High-energy heavy-ion collisions produce abundant hyperons and nucleons. A dynamical coalescence model coupled with the ART model is employed to study the production probabilities of light clusters, deuteron (d), triton (t), helion ((3)He), and hypertriton ((3)(A)H) at subthreshold energy of A production (approximate to 1 GeV per nucleon). We study the dependence on the reaction system size of the coalescence penalty factor per additional nucleon and entropy per nucleon. The Strangeness Population Factor (S(3) =(3)(A)H/((3)He x A/p)) shows an extra suppression of hypertriton comparing to light clusters of the same mass number. This model predicts a hypertriton production cross-section of a few mu b in (36)Ar+(36)Ar, (40)Ca+(40)Ca and (56)Ni+(56)Ni in 1 A GeV reactions. The production rate is as high as a few hypertritons per million collisions, which shows that the fixed-target heavy-ion collisions at CSR (Lanzhou/China) at A subthreshold energy are suitable for breaking new ground in hypernuclear physics.


Loss of the mitochondrial fission enzyme dynamin‐related protein 1 (Drp1) in cardiomyocytes results in energy shortage and heart failure. We aim to understand the intracellular signal pathway and extracellular factors regulating Drp1 phosphorylation and mitochondrial morphology and function in cardiomyocytes. We found cyclic mechanical stretching induced mitochondrial fission through Drp1 and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs). FAK regulated phosphorylation of Drp1 and mitochondrial Drp1 levels. Extracellular fibronectin activated Drp1 and caused mitochondrial fission through FAK and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Fibronectin increased NRVMs oxygen consumption rate and ATP content via FAK‐ERK1/2‐Drp1. Inhibition of the FAK‐ERK1/2‐Drp1 pathway caused cellular energy shortage. In addition, the FAK‐ERK1/2‐Drp1 pathway was rapidly activated by adrenergic agonists and contributed to agonists‐stimulated NRVMs respiration. Interestingly, fibronectin limited the adrenergic agonists‐induced NRVMs respiration by restricting phosphorylation of Drp1. Our results suggest that extracellular fibronectin and adrenergic stimulations use the FAK‐ERK1/2‐Drp1 pathway to regulate mitochondrial morphology and function in cardiomyocytes.


The generation of tinnitus is a topic of much scientific enquiry. This chapter reviews possible mechanisms of tinnitus, whilst noting that the heterogeneity observed within the human population with distressing tinnitus means that there may be many different mechanisms by which tinnitus can occur. Indeed, multiple mechanisms may be at work within one individual. The role of the cochlea in tinnitus is considered, and in particular the concept of discordant damage between inner and outer hair cells is described. Biochemical models of tinnitus pertaining to the cochlea and the central auditory pathway are considered. Potential mechanisms for tinnitus within the auditory brain are reviewed, including important work on synchronised spontaneous activity in the cochlear nerve. Whilst the number of possible mechanisms of tinnitus within the auditory system is considerable, the identification of the physiological substrates underlying tinnitus is a crucial element in the design of novel and effective therapies.


Multi-hydrogenated species with proper symmetry properties can present different spin configurations, and thus exist under different spin symmetry forms, labeled as para and ortho for two-hydrogen molecules. We investigated here the ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) of H2Cl+ in the light of new observations performed in the z = 0.89 absorber toward the lensed quasar PKS 1830−211 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Two independent lines of sight were observed, to the southwest (SW) and northeast (NE) images of the quasar, with OPR values found to be 3.15 ± 0.13 and 3.1 ± 0.5 in each region, respectively, in agreement with a spin statistical weight of 3:1. An OPR of 3:1 for a molecule containing two identical hydrogen nuclei can refer to either a statistical result or a high-temperature limit depending on the reaction mechanism leading to its formation. It is thus crucial to identify rigorously how OPRs are produced in order to constrain the information that these probes can provide. To understand the production of the H2Cl+ OPR, we undertook a careful theoretical study of the reaction mechanisms involved with the aid of quasi-classical trajectory calculations on a new global potential energy surface fit to a large number of high-level ab initio data. Our study shows that the major formation reaction for H2Cl+ produces this ion via a hydrogen abstraction rather than a scrambling mechanism. Such a mechanism leads to a 3:1 OPR, which is not changed by destruction and possible thermalization reactions for H2Cl+ and is thus likely to be the cause of observed 3:1 OPR ratios, contrary to the normal assumption of scrambling.


Autonomy for English teaching and learning conduces to removal of several side-effects of authoritarian management. It aims at briefly introducing individual autonomy and local autonomy. Individual autonomy relies on an individual's self-control capacity. Teachers ought to shift their roles from being pure instructors to becoming objective advisors; whereas learners shift from being blind receivers to becoming active performers.. Local autonomy does not value certainty of remaining monopolized. It requires flexible localized arrangements and a harmonious relationship among and between linguistic aspects.


A simple, inexpensive and rapid, stability indica ting isocratic HPLC method has been developed for the quantitative determination of rimonabant, an anti-obesity drug. Degradation studies were performed on the bulk drug by heating to 105°C, exposure to UV light at 254 nm, acid (0.1 N hydrochloric acid), base (0.1 N sodium hydroxide) and aqueous hydrolysis and oxidation with 3.0 % v/v hydrogen peroxide. Considerable degradation was observed under oxidation conditions. Good resolution between the peaks corresponding to impurities produced during synthesis, degradation products and the analyte was achieved on Ace-C18, 150 x 4.0 m.m column using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of aqueous potassium dihydrogen phosphate and acetonitrile. Validation of th e method was carried out as per ICH requirements.


The translation of G2, G2(MP2), and G2(MP2,SVP) total energies to heats of formation via atomization and formation reaction procedures is evaluated. While both approaches give similar results, the former is shown to perform somewhat better, especially for organic molecules. The recommended general procedure for obtaining heats of formation at 0 K from G2-type total energies is to use G2-type atomization energies in conjunction with experimental gas-phase heats of formation for the constituent atoms. The corrections required to give heats of formation at finite temperatures can be obtained using scaled theoretically derived vibrational frequencies for the species under consideration together with temperature correction terms for the constituent elements based on experimental data. While the harmonic oscillator model is a good approximation for most vibrational modes, internal rotations with relatively low frequencies are more accurately treated within the free rotor approximation.


In performing experimental liver surgery, it is difficult to prolong anhepatic time because the animals do not tolerate prolonged portal and caval clamping. To counteract prolonged venous stasis, the authors previously developed a simple porto‐intracaval shunt. The shunt consists of a self‐constructed inverted Y silicone tube. The effectiveness of this shunt was studied comparing two groups of 10 rabbits with shunt (S) versus those with clamped portal and inferior caval vein (C). In the group of rabbits that underwent porto‐intracaval shunt, the results concerning intraoperative mortality, intraoperative increase in distal portal vein pressure, and incidence of the histologic signs of gut damage were clearly improved. The proposed porto‐intracaval shunt was therefore effective in reducing some principal negative effects of portal and caval clamping. This type of porto‐intracaval shunt can be therefore useful allowing improvement of experimental models concerning liver surgery in little animals.


In order to obtain the features of force for three-edge end mills in normally milling, an equation of milling force in Y direction was built based on the presumption that the forces of every edge are not equal, and its simulation waveforms in time domain was analyzed, the force of Y direction was found to present different spectral features under different radial depth of cut or ratio of radial force to tangential force. Milling experiments were done in a three-axis CNC machine, the features of measured force meets the results of simulation analyze. Study results indicates that the force in slot milling contains a rather great sub-component with spindle rotational frequency, while in partial milling the main sub-component is that with tripler of spindle rotational frequency. This conclusion can be used as the reference basis in judging failure of mills.


Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most frequent bone cancer in childhood. Clinically, ES appears as very aggressive osteolytic tumor with early tendency for development of metastasis. It belongs to the group of small-round-blue-cell tumors and is comprised of largely undifferentiated cells. The unique feature of this tumor is presence of the balanced t(11;22)(q24;q12) translocation in more than 85% of cases. This gene rearrangement results in the expression of a chimeric fusion protein where RNA binding domain of EWS is exchanged by the DNA binding domain of the ets transcription factor FLI1, thus generating a dysregulated transcription factor EWS/FLI1. More than 18 less represented alternative translocations involving EWS and other ets protein family members have been described since. Extensive evidence supports the fact that EWS/FLI1 is an essential oncogenic component of ES development. Its oncogenic activity is thought to be mediated through inappropriate regulation of target genes that are crucial for the fully malignant phenotype. Apart from having transforming and tumorigenic potential, even more important is that EWS/FLI1 appears to be necessary for tumor cell maintenance. For these reasons EWS/FLI1 represents an attractive target. However, it is widely accepted that transcription factors are ''undruggable'', and EWS/FLI1 as intrinsically disordered protein is not prone to direct inhibition by a small molecule in the classical sense. No targeted agents have been routinely introduced into therapy of ES. Even though in the last few decades there has been considerable progress in both diagnosis as well as treatment of the localised disease, only 15% of patients with metastatic disease survive. Current treatment regimens of ES are not fully exploiting the fact that specific inhibition of signalling pathways is now possible. More specifically, it is not known whether specific pathway could affect the activity of EWS/FLI1. In this thesis, we characterized PHLDA1 as a novel direct target gene whose expression is repressed by EWS/FLI1. Moreover, the role of PHLDA1 in ES was addressed in this study. Using this gene and additional specific well-characterized target genes such as NROB1, NKX2.2, and CAV1, all activated by EWS/FLI1, as a read-out system, we established a screening system that is capable of detecting compounds targeting activity and/or expression of EWS/FLI1 either 6 directly or indirectly. This system is an important simplification of the previously applied gene expression based high-throughput screening, represents a more targeted approach than screenings based on survival or proliferation only, and is more robust than a screening approach based on a single-gene reporter assay. We screened a small-molecule compound library enriched for FDA-approved drugs for substances that modulated the expression of EWS/FLI1 target genes. Among a hit-list of 9 well known drugs such as camptothecin, fenretinide, etoposide and doxorubicin, we also identified the kinase inhibitor midostaurin (PKC412). Subsequent experiments demonstrated that midostaurin is able to induce apoptosis in a panel of 6 ES cell lines in vitro and can significantly suppress xenograft tumor growth in vivo. These results suggest that midostaurin might be a novel drug that is active against ES cells which might act by modulating the expression of EWS/FLI1 target genes. In the second part of this thesis, in order to identify molecular pathway(s) that may contribute to the transcriptional activity and oncogenic properties of EWS/FLI1, we used our well established screening approach and performed screening of a small library of 153 targeted inhibitors covering all major signaling pathways. We discovered PI3K inhibitors as potent modulators of EWS/FLI1 expression. This finding was confirmed in several ES cell lines and off target effects of the PI3K inhibitors was excluded by performing genetic loss of function experiments. Analysis of the EWS/FLI1 promoter region using various deletion constructs in reporter gene assays determined two 12bp minimal elements where transcription factor(s) under PI3K control is binding. Elucidating the direct link between PI3K and EWS/FLI1 is of importance, and identity of the responsible transcription factor(s) might provide novel therapeutic opportunities. Results presented in this thesis clearly demonstrate that screening approach here established can be used for both screening for compounds effective against ES as well as for screening targeted inhibitors leading to better understanding of the biology of ES. Together it should lead to development of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of ES.


The paper describes the main tendencies and perspectives of development of rural areas in Ukraine. It emphasizes that the key reason of existing socio-economic issues in rural regions is the absence of well-defined rural development policy. Thus, it is necessary for Ukraine to implement long-term rural policy, as it takes place in countries of the European Union. Rural development should be based on the territorial approach. The special attention should be paid to the creation of local action groups. Hence, it is essential to introduce a program, similar to the LEADER initiative, to use local possibilities, and to implement the bottom-up approach for the solution of rural issues. Also, special strategies should be developed to expand non-farm rural activities. The above-mentioned measures will give good opportunities to improve the socio-economic situation in rural areas, to increase the standard of living of rural people, and to enhance the competitiveness of the rural economy.


A novel sulfate-reducing bacterium (strain DePue) closely related to Desulfovibrio vulgaris ssp. vulgaris strain Hildenborough was isolated from the sediment of a heavy-metal impacted lake using established techniques. Although few physiological differences between strains DePue and Hildenborough were observed, pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed a significant genome reduction in strain DePue. Comparative whole-genome microarray and polymerase chain reaction analyses demonstrated that the absence of genes annotated in the Hildenborough genome as phage or phage-related contributed to the significant genome reduction in strain DePue. Two morphotypically distinct temperate bacteriophage from strain Hildenborough were recovered using strain DePue as a host for plaque isolation.


Scientific methodology was first introduced in the social science discipline through Émile Durkheim's work entitled Rules of Sociological Method. Nevertheless, scientific methodology is presumed to be inadequate when wholly applied in Islamic-based research because it has limitations when studying Islam and Muslims. This indicates the importance of re-examining the scientific approach when formulating an Islamic research methodology. Based on historiographical sources, the scientific methodology was first explored by a Muslim intellectual named Ibn al-Haytham. The question is, what is the philosophy entrenched in Ibn al-Haytham's scientific research? Moreover, is his philosophy adequate to develop Islamic research methodology? Hence, this paper intends to identify the philosophy beyond Ibn al-Haytham's scientific research and analyze its suitability with the Islamic research methodology. Thus, by using content analysis, the discussions are arranged into three sections. First, is to identify the basis of Islamic research methodology. Second, is to examine Ibn al-Haytham's philosophy on scientific research. Third, is to analyze the compatibility between the two subjects. The study has found that Ibn al-Haytham's philosophy on scientific research has the strength from the aspect of tasawwur (worldview), epistemology, ontology, tools of analysis and the final aim of a study. Hence, his research philosophy is fit to be applied in the Islamic research methodology.


The Ericsson R380 is a so-called smartphone, combining an advanced mobile phone with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). To evaluate the usability of the Ericsson R380 and benchmark it against the Nokia 9110 Communicator and the Motorola A6188 Accompli, a repeated measurements experiment was performed. 18 subjects (10 men and 8 women) with no previous experience of any of the interfaces participated. Half of the subjects had extensive experience from using Ericsson mobile phones and half of the subjects had extensive experience from using Nokia mobile phones. A set of 9 tasks to be solved on each interface was presented to the subjects. The order in which the subjects used the interfaces was balanced with a Latin square design while the tasks were presented in consecutive order and were identical for all interfaces. Level of completeness, completion time and number of actions were assessed for each task and interface. Subjects also rated the perceived usability and aesthetics of the interfaces. Overall, subjects were most successful using the Motorola A6188 Accompli, using fewer keystrokes and less time as well as needing fewer hints compared to the Ericsson R380 and Nokia 9110 Communicator. However, the Ericsson R380 was rated significantly higher than the other interfaces on perceived usability. Previous experience with Ericsson or Nokia mobile phones did not have a major impact on how well subjects succeeded with using the interfaces in the test. Certain mistakes made by each group of subjects could be explained in terms of mental models, Einstellung effects and the use of so- called Function-Object interaction style where Object-Function interaction was appropriate. Contrary to earlier findings, aesthetics and perceived usability did not correspond to a great extent. Finally, the results are discussed and some suggestions for improvements are put forward.


This paper examines the state of National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) financing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, an event which coincides with the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) mandates on restructuring the NHIP premium schedule, providing immediate eligibility to NHIP benefits, and expanding member benefits. Using the ratio of total expenditures to total revenues as the measure of financial viability, it shows that the NHIP remains financially viable during the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020. Projections for 2021 however show that NHIP financial viability may be adversely affected by the significantly higher number of COVID-19 cases with the negative effect mitigated only if COVID-19 benefit claim patterns remain as weak as observed for 2020. On the revenue side, the potential for a lower premium is observed to be offset by the higher rates in the UHC mandated premium schedule. On the expenditure side, potential increases associated with the implementation of immediate eligibility and the introduction of COVID-19 benefits are mitigated by lower NHIP benefit utilization due to reduced mobility and access to health facilities. Secondary analysis on who has to bear the burden of paying for NHIP benefits, however, shows that the implementation of UHC financing initiatives may heighten adverse incentives on members' willingness to pay premiums. Using the benefit expenditure-premium contribution ratio as the measure for the burden of paying for NHIP benefits, it is shown that the Formal Economy sector shoulders the burden of funding the NHIP benefits of the Informal Economy and Sponsored sectors.


A nonlinear stability analysis has been performed for mixed differential-integral equations particularly applicable to nuclear reactors. New general theorems of stability in bounded domains of initial perturbations have been introduced for a class of reactor models with an arbitrary reactivity feedback. Also, effective stability criteria have been established for reactors with linear reactivity feedbacks. For many kinds of models of phenomena typically encountered in nuclear reactors, these new criteria give sharper stability bounds than criteria previously published. The theoretical results obtained have been illustrated with examples of selected reactor models.


Background: More than 20 million echocardiograms are performed every year in the United States at an average cost of approximately five hundred dollars per study. Despite this large expense, these studies can provide significant information that influences patient care. In the fast growing segment of nonagenarians, we sought to determine if echocardiograms have been appropriately obtained according to current Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC).

Methods: Over a one-year period at Baylor Scott and White Memorial Hospital, the following characteristics of echocardiography cases performed for elderly patients (90 years and older) were summarized according to Appropriate Use Criteria class: age, gender, patient origin (inpatient/outpatient), type of study (TTE/TEE), and clinical service. Each characteristic was compared among 3 AUC classes (appropriate, inappropriate, and undetermined). ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test was used for continuous variable comparisons and Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used for categorical variable comparisons. Proportion (95% confidence interval (CI)) of cases that received echocardiography due to appropriate reasons was estimated for entire group. A p-value of less than 0.05 indicated a statistical significance.

Results: Four hundred eighty cases that met inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Among 480 cases, 91% (435 cases, 95% CI (88-93%)) were conducted due to appropriate reasons. Four percent (21 cases, 95% CI (3-7%)) were performed due to inappropriate reasons and 5% (24 cases, 95% CI (3-7%)) were done due to undetermined reasons. There were no significant differences among the three AUC classes by age, gender, or type of study. However, there are significant differences (P<0.05) among the three AUC classes in regards to clinical service requesting the study and site of origin of the patient.

Conclusions: 9% of echocardiograms performed in this demographic, including 26% of outpatient studies, were not appropriate according to current AUC. There was significant variance between referring service and by site of origin. Investigation in larger groups of patients may provide enhanced awareness of and improved adherence to AUC.


Renal cells are a rich source of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, and they serve as targets for its actions. Our hypothesis that activation of the TGF-β system in the kidney is implicated in the development of diabetic renal disease stems from the close similarity of actions of TGF-β and high ambient glucose on renal cell growth and extracellular matrix metabolism. Proximal tubule cells and glomerular mesangial cells cultured in high glucose concentration express increased TGF-β1 mRNA and protein levels, and treatment with anti-TGF-β antibodies results in prevention of the effects of high glucose to induce cellular hypertrophy and stimulate collagen biosynthesis. Several in vivo studies by different groups of investigators have reported overexpression of TGF-β in the glomeruli in human and experimental diabetes. We have also observed that the development of renal hypertrophy in the insulin-dependent diabetic BB rat and NOD mouse is associated with increased expression of TGF-β1 in the kidney and that short-term administration of antibodies capable of neutralizing the activity of TGF-β in the streptozotocin mouse model of diabetes results in attenuation of whole kidney and glomerular hypertrophy and overexpression of mRNAs encoding matrix components. Together, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the diabetic state stimulates TGF-β expression in the kidney and that in turn this growth factor may mediate, in an autocrine/paracrine manner, some of the principal early manifestations of diabetic renal disease. Demonstrating a causal link between upregulation of glomerular TGF-β and the subsequent development of diabetic glomerulosclerosis will require long-term interventional studies designed to intercept the TGF-β system in the kidney.


The paper reflects on the diversity and the multitude of challenges mastered by agricultural extension in South Africa since its founding in 1925. The post-apartheid era (since 1994) saw drastic organizational and other changes. The present-day service is facing new professional challenges aimed at improving the delivery of service to a growing and technically more divergent farming community. The first 69 years of agricultural extension saw the establishment of a diversity of compartmentalized services: to the commercial (white) sector and to the black, Indian and Coloured communities. Agricultural co-operatives, community organizations and the private sector also rendered services. The South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE) and tertiary training institutions in the agricultural as well as the agricultural extension disciplines were founded during these years. The post-apartheid era (since 1994) has raised questions concerning effective service delivery and professionalism. It would appear that dual-registration by extension practitioners with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) as well as the SASAE should enjoy popular support.


context Few emergency medicine residency trained physicians practice in rural areas upon graduation. Family physicians are known to practice in rural locations at a higher rate. The distribution of emergency medicine fellowship trained family physicians from 2000-2008 of one program was examined. The continuing medical education (CME) pursued by these individuals is presently unknown and was explored.


Purpose: This study was to examine the impact of acculturation and social support on the mental health among Korean-American registered nurses. Methods: Data were collected with a convenience sample of 203 Korean-American registered nurses living in New York state and New Jersey state from 8th May to 25th August in 2012. The structured questionnaires measured the degree of acculturation, social support, and mental health. Data analysis was conducted using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation efficient, and Stepwise multiple regression. Results: Lower level of integration and higher level of marginalization were associated with the lower mental health. Social support was also positively related to mental health and had mediating effect on the relationship between acculturation and mental health. The five variables, including participants' educational background, work shift, integration, marginalization, and social support were significant to predict the level of mental health among Korean-American registered nurses, accounting for 41% of the variability. Conclusion: The results imply that higher level of social support and strong identity of both home and host culture will enable Korean-American registered nurses to maintain sound mental health.


The work described in this thesis was performed by the author, except where indicated. All the studies were accomplished on the 3 Tesla system within the Magnetic Resonance Centre at the University of Nottingham, and the Wellcome Trust MEG Laboratory at the Aston University during the period between October 1999 and June 2005. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG) are two promising brain function research modalities, sensitive to the hemodynamic and electrophysiological responses respectively during brain activites. The feasibility of joint employment of both modalities was examined in both spatial and temporal domains. A somatosensory tactile stimulus was adopted to induce simple functional reaction. It was shown that a reasonable spatial correspondence between fMRI and MEG can be established. Attempts were made on MEG recordings to extract suitable aspects for temporal features matching fMRI with a method reflecting the physical principles. It was shown that the this method is capable of exposing the nature of neural electric activities, although further development is required to perfect the strategy.


It is now well acknowledged that, after a prototypical loss of coolant accident (LOCA) transient, the resultant mechanical properties of fuel cladding tubes depend strongly on the oxygen content of the residual prior-β layer, as this phase is the only metallic part of the high-temperature oxidized cladding that may show some residual ductility. The aim of this study is to obtain relevant information on the evolution of the mechanical properties, on the one hand, of the prior-β structure as a function of the oxygen content, assuming that there is a critical oxygen content that leads to a ductile-to-brittle failure mode transition at low testing temperatures (20–135°C); and on the other hand, of the α(O) structure as a function of the oxygen content. Sheets of Zircaloy-4, 1 to 3 mm thick, and M5® advanced alloys from AREVA NP have been studied. To obtain different oxygen contents, they were oxidized at high temperature and then annealed under vacuum in order to reduce the oxide layer. Systematic post-treatment measurements of the oxygen concentration and of its homogeneity within the sheet thickness were performed. The different prior-β and α(O) structures thus obtained have homogeneous oxygen content between ∼0.14 wt. % and 0.9 wt. % and ∼2 wt. % and 7 wt. %, respectively. Such oxygen concentration ranges cover the solubility values that are expected in the β phase and in the α(O) phase at high temperatures typical of LOCA transients. Detailed microstructure investigations were subsequently performed on the prior-β structures since it is considered to be the most important layer when regarding the post-quench mechanical behavior of the material. Continuous cooling temperature (CCT) phase diagrams as a function of the oxygen content were established to correctly interpret the results. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis has then allowed the crystallographic orientations and the morphology of prior-β phase sub-grains to be determined. For each considered prior-β grain, it was possible to interpret the data by taking into account the "Burgers" crystallographic relationship between the parent β phase and the resultant α phase. Complementary electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) was also used. These last experiments have shown a spatial fluctuation of the oxygen content within the microstructure that depends both on the nominal oxygen content and on the cooling rate. Nanohardness measurements were also performed and correlated with this oxygen spatial partition. These measurements proved to be useful for the understanding of the tensile macroscopic mechanical behavior. Finally, on the one hand, tensile tests were performed on prior-β phase at testing temperatures ranging from −100°C up to 260°C. The ductile-to-brittle temperature transition and the mechanical constitutive laws as a function of the oxygen content were then described. These tests show the existence of a ductile-to-brittle failure mode transition at 20°C for a critical oxygen concentration of ∼0.5 wt. %. A detailed fractographic analysis was performed to assess the failure mechanism. On the other hand, four-point bending tests were conducted on α(O) phase at 25°C and 135°C in order to obtain behavior laws. Preliminary finite element calculations were performed to simulate ring compression tests carried out on multi-layered high-temperature oxidized cladding tubes.


The article discusses the considerable changes in meteorological conditions and hydrological regime in the Danube River basin over the period from the late 20th century to the early 21st century. Particular attention is given to the recent extreme hydrological events in the Danube River basin: the disastrous rainfall flood that occurred in August 2002, and the extremely high spring–summer floods in 2006 and 2010. Specific features in the development and transformation of flood waves along the Danube River are discussed in detail, including the impact of the Iron Gate I Reservoir on these processes. In addition, the influence of the backwater effect of the Black Sea was evaluated, and probabilities of extreme floods were approximately estimated.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.73.1.17988


The effects of microstructure and composition on the wear properties of Lu sialon ceramics have been studied under dry sliding conditions through block-on-ring wear tests. Microstructural and compositional effects on wear behaviour were studied by producing both equiaxed and elongated α sialons through the incorporation of additional oxides to promote extended liquid formation and grain growth, and by producing α / β composite materials with elongated β grains. The wear response of the materials is discussed in terms of the dominant wear mechanism under different experimental conditions. Under higher loads, where fracture dominates, materials with improved mechanical properties show better wear resistance and both the composite materials and the elongated α sialons showed lower wear rates than the equiaxed materials due to the elongated grain microstructures. Under low normal loads, fracture does not occur and the dominant wear mechanism is thought to be tribochemically assisted wear. Under these conditions, the equiaxed materials had better wear resistance than the composites, and the Lu-α sialon showed an order of magnitude lower wear rate than an equivalent Y-α sialon, thought to be due to better oxidation resistance and improved refractory nature afforded through the use of the smaller radius cation. The elongated Lu-α sialons under these low load conditions showed wear resistance that was to some extent dependent on the composition of the additional liquid phase, with high SiO2 contents leading to higher wear rates.


At its inception Left Realism argued the need to develop a radical social democratic approach to crime. I argue that its contribution and continuing relevance primarily lies in this political project, the need for which has not dissipated. But this can only be advanced as an integral component of a more general renewal of social democratic ideas and politics that challenges the hegemony of neo-liberalism. This is far from guaranteed. The possibilities and challenges after the global financial crisis are considered. I argue for a rethinking of some core themes from early Left Realism to (as I see it) better complement the task of social democratic renewal in the present.


The conformational behaviour of model peptides containing a 2-pyrrolidinemethanesulfonic acid (2PyMS) residue was studied in both the crystalline state and in solution using X-ray, NMR and IR experiments. It was found that in crystals dipeptide PhC(O)-2PyMS-Phe-NHiPr adopted β-turn conformation, which was not stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond and could be classified as a type IV β-turn. In the crystalline state tripeptide PhC(O)-Ala-2PyMS-Phe-NHiPr existed as an α-turn with uncommon cis-conformation of the amide bond formed by the pyrrolidine nitrogen atom of the 2PyMS residue, for which no close analogue can be envisaged among the tight turns identified so far. Although the tendency to adopt folded conformations was only partially retained in solution, 2-PyMS could be considered as a promising structural unit for the design of foldamers and peptidomimetics with unusual conformational properties.


The available bad data identification procedures for power system state estimation, is totally inadequate since they do not consider the masked effect of the measurement error. The measurement gross error identification procedure, presented in this paper, attempts to alleviate these difficulties. The innovation concept is used to estimate the measurement total error. This is required because the power system equations are very much correlated to each other and as a consequence part of the measurements errors is masked. To find that masked error, the innovation index (II), which provides the measurement quantity of new information is proposed. The total gross error of that measurement is composed and used to the gross error detection and identification test. However, using the composed gross error, the largest normalized residual test is not valid anymore then a new gross error detection and identification is proposed. A two-bus system is used in order to demonstrate the proposed gross error detection and identification test.


Abstract-A method to determine C,γ , the hyper-parameters, range for Radial Basis Function Support Vector Machines (RBF SVMs) is proposed. The γ range is determined by the extreme Squared Euclidean Distance (SED) quantiles of the training set, and the C range is determined by one pass whole training set training decreasingly along logγmax to the over-regularized limit first and increasingly along logγmedian to the over-fitted limit then. We will report detailed analysis and experiments that well justify the proposed method. The major contribution of this method lies in that it provides a well principled and easy to practice way to set a much smaller C,γ space and hence efficient range for the conventional Grid Search with V-fold Cross-Validation (GS V-FCV) exhaustive hyper-parameter tuning method. Performance tests reveal that training SVMs using GS V-FCV in the C,γ range determined by the proposed method can effectively reduce the tuning time while the exhaustive capability and best test error rate are still preserved.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology which affects multiple joints and causes cartilage erosion. Due to the side effects associated with the conventional treatment strategies, alternate medicine using plant extracts is on the rise for the treatment of arthritic conditions. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-arthritic potential of two phytocompounds from Alpinia calcarata (Haw.) Roscoe, a potential medicinal herb, locally called 'Kolinji', used in traditional medicine. The selected compounds, fenchol and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, were evaluated for their efficacy in Freund's complete adjuvant induced arthritis in rats. Arthritis assessment was done by measuring the paw volume, paw size, arthritic score and body weight. Various hematological and biochemical parameters were assessed on the last day of the study. Histological and radiological analysis of the ankle joints was done. The compounds treated at both doses (50 and 100 mg/kg body wt.) showed a dose dependent decrease in paw volume, paw size and arthritic score following arthritis induction. Treatment with the standard drug (diclofenac) and phytocompounds were followed by favourable outcome in the altered hematological parameters and the level of liver enzymes. The radiological and histological analysis also confirmed the anti-arthritic potential of these compounds. The results revealed the potential of the plant for use in the therapeutic management of rheumatoid arthritis.


In this paper, we consider the downlink (DL) multiuser (MU) multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) scheduling for the fourth generation LTE Advanced (LTE-A) cellular networks. The DL MU-MIMO scheduling can be posed as an optimization problem to maximize the weighted sum rate subject to several practical constraints, such as a per-user rank constraint. Due to these constraints finding the optimal solution becomes an NP-hard problem. Consequently, we propose an efficient albeit sub-optimal rank balancing approach that enforces the peruser rank constraint and present several rank balancing based scheduling algorithms. We show that the proposed algorithms are guaranteed to yield constant-factor approximations. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed rank balancing based scheduling algorithms outperform other competing schemes over various relevant system scenarios.


The hypothesis on the role of exposure to pornography during adolescence in predicting intimacy among young adults was tested using a sample of 544 Croatian college students (aged 18–25 years) who were surveyed online. Respondents provided information about pornography use at ages 14 and 17, perceived realism of pornographic depictions of sexual activities, attitudes towards recreational sex and relationship intimacy. Significant gender differences in pornography exposure, perceived realism of pornographic contents and attitudes towards recreational sex were found. No direct relationship was found between adolescent exposure to pornography and relationship intimacy in young adulthood. As hypothesised, the realism of pornography was related both to exposure and intimacy, but only among female participants. Furthermore, the association between the appraisal of pornographic realism and intimacy was shown to be mediated by attitudes towards recreational sex. In light of contemporary concerns over the normalisation of pornography use, particularly among young people, our findings do not support the view that adolescent exposure to sexually explicit materials is a determinant of relationship intimacy among young Croatian adults.


Plasmonic metamaterials are artificial materials typically composed of noble metals in which the features of photonics and electronics are linked by coupling photons to conduction electrons of metal (known as surface plasmon). These rationally designed structures have spurred interest noticeably since they demonstrate some fascinating properties which are unattainable with naturally occurring materials. Complete absorption of light is one of the recent exotic properties of plasmonic metamaterials which has broadened its application area considerably. However, up to date all of the applied methods (perforated metallic films, grating structured systems, and conventional metamaterials) are costly and suffer from a lack of flexibility. Furthermore, their absorbance is mainly limited to a narrow spectral range or their fabrication is costly. So, such drawbacks make their vast application almost impossible.
Here, in this dissertation, we design, fabricate and characterize a novel perfect absorbers based on nanocomposites whose total thickness is only a few tens of nanometers and its absorption band is broad, tunable and insensitive to the angle of incidence. The nanocomposites consist of metal nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix with a high filling factor close to the percolation threshold. The filling factor can be tailored by vapor phase co-deposition of the metallic and dielectric components.
Accordingly, three types of metals (gold, silver and copper) as the inclusions of the nanocomposite and four different mirrors (gold, silver, copper and aluminum) are used as the base layer. The high absorption of these metamaterials are originated from the huge absorption capability of the metallic nanoparticles (smaller than 5 nanometer in diameter) via localized plasmon resonance, confinement of the light within the tiny gap between nanoparticles as well as interference of the light by reflection through the layers.
To functionalize the system, polymer-photoswitchable molecules were added as the top or spacer layer which enable us to demonstrate a photodriven perfect absorber in which the absorption band can be broadened or narrowed by ultraviolet or visible light illumination, respectively. In this approach, the absorption tuning is originated from the bond-breakage of the molecules which can be activated by irradiation. Due to the strong interaction of the molecules and metal mirror, plasmon-exciton coupling happens which not only enhances the absorption but also shifts or splits the absorption band.
Also as the specific highlight of the idea, we show that a thin plasmonic nanocomposite film on a silicon wafer covered by a silicon dioxide film would diminish the reflection in a broad range of frequency and make a new class of plasmonic anti-reflection coating.
Our novel concept (called hybrid ARC) combines two possible arrangements for the layers in an anti-reflection coating into a single structure; albeit at two different wavelengths. Its performance originates from the strong dispersive nature of the nanocomposite. Furthermore, we show that the current metamaterial on a metal reflector can be used for visualization of different colorations as a plasmonic rainbow despite its sub-wavelength thickness.


The article introduces the concept of humorous political stunt and a new model of five types of stunts that in distinct ways challenge the prevailing order and transcend established power relations. The five types, named supportive, corrective, naive, absurd and provocative, each relate to those in power and their rationality in a different way. Supportive stunts are framed as ostensible attempts to help and protect from harm, here exemplified with a search for landmines in a Belgian bank investing in dubious companies. Corrective stunts present an alternative version of the power holders' truth, illustrated with a Swedish peace organisation's parody webpage of a government agency established to support arms export. In an example of a naive stunt, Burmese opposition challenges the military junta from behind a pretended innocence. Polish resistance to socialist rule shows how the absurd stunt defies all rationality. In a contemporary Russian provocative stunt directed towards the secret police, the pranksters transcend power by appearing not to care about the consequences of infuriating the powerful. In all instances, humour is the tool of serious dissent and protest attempting to humiliate and undermine the powerful. The model has been applied to more than 40 stunts and illustrates methods of speaking truth to power that exploit humorous techniques such as irony, exaggeration or impersonation. The examples also document that humour is not always carried out at the expense of those at the bottom of society, but can indeed kick upwards in order to aim for change of the status quo.


Accurate phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in proteins plays a central role in regulation of cellular function. Although connections between aberrant tyrosine kinase activity and malignancy are well-established, significantly less is known about the roles of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) in tumorigenesis. We have previously shown that the transmembranal form of PTPase Epsilon (PTPepsilon) is upregulated in mouse mammary tumors initiated specifically by ras or neu, suggesting that PTPepsilon may play a role in transformation by these two oncogenes. In order to test this notion in vivo, we created transgenic mice that express elevated levels of PTPepsilon in their mammary epithelium by use of the MMTV promoter/enhancer. Following several cycles of pregnancy female MMTV-PTPepsilon mice uniformly developed pronounced and persistent mammary hyperplasia which was accompanied by residual milk production. Solitary mammary tumors were often detected secondary to mammary hyperplasia. The sporadic nature of the tumors, the long latency period prior to their development, and low levels of transgene expression in the tumors indicate that PTPepsilon provides a necessary, but insufficient, signal for oncogenesis. The results provide genetic evidence that PTPepsilon plays an accessory role in production of mammary tumors in a manner consistent with its upregulation in mammary tumors induced by ras or neu.


In this working paper, we analyze factors that may explain gender differences in the allocation of time to household production in sub-Saharan Africa. The study uses time use survey data to analyze the determinants of time spent on household production by husbands and wives in nuclear families in Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa. We assume that the time spent by each spouse is a function of personal and household characteristics. A bivariate Tobit model is used to estimate the marginal impact of a set of key variables that figure recurrently in the literature on time allocation. We observe a high degree of variability in the results for the set of countries, which does not allow us to draw hard general conclusions. We do find some weak evidence that supports time availability and gender ideology theory as well as for the hypothesis that bargaining power plays a role in explaining the intrahousehold allocation of household production.


Chronic pain is a widespread issue accompanied commonly by depression and anxiety. Chronic pain has been shown to alter brain processing within the emotional and reward circuits, pointing towards a possible link between pain and comorbid mood disorders. Pain relief may be achieved by alleviating depressive and anxious symptoms. Relaxation is important for pain relief and eliciting relaxation through music listening is shown to relieve pain, depression, anxiety, and discomfort among others. In addition to auditory stimuli, Vibroacoustic treatment – the tactile application of low frequency sinusoidal sound vibration, plus music listening and therapeutic interaction – has been shown to be beneficial for relieving these symptoms. Although the combination of music listening and low frequencies has been previously explored, the role of the music listening within the vibroacoustic treatment context is unknown. A single-case, mixed method crossover study was conducted with a client suffering from chronic pain and comorbid mood disorders, four sessions with music listening, and four sessions without. Quantitative outcomes showed the client was more relaxed, less anxious, and had less pain after the music sessions. Qualitative findings showed that the client at first could not relax without the music listening because of her severe anxiety, but learned to use music as a distractor from her thoughts to relax, but also that silence was equally important for her; these hinged on her making the choice based on her needs, which had previously been difficult for her.


Transcriptomic imputation approaches offer an opportunity to test associations between disease and gene expression in otherwise inaccessible tissues, such as brain, by combining eQTL reference panels with large-scale genotype data. These genic associations could elucidate signals in complex GWAS loci and may disentangle the role of different tissues in disease development. Here, we use the largest eQTL reference panel for the dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex (DLPFC), collected by the CommonMind Consortium, to create a set of gene expression predictors and demonstrate their utility. We applied these predictors to 40,299 schizophrenia cases and 65,264 matched controls, constituting the largest transcriptomic imputation study of schizophrenia to date. We also computed predicted gene expression levels for 12 additional brain regions, using publicly available predictor models from GTEx. We identified 413 genic associations across 13 brain regions. Stepwise conditioning across the genes and tissues identified 71 associated genes (67 outside the MHC), with the majority of associations found in the DLPFC, and of which 14/67 genes did not fall within previously genome-wide significant loci. We identified 36 significantly enriched pathways, including hexosaminidase-A deficiency, and multiple pathways associated with porphyric disorders. We investigated developmental expression patterns for all 67 non-MHC associated genes using BRAINSPAN, and identified groups of genes expressed specifically pre-natally or post-natally.


This paper describes the realization of embedded fuzzy control systems for planning the motion of autonomous mobile robots. The development of the controllers is carried out by means of a reconfigurable platform based on FPGAs. This platform combines a general-purpose processor with specific hardware to implement fuzzy inference modules, thus allowing the comparison between a fully software solution and others based on hybrid hardware/software techniques. Both the processing system and the inference modules are configurable using available CAD tools, which make the development of the controllers easier.


Objective: Despite the link between positive coronary remodelling and acute ischaemic events, no data exist about the impact of arterial remodelling on subsequent progression of coronary atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to examine whether extent and direction of arterial remodelling are predictors of progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Design, setting and patients: From the Reversal of Atherosclerosis with Aggressive Lipid Lowering (REVERSAL) trial, 210 focal coronary lesions (single lesion per patient) were identified with ⩽50% angiographic diameter stenosis at baseline intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Remodelling was categorised using the remodelling index. Main outcome measures: Lesion sites were matched to the 18-month follow-up IVUS examination and change in atheroma area was calculated. Additionally, change in atheroma volume of the whole imaged artery was calculated. Results: There were no relationships between baseline remodelling index and change in atheroma area at the lesion site (r = 0.004, p = 0.96) or change in atheroma volume in the whole artery (r = 0.06, p = 0.37). Change in atheroma area was not significantly different in lesions with positive, negative or no remodelling at baseline (0.4 (SD 2.1) vs 0.7 (SD 1.7) vs 0.6 (SD 1.8) mm2, p = 0.76). Similarly, change in atheroma volume in the whole artery was not significantly different among the three remodelling categories (2.2 (SD 25.0) vs 1.4 (SD 31.2) vs 2.4 (SD 27.1) mm3, p = 0.98). Conclusions: Extent and direction of arterial remodelling do not predict subsequent progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Although positively remodelled lesions are associated with unstable clinical presentation, they are not associated with accelerated progression of atherosclerosis during lipid lowering therapy.


The experimental investigation of the lymphatic bed of the small intestine after immunization was performed in 15 rabbits. Ten rabbits were taken as control. The rabbits were immunized by administration of kidney antigen with the complete Freund adjuvant. The animals were killed on the 7-8th days after two cycles of immunization, three injections in each cycle. The interval between the injections was three days, between the cycles - one month. Polychrome injection of arteries and veins was made. The lymphatic bed was filled with Gerota's mass. The chylus sinuses, lymph capillaries and vessels of experimental animals were found to be dilated 2-6 times as compared with normal. There appear many blind processes on the walls of lymph capillaries and vessels. Intraorganic lymphatic pathways were more dilated as compared with extraorganic. The ileum was found to be more reactive in immunization than other two parts of the small intestine.


In the recent years, human activity recognition has been widely popularized by a lot of smartphone manufacturers and fitness tracking companies. It has allowed us to gain a deeper insight into our physical health on a daily basis. However, with the evolution of fitness tracking devices and smartphones, the amount of data that is being captured by these devices is growing exponentially. This paper aims at understanding the process of dimensionality reduction such as PCA so that the data can be used to make meaningful predictions along with novel techniques using autoencoders with different activation functions. The paper also looks into how using autoencoders allows us to better capture the relations between features in the data. It also covers some of the classification techniques such as k-Nearest Neighbors, SVM and Random forest that are currently being used for activity recognition that have shown promising results.


An extensive review of published research on the efficacy of antidepressant medications is presented. To overcome the inconsistencies of previous reviews, we include 146 double-blind studies on medications actively promoted in the United States as antidepressants during 1972. In addition, we included double-blind studies of lithium carbonate, as well as five other drugs not actively promoted as antidepressants in the United States at that time. Results showed tricyclic antidepressants to be significantly more effective than a placebo in 61 of 93 group comparisons. No study reported a placebo as more effective than a tricyclic. The two monamine oxidase inhibitors that were actively marketed as antidepressants in the United States were significantly more effective than a placebo in 8 of 13 comparisons. Lithium carbonate was not conclusively shown to be an effective antidepressant on the basis of eight double-blind reports.


Lombok earthquake in 2018, raised many failure of facilities that impact to human life. The earthquake was unique, started with mainshock that did not predict by scientist with hypocenter located in Flores Fault in the north of Lombok Island. In 1992, tsunami recorded in Lombok with the hypocenter also in Flores Fault. Based on the information, earthquake in Flores Fault can trigger tsunami. Beside Flores Fault, subduction zone in the south of Lombok is also can be earthquake source and it is not impossible can trigger the tsunami. The purpose of this research is to modeled the tsunami both it come from earthquake in Flores Fault and the subduction zone with magnitude 7.8. Numerical method is used to modelled it and the result is the height and velocity of tsunami is 11 m and 720 km/hours for Flores Fault and 9 m and 450 km/hour for subduction Zone.


Video surveillance has long been in use to monitor security sensitive areas such as banks, department stores, highways, crowded public places and borders. The advance in computing power, availability of large-capacity storage devices and high speed network infrastructure paved the way for cheaper, multi sensor video surveillance systems. Traditionally, the video outputs are processed online by human operators and are usually saved to tapes for later use only after a forensic event. The increase in the number of cameras in ordinary surveillance systems overloaded both the human operators and the storage devices with high volumes of data and made it infeasible to ensure proper monitoring of sensitive areas for long times. In order to filter out redundant information generated by an array of cameras, and increase the response time to forensic events, assisting the human operators with identification of important events in video by the use of "smart" video surveillance systems has become a critical requirement. The making of video surveillance systems "smart" requires fast, reliable and robust algorithms for moving object detection, classification, tracking and activity analysis.


Background: Polymorphisms of DNA repair genes may affect the repair capacity of DNA damages and cause different responses towards chemotherapy. Excision repair cross-complementing group 2 (ERCC2) plays an important role in the nucleotide excision repair. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between ERCC2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the response to platinum-based chemotherapy among patients with triple negative breast cancer. Methods: In total, 60 triple negative breast cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy were studied. The clinical, pathological and treatment data of them were collected. Sequenom's MassARRAY system was used in the detection of the SNPs of ERCC2. Finally, the association between genotypes and different clinical responses among patients was analyzed. All of the patients received a platinum-based chemotherapy for 4 cycles in median and achieved an overall response rate of 66.7%, showing a comparative good response towards platinum-based chemotherapy among triple negative breast cancer. Fifty-three of the 60 patients had got the results of ERCC2 rs1799793 polymorphisms after MassARRAY detection. Results: The proportion of GG genotype and GA genotype was 81.1% and 18.9% respectively. The response rate of the rs1799793 GG genotype group was 69.8%, while the GA genotype group only had a response rate of 30.0%. It turned out that the GG genotype was associated with better response towards platinum-based chemotherapy (P=0.030). Conclusions: ERCC2 rs1799793 polymorphism may be associated with the clinical sensitivity of platinum-based chemotherapy and could be a potential predictive biomarker for triple negative breast cancer patients treated with platinum compounds.


This study evaluated the characteristics of smallholder sheep production at selected communities (Akamkpa, Calabar, Ikom, Obubra, Obudu, Odukpani, Ogoja and Ugep) in Cross River State, Nigeria. A total of 1200 questionnaires were administered randomly to small holder sheep farmers in the eight communities. The results showed that majority of the sheep owners were (64.29%) were males and 35.71% females, while 75% of commercial sheep farmers employed male labor. West African Dwarf sheep was the common breed raised in the eight communities. Majority of the household owners of sheep (57.57%) practiced free-range system of production, while a large percentage (75%) of the commercial sheep farmers practiced intensive system of production. There were no specialized housing and feeding programs, with a larger percentage of both categories feeding crop residues and cowpea husk to their sheep. The household owners of sheep seldom fed forage to their sheep (17.86%), while 25% of commercial sheep farmers fed forage. The common diseases in the area were diarrhea, pneumonia and mange. The constraints to sheep production in the area included automobile accidents, seasonal lack of feed, diseases, theft and poor finances and access to land. Keywords :  West African Dwarf sheep, Smallholder farmers, forage, Nigeria


The analytical studies are presented which were aimed at searching optimal conditions for the separation and identification of ink dyes with the use of the PrinCE 550 CE electrophoresis system. The ultimate task was to establish the minimum sample amount which have to be taken from ink lines on paper to perform a valuable analysis for criminalistic purposes. Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) mode was applied to separation of dyes. The examinations were carried out using the standard mixtures of Methyl Violet 13, Victoria Blue B and Solvent Black 3, and the sample requirements were evaluated for a black ball-point pen ink extracted from paper. It was stated that the minimum number of micro-dots punched out from examined document was established to be as small as 4. It was also revealed that the identification parameters for components of inks can be migration time as well as ratio of peak areas of dye isomers.


Background and aim Catheter-related sepsis (CRS) is an important complication affecting neonates with indwelling percutaneously-inserted central venous catheters (PCVCs). Culture of a catheter tip sent at line removal is commonly used to assist diagnosis of CRS. We examined the relative utility of microbiological culture of three discrete segments of a PCVC for assisting diagnosis of neonatal CRS. Design/methods Prospective study of infants with PCVCs indwelling >24 h in two tertiary neonatal intensive care units. PCVC skin exit site was disinfected before line removal and the PCVL cut into three 1 cm-long segments comprising tip, proximal portion (taken 1–2 cm beyond skin entry point) and mid-portion. Our case definition for definite CRS was signs of clinical sepsis associated with culture-positivity of both a peripheral blood sample plus any line segment. Results 189 PCVCs were removed over a 14-month period. 47 neonates were clinically-septic at the time of line removal of whom 15 had definite CRS, an overall rate of 7.9% (15/189). In well babies, bacterial colonisation rates were significantly higher for proximal segments compared with tips (p=0.004). However comparative rates of culture-positivity did not differ significantly between line segments in clinically-septic babies overall (p=0.14) or in cases of definite CRS (p=0.14) and the positive predictive values for definite CRS were similar for all three line segments. Conclusion While the proximal portion of a PCVC line is more often colonised than a line tip, preferential culture of a proximal line portion in clinically-septic babies may not permit better prediction of definite CRS.


Mindful Wandering is an inspiring blend of memoir, travelogue, and environmental manifesto. As a translational ecologist, Rebecca Romsdahl is trained to ask critical questions about how we can improve our human relationships with the natural world for a sustainable, resilient future. As a farmgirl, she learned how to observe nature and life through the changing seasons. In this collection of essays spanning two decades, Romsdahl weaves these ideas together as she travels our changing world. From a Minnesota farm to the mountains of Peru and the edge of the Sahara Desert, she explores strategies for sustainability and resilience, and advocates that we (especially those of us privileged enough to travel) must expand our mindful considerations to include all the other inhabitants of this beautiful Earth. Romsdahl practices, and preaches, mindful wandering to reduce her impacts on the natural environment, and to encourage us all to be better global citizens. She implores us, through the eyes of a farmgirl scientist, to ask soul-searching questions: How do we reconnect with the local, seasonal rhythms of life, while learning how to care about the whole Earth as our home? Rebecca J. Romsdahl, PhD, is a translational ecologist, educator, writer, and professor in the Department of Earth System Science & Policy at the University of North Dakota. Her research and teaching examine links between social, ecological, and policy factors when scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers work together to solve environmental problems.


In tendon rupture repair, improvements such as higher primary repair strength, anti‐adhesion and accelerated healing are needed. We developed a potential carrier system of an electrospun DegraPol® tube, which was tightly implanted around a transected and conventionally sutured rabbit Achilles tendon. Histomorphometric analysis of the tendon tissue 12 weeks postoperation showed that the tenocyte density, tenocyte morphology and number of inflammation zones were statistically equivalent, whether or not DegraPol tube was implanted; only the collagen fibres were slightly less parallelly orientated in the tube‐treated case. Comparison of rabbits that were operated on both hind legs with ones that were operated on only one hind leg showed that there were significantly more inflammation zones in the two‐leg cases compared to the one‐leg cases, while the implantation of a DegraPol tube had no such adverse effects. These findings are a prerequisite for using DegraPol tube as a carrier system for growth factors, cytokines or stem cells in order to accelerate the healing process of tendon tissue. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Single-mode, strip-loaded silicon-rich silicon nitride (SRSN) waveguide with 11 at.% excess Si and 1.7×10(20) cm(-3) Er was fabricated and characterized. By using a 350 nm thick SRSN:Er core layer and a 850 nm wide SiO2 strip, a high core-mode overlap of 0.85 and low transmission loss of 2.9 dB/cm is achieved. Population inversion of 0.73-0.75, close to the theoretical maximum, is estimated to have been achieved via 1480 nm resonant pumping, indicating that nearly all doped Er in SRSN are optically active. Analysis of the pump power dependence of Er3+ luminescence intensity and lifetime indicate that the Er cooperative upconversion coefficient in SRSN:Er is as low as 2.1×10(-18) cm3/sec.


Introduction: the mesothelioma is a primary tumor developed from a pleural mesothelium, very close in the asbestos exposure. This retrospective study interests 74 cases of malignant pleuroma (MPM) diagnosed by medical thoracoscopy in Blida between January 2001 and December 2011, that is an average from 5 to 7 cases a year. Purpose: it is the screening of the pathology in Algeria for better one raising awareness of the world of the work for a better protection. Patients and Methods: the recruitment of the patients is made among those presenting a liquid pleural effusion mostly recurrent the diagnosis of which was not able to be made after two needle pleural biopsies.Results: the distribution according to the gender and the age finds 87,8 % of male, 12,2 % of female, with 82,8 % of the more 50-years-old cases .average age being of 66 years with extremes of 36 and 82 years.The notion of asbestos exposure was found at 63,6 % of the patients;it is badly specified at the others. The revealing clinical symptomatology of the disease contains: the liquid pleural effusion 94 %, the chest pain 86,4 %.radiological aspects are represented by: pleural effusion 94 % is 69 cases,mamelonated pleural, thickening (4cases) and a case of pneumothorax.associated parenchymal lesions are essentially represented by nodular opacities and/or pseudotumoral. Histological aspects are essentially epithelial shape,Conclusion:The thoracoscopy is the technique of choice to make the fast diagnosis of certainly of the pleural mesothelioma.


interference and random error effects. All options can be easily selected and the choices made are easily reviewed and, if necessary, revised. Calculations are made of the positions and levels of highest sidelobes, the pattern beam width at any power level and, if required, the directivity. Normalised field or power radiation patterns are found. These may be plotted as pattern cuts in pre-defined directions with rectangular or polar graphical output or as a three-dimensional plot. The software is delivered on three diskettes and is subsequently run from one directory on the hard disc. A useful 160 page user's manual gives detailed instructions on installation and once running the program is menu driven. The manual also includes an introduction to the theory underlying the program. While brief, and assuming a knowledge of antenna basics, this provides an invaluable summary of the relations used in the code itself. A useful list of references is also provided for background information. Further sections of the user manual give 21 illustrative and illuminating examples. These cover such topics as endfire and broadside arrays, elements above ground planes, familiar practical antenna configurations such as cosecant and square-top excited linear arrays, phase scanning of arrays, printed antenna arrays with microstrip patches and distributed waveguide arrays with 20 x 20 elements. This CAD package forms a superb teaching aid. It brings antenna design equations to life and enables the user to quickly progress to real designs. The authors can be congratulated on the care taken in making the program user-friendly. I can strongly recommend this software to all teachers of antenna theory or to those who would like to present a brief introduction to the properties of practical antennas in a more general communications context. The package is not merely a teaching aid, however, it is a practical design tool. I am certain therefore that professional antenna, radar or communication engineers will also find the software valuable. T. M. BENSON, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham


In the present work, antagonistic effect of abscisic acid (ABA) and various plant growth regulators on cytogenetic activity in root meristem cells of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Bulbul 89) was compared. The seeds germinated in medium with ABA alone (25µM, micromolar), mitotic phases and mitotic aberrations were mounted on an Olympus CX41 microscope and photographed (100X) with a digital camera (Olympus C-5060). The results showed that mitotic index (MI) significantly decreased while chromosomal aberrations increased by approximately 70% as compared to control. However, all of the plant growth regulators (PGRs) studied [gibberellic acid- GA3, Kinetin- KIN, benzyladenine- BA, ethylene- E, 24epibrassinolide- EBR, triacontanol-TRIA and polyamines- PAs (cadaverine-Cad, putrescine- Put, spermidine- Spd, spermine- Spm)] revealed to a successful performance in ameliorating of the negative effect of ABA on these parameters. The data obtained in the present work showed that all stimulators used overcame the mitotic activity-preventive effect of ABA and the most effective stimulators were GA3, KIN, BA and EBR, respectively. In addition, this study indicated that almost all stimulators were able to largely remove detrimental effect of ABA on chromosomes and the most prominent effect on this parameter was obtained with GA3, KIN and TRIA.


Ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate(PZT)thin films have attracted great attention because of their potential applications in memory devices[1] due to their unique properties, for example, hysteresis loop and high dielectric constant. To realize these memory devices, it is necessary to overcome the reliability problems such as fatigue, retention and imprint. It is well known that lead base perovskite family ferroelectric thin films with donor dopant such as La3+ and Nb5+ have improved the electrical properties of PZT thin films effectively [2-3]. And it is proposed that the cation substitution could reduce the number of defects such as oxygen vacancies, which could promote electrical fatigue and leakage current of PZT ferroelectric thin films obviously. In the present study, rare earth Yb-doped lead zirconium titanate (PYZT) nanocrystalline powders with a composition near the morphotropic phase boundary (Zr/Ti=52/48) were prepared by a modified sol-gel method. DTA/TG and XRD were used to determine the thermal and phase changes in the formation of PYZT crystalline powders. The effect of Yb3+ cation substitution for Pb2+ cation on the microstructure of PZT was developed with XRD. The grain size of PYZT nanopowders is about 40 nm determined by TEM.


This project conducts an analysis of bank erosion processes on a large, monsoonaffected river, the Lower Mekong River in Laos. The methodological approach taken was to build integrated models of bank erosion processes at three study sites on the Lower Mekong River in Laos (Friendship Bridge, Ang Nyay and Pakse) to simulate processes of (i) groundwater seepage and pore water pressure evolution, (ii) the effect of this on mass-wasting (using the Geo-slope model) and, (iii) fluvial erosion (using a model adapted from Kean and Smith, 2006ab). In all cases the models were parameterised using measured bank geotechnical properties. Across the study sites, a total of 42 simulations were undertaken to represent a wide range of observed flow events. Specifically, 14 selected flow hydrographs (comprising three types: single peak, multiple peak and rapid fall) were evaluated at each of the study sites, such that the influence on bank erosion of the hydrological properties of different monsoon floods could be evaluated. The main findings indicate that although the Mekong is a big river, its dominant bank erosion process is one of slow, gradual, fluvial erosion. This research forms a partial contribution to understanding bank erosion processes operating in the Mekong. It was found that bank stability on the Mekong responses to variations in flood magnitude in ways that are similar to other rivers located within humid temperate areas. However, the Mekong has had the greater stability than these rivers due to its greater bank heights and more consolidated bank materials.


Integration of multiprotocol label switching functions and multiprotocol lambda switching functions can enhance the throughput of IP networks and remove bottlenecks that are derived from electrical packet processing. To enhance the packet forwarding capability, NTT proposed a photonic MPLS concept that includes MP/spl lambda/S, and demonstrated IP, MPLS, and photonic MPLS integrated router systems called the photonic MPLS router. This router system is now called the Hikari router. The word Hikari is Japanese meaning beam, light, lightwave, optical, photonic, and sunshine. The amount of IP data traffic has grown remarkably. Massive IP routers and flexible route control mechanisms are now required to cope with the increased amount of traffic. The Hikari router can offer two solutions utilizing photonic switching technologies, and photonic network operation and management technologies. The first solution is utilizing photonic switching technologies realized using optical-switch-based crossconnect systems. The other solution is realized using the MPLS and MP/spl lambda/S signaling protocol and photonic network protection functions. In this article we report on the implementation of the Hikari router systems, propose a newly developed disjoint path selection scheme for generalized MPLS networks with shared risk link group constraints, and demonstrate the signaling protocol and network protection functions. The demonstration system achieves a distributed optical path set-up/tear-down protocol with an extended constraint-based routing label distribution protocol. Fast self-healing through automatic protection switching and a new restoration scheme are also implemented. These functions are successfully implemented, and the performance is verified on a demonstration network. The protection switching scheme achieves protection in less than 20 ms, and the optical path restoration scheme achieves restoration in less than 500 ms.


The distribution of residential buildings is closely related to local climate conditions. This paper takes Xi'an region as its representative city to study the thermal conditions of various shapes of cluster distribution by utilizing energy consumption simulation. By sequentially changing the dimensions of each unit building in the cluster, it sets up models of mathematical examples which meet the requirements of different seasons. Based on the annual minimal energy consumption of buildings, the paper quantitatively expounds the influence of cluster distribution on buildings' energy consumption. This study finally works out a recommendation for the cluster distribution in Xi'an region, i.e. the annual comprehensive energy consumption of buildings is at its minimum when buildings facing both south and north are "L"-shaped enclosures and when they have no westward extension and their length ratio between eastward extended exterior walls and southward level exterior walls is 0.5:1.


Abstract Experimental investigations on metamorphic processes can be viewed as an alternative forward modelling approach of the pressure–temperature–composition (P–T–X) evolution of a rock. To obtain results as close as possible to natural observations one can use natural rocks as starting materials. The disadvantage of this method is the complex chemical compositions of the rocks and therefore these whole-rock experiments need to be evaluated not only (1) in terms of their ability to reproduce the natural observations but also (2) in their ability to reproduce theoretical calculations. In this contribution high-T low-P experiments (550–780°C and 0.15–0.6 GPa) simulating contact metamorphism of metapelites at the rims of the Permian Brixen Granite and Klausen Diorite are evaluated with respect to the points discussed above. The agreement between the experimental results and the observed mineral assemblages and mineral compositions (plagioclase, biotite) from the contact aureoles is very good. Thermodynamic testing of the experiments showed, however, a variable match between observed and calculated assemblages, ranging from satisfactory to rather poor. Finally, observed and calculated mineral compositions showed a very poor match. Overall there is good agreement between the experiments and the natural observations, but theoretical calculations are still hampered by the complex nature of the starting materials.


This paper extends the balance-of-payments-constrained (BoPC) growth model and Thirlwall's law to include the terms of trade with and without capital flows. Without capital flows a positive (negative) change in the terms of trade by improving (worsening) export performance can ceteris paribus augment (reduce) the rate of growth of an economy compatible with balance of payments' long-run equilibrium. With the inclusion of capital flows the BoPC dynamics become more complex. Assuming no changes in the real exchange rate and in the import elasticity of demand, an improvement in the terms of trade can increase the level of the external deficit compatible with BoPC growth. This results from the terms-of-trade effects on the purchasing of exports and on foreign-capital inflows. The positive effect of an improvement in the terms of trade may be partially offset by an appreciation of the real exchange rate and an increase in the import elasticity of demand, when the model is extended to allow for such interactions in the analysis.


The late Pleistocene mylodontine sloth Glossotherium wegneri (Spillmann, 1931) (Interandean region, Ecuador) has been assigned to Glossotherium Owen, 1839 and Oreomylodon Hoffstetter, 1949 (the latter ranked as a subgenus or genus), and synonymized with G. robustum (Owen, 1842). However, the phylogenetic and comparative analyses conducted here, which include previously undescribed remains, strongly suggest specific distinction for G. wegneri and that there is little, if any, support for generic or subgeneric distinction for Oreomylodon. Among the notable features of this species are the presence of an internasal element, marked expansion of the rostrum anteriorly, and dorsoventrally and the palatal region transversely, increased separation of the caniniform tooth from the anterior edge of maxilla, increased relative braincase width, relatively enlarged hypoglossal foramen, and greatly elongated zygomatic process of the squamosal. The resulting single MPT recovered a monophyletic Glossotherium, with the following phylogenetic arrangement of the species of this genus (G. robustum + ((G. wegneri + G. tropicorum Hoffstetter, 1952) + (G. phoenesis Cartelle, De Iuliis, Boscaini & Pujos, 2019 + G. tarijense Ameghino, 1902))).


Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is one of the most promising piston-engine concepts for the future, providing significantly improved efficiency and emissions characteristics relative to current technologies. This paper presents a framework for controlling a multi-cylinder HCCI engine with exhaust recompression and direct injection of fuel into the cylinder. A physical model is used to describe the HCCI process, with the model states being closely linked to the thermodynamic state of the cylinder constituents. Separability between the effects of the control inputs on the desired outputs provides an opportunity to develop a simple linear control scheme, where the fuel is used to control the work output and the valve timings are used to control the phasing of combustion. Experimental results show good tracking of both the work output and combustion phasing over a wide operating region. In addition, the controller is able to balance out differences between cylinders, and reduce the cycle-to-cycle variability of combustion.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


The rapid development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the fast flow of data, allowed tourism enterprises to significantly increase the quality of their services. The intimacy of potential visitors with new technologies makes it convenient for the policy makers to use this technology to develop tourist destinations. The definition of Smart Tourism denotes the interconnection, synchronization and sharing of different travel-related technologies. This paper aims to endeavour, through research and study, the potential of a mature destination with a strong seasonality to exploit new technologies in order to renew it and transform it into a competitive, smart destination. The study will focus on the peninsula of Kassandra, one of the leading branded destinations in Greece, a typical example of the traditional "Sun and Sea" product. An analysis will, also, be made of the available destination data that will reveal whether Kassandra can be transformed into a destination with innovative actions, where technology will bring together all aspects of cooperation between authorities, infrastructures, tourists and residents and whether or not the tourism enterprises are informed and ready to participate.

JEL Codes: Q55, Z32, M15


There is little need to argue for the serious consequences of War on the mental health of survivors. This painful fact has been known since time immemorial but in spite of this it has not worked in an avertive way to the desired extent. What has the mental health community done towards this direction? Not much, unfortunately. The reasons must be sought in the notion that preservation of peace is considered as self-evident, in the fear that supporting peace may be perceived as a political action or may be just in simple inertia. It must be pointed out, however, that the World Health Organization has indeed included the preservation of peace within the targets of Mental Health Promotion. This is important because it justifies the involvement and intervention of mental health professionals in an area which (at first glance) appears unrelated to mental health and may raise suspicions of political motives. On the basis of the above, the Society of Preventive Psychiatry, the Hellenic Psychiatric Association, the Psychiatric Association for Eastern Europe and the Balkans and the Serbian Psychiatric Association have decided to approach various mainly mental health organizations and ask them to support a Declaration for peace and against the war, the Athens Anti-War Declaration. The basis for the argumentation in favor of this Declaration lies in the fact that War has catastrophic consequences for the mental health of survivors and society as a whole. Additionally, we consider that it is linked with the waves of refugees that follow war and for the mental health consequences for them and for the citizens of the host countries, especially when they are unprepared for this role. The response of the organizations that were asked to support the Declaration has been pleasantly surprising. More that 100 organizations have co-signed the Declaration that was subsequently sent to various international organizations, governments etc and was uploaded on the websites of the organizations that have co-signed the Declaration. There has already been a very encouraging response on behalf of the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. What do we expect from this Declaration? It would certainly be unrealistic to believe that due to our intervention the wars will stop here and now. Our voice is not all that strong to make us hope for such an effect. Besides, we are fully aware of the fact that in addition to the ever and everywhere present aggression and its societal enhancers there are powerful political, economic and lately religious purposes that are served by war and unfortunately move towards the opposite direction than that of our Declaration. In spite of the above reservations, however, we believe it is a right and an obligation of the international mental health community to speak with a loud voice and towards all directions and state that mental health in our world is at risk because of War, no matter where and by whom it is produced. We also hope that with voices like ours we plant the seed that may grow and flourish in the generations to come. Time will show whether our hopes are justified.


Plane strain indentation of single crystals by a periodic array of flat rigid contacts is analyzed. The calculations are carried out, with the mechanical response of the crystal characterized by conventional continuum crystal plasticity or by discrete dislocation plasticity. The properties used in the conventional crystal plasticity description are chosen so that both theories give essentially the same response in uniform plane strain compression. The indentation predictions are then compared, focusing in particular on the effect of contact size and spacing. The limiting cases of frictionless contacts and of perfectly sticking contacts are analyzed. Conventional continuum plasticity predicts a size-independent response. Unless the contact spacing to size ratio is very small, the predicted deformation mode under the contacts is a wedging mechanism of the type described by slip line theory, which is only weakly sensitive to friction conditions. For the micron scale contacts analyzed, discrete dislocation plasticity predicts a response that depends on the contact size as well as on the contact spacing to size ratio. When contacts are spaced sufficiently far apart, discrete dislocation plasticity predicts that the deformation is localized beneath the contacts, whereas for more closely spaced contacts, deformation occurs by shear bands extending relatively far into the crystal. Unless the contacts are sufficiently close together so that the response is essentially one of plane strain compression, the mean contact pressure predicted by discrete dislocation plasticity is substantially greater than that predicted by conventional continuum crystal plasticity and is more sensitive to the friction conditions.


Team formation is the problem of selecting a group of agents, where each agent has a set of skills; the aim is to accomplish a given mission (a set of tasks), where each task is made precise by a skill necessary for managing it. In a dynamic environment that offers the possibility of losing agents during a mission, e.g., some agents break down, the robustness of a team is crucial. In this paper, the focus is laid on the mission oriented robust multiteam formation problem. A formal framework is defined and two algorithms are provided to tackle this problem, namely, a complete and an approximate algorithm. In the experiments, these two algorithms are evaluated in RMASBench (a rescue multi-agent benchmarking platform used in the RoboCup Rescue Simulation League). We empirically show that (i) the approximate algorithm is more realistic for RMASBench compared to the complete algorithm and (ii) considering the robust mission multiteams have a better control on the fire spread than the sophisticate solvers provided in RMASBench.


In this work, a new key exchange protocol for IP-based mobile networks is introduced. This protocol is called KEPSOM ( Key Exchange Protocol Supporting M obility and Multihoming). The goals of designing KEPSOM are to develop key exchange protocol proposal characterized by its secrecy, simplicity, efficiency, resistivity, and its ability to support mobility and multihoming. The protocol requires only two roundtrips. The design limits the private information revealed by the initiator. An old security association (SA) can be replaced with a new one by rekeying without the need of restarting the protocol with a new session. On the other hand, the changes in IP address due to mobility or multihoming need not to restart the protocol with a new SA session. The proposed protocol can also support key exchange in hybrid wireless network, in which the mobile node can operate in both Ad Hoc and Base Station-oriented wireless network environments using different transmission modes. KEPSOM has been analyzed and proven secure. Several tests have been done to measure and evaluate the performance of the protocol. In these tests, it is found that the required time for rekeying is about 27% of the total required time for exchanging the keys. And the required time to detect and update the change in IP address, which may occur due to mobility or multihoming, is less than 10% of the total required time to establish a new SA sessions.


Many college students have nutrient poor and energy dense diets and are also more likely to experience poor body image, which can result in unsafe dieting behaviors for the purpose of managing weight. Intuitive eating is an alternative approach to dieting that focuses on physiological hunger and fullness cues, while eating for both satisfaction and health without restriction of any foods. This study examined the association between intuitive eating and diet quality in a college population. College students, aged 18-56 years, completed an online survey which assessed intuitive eating using the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) and diet quality using the Starting The Conversation (STC) simplified food frequency instrument. IES-2 total score was positively correlated with higher overall diet quality and was negatively correlated with fast food and chip consumption. Eating for physical rather than emotional reasons and body-food choice congruence IES-2 subscales were positively correlated with diet quality while the unconditional permission to eat subscale was negatively correlated with diet quality. Strategies that focus on eating for health and well-being and minimize emotional eating are associated with higher overall diet quality and may be incorporated in dietary interventions among college students aimed at promoting healthy behaviors.


The host status of 26 cultivars of petunia (Petunia hybrida) to Meloidogyne mayaguensis and M. incognita race 4 was evaluated under glass-house conditions. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with six replicates. A tomato cultivar was included as a susceptible host to both nematode species. The inoculum consisted of 3,000 eggs and/or second-stage juveniles of M. mayaguensis or M. incognita per plant. Sixty-four days after inoculation, the plants were harvested and the numbers of galls and egg masses per root system were recorded. All petunia cultivars were highly susceptible to both nematodes and no differences were observed between the two nematode species (P ≤ 0.05). However, fewer galls were formed by both nematodes on cv. Supertunia Lemon Plume and by M. incognita on cv. Supertunia Lavender Pink, and fewer egg masses were formed by M. mayaguensis on cv. Supertunia Lavender Pink and by M. incognita on cv. Supertunia Lemon Plume. The size of the galls induced by M. mayaguensis was unusually larger than that of galls induced by M. incognita (P < 0.05). The largest galls of M. mayaguensis were observed on Easy Wave Red and Sweet Sunshine 5, whereas the largest galls of M. incognita were found on Easy Wave White, Sweet Sunshine 5 and Mini Blue. The gall sizes of both nematodes were significantly larger on tomato than on petunia cultivars (P ≤ 0.05).


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of perioperative transfusion of platelets and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) on infection rates after cardiac surgery.

DESIGN
Retrospective study comparing infection rates after cardiac surgery among patients receiving combinations of packed red blood cells (PRBCs), platelets, and FFP.

SETTING
Tertiary care university teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS
All elective primary coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery patients from July 1995 to January 1998 before introduction of leukocyte-reduced blood products.

INTERVENTIONS
Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were applied to identify clinical risk factors for postoperative infection and to determine the relationship between perioperative administration of PRBCs, platelets, and FFP with postoperative infection.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Transfusion of PRBCs, diabetes, age, preoperative hematocrit, and the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass were significantly associated with postoperative infection; platelet or FFP transfusion added no additional risk to PRBC transfusion alone.

CONCLUSIONS
Infectious complications in a population of adult primary CABG surgery patients were not increased by transfusion of platelets or FFP. It is PRBC transfusion that confers an increased risk of postoperative infection in this population.


Non-visual fails have become an ever present complication in the IC industry. Nano probing SRAM bit cells at the inverter level allows the cell to be tested and static noise margin (SNM) to be measured. This paper explains how nano probing of a 65nm technology 6 transistor bit cell was performed and SNM dependence on supply voltage was measured for both hold and read modes. Connection to the bit cell was made at the Metal-1 layer with seven nano probes to collect the voltage transfer curves (VTCs) of the two inverters of the cell. In this experiment, each inverter was tested by varying Vdd voltage from 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.6, 0.4 and 0.2V while collecting the VTC. The two VTCs of the cell are plotted to produce the cell's butterfly curve from which the SNM is found graphically for each setting of Vdd.