transformation of German universities eventually failed.


The present work confines itself to the study of the initiation and early propagation of fatigue cracks emanating from simulated fastener holes using a laser speckle method that is a noncontact, nondestructive, and remotesensing technique. When illuminated by a narrow laser beam, the fatigue-induced surface roughness causes the laser beam to diffract into a halo modulated by a random speckle pattern. The fatigue damage information is contained in the speckle diffraction pattern. The half width and cross correlation coefficient of a speckle pattern are chosen to quantify this information. Two kinds of specimens, a thin plate with an open hole in the center and a thin plate with an oversized pin impacted into a central hole, were tested. The fatigue process was monitored by the laser speckle patterns. After crack propagation, the specimens were examined under a scanning electron microscope and their fractographic features correlated with the fatigue process.


The present study focuses on practices of self-representation in the virtual space that are specific to university history museums. The object of the study includes six museums: the Academic Historical Museum of Leiden University, the Helsinki University Museum, the National Cheng Kung University Museum, the University Museum of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, the University of the West Indies Museum. The research is based on analysis of websites and homepages on social networks of these university history museums. The authors elicit ideas and formulas of the mission of a museum of this kind, examine various ways to provide the objective information about museums (address, opening hours, contacts), and also analyze various ways of virtual representation of the university history


High-speed asynchronous ripple FIFOs may be easily embedded in synchronous environments and can elegantly handle the problem of forwarding data between clock domains. In cases where the producer and consumer clock rates differ, however, the issue of flow control has remained a problem. Compared to more traditional pointer FIFOs, the highly dynamic internal state of ripple FIFOs makes it difficult to estimate the instantaneous occupancy, or "fullness" of the FIFO. To prevent overflow, the sender must know when the FIFO is getting too full. To prevent undertow, the receiver must know when the FIFO is getting too empty. In this paper, we present a novel method for estimating ripple FIFO occupancy by detecting regions of local data congestion and data starvation. The solution is very simple and is suitable for use with many common FIFO protocols. The core idea involves the use of a phase comparator circuit to monitor the relative timing of control signals at FIFO stage boundaries.


How do youth and parents perceive their communication with each other? How do they perceive communication about money with each other? Are there differences between married-parent families and single-parent families? The reported study examined the discrepancies in perception between parents and youth and compares these differences between married and single-parent families. Although single-parent families had greater discrepancies in perceptions regarding communication in general, there was no evidence of such differences in discrepancies regarding communication about money. The finding suggests the importance of youth development programs to provide information and encouragement to both youth and their parents.


ABSTRACT Wang, S.; Dong, K.; Song, W.; Li, J., and Xing, C., 2018. Influence of stress shadow on multi-fractures initiation mechanism under volume fracturing in offshore oil drilling. In: Liu, Z.L. and Mi, C. (eds.), Advances in Sustainable Port and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 83, pp. 172–178. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749–0208. In order to reveal the multi-fractures initiation mechanism, according seepage theory, the full three-dimensional multi-fractures initiation local stress model was built by considering the existed of first fracture, the mechanism of stress shadow and initiation pressure change law of follow up fractures were given by simulation methods and combined the maximum tensile stress theory, the reliability was verified by application example. The analysis shows that: The stress shadow caused the existed of compaction zone near the fracture, the stress type was changed in the compaction zone, the minimum principal stress was increased, these lead that the fracture form changed or the fracture direction changed, and the initiation pressure increased; With the increased of elastic modulus and the fracture size, the compaction zone outward passage and affected area increased; After the number of existed fractures was more than 2, the increase of initiation pressure not obvious.


The experimental results of hooked-end steel fibers pullout tests on a self-compacting concrete medium are presented and discussed in this work. The influence of fiber embedment length on the fiber pullout behavior is studied. The role of the end hook of the fiber on the overall pullout behavior is also investigated by carrying out tests with fibers without its end hook, in order to separate the contribution of the frictional bond component from those derived from the mechanisms provided by the end hook of the fiber. Finally, the experimental bond-slip relationships are modeled by an analytical model.


We address the problem of how turbulence is created in a submerged plane jet, near to the nozzle from which it issues. We do so by making use of a WKB-like asymptotic expansion for approximate solution of a complex, linear, fourth-order differential equation describing small deviations from the steady-state stream function. The result is used as a generating solution for application of the asymptotic Krylov-Bogolyubov method, enabling us to find the spatial and temporal spectra of the turbulence in the first approximation. We have thus been able to find the complex eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, i.e., the natural waves. We show that, for any given set of parameters, there is a continuum of frequencies and, for each frequency, a continuum of phase velocities. Correspondingly, there is an infinite number of wavelengths. It follows that there is no unique dispersion law and, because of perturbations (however, small they may be), a regular temporal spectrum does not exist even in cases where the spatial spectrum is regular. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3693141]


This paper discusses a transient simulation method that co-simulates the signal and power delivery networks in a packaged system. The method includes a novel delay extraction technique that enables the enforcement of causality conditions on the resulting transient waveforms. This paper describes the application of the method on a number of test cases to account for electromagnetic parasitics and cross-talk, and shows the scalability of the method for performing large sized transient simulations


Recently published data have provided evidence that nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are signaling intermediates in the pathway through which muscle contraction stimulates glucose transport. As exercise promotes both NO production and calcium flux, we examined the relationships between NO-stimulated glucose uptake and calcium-, contraction-, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3-K)-mediated glucose transport in the isolated incubated rat epitrochlearis muscle preparation. The NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 10 mmol/1) and dibutyryl cGMP (100 μmol/l) accelerated epitrochlearis glucose transport four- to fivefold above basal levels (P < 0.001) in a manner similar to in vitro contractile activity and the calcium releasing agent N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-l-naphthalenesulfonamide (W7; 100 μmol/1). In the case of SNP, this effect could be completely attributed to an increase in cell surface GLUT4. The effect of SNP on glucose transport was not inhibitable by either wortmannin (1.5 μmol/1) or dantrolene (12.5 μmol/1). Similarly, neither calcium nor contraction stimulation of glucose transport was affected by the NO synthase inhibitors NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; 100 μmol/1) or 7-nitroindazole (1 mmol/1). Furthermore, whereas SNP raised epitrochlearis cGMP levels tenfold (P < 0.001), neither in vitro contractile activity nor W7 significantly elevated cGMP. These results indicate that NO/cGMP can markedly stimulate skeletal muscle glucose transport by increasing GLUT4 levels at the cell surface by a mechanism that does not depend on activation of PI-3-K. In addition, since calcium/contraction-stimulated glucose transport is not blocked by NO synthase inhibition and did not elevate cGMP, NO/cGMP may be part of a novel pathway that is distinct from both the insulin- and contraction-activated mechanisms.


: One hundred samples of Kariesh cheese were randomly collected from Fayoum markets and examined for the incidence of enterococci, coliform organisms, staphylococci, Salmonella and detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C, and D. The average total count was 16.4 x 10(7) c.f.u./gm. Coliform bacteria were present in the all the examined, samples with an average of 18.9 x 10(3) c.f.u./gm. However, all samples were free from salmonella. Faecal streptococci and staphylococci were also found in average numbers of (16 x 10(5) c.f.u./gm and 92 x 10(3) c.f.u./gm). Enterotoxins A, B, C and D were not detected in any of the samples tested.


Introduction Barrett's oesophagus (BE) is the recognised pre-cursor to oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC). Combined endotherapy with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have emerged as alternatives to surgery for curative treatment of patients with BE related neoplasia over the past 5 years. Methods We examine prospective data from United Kingdom (UK) registry of patients undergoing RFA/EMR for early neoplasia arising in BE since the launch of the registry in 2008. Primary outcomes for clearance of dysplasia (CR-D) and BE (CR-IM) at 12 months were assessed over two time periods, between 2008–2010 and from 2011–2013. In addition durability of successful treatment, progression to invasive OAC and changes in endoscopic practices were also analysed between the time periods. Before RFA, visible lesions were removed by EMR. Thereafter patients underwent RFA every 3 monthly and biopsies were taken at 12 months. New lesions appearing during RFA treatment were removed by rescue EMR. This treatment algorithm has remained unchanged over past 5 years. Results We report on 510 patients who have completed treatment with 12 month histology over past 5 years. CR-D and CR-IM have improved significantly between the former and later time periods from 77% and 56% to 91% and 82% respectively (p Conclusion We report one of the largest series of patients undergoing RFA for BE neoplasia. Clinical outcomes have improved significantly over the past 5 years as endoscopists have more experience with improved lesion recognition, and more attention to resection of all visible lesions before RFA. As a result the requirement for rescue EMR during RFA has reduced. Although rate of progression to OAC is lower in the later part of the registry experience, this is not statistically significant and implies that despite advances in endoscopic imaging and technique the rate of progression remains in the region of 2–4% in these high risk patients. All collaborators of the UK RFA registry are acknowledged for their contributions to this work. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


In January–August 2014, growth in mortgage housing lending continued. As of September 1, 2014, Rb 1.07trillion worth of 619,026 mortgage housing loans was extended; that is 27.47% and 36.33% more in quantitative terms and monetary terms, respectively, as compared to the respective period of 2013. As of September 1, 2014 the outstanding debt on MHL in the amount of Rb 3.2 trillion exceeded by 33.44% the debt as of September 1, 2013. There is still a positive trend of decrease in the share of the overdue debt on MHL in rubles in the outstanding debt (0.87% as of September 1, 2014) and growth in the volume and share of the debt on MHL without overdue payments (95.59% as of September 1, 2014) in the total debt. In August 2014, the weighted average monthly rate on MHL in rubles increased by 0.05 p.p. and became equal to 12.27% against 12.2% as of June 1, 2014.


Dyspepsia is a common symptom frequently encountered in general practice. Functional dyspepsia is an exclusion diagnosis after an organic cause has been ruled out, and is a defined entity which can be subdivised in two different subtypes based on the cluster of symptoms, namely epigastric pain and postprandial distress syndromes. The term gastroparesis is used when persistently and severly delayed gastric emptying is found in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Helicobacter pylori infection should be treated, although symptomatic benefice is small. Proton pumps inhibitors offer a clinical benefit in epigastric pain syndrome, whereas prokinetics are probably useful in postprandial distress syndrome. Cisapride has been withdrawn last year due to the risk of potential severe cardiac arrythmies. Domperidone is safer, although caution has to be paid in long-term use because of potential ventricular arrythmies. Dietary advice and psychological therapies might be a useful adjunct. There are difficulties with new treatment development for functional dyspepsia, due to pathophysiological heterogeneity, lack of well-accepted endpoints, a huge placebo effect, and unconfirmed results in large clinical studies after early positive results for promising drugs. Acotiamide, a new cholinesterase inhibitor improving dyspeptic symptoms is not yet available in Europe.


To determine whether adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at plasma concentrations measured during mild hypoxemia and at term affects adrenal blood flow, we measured regional blood flows in five unanesthetized normoxemic fetuses (125-130 days gestation) during a 24-h intravenous infusion of ACTH-(1-24) in isotonic saline solution. Another five fetuses received an infusion of vehicle. Blood flows were determined before the infusion, at 2 and 24 h from its onset, and 24 h afterward using radionuclide-labeled microspheres. Blood flow to the adrenal medulla was fivefold greater than that to the adrenal cortex. Adrenal blood flow rose 99% at 24 h of the ACTH infusion. There was a large increase in adrenal cortical blood flow of 272% at this time but medullary blood flow did not change significantly during ACTH infusion. The rise in cortical blood flow was attributable to decreased vascular resistance. No significant alterations occurred in fetal arterial blood pressure and heart rate, or in blood flow to other lower body organs of the fetus or to the placental cotyledons. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the increase in adrenal blood flow observed during fetal hypoxia is associated with changes in plasma ACTH concentration. They are also indicative of selective regulation of cortical and medullary blood flows in the sheep fetus at this stage of gestation.


Thermotropic microenvironmental changes and the level of hydration in different microenvironments of pluronic F127 (PF127), (PEO106 PPO70 PEO106, average molar mass 13 000) in aqueous media have been studied using 1-naphthol, which is an ESPT fluorescent molecular probe. The appearance of 1-naphthol neutral form fluorescence in aqueous PF127 (10% w/v) solution indicates the ability of 1-naphthol to sense hydrophobic domains in micellar aggregations. There is a marked enhancement of the neutral form fluorescence at and above the gelation temperature (20 °C), which shows that the probe can accurately sense the sol-gel transition. In the temperature range of 10-40 °C, with increase in temperature there is a progressive enhancement of the neutral form fluorescence and the blue shift of the neutral and anionic form fluorescence; a decrease in the deprotonation rate constant (kpt) indicates that the water-polymer interfacial region is progressively dehydrated. Because kpt is related to the availability of proton-accepting water in the microenvironment of 1-naphthol, the reduction of kpt indicates progressive dehydration. The thermotropic response of the I1/I3 vibronic band ratio of pyrene-1-butyric acid fluorescence shows a progressive increase in the non-polarity of the interfacial domain with increasing temperature. The increase in non-polarity and the decrease of the hydration level are strongly correlated.


eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. This paper outlines the main changes that have effected a transformation in the nature of academic work: on the one hand, the increasing diversification and specialisation of academic tasks, and on the other, new forms of control over academic work. An analysis of these trends leads to a discussion of the relationships between the evolution of academic work and non-academic work. ABSTRACT This paper outlines the main changes that have effected a transformation in the nature of academic work: on the one hand, the increasing diversification and specialisation of academic tasks, and on the other, new forms of control over academic work. An analysis of these trends leads to a discussion of the relationships between the evolution of academic work and non-academic work. The academic profession has always been in the process of change. While reading historical research or looking at academics' reflections on their situation over time (for instance Wilson, 1980; Rice, 1986; Altbach, 1980, 1996, and 1998; Clark, 1987), it is striking that, whatever their particular historical moment, these writers all comment that the academic profession is no longer the same. There is clearly no ideal, universal, and stable state of the academic profession. Like all social bodies, this profession is a living entity, adaptive and responsive to external changes, but it also seeks to enact its own environment. These developments affect the relationships between the academic profession and other parts of society, as well as the position of this particular profession within society. These changes also affect the profession's internal modes of regulation and its autonomy and ability to avoid the intervention of external forces. Finally, the content of academic activities themselves and the norms according to which they are to be achieved are also subject to change. writing academic conclusion: professoriate." the


[Abstract]: This research project develops Remote Laboratory Software to allow students to perform laboratory experiments from off campus. The software allows students to externally use a Remote Laboratory, which is an experiment laboratory that is specially setup so students can operate it as if they were in the laboratory itself.

Three times a year external students travel to the University of Southern Queensland for their practical experiments at residential school. As external students often live, and hence have families and work commitments, in different cities or other states, it is difficult for them to travel to the university campus at the required time. It was therefore both practical and useful to develop a Remote Laboratory System that students use to do selected experiments from home, reducing the time they are required to be on campus.

Currently there are several Remote Laboratories in Australia, as a number of these systems were experiencing difficulties, a new system designed specifically for the University of Southern Queensland's needs was a viable alternative.

The project enables students to complete selected remote laboratory experiments set up at the University of Southern Queensland. They do this by using any computer with Internet access throughout the world to perform the experiments, discuss outcomes with other students, and be evaluated by practical course examiners.


Photodetector efficiency decreases as bandwidth increases, Bandwidth-efficiency limitations of traveling-wave photodetectors (TWPDs) are substantially greater than those of lumped-element photodetectors because the velocity-mismatch bandwidth limitation is independent of device length. TWPDs can be long for high efficiency without significantly compromising bandwidth. The TWPD is modeled by a terminated section of transmission line with a position-dependent photocurrent source propagating on it at the optical group velocity. A wave model for the transmission line confirms the accuracy of an equivalent-circuit model for electrical wave propagation. The velocity-mismatch impulse and frequency response are determined by absorption coefficient and wave velocities rather than junction capacitance and load resistance. The velocity-mismatch bandwidth limitations can be written in a simple form which elucidates the factors affecting device response, A discretized periodic TWPD is described by the same equations as the fully distributed version. This more complicated device offers additional degrees of freedom in design and potentially improved performance.


We present a roadmap for guiding public officials on establishing platforms for citizen empowerment in the smart city. The proposed roadmap is not a technical architecture. Rather, a set of paradigms, guidelines and references to advanced technology approaches that can support building a technical architecture. We start from the perspective that the smart city architecture is not a venue for services, but a domain of innovation. We advocate encouraging citizen science to co-create new solutions—in contrast to engaging them to inform them or to evaluate solutions developed by professionals. We advocate giving equal attention to structured and unstructured data analysis. We also encourage the adoption of adaptable data orchestration tools to help navigate and organize the complexity of city data. Finally, we provide an outlook on the future trends (such as Blockchain and cognitive computing) in urban systems decision making.


Primitive metastatic cervical lymph nodes are defined in the context of an unknown primary tumor at the level of the superior respiratory tract. Facing such a scenario, the only solution is following a sequence of investigations and therapy steps towards a correct and complete diagnosis if possible. We review the current literature data and present a personal case. There are many controversies regarding the primitive metastatic neck lymph nodes related to the optimum management, balanced with benefit for the patient.


ABSTRACT Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are a class of soft functional materials which exhibit complex mechanical responses to external stimuli. Their promise for technological applications is difficult to realise in practice due to the complexity of design, fabrication and performance quantification of these materials. In order to address these issues, simulation-based methods are necessary to both enhance and accelerate the design process, compared to traditional experimentation alone. This work presents such an approach using a hyperelastic solid mechanics model and experimental measurement of material parameters for a thermotropic LCE. The simulation method is validated using existing experimental data of the thermomechanical response of an LCE-based cantilever resulting from a hybrid-aligned nematic texture imposed during crosslinking. The validated method is then used to perform a proof-of-concept design process of an LCE multilegged gripper in order to determine optimal design parameters for gripper performance. The simulation method and results presented in this work represent a significant step towards simulation-based design of LCE materials, which has the potential to overcome the complexity and cost of the LCE design process. Graphical Abstract


Background Soft-tissue sarcomas comprise a diverse group of sarcomas with characteristic histologic features. However, histology alone is not adequate for a definitive diagnosis for many tumors. In such cases, immunohistochemistry (IHC) plays a key role in determining the line of differentiation and exact characterization. Transducer-like enhancer of split 1 (TLE1) has been recently described as a novel marker for synovial sarcoma (SS). Its high sensitivity and specificity make it a potential marker that distinguishes SS from histologic mimics such as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), Ewing's sarcoma (ES), and fibrosarcomatous dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (FS-DFSP). The objective of our study was to assess the frequency of TLE1 immunohistochemical expression on SS cases of various subtypes. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Histopathology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan from February 3, 2018 to February 10, 2019. Tissue samples of 89 SS cases were selected for this study. Tumor sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), cytokeratin AEI/AE3 (CKAE1/AE3), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and TLE1 immunohistochemical stain. TLE1 expression was assessed based on the Remmele scoring system. Results Tissue samples of 89 SS cases were processed for the study. Mean (±) standard deviation (SD) of age was 25 (±7.36) years. Male:female ratio was 1.1:1. Of the 89 SS cases, 42 (47.2%) were monophasic, six (6.7%) were biphasic, and 41 (46.1%) were poorly differentiated. All the 89 cases showed positivity for TLE1 immunostain: 86 (96.6%) cases showed strong positivity, one (1.1%) case showed moderate expression, and two (2.2%) showed weak positivity. Conclusion This study shows that TLE1 is a highly sensitive immunostain for SS irrespective of the histologic type. However, it may show weak-to-moderate staining in poorly differentiated types. No statistically significant association was seen with respect to age group, gender, or type of SS.


A general theory is developed for the equilibrium structure of dense polymer melts. This theory is based on an integral equation approach developed by Chandler and co-workers for molecular liquids. We are able to construct a tractable formalism for the polymer problem by employing the fact that a polymer molecule in a melt is ideal. This leads to a set of integral equations for the intermolecular radial distribution functions. In the case of a polymer ring, this set reduces to a single integral equation, which we have solved numerically for the case of Gaussian intramolecular statistics with repeat units interacting via hard-core repulsions. From this solution we obtained the radial distribution function, structure factor, and compressibility as functions of liquid de,nsity and degree of polymerization. Unlike the random phase approximation (RPA) approach of de Gennes, the present theory allows for density fluctuations. These density fluctuations, which decay on a length scale comparable to a few monomer units, are crucial for the calculation of the structure factor and thermodynamic properties such as the equation of state of the polymer fluid. Generalizations of the present theory to include linear chains, chain stiffness effects, and attractive interactions are possible.


We characterized a 2.1-kb human cDNA with a 1362-bp (454-amino acid) open reading frame showing 70.3% amino acid identity to goose malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD). We have identified two different homozygous mutations in human MCD (hMCD) by using RT-PCR analysis of fibroblast RNA from two previously reported consanguineous Scottish patients with MCD deficiency. The first mutation is a 442C-->G transversion resulting in a premature stop codon (S148X) in the N-terminal half of the protein. The second is a 13-bp insertion in the mature RNA, causing a frameshift with predicted protein truncation. This insertion is the result of an intronic mutation generating a novel splice acceptor sequence (IVS4-14A-->G). Both mutations were found to segregate appropriately within the families and were not found in 100 normal unrelated individuals. These mutations would be predicted to cause MCD deficiency, thus confirming this transcript as the hMCD ortholog. The peptide sequence of hMCD revealed a C-terminal peroxisomal targeting sequence (-SKL). This targeting signal appears to be functional in vivo, since the distribution of MCD enzymatic activity in rat liver homogenates-as measured by means of subcellular fractionation-strongly suggests that MCD is localized to peroxisomes in addition to the mitochondrial localization reported elsewhere. These data strongly support this cDNA as encoding human MCD, an important regulator of fatty acid metabolism.


In this study, the flexural behavior of the reinforced concrete beams attacked by acid rain environment is investigated. The objective is to discover the deterioration mechanism of the concrete beams servicing in the acid rain environment. An artificial rainfall device was designed. Eleven reinforced concrete beams, 120mm×200mm in cross-section were prepared in the laboratory. Three accelerating corrosion methods, which inclusive of immersion method, dry-wet cycle method, and artificial rainfall method, were applied to simulate the action of the real acid rain respectively. The acid solutions with pH level 1.5 and 2.5 were prepared by the mixture of sulfate and nitric acid solution respectively. One of the beams was tested in the natural condition to serve as reference; the remaining ten beams were tested after being exposed to the simulated acid environments for certain periods. Ultrasonic technology was applied to evaluate the damage depth and the compressive strength of the concrete. Dynamic test was applied to estimate the integrity of the beam. Three-point bending tests were performed to investigate the load carrying capacity of the beams. Mechanical properties of concrete and load carrying capacity of the beams exposed to different accelerated corrosion methods are obtained and compared. It is illustrated that the designed artificial device is efficient to simulate the real acid rainfall. It is shown that the strength of concrete, frequency and ultimate load of the beams, have a direct relationship to the damage degree of the beams.


This paper proposes an innovative hydrogen-based hybrid renewable energy system (HRES), which can be used to provide electricity, heat, hydrogen, and water to the small community in remote areas. The HRES introduced in this study is based on the integration of solar power generation, hydrogen generation from supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of wet biomass feedstock, hydrogen generation from solar water electrolysis, and a fuel cell to convert hydrogen to electricity and heat. The wet biomass feedstock contains aqueous sludge, kitchen waste, and organic wastewater. A simulation model is designed and used to investigate the control strategy for the hydrogen and electricity management through detailed size estimation of the system to meet the load requirements of a selected household area, including ten detached houses in a subject district around the Shinchi station located in Shinchi-machi, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. As indicated by results, the proposed HRES can generate about 47.3 MWh of electricity and about 2.6 ton of hydrogen per annum, using the annual wet biomass consumption of 98 tons, with a Levelized Cost of Energy (electricity and heat) of the system at 0.38 $/kWh. The implementation of the proposed HRES in the selected residential area has GHG emissions reduction potential of about 21 tons of CO2-eq per year.


In this work we propose a hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (hdG) discretization of the high-frequency Helmholtz equation in the presence of point sources and highly heterogeneous and discontinuous wave speed models. We show that it delivers solutions that are provably second-order accurate and do not suffer from the pollution error, as long as a slightly higher order hdG method is used where the polynomial degree is chosen such that p = O(logω). These results hold even if the discontinuities in the wave speed are not resolved by the hdG mesh, as long as the integration procedure used in the assembly of the stiffness matrix respects the discontinuities. Further, we show that the associated linear systems can be solved using a modification of the method of polarized traces resulting in a method with linear complexity up to a poly-logarithmic factor, or sub-linear complexity in a parallel environment. To our knowledge and surprise, this note contains the first instance of a numerical method that is at the same time fast (O(N) runtime) and accurate (second-order, pollution-free) in the context of models of geophysical interest.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with decreased antioxidant state .This study aim to investigate the status of oxidant/antioxidant in a sample of  Iraqi patients with RA and the role of peroxynitrite and its natural scavenger uric acid in them .This case-controlled study was conducted at Baghdad teaching hospital /Baghdad from December 2010-May 2011 . Twenty-five patients with mean age 39 years and 25 apparently healthy subject as controls with mean age 29 years were included in the study .Investigations include estimation of serum levels of nitric oxide (NO)  ,peroxynitrite (PN) , malondialdehyde (MDA)  , and uric acid (UA) .Serum PN levels were significantly elevated in RA patients as compared with control subjects , UA levels were found significantly lowered in RA patients as compared with control subjects.  No significant differences were found between NO and MDA among  patients and controls group .In conclusion :this study demonstrated decreased serum uric acid levels in patients with RA accompanied by decreased its effect as a natural scavenger of PN.
Key word :   Rheumatoid arthritis ,Peroxynitrite ,Uric acid.


Asynchronous design styles have been increasing in popularity as device sizes shrink and concurrency is exploited to increase system performance. However, asynchronous designs are difficult to implement correctly because the presence of hazards, which are of little consequence to most parts of synchronous systems, can cause improper circuit operation. Many asynchronous design styles, together with accompanying automated synthesis algorithms, address the issues of design complexity and correctness. Typically, these synthesis systems take a high-level description of an asynchronous system and produce a logic-level description of the resultant design that is hazard-free for transitions of interest. The designer then must manually translate this logic-level description into a technology-specific implementation composed of an interconnection of elements from a semi-custom cell library. At this stage, the designer must be careful not to introduce new hazards into the design. The size of designs is limited in part by the inability to safely (and reliably) map the technology-independent description into an implementation.
In this thesis, we address the problem of technology mapping for two different asynchronous design styles. We first addressed the problem for burst-mode designs. We developed theorems and algorithms for hazard-free mapping of burst-mode designs, and implemented these algorithms on top of an existing synchronous technology mapper. We incorporated this mapper into a toolkit for asynchronous design, and used the toolkit to implement a low-power infrared communications chip. We then extended this work to apply to the problem of hazard-free technology mapping of speed-independent designs. The difficulty in this design style is in the decomposition phase of the mapping algorithm, and we developed theory and algorithms for correct hazard-free decomposition of this design style. We also developed an exact covering algorithm which takes advantage of logic sharing within the design. These algorithms were implemented within the burst-mode technology mapper to produce a technology mapper suitable for speed-independent designs.


This project includes the documenting and collecting of requirements for the Rentie Application. I noticed in the last couple of years Ireland, and especially Dublin have run into a student-housing crisis. Not only are students up against workers trying to find accommodation, they're up against the rising price of rent. A short term solution for the majority of students and workers fresh out of college has been to stay in a host home for five or seven days a week. Currently there isn't an app similar to Rentie out there and available to students, the way you search for accommodation outside of college campus would be through property websites.

According to Ronan Lyons economist with property website Daft.ie "We can expect to see more of the same problems this year due to very tight supply, but students are flexible so they are packing more of themselves into each house". In my opinion there is a big gap for this type of app in the market place, with more and more student's attending college each year it's not possible for the college campus to facilitate all students. The current price for rent in Dublin has been inflated in the last five years which will mean there's going to be student's looking to save money in this area which in turn means a greater demand for the host. In my experience there's a need for a general revamp of the housing process.


Intercooling is a well-known practice in compression technology for reducing the discharge temperature and the power consumption of the process. Intracooling, a similar yet not identical concept, is the cooling of the compressed gas between two compression stages by way of spraying a liquid coolant in the gas flow without separating that liquid prior to the second compression stage. This liquid coolant can be the cooled lube oil. The present work reports the experimental experience on a first prototype of a small-scale two-stage sliding-vane compressor based on the concept. The prototype is designed for a relatively low delivery pressure, 0.7-1.0 MPa. Moreover, it is characterized by an oil injection system comprising pressure-swirl nozzles placed on the end-plates of the compression stages and along the intracooling duct. This duct is equipped with eight nozzles: six of them perform a radial inward injection and are equally spaced on the tube length, while the other two are located at its ends for an axial injection, one cocurrent and the other countercurrent to the air flow direction. The experimental tests differ by the number and the position of the active nozzles along the duct. The outcomes indicate that intracooling does not yield operability issues and that the intracooling effectiveness increases with the number of active pressure-swirl nozzles, reaching a decrease in temperature along the duct of about 5°C. However, the configuration with the lowest mechanical specific power, by 4.4% with respect to a single-stage compressor, has only one nozzle active and spraying along the axial flow direction. The results suggest that the compromise among oil flow rate, number of active nozzles and their position, is the best solution to obtain the maximum efficiency for the overall system. In the future, an improved intracooling duct and a mid-size intracooled compressor for higher pressures will be manufactured and tested.


The use of FRP for repairing, 10ad capacily upgrading and seismic retrofil is gradually being accepled in the building industry. although the lack of specitic standards SloWS doWn its diffusion. MoSt of present FRP applicalions were developed for rehabilitation and upgrading of existing concrete/RC structures. although are known some pioneer applications to masonry structural elements. This paper presents the results of a real-scale experimental work regarding innovative seismic retrofilting technique for masonry walls and vaults by epoxy-bonded composite strengthenings. Palazzo Elmi-Pandolti in Foligno, Italy. an historical building dated 1600 that was seriously damaged in the earthquake of 1997. has been repaired and retrotitted including carbon FRP strcngthenings. The cffectivcness of reinforcements has becn evaluated carrying OUt dynamic and stalic lests on vaults and walls both in the un-strcnglhened and strengthened contigurations. As several queslions regarding long term durability of composite strenglhenings and bonding reliability remain stili unsolved. a monitorage network has been includcd in the project. Long term monitoring has been planned using different tiber optic scnsors (FOS): Bragg grating strain gauges. "loW coherence.. interfèrometers (LCI) and Brillouin distributed strain/temperature tibers. Brillouin system, a promising monitorage technique Ihat use incxpensive telecom tibcr as a sensor. has becn embedded on alI the strengthenings extcnsion of about I km. Through the wavelength shift of Brillouin scattered photons it is possible lo measurc the strain and lhc temperalure of the tiber.s core. and by exploiting the time domain correlation between the measure instant and the distance along the tibcr, spatial distribution of the measured data can be idenlitied. Brillouin seems lo be very interesling for FRP non-continuous monitorage since it is cheap. durable. and is capable to keep under contr01 both strain. that gives information about lhe strengthening status and bonding 10ad transfer. and temperature, that allow to ensure that glass transition point ofthe polymer is never reached.


: This article is a detailed analysis of the studies of Russian and foreign authors on the epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, risk factors of stress-induced disease of the mucosa of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Also in the article the approaches to drug prevention of this complication are considered. Currently, there are several groups of drugs are suitable for use for this purpose. However, the choice of a specific drug is difficult because of insufficient knowledge of the matter. Data on the incidence and natural history of erosive and ulcerative complications in patients urological profile is limited and very controversial.


Introduction This protocol will guide and explain the working process of a systematic scoping review on vulnerability assessment tools in the field of infectious disease outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crises. The scoping review will appraise existing tools or methodologies to identify local level vulnerabilities in the context of infectious disease outbreaks and AMR. Due to this focus on infectious threats and AMR, the review also considers articles using a 'One Health' approach to assess the vulnerability of individuals, groups and practices in human–animal–environment interactions. Given the broad nature of vulnerability, we aim to allocate studies discerning the process of identifying vulnerable or at-risk groups during a crisis, instead of studies taking vulnerability only as a starting point. Because considerable research has been conducted on vulnerability, disasters and climate change, we will also assemble tools developed from these fields. To our knowledge, this is the first planned systematic scoping review of vulnerability assessment tools for disease outbreaks and AMR, taking into account practices at the human–animal–environment interface that can lead to increased risk of exposure of individuals to infections, pathogen spillovers or epidemics. Methods and analysis To develop the protocol, we used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols checklist (PRISMA-P 2015) in compliance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews Explanation and Elaboration. With the assistance of an experienced research librarian, we developed the search strategy, which targeted the following databases: Medline, Global Health database, Web of Science and Embase. A second strategy was developed for Epistemonikos, African Journals Online and Global Index Medicus because these databases do not provide the infrastructure for an advanced search. We consider studies published between 1978 and 2019 and include articles, book chapters, websites and grey literature from selected non-governmental organisations and non-profit organisations working in the health field. We contact them directly regarding whether they are working with or have developed a vulnerability assessment tool. To address the dynamic nature of our investigation, we develop a flow diagram which we continually update to reflect the selection process. Two reviewers (MJ and LL) independently screen the literature and resolve conflicts through discussion rounds. Data extraction will be conducted by four researchers (MJ, LL, EJ and RK) through inductive and deductive coding. Extracted data will be systematically compared and divergences highlighted. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required because this study does not involve collection of primary data. The purpose of this review is to disseminate a catalogue of vulnerability assessment tools and a brief summary of key results and recommendations for SoNAR-Global partners in Bangladesh, Ukraine and Uganda. The catalogue will be made publicly available. On the basis of our results, SoNAR-Global partners will pilot one of these tools.


A new four-layer electromagnetic high frequency vibrating screen is introduced.Gives its constitution,working technique and technical characteristic.And this kind of screening machine can be widely applied in many industries,for example,screening of powder,grading and dehydration.


The state-of-the-art in the area of modelling of organisations is based on fixed metamodels. This paper gives an introduction into metamodelling concepts and presents a generic architecture for metamodelling platforms. Three best practice examples from industry projects applying metamodelling concepts in the area of business process modelling for e-business, e-learning, and knowledge management are presented. Due to rapid changing business requirements the complexity in developing applications which deliver business solutions is continually growing. To manage this complexity, environments providing flexible metamodelling capabilities instead of fixed metamodels has shown to be helpful. The main characteristic of such environments is that the formalism of modelling -the metamodel -can be freely defined and therefore be adapted to the problem under consideration. Finally, an outlook to future developments and research directions in the area of metamodelling is given.


The majority of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA-R) in the adult forebrain are di- or triheteromers composed of NR1, NR2A and NR2B subunits. Subunit non-selective NMDA-R antagonists produce anxiolytic-like effects together with motor and sensory side-effects. The graded anxiety test (GAT), permits the within-task distinction of drug effects on anxiety from those on activity and perception. By testing NMDA-R subunit selective agents in the GAT it might be possible to determine whether their effects on anxiety, activity and perception are interrelated, and whether separate NMDA-R subtypes are involved. Dextromethorphan (weakly NR2A-selective) (10 and 30 mg/kg, i.p.) and ifenprodil (highly NR2B-selective) (1, 3 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) were tested in the GAT. Both drugs failed to induce anxiolysis devoid of side-effects. However, the 10 mg/kg dose of dextromethorpan showed an anxiolytic, whereas the 30 mg/kg dose showed an anxiogenic, behavioral profile. Since the selective blockade of the NR2B subunit by ifenprodil had no clear anxiolytic effect, the anxiolytic potential of NMDA subunit non-selective agents might involve NR2A-containing receptors.


The celebrated Wigner-Gaudin-Mehta-Dyson (WGMD) (or sine kernel) statistics of random matrix theory describes the universal correlations of eigenvalues on the microscopic scale, i.e. correlations of eigenvalue densities at points whose separation is comparable to the typical eigenvalue spacing. We investigate to what extent these statistics remain valid on mesoscopic scales, where the densities are measured at points whose separation is much larger than the typical eigenvalue spacing. In the mesoscopic regime, density-density correlations are much weaker than in the microscopic regime. More precisely, we compute the connected two-point spectral correlation function of a Wigner matrix at two mesoscopically separated points. We obtain a precise and explicit formula for the two-point function. Among other things, this formula implies that the WGMD statistics are valid to leading order on all mesoscopic scales, that the real symmetric terms contain subleading corrections matching precisely the WGMD statistics, while in the complex Hermitian case these subleading corrections are absent. We also uncover non-universal subleading correlations, which dominate over the universal ones beyond a certain intermediate mesoscopic scale. Our formula reproduces, in the extreme macroscopic regime, the well-known non-universal correlations of linear statistics on the macroscopic scale. Thus, our results bridges, within one continuous unifying picture, two previously unrelated classes of results in random matrix theory: correlations of linear statistics and microscopic eigenvalue universality. The main technical achievement of the proof is the development of an algorithm that allows to compute asymptotic expansions up to arbitrary accuracy of arbitrary correlation functions of mesoscopic linear statistics for Wigner matrices. Its proof is based on a hierarchy of SchwingerDyson equations for a sufficiently large class of polynomials in the entries of the Green function. The hierarchy is indexed by a tree, whose depth is controlled using stopping rules. A key ingredient in the derivation of the stopping rules is a new estimate on the density of states, which we prove to have bounded derivatives of all order on all mesoscopic scales.


OBJECTIVE
Pathogens colonizing the intestinal or urinary tract such as enterococci or Gram-negative bacilli can cause prosthetic joint infection (PJI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
PJI undergoing 2-stage exchange, referred to the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Cotugno Hospital of Naples and the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli of Rome over a 7-year period (2009-2015) for Infectious Diseases (ID) consultation were included. Demographic data, detailed information about previous or underlying diseases, findings of the clinical examination, and results of laboratory investigations were analyzed. The cure was defined by the disappearance of clinical, laboratory, and radiological evidence of PJI 96 week after the discontinuation of antibiotic treatment.

RESULTS
Thirty-one cases of PJI sustained by Enterococci were included (16 early infections, 13 delayed infections, and 2 late infections). Median age was 73 years (range 39-83), 39% were males. Comorbidities related to an increased risk of infection were reported in 17 (55%) cases. Joint pain interfering with daily living was reported in 27 (87%) cases, fever in 7 with early infection and in no case with delayed or late infection (7/17 vs. 0/14, Odds ratio undefined, p=0.01). Local inflammation and joint effusion were reported in 29 (93%) cases, sinus tract in 25 (81%). Enterococcus faecalis was the etiologic agent in 28 (90%) cases, E. faecium in 2 (6%), E. casseliflavus in 1 (3%). Eleven cases were polymicrobial. Favourable outcome was reported in 20 (65%) cases. Patients with comorbidities reported more frequently an unfavourable outcome (9/17 vs. 2/14, Odds ratio 6.7, 95% CI 1.1-39.8; p=0.06).

CONCLUSIONS
Comorbidities should arise the suspect of infection by enterococci. Associative protocols, considering drugs active against biofilm should be considered in the cases with enterococcal infection.


Angiogenesis has a critical role in the pathophysiology of multiple myeloma (MM), however the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not completely elucidated. The new tumor suppressor gene inhibitor of growth family member 4 (ING4) has been recently implicated in solid tumors as a repressor of angiogenesis. In this study, we found that ING4 expression in MM cells was correlated with the expression of the pro-angiogenic molecules interleukin-8 (IL-8) and osteopontin (OPN). Moreover we demonstrate that ING4 suppression in MM cells up-regulated IL-8 and OPN, increasing the hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) α activity and its target gene NIP-3 expression in hypoxic condition. In turn, we show that the inhibition of HIF-1 α by siRNA suppressed IL-8 and OPN production by MM cells under hypoxia. A direct interaction between ING4 and the HIF prolyl hydroxylase (HPH)-2 was also demonstrated. Finally we show that ING4 suppression in MM cells significantly increased vessel formation in vitro blunted by blocking IL-8 or OPN. These in vitro observations were confirmed in vivo by finding that MM patients with high IL-8 production and microvascular density (MVD) have significantly lower ING4 levels as compared to those with low IL-8 and MVD. Our data indicate that ING4 exerts an inhibitory effect on the production of pro-angiogenic molecules and consequently on MM-induced angiogenesis.


We investigated the interactive effects of BclI C/G (rs41423247) allelic variants and the diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) on hippocampal shape and integrity of the left parahippocampal subdivision of the cingulum. Fifty-two patients with MDD and 52 healthy controls (HCs) underwent T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging and BclI C/G (rs41423247) genotyping. We analyzed hippocampal shape using the FIRST module of FSL and analyzed white matter (WM) integrity using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Significant alterations in left hippocampal shape and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the left parahippocampal cingulum were observed in MDD patients, compared to HCs. In addition, MDD patients of the BclI minor (G-) allele carrier group showed significant alterations in left hippocampal shape (FDR-corrected, p <.05) and decreased FA values of the left parahippocampal cingulum compared to BclI minor (G-) allele carrier HCs. No significant differences between diagnostic subgroups of the C/C homozygotes were observed. Our study provides evidence for alterations in hippocampal shape and decreased integrity of the WM region associated with the hippocampus in MDD, and for the influence of BclI C/G (rs41423247) on hippocampal shape and integrity of the parahippocampal subdivision of the cingulum in depression. PS183 Effect of electroconvulsive therapy on monoamine oxidase A binding a preliminary report Pia Baldinger-Melich1, Gregory M. James1, Marius Hienert1, Cécile Philippe2, Leo Silberbauer1, Wolfgang Wadsak2, Andreas Hahn1, Markus Mitterhauser2, Siegfried Kasper1, Richard Frey1, Rupert Lanzenberger1 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 2Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria Abstract Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment option in major depression. Despite its approved effectiveness the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Neuroimaging findings particularly stress an involvement of the serotonergic neurotransmitter system in its mode of action [1]; however, so far investigations have been focussed solely on serotonin transporter and receptors [2]. The aim of this ongoing study is to assess the effects of ECT on monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Preliminary data of two patients are shown here. Two subjects (1 female, aged 48 years, 1 male, aged 25 years) with severe unipolar depression (HAM-D17 score≥24) participated in this study. ECT was carried out unilaterally (right-sided) according to international standard operating procedures; meanwhile antidepressant medication remained unchanged. Patients underwent 2 positron emission tomography (PET) scans using the radioligand [11C]harmine, one before and one after 8 ECT sessions. PET images were co-registered to structural magnetic resonance imaging scans and normalized using SPM12. PET scans were analysed using arterial input functions and the modelling tools in PMOD 3.509. Quantification of MAO-A distribution volume (VT) maps was carried out voxel-wise with the Logan plot. Relative change of MAO-A VT before and after ECT was assessed for 47 brain regions (AAL atlas [3]). The vast majority of the regions showed a decrease of MAO-A VT (42 and 46 regions, respectively) following ECT, with maximum decreases of 12.9% in the gyrus rectus. Decreases could be noticed also in regions with approved involvement in depression, such as the amygdala, the hippocampus and the cingulate cortex. These preliminary findings point towards a reduction of MAO-A VT following treatment with ECT. This is in agreement with studies showing elevated MAO-A VT in major depression [4], indicating that ECT might lead to a normalization of MAO-A levels.Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment option in major depression. Despite its approved effectiveness the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Neuroimaging findings particularly stress an involvement of the serotonergic neurotransmitter system in its mode of action [1]; however, so far investigations have been focussed solely on serotonin transporter and receptors [2]. The aim of this ongoing study is to assess the effects of ECT on monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Preliminary data of two patients are shown here. Two subjects (1 female, aged 48 years, 1 male, aged 25 years) with severe unipolar depression (HAM-D17 score≥24) participated in this study. ECT was carried out unilaterally (right-sided) according to international standard operating procedures; meanwhile antidepressant medication remained unchanged. Patients underwent 2 positron emission tomography (PET) scans using the radioligand [11C]harmine, one before and one after 8 ECT sessions. PET images were co-registered to structural magnetic resonance imaging scans and normalized using SPM12. PET scans were analysed using arterial input functions and the modelling tools in PMOD 3.509. Quantification of MAO-A distribution volume (VT) maps was carried out voxel-wise with the Logan plot. Relative change of MAO-A VT before and after ECT was assessed for 47 brain regions (AAL atlas [3]). The vast majority of the regions showed a decrease of MAO-A VT (42 and 46 regions, respectively) following ECT, with maximum decreases of 12.9% in the gyrus rectus. Decreases could be noticed also in regions with approved involvement in depression, such as the amygdala, the hippocampus and the cingulate cortex. These preliminary findings point towards a reduction of MAO-A VT following treatment with ECT. This is in agreement with studies showing elevated MAO-A VT in major depression [4], indicating that ECT might lead to a normalization of MAO-A levels.


The treatment of a series of 27 clinical cases of canine demodecosis is reported. Three of 4 applications of a wash containing 0,025% amitraz, together with antimicrobial and antipruritic therapy where necessary, were sufficient to effect clinical cure in 25 out of 26 cases mildly to severely affected. In one case, very severely affected, 9 weekly applications, together with antimicrobial and antipruritic therapy, effected clinical and parasitological cure.


Light Emitting Diode (LED) has been already familiar that is used as lighting sources of general electronic devices and various displays. LED has many advantages such as long life, low power consumption and high reliability. In the future, as alternative to fluorescent lighting, it is sure that LED in lighting products is expected to receive much attention. However, the components related with advanced LED packages or modules have been issued on the heat from LED chip. And the LED chip is still being developed to the high power devices which are generating more heat. In this study, we investigated the variation of thermal resistance in LED modules embedded with thermal via. Through the analysis of thermal resistance with various test vehicles, we could obtain the concrete relationship between thermal resistance and structure of thermal via.


The article leads us to the origin of Brújula en Mano, in 1996, a radio series of educational guidance, at the time of the General Directorate of Vocational Guidance, DGOV, which to date continues to be transmitted by Radio UNAM, through the frequency 860 AM, and 9600 International Band 31 meter shortwave and online at www.radiounam.unam.mx. At the same time exposes the contents of the project, sections of the program, the communication strategies of the series and the presentation of the first broadcast of the program in Room Radio UNAM Julian Carrillo, on June 28 of that year, at 12: 00 hours. But most importantly, we are pleased with the script of the first program whose theme was "Factors guidance".


The methods for generation of optical traps in the form of line segments by means of liquid crystal modulators of two types are addressed in the paper, they are a multi-pixel modulator HOLOEYE HEO 1080P and a tunable liquid crystal focusing device (4-channel modulator) developed by the authors. The numerical and experimental assessment of the capture forces of the generated optical trap is fulfilled. The description of manipulation experiments with microobjects, including biological ones, carried out by the optical traps with the intensity distribution in the form of segments is offered.


Memory analysis tools are essential for finding and fixing anomalies in the memory usage of software systems (e.g., memory leaks). Although numerous tools are available, hardly any empirical studies exist on their usefulness for developers in typical usage scenarios. Instead, most evaluations are limited to reporting performance metrics. We thus conducted a study to empirically assess the usefulness of the interactive memory analysis tool AntTracks Analyzer. Specifically, we first report findings from assessing the tool using a cognitive walkthrough, guided by the Cognitive Dimensions of Notations Framework. We then present the results of a qualitative user study involving 14 subjects who used AntTracks to detect and resolve memory anomalies. We report lessons learned from the study and implications for developers of interactive memory analysis tools. We hope that our results will help researchers and developers of memory analysis tools in defining, selecting, and improving tool capabilities.


Cobalt base alloys are being designed and developed to produce the best possible combinations of high temperature properties. Existence of martensite forms consisting of various intermetallic compounds has been described along with the variables associated with fcc-hcp transition at respective conditions of formation. Achievements of cobalt base alloys have been primarily due to various thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for most suitable combinations of alloying. The phase transformations in this review include the study of defect structure, martensite transformation, order-disorder kinetics, and recrystallization and grain growth mechanisms. The improvements in mechanical properties stem from the contribution of additional alloying elements to discontinuous precipitation, diffusion mechanism at grain boundaries and changes in compressive strength, yield strength, elongation and brittleness. L12-compound in cobalt base alloys possesses an important identity, which changes the characteristics of usable compositions.


The west‐east terrain cross‐section along ∼150 km of the northern part of Israel has a coastal plain—mountain—valley structure; hereafter denoted iCMV. The boundary layer height (BLH) evolution mechanism across the iCMV has not yet been fully understood. We use Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulations and ceilometer measurements to decipher the iCMV BLH evolution mechanism during the late summertime period of 5–14 September 2017, where the daily maximum BLH at the mountainous city of Jerusalem (JrM; 800 m above sea level) varies by ∼1,000 m. We first verify the BLH, simulated by five model configurations (with four different BL schemes). The RMSE for the three best configurations are around 160 and 200 m for the coastal and JrM areas, respectively. An analysis of the simulated daily BL evolution reveals a general mechanism. In the early morning, the upslope flows and synoptic forcing interact to induce a surface flow convergence (SFC) zone. During a westerly (easterly) synoptic flow, the SFC is induced east (west) of JrM. Assisted by the inland propagating sea breeze front, the SFC is advected eastwards during the afternoon, until it collapses at the valley bottom. The SFC zone is accompanied by a substantial positive vertical wind column and a locally elevated BLH. The more western the morning time SFC is, the more likely the elevated BLH will pass during midday through JrM, with a higher daily maximum BLH. The exact dependence of the BLH evolution and of the associated temperature and humidity variations upon the synoptic regime require further study.


High-rate hydrogen production from galactose and rapid granule formation were achieved in a mesophilic (37 °C) upflow anaerobic sludge blank reactor (UASBr). Hybrid immobilized cells were seeded to a CSTR fed with galactose (15 g L−1) at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12 h for 12 days, after which the mixed liquor from the CSTR was transferred to the UASBr. Rapid granule formation was observed after 5 days of initial UASBr operation at 6 h HRT and further enhanced at 3 h HRT. The peak hydrogen production rate (HPR) and hydrogen yield (HY) of 32.7 L L−1 d−1 and 1.95 mol mol−1 galactose were attained at the HRT of 3 h with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 120 g L−1 d−1. Microbial community analysis characterized by pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed that the proportion of Clostridium increased during the HRT at 3 h, whereas Bacilli proportions dominated at 6 h HRT.


In the deoxidation process of molten steel with magnesium vapor produced in situ by aluminothermic reduction of magnesium oxide, the formed inclusions are usually small in size and of spherical shape. They tend not to aggregate and form cluster. The MgO content in the inclusions decreases, while the SiO 2 content increases with the progress of experiment. Larger inclusions are removed by floating up with the rising bubbles more easily and the fine inclusions tend to remain in the melt. The oxygen concentrations originated from the inclusions can be reasonably explained from the experimental analysis ones. By use of the MgO porous immersion tube, deoxidation proceeds slowly at the initial stage, but it continues until the later stage of experiment, in contrast to that using the dense Al 2 O 3 immersion tube. The formed inclusion number per unit area has a larger value than that with the dense Al 2 O 3 tube. The number of inclusions also increases with increasing the initial oxygen concentration and dividing pellets charging into several portions. When the carrier gas flow rate is large, the number of inclusions tends to increase at the later stage of experiment due to the strong involvement of inclusions from the melt surface into the melt. In the present deoxidation process, it is considered that the rapid removal of larger inclusions by rising bubbles is beneficial to produce high cleanness steel, while the remaining fine inclusions is helpful for the grain refinement of steel during the solidification and phase transformation process.


This study presents a novel approach to the design of low-cost and energy-efficient hopping robots, which makes use of free vibration of an elastic curved beam. We found that a hopping robot could benefit from an elastic curved beam in many ways such as low manufacturing cost, light body weight and small energy dissipation in mechanical interactions. A challenging problem of this design strategy, however, lies in harnessing the mechanical dynamics of free vibration in the elastic curved beam: because the free vibration is the outcome of coupled mechanical dynamics between actuation and mechanical structures, it is not trivial to systematically design mechanical structures and control architectures for stable locomotion. From this perspective, this paper investigates a case study of simple hopping robot to identify the design principles of mechanics and control. We developed a hopping robot consisting of an elastic curved beam and a small rotating mass, which was then modeled and analyzed in simulation. The experimental results show that the robot is capable of exhibiting stable hopping gait patterns by using a small actuation with no sensory feedback owing to the intrinsic stability of coupled mechanical dynamics. Furthermore, an additional analysis shows that, by exploiting free vibration of the elastic curved beam, cost of transport of the proposed hopping locomotion can be in the same rage of animals' locomotion including human running.


Metamaterials are artificial electromagnetic materials with novel effective medium properties that may not be available in nature. The concept of metamaterial structures has led to the design of many novel circuits exhibiting component enhancements. One type of metamaterial-based antenna structure that has been widely studied is the composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL) leaky-wave antenna (LWA). This antenna structure has been shown to offer significant advantages over conventional LWAs. For example, a balanced CRLH-TL LWA is able to achieve continuous backfire-to-endfire frequency-dependent beam scanning with a true broadside beam, good impedance matching over an entire operating band, and simple feeding structure. Furthermore, if CRLH-TL LWAs are integrated into distributed amplifiers (DAs), which can be regarded as a microwave transversal filter with broadband amplification, the radiating power can be enhanced by the DA, and therefore DA-based CRLH-TL LWAs can realize high gain antennas while maintaining the aforementioned beam-scanning capability. Although the radiation power of the antennas can be increased by distributed amplification, power is dissipated in the termination. This issue can be resolved by introducing novel power recycling schemes to redirect the dissipated power and inject it into the antenna system again, thereby improving antenna efficiency significantly. The second part of this literature will be on negative group delay (NGD) circuits, another kind of artificial material engineered to exhibit negative group delays. Conventionally, in microwave regime, NGD circuits are based on bandstop structures using lumped elements such asparallel RLC resonators that usually have a narrower bandwidth of NGD and lack a systematic design method. Toward this end, NGD circuits using transversal filter approach are proposed and have been shown to have a wide bandwidth of NGD with a comprehensive design method. By using these artificially engineered material based components, novel microwave imaging and communication systems as well as power amplifiers with enhanced efficiency can be realized. Lastly, novel resonator, oscillator and antenna based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) are introduced. Thanks to the waveguide-like cavity structure, high Q resonators can be achieved with a good tunability. In addition, by utilizing the fundamental mode of the cavity, we are able to build a planar dipole antenna that has vertical polarization.


We study collusion between a regulated firm and an unregulated competitor selling differentiated goods in a common market. There exists an institutional incompleteness that prevents the regulator from contracting with the competitor. Due to this, the effectiveness of yardstick mechanisms can be impaired by some behavior of the unregulated firm intended at concealing information from the regulator. With collusion under asymmetric information (modeled as in Laffont and Martimort), we show that the unique regulator is not able to benefit from asymmetries of information within the coalition if she offers contracts that induce truthful revelation of her firm's cost. Collusion entails large departures from the full information allocation (bunching may appear) casting some doubt on the optimality of collusion-proof mechanisms. When firms are regulated each by a different body, the lack of coordination between regulators to fight collusion still entails costs.