Background: Sialic
acids are a family of ninecarbon sugar compounds with carboxylic acyl
derivatives. It exists in bacteria, fish, mammals and other living organisms,
participates in and regulates many important life events, such as cell
recognition, membrane flow, endocytosis and so on. Sialic acid is usually
located in the outermost layer of the sugar part of the cell membrane and the
key positions of secreted glycoconjugates (glycolipids, glycoprotein and lipopolysaccharide).
Sialic acid (Sia) is an important material foundation for variety of the
structure and founction of glycoconjugates. Sia has been known as nearly 50
members, including N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), N-glycoulylneuraminic
acid (Neu5Gc) and deaminoneuraminic acid (KDN) as its core monomer. The rest of
the sialic acids are derived from these three monomers. The contents of Sia in
Chinese food products are unknown. Objective:
To determine the contents of Sia in raw and cooked red meat, seafood, poultry
and so on. Design: The following
food products were purchased from a Chinese supermarket:
pork, beef, lamb, salmon, cod, tuna, cow milk, cheese, butter, duck,
chicken and chicken eggs. Human milk was collected from Xiamen Maternity and
Child Health Care Hospital (Xiamen, China). All tissues were homogenized and
hydrolyzed with 0.05 M, 0.1 M and 0.2 M TFA
for 150 min at 80&degC in dark, respectively. The concentrations of
Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc and KDN were determined by using HPLC with fluorescence
detector. Results: The contents
of total Sia (μg/g tissue or μg/mL liquid sample) in Chinese raw meat were
highest in lamb (269.60), followed by pork (254.88), duck (200.63), chicken (162.86)
and beef (88.03). The percentages of Neu5Gc were 36.08%, 26.48%, 0%, 0% and
28.40%, respectively. Cod contained higher levels of Sia (171.63) than salmon (104.43)
and tuna (77.98). Only Neu5Ac was 50 found in detected aquatic product. Egg
yolk contained the highest level of Sia (682.04), and a higher level of Sia (390.67)
was found in the egg white. Also our result showed that human milk contained extremely
high level of Sia (602.55). Neu5Ac was the predominant form of Sia in all the
deteced samples. KDN was found in cow milk only among the samples, the content was
1.14 μg/g. Conclusion: The
highest content of Sia in examined Chinese foods was found in 56 eggs, followed
by lamb, pork, duck, cod, chicken, salmon, beef and tuna. Knowledge of the
Sia content in conventional foods may help us to better understand possible
medical disorders involving the uptake of the "non-human" Neu5Gc from our diet.


Purpose During sedated esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), patients may not be able to perform inspiration, which is necessary to examine the esophagogastric junction. Therefore sedation may affect diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux-related findings. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of sedation on diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux-related findings during EGD. Materials and Methods This retrospective study evaluated 28914 patients older than 20 years who underwent EGD at our institution between January 2011 and December 2011. Ultimately, 1546 patients indicated for EGD for health check-up and symptom evaluation were included. Results There were 18546 patients who had diagnostic EGD: 10471 patients (56%) by non-sedated EGD and 8075 patients (43%) by sedated EGD. After statistical adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index, minimal change esophagitis, and hiatal hernia were significantly less frequently observed in the sedated EGD group [odds ratio (OR), 0.651; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.586 to 0.722 and OR, 0.699; 95% CI, 0.564 to 0.866]. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in other findings at the gastroesophageal junction, such as reflux esophagitis with Los Angeles classification A, B, C, and D or Barrett's esophagus, between the two groups. Similarly, there were no differences in early gastric cancer, advanced gastric cancer, and gastric ulcer occurrence. Conclusion Sedation can impede the detection of minimal change esophagitis and hiatal hernia, but does not influence detection of reflux esophagitis of definite severity and Barrett's esophagus.


We give an algorithm to learn constant-depth polynomial-size circuits augmented with majority gates under the uniform distribution using random examples only. For circuits which contain a polylogarithmic number of majority gates the algorithm runs in quasipolynomial time. This is the first algorithm for learning a more expressive circuit class than the class AC0 of constant-depth polynomial-size circuits, a class which was shown to be learnable in quasipolynomial time by Linial, Mansour and Nisan in 1989. Our approach combines an extension of some of the Fourier analysis from Linial et al. with hypothesis boosting. We also show that under a standard cryptographic assumption our algorithm is essentially optimal with respect to both running time and expressiveness (number of majority gates) of the circuits being learned.


When using high inclusion levels of plant based ingredients in fish feed, the presence of Anti-Nutritional Factors (ANF) needs to be taken into consideration. Non Starch Polysaccharides (NSP) are recognized as true ANF, causing impaired growth performance and feed utilization. The mode of action of NSP in fish is still not completely understood and is probably multi factorial (Sinha et al., 2011). Increasing digesta viscosity and thereby hindering the action of endogenous digestive enzymes, altering the composition of the gut microbiota, trapping of bile salts which results in elevated excretion and thus affecting cholesterol balance,...are some of the hypothesized mechanisms involved. NSPase could counteract these negative effects but on the other hand NSPase have the potential of negatively affecting product quality; by liberating the "trapped" energy from NSP itself or through an increased VFA production, the energy level of the diet could be increased. Too high energy levels in the diet can result in undesired fat deposition as visceral fat or in the fillet. Therefor the energy balance and product quality is also studied in this research. In a previous trial several NSPase formulas (selection based on the used ingredients) were tested. The best performing formula was selected for this experiment. The goal of this experiment was to determine which concentration results in the best performance in Nile tilapia and to investigate which of the selected parameters are affected.


This paper develops a new scheme for the lightweight design of heavy dump truck frames based on the characteristics of dynamic responses. The dynamic response is predicted using a finite element (FE) model which is verified by an experimental mode analysis. The FE model is then used to investigate the characteristics of dynamic responses and frame weight changes with respect to the mass changes of each frame component for selecting significant components. An optimization is finally developed for the lightweight design under constrains that maintain required dynamic responses and static strength. The optimization results show that the weight of frame can be reduced by 8%, showing that the scheme is an effective way to achieve automotive lightweight design.


With e-learning now part of the medical education mainstream, both educational and practical technical and informatics skills have become an essential part of the medical teacher's portfolio. The Guide is intended to help teachers develop their skills in working in the new online educational environments, and to ensure that they appreciate the wider changes and developments that accompany this 'information revolution'. The Guide is divided into two parts, of which this is the second. The first part introduced the basic concepts of e-learning, e-teaching, and e-assessment, the day-to-day issues of e-learning, looking both at theoretical concepts and practical implementation issues. This second part covers topics such as practical knowledge of the forms of technology used in e-learning, the behaviours of teachers and learners in online environments and the design of e-learning content and activities. It also deals with broader concepts of the politics and psychology of e-learning, as well as many of its ethical, legal and economical dimensions, and it ends with a review of emerging forms and directions in e-learning in medical education. DON'T PANIC (Adams )


OBJECTIVE To further knowledge of syringoma and its importance within the overall condition of the patient, with a view to making it relevant in the differential diagnosis of other conditions such as xanthomata or milium cysts. DESIGN A descriptive study of a crossover type. SETTING Primary care and the dermatology clinic of a health centre in the metropolitan area of Madrid. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS The records of patients with syringomas confirmed by histological tests during 1990-1993 were examined. Patients with only a clinical diagnosis were discarded. The different diagnoses on referral by the primary care doctor were also studied. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Seven patients (5 women, two men) were confirmed by histological tests as suffering Syringomas. They were between 16 and 52 years old. Four had lesions only on the eyelids; in the other three they were widespread. All of them were asymptomatic, had been over three years without lesions and had no special previous history. None of them wanted to undergo treatment. The referral diagnoses cited xanthomata in five cases and milium cysts in the others. CONCLUSIONS The primary care doctor must become better informed about syringoma, given its frequent confusion with other conditions (xanthomata and milium cysts). This confusion gives rise to unnecessary additional examinations and discomfort for the patients. These lesions should be verified histologically, as it is an nonaggressive method.


Based on observations made on 4 sepetember in class X SMA Islam Lumajang known that 75% of students said that geography subjects boring because too many concepts that must be memorized because they do not understand the benefits of geography lessons for real life, also rarely make observations out class. Strong indications that underlie the difficulties of students to understand the material presented, among others, due to lack of ability of students in solving the problem of Geography. It can be seen from the activity as well as student learning outcomes that show there are only 3% of students who look active, while others less active, and the ability of students in solving problems there are only 7 students who can solve the problem well. The ability of students in solving the problem is still lacking this can be seen from the observation that says there are only 5 of 40 students who can solve the problem while the 90% still need guidance and training in solving problems. To overcome the problem of learning quality, then compiled geography learning by implementing problem-based learning to improve student activity and learning outcomes in understanding environmental problems. The purpose of this study is to describe whether the problem-based learning can improve student activities and learning outcomes in solving environmental problems in class X SMA Islam Lumajang. This research is a classroom action research conducted in 2 action cycles. In this study data obtained in the form of student learning activities, the value of discussion results, and the value of student learning outcomes. Student learning activities are measured by increasing the average percentage of student learning activities.
Key Words: Jigsaw Model, Learning Result


Determination of water requirement for crops in resource limited areas is  challenging, yet worsened by the common assumption that all crop varieties within a species have similar water requirements. The objective of the study was to  indirectly determine crop evapotranspiration of soybean varieties, using reference evapotranspiration and shoot water content under tillage and no tillage cultivation. The treatments were no tillage and conventional tillage as main plots, and soybean varieties Nyala, SB19, and SB20 as sub-plots, replicated three times. Crop evapotranspiration (ETC) and crop coefficient (KC) were different among varieties, and increased during growth period. SB20 had the highest KC (0.8437 at 87 days after planting - DAP); followed by SB19 (0.7888 at 70 DAP), and Nyala (0.7026 at 66 DAP). Conversely,water use efficiency (WUE) was 0.58 in SB19, 0.52 in Nyala, and 0.47 in SB20.Validation of the calculated ETC using a crop production function showed a correlation of r = 0.97 between the observed and predicted yields of the three varieties. Furthermore, the normalised root mean square error (NRMSE) and the index of agreement (d) were 0.14 and 0.87, respectively indicating accurate fit. Calculated crop coefficient strongly correlated with observed shoot water content of Nyala (R2 = 1), SB19 (R2 = 1), and SB20 (R2 = 1). Key Words : Crop coefficient, evaporation, Glycine max, shoot, soybean, transpiration


A new planar sensor element for continuous coulometric trace humidity measurements in industrial gases has been developed. In order to ensure precise measurements a calibration facility including a precision dew point hygrometer as a reference device was developed. The sensor can measure the humidity in the frost point temperature range of -20 °C to -80 °C and has an expanded uncertainty of 2 K, a fast reaction time and a settling time of the entire system from 15 to 30 min.


Background and Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between study skills and academic performance of dental students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: 195 dental students at dental faculty of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2013 participated in this descriptive-analytical study. Data were collected using Congos´ Study Skills Inventory including six subscales. Grade Point Average (GPA) indicated their academic performance. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey test. Results: The mean score of students' study skills were 108 out of 200 with standard deviation of 22.06±0.7. Note taking had a significant correlation with GPA (P=0.015). Conclusion: Since no significant correlation between study skills and academic performance of the students was observed, it seems that there are other dynamics involved in their academic performance which have to be examined.


Intimate partner violence is a pervasive and highly detrimental phenomenon. One common aspect of abusive relationships is a reluctance to leave one's partner. With this in mind, the current study explored the role of Stockholm syndrome in abusive relationships. Study 1 and 2 surveyed 508 diverse adults. Study 1 submitted the Stockholm syndrome scale to psychometric testing and confirmed a 3-factor solution for the scale. The three components are Core, justifying an abuser through cognitive distortions; Damage, ongoing psychological effects of abuse; and Love, the belief that one's survival depends on the love of an abuser. Study 2 tested the predictive qualities of the scale and found that its components are linked to relationship violence in a predictable fashion. These links may be moderated by insecure attachment. Study 3 analysed dyadic data from 86 couples and found positive associations between levels of Core and relationship violence, both within and across partners. Implications and future directions are discussed.


European in-vehicle emergency call system eCall aims to save lives and mitigate consequences of road accidents. eCall minimum set of data (MSD) which contains information on the accident vehicle is transmitted in the beginning of the call in the voice channel opened between in-vehicle system and public safety answering point. The main objectives of the study are to analyse the successfulness of eCall MSD transmission in Finnish fixed-line and GSM networks and to provide information on factors which contribute to the success rate of MSD transmission. The results of the Wilcoxon rank sum test indicated that the signal strength has no major impact on the success or failure of the MSD transmission when the mobile network signal strength measured by IVS is between −80 and −40 dBm. The analysed data included 12 failed MSD transmission attempts and 214 initiated MSDs in total. However, the test results also indicated that the MSD success rate can still be very different in different real-life physical mobile and fixed-line locations.


Privacy has become an issue of paramount importance for many users. As a result, encryption tools such as True Crypt, OS-based full-disk encryption such as File Vault, and privacy modes in all modern browsers have become popular. However, although such tools are useful, they are not perfect. For example, prior work has shown that browsers still leave many traces of user information on disk even if they are started in private browsing mode. In addition, disk encryption alone is not sufficient, as key disclosure through coercion remains possible. Clearly, it would be useful and highly desirable to have OS-level support that provides strong privacy guarantees for any application -- not only browsers. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of PrivExec, the first operating system service for private execution. PrivExec provides strong, general guarantees of private execution, allowing any application to execute in a mode where storage writes, either to the filesystem or to swap, will not be recoverable by others during or after execution. PrivExec does not require explicit application support, recompilation, or any other preconditions. We have implemented a prototype of PrivExec by extending the Linux kernel that is performant, practical, and that secures sensitive data against disclosure.


We study the stable matching problem in non-bipartite graphs with incomplete but strict preference lists, where the edges have weights and the goal is to compute a stable matching of minimum or maximum weight. This problem is known to be NP-hard in general. Our contribution is two fold: a polyhedral characterization and an approximation algorithm. Previously Chen et al. have shown that the stable matching polytope is integral if and only if the subgraph obtained after running phase one of Irving's algorithm is bipartite. We improve upon this result by showing that there are instances where this subgraph might not be bipartite but one can further eliminate some edges and arrive at a bipartite subgraph. Our elimination procedure ensures that the set of stable matchings remains the same, and thus the stable matching polytope of the final subgraph contains the incidence vectors of all stable matchings of our original graph. This allows us to characterize a larger class of instances for which the weighted stable matching problem is polynomial-time solvable. We also show that our edge elimination procedure is best possible, meaning that if the subgraph we arrive at is not bipartite, then there is no bipartite subgraph that has the same set of stable matchings as the original graph. We complement these results with a $2$-approximation algorithm for the minimum weight stable matching problem for instances where each agent has at most two possible partners in any stable matching. This is the first approximation result for any class of instances with general weights.


A new type of torque sensor system used in torque rheometer is designed. Precision and reliability is analyzed by virtual prototyping simulation. Simulation shows that the system error increases with the backlash increasing. So the gearhead must have some certain precision demand. The torque sensor components are developed on the basis of simulation. The experiment shows that this measure system does not use active part, so it does not need to maintenance, and the reliability is high. The temperature and outside stress influence and hysteresis error are eliminated. The torque sensor system measure precision is better than 0.1% F.S.


Inventory design in games is crucial when it comes to managing in-game items efficiently. In multi-user settings, an additional goal is to support awareness concerning a co-player's inventory and his/her available actions. Especially in virtual reality (VR), presence and immersion are vital aspects of the experience, suggesting real-world metaphors for interface design. The presented work examines two basic inventory paradigms: an abstract menu-based inventory and a metaphoric virtual belt. Both systems are implemented in a serious game prototype for paramedic training in VR, then evaluated in a between-group design study with paramedic trainees inexperienced in VR technology. While both solutions offer comparable usability and presence scores, the results suggest future optimization.


A new approach to assess the risks inherent in the implementation of powders, including nanomaterials, has been developed, based on the OHB (Occupational Hazard Band) method which is widely spread in the chemical industry. Hazard classification has not been modified; only the control of exposure has been worked at. The method applies essentially to the prevention of the exposures to airborne materials, whatever their particle size. The method considers exposure based on seven parameters which take into account the characteristics of the materials used, their emission potential, the conditions of use, as well as classic parameters of exposure characterization like duration and frequency. The method is a pragmatic exploitation of the state-of-art and of available data, bearing in mind that a lot of them are not easily accessible to factory operators. The result of the reflection is then positioned on a hazard versus exposure matrix from which 4 levels of priority of action are defined, as in the classical OHB method used to manage pure chemical risk. This approach fills a gap in terms of risk assessment and avoids jeopardizing all that has been set up for years, while introducing new elements of decision making accessible to all operators.


Muriel Spark is 'a wholly original presence in modern literature' (Andrew Motion). This collection, which contains all her published short stories together with some new writing, amply displays Muriel Spark's extraordinary talent; her cool, biting humour and unique vision of human nature. Ghosts and judges, priests, murder and French chateaux: all the Spark obsessions are here, and much more besides.


Food safety is an important concern for holiday makers in foreign and unfamiliar tourist destinations. In fact, risk from food in these tourist destinations has an influence on tourist perception. This risk can potentially affect physical health and lead to an inability to pursue planned activities. The objective of this paper was to compare foreign tourists' demographics including gender, age and education level, with the level of perceived risk towards food safety. A total of 222 foreign tourists during their stay at Khao San Road in Bangkok were used as the sample. Independentsamples ttest, analysis of variance, and Least Significant Difference or LSD post hoc test were utilized. The findings revealed that there were few demographic differences in level of perceived risk among the foreign tourists. The post hoc test indicated a significant difference among the old and the young tourists, and between the higher and lower level of education. Ranks of tourists' perceived risk towards food safety unveiled some interesting results. Tourists' perceived risk of food safety in established restaurants can be ranked as i) cleanliness of dining utensils, ii) sanitation of food preparation area, and iii) cleanliness of food seasoning and ingredients. Whereas, the tourists' perceived risk of food safety in street food and drink can be ranked as i) cleanliness of stalls and pushcarts, ii) cleanliness of food sold, and iii) personal hygiene of street food hawkers or vendors. Keywords—Food Safety, Foreign Tourists, Perceived Risk, Khao San Road.


We report that high lateral resolution and high image quality optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging can be achieved by the multi-frame superresolution technique. With serial sets of slightly lateral shifted low resolution C-scans, our multi-frame superresolution processing of these special sets at each depth layer can reconstruct a higher resolution and quality lateral image. Layer by layer repeat processing yields an overall high lateral resolution and quality 3D image. In theory, the superresolution with a subsequent deconvolution processing could break the diffraction limit as well as suppress the background noise. In experiment, about three times lateral resolution improvement has been verified from 24.8 to 7.81 μm and from 7.81 to 2.19 μm with the sample arm optics of 0.015 and 0.05 numerical apertures, respectively, as well as the image quality doubling in dB unit. The improved lateral resolution for 3D imaging of microstructures has been observed. We also demonstrated that the improved lateral resolution and image quality could further help various machine vision algorithms sensitive to resolution and noise. In combination with our previous work, an ultra-wide field-of-view and high resolution OCT has been implemented for static non-medical applications. For in vivo 3D OCT imaging, high quality 3D subsurface live fingerprint images have been obtained within a short scan time, showing beautiful and clear distribution of eccrine sweat glands and internal fingerprint layer, overcoming traditional 2D fingerprint reader and benefiting important biometric security applications.


Parasite life history theory predicts that lifetime reproductive success evolves through differential allocation of energy to life history traits constrained by trade-offs. These life history traits govern the characteristics of parasites such as their virulence, transmission and infection phenotypes, so understanding their evolution is a key concern for infectious disease prediction and management.
This thesis uses the powerful tool of experimental evolution to gain a fuller understanding of the factors and constraints involved in parasite life history evolution, using bacteriophage Φ2 as a model. I found that the evolution of life history in this phage is sensitive to spatial structure, UV-C exposure and coparasitism with plasmids, and evolution can be mediated by co-evolution with the host.
The high levels of variance I observed here suggest that evolution of parasite life history is more complex than a single trajectory towards a predicted optimum, and likely involves some degree of epistasis or pleiotropy with genes elsewhere
on the genome. There was some degree of independent evolution of individual life-history traits, indicating that simple direct trade-offs were not in operation.
I demonstrated that co-evolution with the host provided additional mutational input, resulting in a greater degree of evolution in co-evolved populations than those evolved to a static host. Furthermore, I note that co-parasitism with phage
and plasmid may provide the necessary conditions for plasmid persistence under fluctuating selection for plasmid-encoded traits, and that the efficacy and suitability of phage as therapeutic agents against plasmid-encoded antibiotic
resistance is complicated. No direct link between mutation and phenotype could be elucidated in this study, suggesting that evolution in life history is either governed by genes not examined in this thesis, or involves epistasis and pleiotropy with genes elsewhere on the genome.
I concluded that it is important to consider the specific ecology of the focal parasite, its host and any co-occuring symbionts in order to make informed predictions of life history evolution, and general predictions may not be achievable.


A decision tree is a well-known machine learning technique. Recently their popularity has increased due to the powerful Gradient Boosting ensemble method that allows to gradually increasing accuracy at the cost of executing a large number of decision trees. In this paper we present an accelerator designed to optimize the execution of these trees while reducing the energy consumption. We have implemented it in an FPGA for embedded systems, and we have tested it with a relevant case-study: pixel classification of hyperspectral images. In our experiments with different images our accelerator can process the hyperspectral images at the same speed at which they are generated by the hyperspectral sensors. Compared to a high-performance processor running optimized software, on average our design is twice as fast and consumes 72 times less energy. Compared to an embedded processor, it is 30 times faster and consumes 23 times less energy.


Load-deflection relations of piles subjected to lateral loading are routinely required for design. The use of large diameter open pipe piles became common since its application as foundations for offshore structures, and more recently for bridge retrofitting and new construction designed for withstanding earthquake loading. The accuracy and reliability of the analysis methods remains usually unknown as it requires the systematic examination of the measured performance of many piles. As part of a research aimed at developing the serviceability limit states for the AASHTO specifications, an evaluation of the methods predicting the response of piles to lateral loads was required. This paper presents a database of laterally loaded open and closed pipe piles which were examined by various analysis methods. The performance of the methods when applied to open pipe piles and all pipe piles is reported along with practical conclusions for their use.


Abstract. Deforestation is a wide-reaching problem, responsible for serious environmental issues, such as biodiversity loss and global climate change. Containing approximately ten percent of all biomass on the planet and home to one tenth of the known species, the Amazon biome has faced important deforestation pressure in the last decades. Devising efficient deforestation detection methods is, therefore, key to combat illegal deforestation and to aid in the conception of public policies directed to promote sustainable development in the Amazon. In this work, we implement and evaluate a deforestation detection approach which is based on a Fully Convolutional, Deep Learning (DL) model: the DeepLabv3+. We compare the results obtained with the devised approach to those obtained with previously proposed DL-based methods (Early Fusion and Siamese Convolutional Network) using Landsat OLI-8 images acquired at different dates, covering a region of the Amazon forest. In order to evaluate the sensitivity of the methods to the amount of training data, we also evaluate them using varying training sample set sizes. The results show that all tested variants of the proposed method significantly outperform the other DL-based methods in terms of overall accuracy and F1-score. The gains in performance were even more substantial when limited amounts of samples were used in training the evaluated methods.


Herbarium specimens have been digitized at the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum, Berlin (BGBM) since the year 2000. As part of the digitization process, specimen data have been recorded manually for specific basic data elements. Additional elements were usually added later based on the digital images.
 During the last twenty years, data were transcribed exactly as they were written on the labels, a widely used procedure in European herbaria. This approach led to a large number of orthographic variations especially with regard to person and place names.
 To improve interoperability between records within our own collection database and across collection databases provided by the community, we have started to enrich our metadata with Linked Open Data (LOD)-based links to semantic resources starting with collectors and geographic entities. Preferred resources for semantic enrichment (e.g., WikiData, GeoNames) have been agreed on by members of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) in order to exploit the potential of semantically enriched collection data in the best possible way.
 To be able to annotate many collection records in a relatively short time, priority was given to concepts (e.g., specific collector names) that occur on many specimen labels and that have an existing and easy-to-find semantic representation in an external resource. With this approach, we were able to annotate 52,000 specimen records in just a few weeks of working time of a student assistant.
 The integration of our semantic annotation workflows with other data integration, cleaning, and import processes at the BGBM is carried out using an OpenRefine-based platform with specific extensions for services and functions related to label transcription activities (Kirchhoff et al. 2018).
 Our semantically enriched collection data will contribute to a "Botany Pilot," which is presently being developed by member organizations of CETAF to demonstrate the potential of Linked Open Collection Data and their integration with existing semantic resources.


The incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, especially in the elderly. Recently, functional impairment and frailty have been recognized as factors affecting the quality of life, and outcomes in elderly patients with CKD and therapeutic interventions to improve function and reduce frailty are therefore being considered. Growth hormone (GH) levels decrease with age and GH actions are impaired in CKD patients. GH stimulates protein synthesis, bone, and glucose metabolism, and affects body composition by reducing body fat and increasing lean body mass. An increase in lean body mass may reduce frailty and thus avoid functional impairment. Thus, providing GH to elderly CKD patients could potentially improve outcomes and quality of life by lowering the risk of frailty and associated functional impairment. There are few studies assessing the long‐term effects of GH administration on symptoms of frailty in elderly patients with CKD. In this review we will try to shed some light on the trials assessing the administration of GH to elderly subjects and to patients with CKD and focus on the possible role GH administration may play to improve frailty and quality of life in those patients.


OBJECTIVE: To compare expression of the p75 chain of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2Rp75, CD122) on peripheral and synovial mononuclear cells in rheumatoid and non-rheumatoid inflammatory arthritis. METHODS: Peripheral blood (PBMC) and synovial (SFMC) mononuclear cells were isolated from subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 16) and non-rheumatoid inflammatory arthritis (n = 12). PBMC were isolated from six healthy controls. Expression of CD122 was examined using indirect immunofluorescence and quantitative flow cytometry. RESULTS: There was no difference in IL-2Rp75 expression on PBMC from rheumatoid arthritis patients, non-rheumatoid arthritis patients, and controls. In subjects with rheumatoid arthritis there was no difference in IL-2Rp75 expression on PBMC and SFMC. However, in the non-rheumatoid arthritis group there was an increase in IL-2Rp75 expression on SFMC compared with PBMC (P = 0.0032). On SFMC there was a greater expression of IL-2Rp75 in non-rheumatoid arthritis than in rheumatoid arthritis (P = 0.0007). Expression was greater on CD8 positive cells and in subjects with shorter duration of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The p75 chain of the IL-2 receptor, an important T cell activation antigen, is not upregulated in synovial fluid. This appears to be a disease specific defect and provides further support for the concept of "frustrated" or incomplete T cell activation in this disease.


The nephropathy complicating insulin-dependen diabetes mellitus (IDDM) has been well studied, but that complicating non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is less well defined. In patients with IDDM, the gl merular filtration rate is often increased early in the course of the disease, approaches normal with insulin therapy, but tends to remain slightly elevated throughout the ensuing 10–15 yr of insulin dependency. After t e onset of overt azotemia, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) develops in ∼5 yrs. Proteinuria may be intermittently positive in the earliest stages of diabetes, evolving into intermittent and then persistent mincroalbuminura, which in turn blossoms into mincroalbuminura. Because 40–50% of IDDM patients develop proteinuria and two thirds of this subpopulation develop ESRD, some 20–30% of any given cohort of IDDM patients eventually need dialysis or transplantation. Evidence indicates that diabetic nephropathy is associated with a greater incidence of eye, nerve, heart, and peripheral vascular disease. Nondiabetic renal disease complicating IDDM and NIDDM is associated with a lesser frequency and severity of these extrarenal manifestations, the prevalence of retin pathy increases with advancing nephropathy. Roughly two-thirds of the deaths from IDDM are related to renal f ilure, and most of the remainder are caused by associated cardiovascular disease. Transplantation from living relatives carries the best prognosis for survival, and little difference is seen between hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and cadaver transplantation. The health-care costs of treating diabetic nephropathy are also reviewed.


The Internet of Things world brings to our lives many opportunities to monitor our daily activities by collecting data from various devices. Complementary to it, the data expressing opinions, suggestions, interpretations, contradictions, and uncertainties are more accessible within variety of online resources. This paper deals with collection and analysis of hard data representing the number of steps and soft data representing the sentiment of participants who underwent a pilot experiment. The paper defines outlines of the problem and presents possible sources of reliable data, sentiment evaluation, sentiment extraction using machine learning methods, and links between the data collected from IoT devices and sentiment expressed by the participant in a textual form. Then the results provided by using inferential statistics are presented. The paper is concluded by discussion and summarization of results and future work proposals.


The status of the various recombinant DNA and RNA-derived candidate vaccines, as well as the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (VEEV) replicon vaccine system against extremely hazardous viral hemorrhagic fevers, were reviewed. The VEEV-based replication-incompetent vectors offer attractive features in terms of safety, high expression levels of the heterologous viral antigen, tropism to dendritic cells, robust immune responses, protection efficacy, low potential for pre-existing anti-vector immunity and possibility of engineering multivalent vaccines were tested. These features of the VEEV replicon system hold much promise for the development of new generation vaccine candidates against viral hemorrhagic fevers.


Digital educational games research tends to lack ecological validity by not adequately taking into account the views and perspectives of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In technology applications for autism there is also a focus mostly on learning of social communication rather than academic subjects. This paper is a pilot study that explores the potential of including the views and perspectives of people with autism by analysing an academic-based educational game that was co-designed with and for young people with ASD. The serious game aims to help the players learn Geography-specific knowledge and integrates several strategic features so that users can collaborate together against the computer or compete against each other. The educational game was evaluated over five sessions by three peer teams from two different special educational institutions, involving a total of six students with ASD. The participants were positive about their enjoyment and motivation as well as social engagement. The results showed that the players' level of competitiveness not only influenced the experience within the game but also the interaction within the peer teams. The game mechanisms did help the participants with ASD increase their knowledge in Geography content. The main conclusion is that there are considerable benefits of including children with ASD in the design process and future research should explore more fully how their involvement can enhance curriculum-based learning as well as social engagement within the classroom.


In this paper, semiconductor saturable absorber mirror designed for the near-IR spectra and based on InGaAs quantum dots was investigated. Absorption saturation, absorption femtosecond recovery kinetics measured at various close to resonance quantum energies revealed the wavelength ∼ 1050 nm as best performing absorption bleaching (highest value of 2 % for reflectivity change) for this sample. Nonlinear absorption, carrier thermalization appeared to govern carrier generation, their dynamics in the quantum dots.


Hong Kong is perched on the fault line between China and the West, a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Leo Ou-fan Lee offers an insider's view of Hong Kong, capturing the history and culture that make his densely packed home city so different from its generic neighbors.The search for an indigenous Hong Kong takes Lee to the wet markets and corner bookshops of congested Mong Kok, remote fishing villages and mountainside temples, teahouses and noodle stalls, Cantonese opera and Cantopop. But he also finds the "real" Hong Kong in a maze of interconnected shopping malls, a jungle of high-rise residential towers, and the neon glow of Chinese-owned skyscrapers in the Central Business District, where land development, global trade, capital accumulation, consumerism, and free-market competition trump every value -except family.Lee illuminates the relationship between Hong Kong's geography and its colonial experience, revisiting colonial life on the secluded Peak, in the opium-filled godowns along the harborfront, and in crowded, plague-infested tenements. He examines, with a critic's eye, the "Hong Kong story" in film and fiction: romance in the bars and brothels of Wan Chai, crime in the walled city of Kowloon, ennui on the eve of the 1997 handover.Whether viewed from Tsing Yi Bridge or the deck of the Star Ferry, from Victoria Peak or Lion Rock, Hong Kong sparkles here in all its multifaceted complexity, a city forever between worlds.


The nature of reporting of a microbiology laboratory depends upon the quality of the culture media used. Quality of media directly affects the observations and inferences drawn from the cultural characteristics of microorganisms. Checking of different parameters of media such as growth supporting characteristics, physical characteristics, gel strength and batch contamination can help to assess their quality. There are different methods to check all these parameters systematically. The meticulous performance of quality control of culture media can assure precision in reporting.


Beginning in January 1991, the U.S. Agency for International Development funded a series of studies on land, employment, and financial markets in the peri-urban areas of Maputo. Beginning in September 1991, a land-market survey involving 121 households and 162 plots of land was administered in two peri-urban green zones of Maputo-districts 4 and 6. Households were queried about their land-settlement histories, mode of land acquisition, terms and conditions of transfer, land rights, size of holdings, perceptions of tenure security, land-use practices, commercial input use, hired labor, agricultural sales and revenues, nonfarm employment and earnings, and general demographic characteristics. The present study reports findings from the land-market survey along with numerous other interviews with producers, buyers and sellers of land, local authorities, and district and national officials in Maputo and its surrounding peri-urban green zones. Section 1 is introductory while section 2 covers the legal foundation of land tenure and describes the various authorities and agencies responsible for setting and enforcing land policy in the peri-urban zone. Section 3 explains the research design and sampling frame used to select households and landholdings for the study, choice of strata, survey instruments, research questions, and data limitations. Section 4 provides a statistical profile of the household economy while section 5 examines processes of land settlement, land acquisition, types and sources of land dispute, and registration benefits. In section 6, economic and political factors are linked with land prices to explain the determination of "reservation" and "offer" prices of land and to evaluate the influence of market factors and Possible asymmetries in information and bargaining position on land-price perceptions.


Environmental emission from additive manufacturing (AM) have attracted much attention recently. The capability in fabricating complex part make AM famous in developing prototype and product in various industries especially in aerospace, medical, automotive, and manufacturing industries. However, the study on emission and exposure mainly focusses on the desktop type such as fused deposition modelling. This study investigates the emission and indoor concentration from powder bed fusion of selective laser sintering (SLS) technologies. Prior to the investigation, virgin PA12 undergone characterization in terms of morphology, size and thermal analysis. Calibration block using virgin polyamide nylon (PA12) are selected to be printed in this study. Parameters such particulate matter size 2.5 µm (PM 2.5), total volatile organic compound (TVOC), carbon dioxide (CO2), formaldehyde, temperature and relative humidity (RH) are set to be monitored through real time sampling of 8 hours based on Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 by Department Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia. Four phases of printing process involve are background data, preprinting, during printing and post printing. Based on the study it was found that PM 2.5 and CO2 exceed the acceptable limit recommended by DOSH Malaysia during preparation of powder (preprinting) at 1218 ppm and 1070 µg/m3 respectively. Meanwhile TVOC concentration was influence by the sintered powder temperature and recorded at 0.5 ppm. Temperature, relative humidity and formaldehyde were maintained throughout the SLS process. Mitigation strategies using mechanical ventilation and personal protective equipment (PPE) are recommended to be used to reduce potential of occupational hazard to the operators.


Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are a recently proposed class of generative models in which a generator is trained to optimize a cost function that is being simultaneously learned by a discriminator. While the idea of learning cost functions is relatively new to the field of generative modeling, learning costs has long been studied in control and reinforcement learning (RL) domains, typically for imitation learning from demonstrations. In these fields, learning cost function underlying observed behavior is known as inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) or inverse optimal control. While at first the connection between cost learning in RL and cost learning in generative modeling may appear to be a superficial one, we show in this paper that certain IRL methods are in fact mathematically equivalent to GANs. In particular, we demonstrate an equivalence between a sample-based algorithm for maximum entropy IRL and a GAN in which the generator's density can be evaluated and is provided as an additional input to the discriminator. Interestingly, maximum entropy IRL is a special case of an energy-based model. We discuss the interpretation of GANs as an algorithm for training energy-based models, and relate this interpretation to other recent work that seeks to connect GANs and EBMs. By formally highlighting the connection between GANs, IRL, and EBMs, we hope that researchers in all three communities can better identify and apply transferable ideas from one domain to another, particularly for developing more stable and scalable algorithms: a major challenge in all three domains.


Power system stability analysis is required to determine the performance of a power system. In this paper an analysis is performed on the interconnection system of Ambon, Haruku, and Saparua islands in Maluku region of Indonesia. The analyses in this research include load-flow analysis, steady-state and transient stability analysis, rotor angle, frequency and voltage stability during fault conditions, both before and after the interconnection. Critical clearing time has been analyzed to determine the system performance after a fault interruption. Results of steady-state stability analysis show a voltage profile improvement of 1.163%. The results also show that after interconnection better condition of rotor angle, frequency and voltage, and faster recovery time are obtained. Critical clearing time after interconnection is 0.58 seconds longer than before the interconnection. Index Terms—Interconnection, voltage profile, load flow, system stability.


Taking into account internal and exterior factors of rockburst, a model using BP neural network is proposed, in which the in-situ stress, the compressive strength, the tensile strength and the elastic energy index of the cavern are chosen as criteria indexes. Some representative engineering projects at home and aboard are collected as learning and training samples, so as to improve the extensive ability of neural network, and Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is applied to achieve better performance during the training process. The instances indicate that the evaluated results agree well with the practical records, which shows the model is effective in prediction of rockburst.


This paper reports key findings from an interpretive study of Australian banking consumer experiences with the adoption of internet banking. The paper provides an understanding of how and why specific factors affect the consumer decision whether or not to bank on the internet, in the Australian context. A theoretical framework is provided that conceptualizes and links consumer-oriented issues influencing adoption of internet banking. The paper also provides a set of recommendations for Australian banks. Specifically, the findings suggest that convenience is the main motivator for consumers to bank on the internet, while there is a range of other influential factors that may be modulated by banks. The findings also highlight increasing risk acceptance by consumers in regard to internet-based services and the growing importance of offering deep levels of consumer support for such services. Gender differences are also highlighted. Finally, the paper suggests that banks will be better able to manage consumer experiences with moving to internet banking if they understand that such experiences involve a process of adjustment and learning over time, and not merely the adoption of a new technology.


The letters of the eminent naturalist Gilbert White are full of precise, unaffected and delightful observations of the wildlife of his beloved village of Selborne, describing the habits, colours and songs of birds from lapwings to barn-owls, wrens to house-martins. Here too are exquisite writings on trees, fossils, bats and rainfall, filled with intellectual curiosity and joy in the natural world. Generations of inhabitants have helped shape the English countryside - but it has profoundly shaped us too. It has provoked a huge variety of responses from artists, writers, musicians and people who live and work on the land - as well as those who are travelling through it. English Journeys celebrates this long tradition with a series of twenty books on all aspects of the countryside, from stargazey pie and country churches, to man's relationship with nature and songs celebrating the patterns of the countryside (as well as ghosts and love-struck soldiers).


Summary: A container with nylon and stainless steel mesh screens (10 μm and 20 μm pores, respectively), which allowed the passage of bacteria and soluble substrate but restricted the passage of protozoa, was used to investigate the phenomena of sequestration, migration and lysis of protozoa in the rumen of steers. After feeding, the concentration of Isotrichidae in the rumen increased 8·7-fold within 40 min and then decreased 88% by 4h; however, the concentration of Isotrichidae inside the containers remained almost constant. Fluctuations in concentrations of Isotrichidae were shown to be due to migration and sequestration within the rumen. Ophryoscolecidae did not exhibit the phenomena of sequestration and migration. When steers were fed once a day, about 50% of the decrease in the concentration of Ophryoscolecidae immediately after feeding could be attributed to the dilution effects of feed and water and/or passage out of the rumen. The remaining 50% of the decrease appeared to be from cell lysis, resulting in a wasteful recycling of protozoal protein. In an experiment to determine the effects of feed restriction on concentrations of Ophryoscolecidae, it was shown that decreased concentrations associated with substrate restriction are due to cell lysis rather than to passage out of the rumen.


This paper explores the empirical relationship between poverty and economic freedom. In doing so, it estimates the levels of absolute poverty for a panel of over forty developing countries and then utilizes fixed effects and GMM-IV estimators to derive the empirical relationships. The principal empirical results that emerge from this exercise indicate that important indicators of economic freedom such as openness to trade and small size of the government are robustly associated with poverty reduction. Labor market flexibility, which reflects an important dimension of economic freedom, does not have a significant effect on poverty on average. However, there is some evidence that trade's beneficial impact on poverty has been smaller in economies with more regulated labor markets. Finally, civil liberties that encompass various types of important economic freedom such as poverty rights, rule of law, etc., also contribute significantly to poverty reduction. This result contrasts with that for political liberties, which have seemingly no impact on poverty reduction. All these suggest that economic freedom is as much important for economic growth as for poverty reduction.


The underreporting of hate crime is recognised as problematic for jurisdictions across Europe and beyond. Within the UK, the landmark inquiry report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence 25 years ago has seen governments faithfully adhering to a policy of promoting the increased reporting of hate crime. An enduring legacy of the inquiry, third-party reporting centres (TPRCs) have been equally faithfully promoted as the primary vehicle for achieving such increases. While the nations of the United Kingdom have pioneered the development of TPRCs, their function and form have been adopted in other jurisdictions, including Victoria, Australia. Nevertheless, despite their reliance on TPRCs, policymakers have given limited attention to their efficacy. The evidence from a plethora of small scale studies has consistently found that TPRCs have been limited by public awareness, capability, capacity and poor oversight difficulties. Responding to these long-standing problems, the authors have developed the first 'TPRC assessment tool' which offers a diagnostic facility to improve effectiveness. This paper describes the development and piloting of this tool and highlights its potential to inform policy and practice both in the UK and internationally, providing an original contribution to the limited evidence base around third-party reporting.


The metabolic profiles and composition of storage reserves of agricultural crop seeds are strongly regulated by heritable and environmental factors. Yet, very little is known about the genetic and environmental determinants of adaptive metabolic variation amongst wild type as well as transgenic seed populations derived from the same genetic background, grown under natural field conditions. The goal of the current study was to investigate the effects of natural environmental conditions on wild type and transgenic soybean seeds expressing a feedback-insensitive form of cystathionine γ-synthase, a methionine main regulatory enzyme. The seeds were grown in four geographically distinct habitats in China and then assayed for primary metabolic profiles using gas chromatography mass spectrometry, morphological traits and storage reserve accumulation. The analyses revealed changes in the levels of primary metabolites which evidently exhibited high correlation to methionine regardless of changes in environmental conditions. The environment, however, constituted a major determinant of metabolic profiles amongst seeds, as much more metabolites were observed to be affected by this variable, particularly along the north-to-south latitudinal gradient. The observations suggest that metabolic variation amongst seeds grown under natural field conditions depends upon the complex relationships existing amongst their genetic background and the environmental conditions characterizing their cultivation areas.


This article outlines the issues faced by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the statutory body which governs technical education in India. It points out various lacunae in many areas of technical education such as placements, the use of GATE and JEE scores for selection, accreditation, TEQIP and research in engineering, and the role of the centrally funded institutions. The article also recommends expanding AICTE into a think-tank which may design policy for such an important area.


Electronic medical imaging technologies are growing rapidly and simplifying diagnosis in medical area. The proper use of this technology requires a better understanding, interpretation, and development of new, efficient algorithms. Processing and recognition techniques of patterns related to these medical devices are becoming more important. Among these techniques artificial neural network structures are very promising in the diagnosis decision support mechanisms. In this paper, it is aimed to present the performance of statistical neural network structures on classifying cardiac problems which are obtained from SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) images. Principal component analysis has been used to overcome excessive dimensionality of data. After classification we used Receiver Operation Characteristics (ROC) analysis to evaluate system performance. Results show that proper neural network based statistical pattern recognition models will play a fundamental role in medical signal processing and image analysis.


Poor sleep quality is one of the most common problems among older adults. Non-pharmacological interventions are considered as a better choice for treatment of sleep problems in older adults. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on sleep quality in older adults. This single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 100 retired older adults. Participants were divided into two groups using simple random sampling. The intervention group received 2 drops of lavender essential oil and the control group received 2 drops of placebo in a glass of water, during bedtime, for 7 nights. All participants filled out the Pittsburgh sleep quality index before and after the intervention. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and sleep quality score before intervention. A significant difference in sleep quality was observed in the group receiving lavender essential oil compared to the control group 7 nights after intervention. Lavender essential oil has a positive effect on improving older adults' sleep quality.


Two different series of symmetrical and asymmetrical azobenzenes containing terminal cholesteryl/adamantyl derivatives (SAC/SAA and AAC) with varying spacer lengths (alkyl chains) have been developed. The gelation and aggregation of these derivatives were studied relative to structural motifs, spacer lengths, solvent affinity, temperatures and light conditions. Among these derivatives, the cholesteryl derivatives that have short alkyl chains (<3) act as efficient gelators in a variety of solvents. However, the cholesteryl derivatives with longer alkyl chains (11 spacer) and adamantyl derivatives did not possess this ability. Self-assembled fibrous structures were constructed by gelators with short alkyl chains (<3), while flower-like structures were constructed by gelators with moderately longer alkyl chains (3-6) at their respective critical gelation concentrations (CGCs) according to SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) analyses. In some cases, a partial/weak gel was observed in different solvents, which exhibited uniform spherical nanoparticles at CGCs. These nanoparticles were further entangled to form interconnected fibrous structures when the concentration was increased above the CGC (according to the SEM and TEM analyses). Secondary forces (van der Waals/H-bonding) and π-π stacking played important roles in the aggregation of both series in the solvents according to variable temperature (1)H-NMR analysis. The reversibility of sol-gel transitions by light was studied with respect to solvent affinity. This study revealed that reversible transitions were only observed in the non-polar solvents, as supported by the FTIR analysis of the gelators in the various solvents. The thermal and mesomorphic behaviors of the gelators by DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) and POM (Polarized Optical Microscopy) analyses revealed that the chiral nematic (N*) and cholesteric mesophase (Ch*) were exhibited by only the short and longer alkyl chain cholesteryl derivatives, respectively. However, the cholesteryl derivative without a spacer (AAC0) did not exhibit any liquid crystalline phase but acted as an efficient gelator relative to the other gelators in this study.


Aims: We aim to exploit the available INTEGRAL/SPI data to provide time-averaged spectra of the brightest soft gamma-ray sources. Methods: Employing a maximum-likelihood fit technique for our SPI data analysis, we take as input to our source model the source catalog derived by Bouchet et al. (2008) from a SPI all-sky study. We use the first four years of public SPI data and extract spectra between 25 keV and 1 MeV for the 20 catalog sources detected by Bouchet et al. at 200-600 keV with ≥2.5σ. In order to verify our analysis, we also extract spectra for the same sources from the corresponding INTEGRAL/ISGRI data. We fit adequate spectral models to the energy range 25-1000 keV for SPI and 25-600 keV for ISGRI. We use our spectra from the Crab (which is among the 20 sources studied here) and an empty location in a crowded field to derive an estimation of the systematic errors. Results: The agreement between our SPI and ISGRI measurements is good if we normalise them on the Crab spectrum. Our SPI flux measurements also agree well with those by Bouchet et al. (2008). All 20 sources in our sample are detected independently in the bands 25-100 keV and 100-200 keV. At 200-600 keV we detect eight sources, at 600-1000 keV we detect two sources. Our spectra agree well with the results from previous publications where available. For six of the 14 XRBs in our sample we find evidence for a hard powerlaw-component which becomes dominant above the cutoff energy of the thermal Comptonization component. In two of these cases, our study provides the first indication of such emission. For the others, our results confirm previous studies. Our spectrum of the Crab, integrated over 1.3 Ms, shows a significant flux in all points and is well described by a powerlaw with a break near 100 keV and spectral indices 2.11 and 2.20.


Stainless steels and other nickel-containing alloys are the principal materials used for key corrosion-resistant equipment in the chemical process industries. Since 1982, the National institute of Standards and Technology has accumulated considerable data from thousands of field corrosion tests. Classification methods from a diversity of technical disciplines were applied to data documenting the corrosion behavior of three commonly used stainless steel alloys in industrial acetic acid environments. These data are characterized by statistical uncertainty; there is no completely accurate solution obtainable for the problem investigated. The classification methods examined include linear discriminants, nearest neighbor methods, polynomial networks, and decision trees. Extensive resampling techniques were used to estimate the true error rates to facilitate a comparative analysis. For this highly dimensional problem, the nearest neighbor method performed the best, given the feature selection determined by the decision trees and polynomial networks, which performed second and third best, respectively. The transparency of the decision tree approach, along with its feature selection abilities and commendable performance, make this classification method most attractive overall.


Aims. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) orbit provides an opportunity to study the inner heliosphere at distances closer to the Sun than previously possible. Due to the solar minimum conditions, the initial orbits of PSP yielded only a few solar energetic particle (SEP) events for study. Recently during the fifth orbit, at distances from 0.45 to 0.3 au, the energetic particle suite on PSP, Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS), observed a series of six SEP events, adding to the limited number of SEP events studied inside of 0.5 au. Variations in the H and He spectra and the He/H abundance ratio are examined and discussed in relation to the identified solar source regions and activity.
Methods. IS⊙IS measures the energetic particle environment from ~20 keV to >100 MeV/nuc. Six events were selected using the ~1 MeV proton intensities, and while small, they were sufficient to calculate proton and helium spectra from ~1 to ~10 MeV/nuc. For the three larger events, the He/H ratio as a function of energy was determined. Using the timing of the associated radio bursts, solar sources were identified for each event and the eruptions were examined in extreme ultraviolet emission.
Results. The largest of the selected events has peak ~1 MeV proton intensities of 3.75 (cm2 sr s MeV)−1. Within uncertainties, the He and H spectra have similar power law forms with indices ranging from −2.3 to −3.3. For the three largest events, the He/H ratios are found to be relatively energy independent; however, the ratios differ substantially with values of 0.0033 ± 0.0013, 0.177 ± 0.047, and 0.016 ± 0.009. An additional compositional variation is evident in both the 3He and electron signatures. These variations are particularly interesting as the three larger events are likely a result of similar eruptions from the same active region.


A key issue in any business combination is whether the transaction is to be a taxable acquisition or a tax-free reorganization. Neither structure's benefits clearly dominate. Taxable acquisitions result in greater inventory cost and depreciation tax benefits to the buyer and more tax to the seller. Tax-free reorganizations allow the seller to avoid current payment of at least some taxes but result in less favorable tax benefits to the buyer. Each merger must therefore be tailored to fit the specific needs and wishes of the parties involved.


Summary Kevitsa disseminated Ni-Cu-PGE deposit in northern Finland is hosted by a major high velocity (6000–7500 m/s) gabbroic intrusion. The deposit is currently being mined using open-pit mining method at already over 100 m depth, and the final pit will extend to about 400–500 m depth in about 20 years, hence justifying a 3D seismic survey for its careful planning. The 3D seismic survey was carried out in 2010, before mining activities commenced, and resulted in a reflection volume rich in reflectivity, however, poor near the surface likely due to the survey setup and extremely high bedrock velocities. 3D first break tomography was performed with the main objective of linking near-surface geological information with the reflection seismic volume allowing to find a major low-velocity linear zone in the bedrock within the first 50 m depth. This was associated with a gently-dipping reflector with the same strike at 150 m depth and extending to about 500 m depth. The low-velocity zone striking in NE-SW, and originating from a gently-dipping fracture system, may contribute towards the formation of wedge blocks within the northern side of the planned open pit, which can be critical for its stability in the near future.


Materials by design is a core driver in enhancing sustainability and improving efficiency in a broad spectrum of industries. To this end, thermo-mechanical processes and many of the underlying phenomena were studied extensively in the context of specific cases. The goal of this thesis is threefold: First, we aim to establish a novel numerical model on the micro- and mesoscale that captures dynamic recrystallization in a generalized framework. Based on the inheritance of the idea of state switches, we term this scheme Field-Monte-Carlo Potts method. We employ a finite deformation framework in conjunction with a continuum-scale crystal plasticity formulation and extend the idea of state switches to cover both grain migration and nucleation. We introduce physically-motivated state-switch rules, based on which we achieve a natural marriage between the deterministic nature of crystal plasticity and the stochastic nature of dynamic recrystallization. Using a novel approach to undertake the states-switches in a transient manner, the new scheme benefits from enhanced stability and can, therefore, handle arbitrary levels of anisotropy. We demonstrate this functionality at the example of pure Mg at room temperature, which experiences strong anisotropy through the different hardening behavior on the 〈c+a〉-pyramidal and prismatic slip systems as opposed to the basal slip systems as well as through the presence of twinning as an alternative strain accommodating mechanisms. Building on this generalized approach, we demonstrate spatial convergence of the scheme along with the ability to capture the transformation from single- to multi-peak stress-strain behavior. Second, motivated by the lack of transparency concerning the benefits of high-fidelity approaches in the modeling of dynamic recrystallization, we present two derivative models of the Field-Monte-Carlo Potts method, both of which afford reduced computational expense. One model preserves the spatial interpretation of grains, but imposes a Taylor assumption regarding the distribution of strain; the other reduces the spatial notion of a grain to a volume fraction in the idea of a Taylor model. In order to concentrate on the differences in accuracy between the various approaches, we fit all three schemes to experimental data for pure copper, which allows us to employ a well-understood crystal plasticity-based constitutive model and to simultaneously provide sufficient data for the analysis of the texture, stress and grain-size evolution. Owing to the large strains attained in these simulations, using the FFT-based scheme, we achieve capturing a precursor of continuous dynamic recrystallization. For low temperatures, the Taylor model fails to replicate the nucleation-dominated recrystallization process, whereas, at high temperatures, it shows compelling agreement with experiments and the two higher-fidelity models both in terms of the homogenized stress-evolution and the microstructural evolution. Finally, we present a novel multiscale analysis of thermo-mechanical processes through coupling of the computationally efficient Taylor model for modeling dynamic recrystallization on the mesoscale to a max-ent based meshfree approach on the macroscale in the idea of vertical homogenization. We analyze the severe plastic deformation-based process of equal channel angular extrusion, which is intriguing from a numerical perspective due to the heavily localized zone of extensive shear deformation. By employing novel tools on the microscale regarding the stable update of internal variables as well as a careful interpretation of macroscale boundary conditions, we present the first multiscale analysis of a severe plastic deformation process informing simultaneously about the evolution of stress, texture and grain refinement. We attain convincing qualitative agreements for the evolution of the plunger force and texture. As an outlook on future investigations, we analyze multiple passes of the same billet in the form of route C with emphasis on the texture evolution after the second pass.


Based on the reliability-based design theory and sensitivity analysis method, the reliability-based sensitivity design of beam structure with non-normal distribution parameters is extensively researched and a numerical method for reliability-based sensitivity design is presented. The variation regularities of reliability sensitivity are obtained and the effects of design parameters on reliability of beam structure are studied. The method presented in this paper provided the theoretic basis for the reliability-based design of beam structure with non-normal distribution parameters.


Human resource management becomes a challenge in the process of
organizing the public organization. The successful of human resources
management can be impactful on the achievement of public organizations goals.
Bad administration of human resources can have further influence on the
performance of the organization. Espesially in Banyumas, 8 job departements still
have low achievements, below 90% of RKPD targets. Two of them are in SKPD of
Library Office and Regional Archive of Banyumas Regency
This research aims to determine the performance of the Public Library
and Archive Office and find several factors that can improve performance in
public organizations. This research was conducted in the Banyumas Public
Library and Archive Office, and the respondents of all office employees. This
research use deductive model and using data analysis method of correlation
kendall tau and ordinal regression
The results showed that the performance of employees at the Public
Library and Archive Office is good but not optimal. This study also found the
relationship and influence where the work discipline affect the performance of
20.3%, while the employee's ability to affect the performance of 24.4%, and
employee perceptions of the work environment affect the performance of 32.2%.
Keyword: Human Resources, Employees Performance, Library Management,
Disipline, Ability, Work Environment


In recent years, substantial friction has been generated by United States litigation involving Chinese defendants. From the U.S. perspective, the litigation is primarily domestic in nature, seeking compensation for injuries caused on U.S. soil by parties that actively targeted the U.S. market. Aside from obtaining compensation for those injured, a purpose of the litigation is to create deterrence so as to discourage future violations. Obtaining discovery, which is critical to U.S. style litigation, is an essential part of that 'after-the-fact regulation' process.From the Chinese perspective, foreign court systems imposing demands on Chinese defendants that need to be carried out on Chinese soil constitute an affront to Chinese sovereignty. Familiar with a system in which discovery is not at the core of the dispute resolution process, and in which litigant-driven discovery plays almost no part at all, they see no justification for U.S. courts requiring compliance with U.S. style discovery when that requires directing actions that must take place within China. The different starting points have led the parties to an unstable standoff. By and large, neither the Chinese government nor the Chinese defendants have made it easy to get responses to discovery requests related to U.S. litigation. Finding Chinese responses to discovery requests made under the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters unhelpful, U.S. litigants and courts have often chosen instead to seek discovery directly from those defendants over whom the court finds personal jurisdiction. In order to get the attention of Chinese defendants who consider themselves outside the proper reach of U.S. courts, courts impose substantial sanctions on parties who fail to respond — involving large sums of money or even the banning of the defendant company from selling any goods into the U.S. market. Because U.S. litigation serves important purposes above and beyond resolving the instant dispute — including the making of new law and after-the-fact regulation of manufacturers who are given easy entry into U.S. markets — U.S. courts view the protection of their judicial power as imperative.Part of what underlies the friction is a failure by each side to understand the terms of the dispute to the other side. Each country looks at discovery as discovery exists in its own system. Each system looks at discovery as a distinct feature, without un-derstanding the overall system. This is a mistake. Each country operates under its own unique system of governance, and each model of procedure is designed to reinforce these systemic goals. Litigation, and the obtaining of discovery in the course of that litigation, performs radically different functions in the two systems. In addition, issues of state sovereignty and state control do not translate point for point across the two systems.This article looks at the issue from a systemic standpoint, exploring the central role litigation plays in U.S. governance and regulation, and the central role of discovery in U.S. litigation. It then looks at the Chinese system, which rejects vesting in courts the kind of policy making functions U.S. courts exercise even in routine commercial cases. It is hoped that one contribution of this article is helping each side understand the stakes to the other side.If there is to be a solution to the problem — and it is to be hoped there can be, because the ongoing disputes over discovery dissipate goodwill that might be needed to resolve other conflicts — it must begin at a systems level. Put differently, it is not appropriate for either system to impose its mores on the other. The two sides should work together to develop a richer understanding of the stakes to the other side, and explore whether a solution exists that serves the needs of both sides without unnecessary conflict.


"Savoir c'est pouvoir: Integral Education in the Novels of André Léo" André Léo (1824–1900), best known as a participant in the Commune, also published over twenty socially conscious novels. Her works not only provide a critique of the educational practices of the second half of the nineteenth century, but also advocate the secularization of public schools, the expansion of education for workers and for women, co-education, and the development of new libertarian methods of teaching. These reforms resemble theories of "integral education" developed by such key figures in nineteenth-century socialism and anarchism as Fourier, Proudhon and Bakunin. In this article, after a brief introduction to theories of "integral education," Beach explores how André Léo used the novel to criticize the French school system and to promote radical educational reform. (CB)


The concept of relevance is fundamental to the law of evidence. A California court of appeals recently invoked this concept to deem inadmissible estimates of the relative frequency of an incriminating DNA type in major racial groups and computations relating to a mixture of DNA from more than one person. This article shows that these statistics are relevant evidence because they help the factfinder assess the significance of matching DNA types under various hypotheses that might be entertained about the origin of the DNA samples.


Objective: To determine hemodynamic changes to hypoxia induced by intermittent occlusion of uterine perfusion in 115–140 day old twin fetal lambs. Methods: 14 twin pairs of ovine fetuses were exposed to hypoxia by gradual reduction of uterine blood flow (50%, 75%, 90%, 98%, 100%) and simultaneously Doppler imaging (LOGIQ 500) of the fetal aorta, carotid, ophthalmic and occipital arteries were recorded. Fetal heart rate and blood pressure were obtained by connecting an indwelling catheter inserted in maternal and fetal femoral arteries to a manometer and 1 ml samples of blood were taken from the catheter to determine pH and pO2 in a CO-Oxymeter. Results: Hemodynamic changes followed by a decrease of diastolic flow velocities in the fetal aorta were first obtained during 75% occlusion of uterine perfusion (p < 0.01). During extreme hypoxia caused by 100% occlusion of uterine perfusion preferential blood flow to the fetal brain via the occipital and carotid arteries and the eye via the ophthalmic artery were paralleled by severe bradycardia, acidaemia and hypercapnia (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: (1) Redistribution of blood flow was first noted by decreasing diastolic flow velocities in the fetal aorta during 75% occlusion of uterine perfusion. (2) Brain sparing effect during 100% occlusion of uterine perfusion was best exemplified by preserving diastolic flow velocities to the brain via the occipital and carotid arteries and the eye via the ophthalmic artery.


A fiber-optic temperature sensor based on the interference of selective higher-order modes in circular optical fibers is described. The authors demonstrate that by coupling the LP01 mode in a standard single-mode fiber to the LP0m modes in a multimode fiber, and utilizing the interference of the higher-order modes, a fiber-optic temperature sensor which has an extremely simple structure and is suitable for high-temperature measurements can be constructed. The sensing principle, temperature measurement experiments, and results are presented.


This paper introduces selected aspects of the German Business Judgment Rule (German BJR). The German BJR is explored in context with the internal liability of a member of the management board of a German stock corporation, Aktiengesellschaft (German AG). Recent rather spectacular litigations involving the liability of company organs have provoked a debate in Germany on whether or not the internal liability of the organ vis-à-vis the company under German law should be reformed. Against this backdrop controversies surrounding the effectiveness of the German BJR have also gained momentum. The German BJR is viewed mainly as a tool to limit the internal liability of company organs, in particular that of a member of the management board of a German AG. Is the German BJR in this context an effective legal instrument? Or does it rather require a reform to achieve its ambitious legislative goals? These questions stimulated the interest in analysing this topic in this paper which aims to prepare the way for responses. The tour d'horizon regarding the German BJR might not only allow a better understanding of the internal liability regime of a German AG which has become an issue of considerable practical importance. It also aims to provide some more general insights into German legal reasoning and the 'operation' of the German law of stock corporations (Aktienrecht). Its findings might not only be instructive to the practice of courts and practitioners of other legal systems in the realm of directors' civil liability. As a concise 'country report' on the German BJR it could also be used as a basis for further comparative law explorations.


Objective: Beverage acidity has been measured routinely using the pH value. However, titratable acidity is thought to be a true indicator of beverage erosive potential. It has also been reported that experimental addition of calcium in beverages can reduce the progression of erosion. This study was carried out to investigate effects the of pH, titratable acidity and calcium concentration of non alcoholic carbonated beverages on enamel erosion of extracted human premolar teeth.
Method: The erosive potential of 13 carbonated beverages and control was characterized based on analysis of pH, titratable acidity, and calcium concentrations. This was followed by ename demineralization tests. Baseline and post-immersion measurements of enamel microhardness were carried out using Vickers microhardness tester. Mean and standard deviation for each parameter was calculated. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA), paired t test, pearson's correlation, and multiple linear stepwise regression analysis were employed for statistical analysis. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Result: Among the beverages, Pepsi had the lowest pH while Sip-on-appy had the highest pH. Titratable acidity was lowest for Limca and highest for Red Bull. Calcium concentration was lowest in Limca and Sprite and highest in Appy fizz. Statistically significant negative correlation between pH and percentage reduction of enamel microhardness, and between calcium concentration and percentage reduction of enamel microhardness was found. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis revealed pH as the best predictor for erosive potential.
Conclusion: All beverages have potential for enamel erosion. Beverages with lower pH and less calcium are more erosive.


We describe in this essay why the gold standard and the euro are extreme forms of fixed exchange rates, and how these policies had their most potent effects in the worst peaceful economic periods in modern times. While we are lucky to have avoided another catastrophe like the Great Depression in 2008-9, mainly by virtue of policy makers' aggressive use of monetary and fiscal stimuli, the world economy still is experiencing many difficulties. As in the Great Depression, this second round of problems stems from the prevalence of fixed exchange rates. Fixed exchange rates facilitate business and communication in good times but intensify problems when times are bad.


Thermochemical conversion processes such as pyrolysis, steam gasification, and decarbonization of lignocellulosic materials have the potential to be cost competitive with conventional means of producing hydrogen. Hydrogen will play an important role in a future energy economy mainly as a storage and transportation medium for renewable energy sources. Hydrogen may become the favored energy carrier in a possible "greenhouse driven" future due to its lack of carbon dioxide emission at the point of use. It is shown that decarbonizing fossil fuels to hydrogen with carbon dioxide being stored in deep geological formations represents the least expensive way of producing carbon dioxide-free hydrogen.


Malware homology identification is important in attacking event tracing, emergency response scheme generation, and event trend prediction. Current malware homology identification methods still rely on manual analysis, which is inefficient and cannot respond quickly to the outbreak of attack events. In response to these problems, we propose a new malware homology identification method from a gene perspective. A malware gene is represented by the subgraph, which can describe the homology of malware families. We extract the key subgraph from the function dependency graph as the malware gene by selecting the key application programming interface (API) and using the community partition algorithm. Then, we encode the gene and design a frequent subgraph mining algorithm to find the common genes between malware families. Finally, we use the family genes to guide the identification of malware based on homology. We evaluate our method with a public dataset, and the experiment results show that the accuracy of malware classification reaches 97% with high efficiency.


Background and Objective: Computed tomography guided percutaneous lung biopsy is a commonly used method for clarifying the nature of pulmonary nodules. However, due to the existence of breathing movement, the lungs have greater mobility, and biopsy of small pulmonary nodules is difficult. In recent years, 3D-printed coplanar templates are gradually used in percutaneous biopsy of small pulmonary nodules. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the application value of 3D-printed coplanar puncture template assisted computed tomography guided percutaneous core needle biopsy of small (≤20mm) pulmonary nodules. Method: From January 2018 to January 2021 in Taihe Hospital, 210 hospitalized patients with pulmonary nodules underwent percutaneous core needle biopsy for histopathology/cytopathology diagnosis and were included in the study. All patients were allocated into two groups, patients in Free-hand group underwent percutaneous core needle biopsy without 3D-printed coplanar templates, and patients in 3D-PCT group underwent percutaneous core needle biopsy with 3D-printed coplanar templates. The number of needle adjustments, number of CT scans, surgical time-consuming, diagnostic accuracy, and incidence of complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. Rapid on site evaluation was routinely used for guiding specimens' triage. Approval for this trial was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Taihe hospital. Result: The number of needle adjustments (1.41±0.63 vs. 2.23±0.85), the number of CT scans (3.63±0.73 vs. 4.25±0.81) and the incidence of pneumothorax (9.6% vs. 21.1%) during the procedure were significantly lower in the observation group than the control group (P< 0.05), whereas there were no significant differences in the diagnostic accuracy (95.2% vs. 94.3%) and incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage (65.4% vs. 62.3%) between the two groups (P> 0.05), however, the surgical time-consuming in 3D-PCT group is significantly more than Free-hand group.Conclusions: These findings indicated that the 3D-printed coplanar puncture template combined with CT guided percutaneous biopsy can relatively fix the target lesion, reduce the number of needle adjustments and number of CT scans, reduce iatrogenic radiation, and reduce the incidence of complications, especially pneumothorax.


X-ray diffraction measurements of liquid water are reported at pressures up to 360 MPa corresponding to a density of 0.0373 molecules per Å(3). The measurements were conducted at a spatial resolution corresponding to Q(max) = 16 Å(-1). The method of data analysis and measurement in this study follows the earlier benchmark results reported for water under ambient conditions having a density of 0.0333 molecules per Å(3) and Q(max) = 20 Å(-1) [J. Chem. Phys. 138, 074506 (2013)] and at 70 °C having a density of 0.0327 molecules per Å(3) and Q(max) = 20 Å(-1) [J. Chem. Phys. 141, 214507 (2014)]. The structure of water is very different at these three different T and P state points and thus they provide the basis for evaluating the fidelity of molecular simulation. Measurements show that at 360 MPa, the 4 waters residing in the region between 2.3 and 3 Å are nearly unchanged: the peak position, shape, and coordination number are nearly identical to their values under ambient conditions. However, in the region above 3 Å, large structural changes occur with the collapse of the well-defined 2nd shell and shifting of higher shells to shorter distances. The measured structure is compared to simulated structure using intermolecular potentials described by both first-principles methods (revPBE-D3) and classical potentials (TIP4P/2005, MB-pol, and mW). The DFT-based, revPBE-D3, method and the many-body empirical potential model, MB-pol, provide the best overall representation of the ambient, high-temperature, and high-pressure data. The revPBE-D3, MB-pol, and the TIP4P/2005 models capture the densification mechanism, whereby the non-bonded 5th nearest neighbor molecule, which partially encroaches the 1st shell at ambient pressure, is pushed further into the local tetrahedral arrangement at higher pressures by the more distant molecules filling the void space in the network between the 1st and 2nd shells.


This study estimates the effect of offshoring on workers' hourly wages and annual income in Japan by constructing matched worker-firm data. I use two sets of dummies to take into account two aspects of worker skills: field of skills and level of skills. Interestingly, the estimated scale of impact from offshoring and exports on hourly wages and annual income of male low-skilled workers is statistically insignificant in Japan. Regarding skill premiums, offshoring increases wage premium for higher level of skill as well as that for science-oriented knowledge and administrative tasks. Interestingly, exports decrease these skill premiums, meaning the increase of both offshoring and exports partially offsets their effect on skill premiums. In addition, it is observed that the uneven gendered effects of trade on hourly wage are leveled out to some degree by the adjustment of working hours and bonuses. These findings imply that the shock of international transaction in a particular firm is mitigated by its internal labor market.


Hypocholesterolaemia is associated with elevated cancer risk and mortality, yet the relation between chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and serum lipid profile remains unclear. Our study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of cholesterol levels in CLL and develop a prognostic nomogram that incorporates lipid metabolism. We enrolled 761 newly diagnosed CLL patients and separated them into either derivation (n = 507) or validation (n = 254) cohorts. The prognostic nomogram was constructed through multivariate Cox regression analyses, with performance evaluated using C-index, the area under the curve, calibration, and decision curve analyses. Decreased total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at diagnosis were significantly associated with worse time to first treatment (TTFT) and cancer-specific survival (CSS), and simultaneously, low HDL-C with low LDL-C was identified as an independent prognostic indicator for both TTFT and CSS. CLL patients achieving complete or partial remission post-chemotherapy had significantly increased TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C levels compared with the baseline, and post-therapeutic HDL-C and LDL-C elevation correlated with favourable survival. The prognostic nomogram augmenting the CLL international prognostic index with low cholesterol levels yielded higher predictive accuracy and discrimination capacity for both 3-year and 5-year CSS. In conclusion, cholesterol profiles can be used as a cheap and readily accessible tool for predicting prognosis in CLL practice.


Most dynamic real-time scheduling algorithms are open-loop in nature meaning that they do not dynamically adjust their behavior using the performance at run-time. When accurate workload models are not available, such a scheduling can result in a highly underutilized system based on an extremely pessimistic estimation of workload. In recent years, "closed-loop" scheduling is gaining importance due to its applicability to many real-world problems wherein the feedback information can be exploited efficiently to adjust system parameters, thereby improving the performance. In this paper, we first propose an open-loop dynamic scheduling algorithm that employs overlap in order to provide flexibility in task execution times. Secondly, we propose a novel closed-loop approach for dynamically estimating the execution time of tasks based on both deadline miss ratio and task rejection ratio. This approach is highly preferable for firm real-time systems since it provides a firm performance guarantee. We evaluate the performance of the open-loop and the closed-loop approaches by simulation and modeling. Our studies show that the closed-loop scheduling offers a significantly better performance (20% gain) over the open-loop scheduling under all the relevant conditions we simulated.


Purpose. Insulin receptor (InsR) sensitizers represent a new type of therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetes, with 2

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 -O-methylperlatolic acid (2-O-M) being a potential InsR targeting drug. The purpose of this study was to determine whether 2-O-M functions as an activator of the insulin signaling pathway, regulating glucose hemostasis through the InsR and exerting a glucose-lowering effect in an animal model of diabetes. Methods. SPR-based analyses were used to detect the binding of different concentrations of 2-O-M to the InsR. The protein levels of IR-β, p-IR, AKT, and p-AKT in Hepa and C2C12 cell lines and liver and muscle tissues were determined by western blotting. Glucose uptake capacity was determined in C2C12 cells. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were randomly divided into four groups: the control, insulin treated, 2-O-M treated, and combined insulin and 2-O-M treated. Mice were injected with 2-O-M or normal saline and the average blood glucose concentration after 120 min, and the serum levels of insulin, glucagon, and C-peptide were measured. Next, qRT-PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expression of genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver and muscle tissues. Results. 2-O-M binds to the extracellular domain of the InsR. Moreover, combination treatment with 2-O-M and insulin resulted in significant activation of the insulin signaling pathway in vitro and significant stimulation of the glucose uptake capacity of C2C12 myotubes. In mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, 2-O-M significantly prolonged the blood glucose-lowering effect of insulin, significantly reduced the secretion of exogenous insulin, and reduced the blood glucose concentration in vivo. In addition, treatment with 2-O-M alone significantly enhanced the phosphorylation of AKT in muscle tissue, which enhanced glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes. Further, 2-O-M significantly increased glucagon secretion and enhanced liver gluconeogenesis to prevent hypoglycemia. Conclusion. 2-O-M enhances the hypoglycemic effect of insulin through the insulin signaling pathway and can be used as a complement to insulin. This synergetic effect may lower the required dose of insulin and protect β cells.