In the midst of countless healthcare debates, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is written into legislation as a possible solution to the United States's rising healthcare costs. Individualized into nine titles, the act sought to provide additional coverage to millions of Americans while cutting down healthcare costs through numerous provisions effective into 2020. While the act has been challenged publicly and privately by the states, many healthcare professionals today, let alone the average American, are unaware and uneducated of what comprises the act, as well as the impact in which it has on the future of healthcare in the United States. With an increasing role of patient care placed upon pharmacists today, an understanding of the PPACA allows us to provide extensive answers to questions in which our patients may have.

Type: Student Project


The important role played by the Chinese commercial banks in the development of China's economy makes the government and banking regulatory authority give great concern about the performance of Chinese commercial banks, while the stability in the banking sector, without any doubt, has attracted greater attention since the financial crisis during 2007 and 2009. The principal objective of this study is to investigate the inter-relationships between profitability and stability in the Chinese banking industry. Using a sample of Chinese commercial banks over the period 2003-2013, the current study examines the inter-relationships under an auto-regressive-distributed linear model. With regard to the measurement of stability, both Z-score and stability inefficiency were used, while Return on Assets (ROA) was used as the indicator of profitability. In terms of the econometric methods, the current study used different types of Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimators including difference GMM, one-step system GMM, two-step system GMM as well as two-step robust GMM. In order to the check the robustness of the results, alternative econometric techniques were used such as ordinary least square (OLS) estimator, between effect estimator as well as fixed effect estimator. The results show that higher insolvency risk/lower bank stability leads to higher profitability of Chinese commercial banks and also that higher profitability leads to higher bank fragility.


Primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) encompass many particle types that are derived from several biological kingdoms. These aerosol particles can be composed of both whole living units such as pollen, bacteria, and fungi, as well as from mechanically formed particles, such as plant debris. They constitute a significant proportion of the overall atmospheric particle load and have been linked with adverse health issues and climatic effects on the environment. Traditional methods for their analysis have focused on the direct capture of PBAP before subsequent laboratory analysis. These analysis types have generally relied on direct optical microscopy or incubation on agar plates, followed by time-consuming microbiological investigation. In an effort to address some of these deficits, real-time fluorescence monitors have come to prominence in the analysis of PBAP. These instruments offer significant advantages over traditional methods, including the measurement of concentrations, as well as the potential to simultaneously identify individual analyte particles in real-time. Due to the automated nature of these measurements, large data sets can be collected and analyzed with relative ease. This review seeks to highlight and discuss the extensive literature pertaining to the most commonly used commercially available real-time fluorescence monitors (WIBS, UV-APS and BioScout). It discusses the instruments operating principles, their limitations and advantages, and the various environments in which they have been deployed. The review provides a detailed examination of the ambient fluorescent aerosol particle concentration profiles that are obtained by these studies, along with the various strategies adopted by researchers to analyze the substantial data sets the instruments generate. Finally, a brief reflection is presented on the role that future instrumentation may provide in revolutionizing this area of atmospheric research.


Recent advances in computational power, algorithms, and sensors allow robots to perform complex and dangerous tasks, such as autonomous missions in space or underwater. Given the high operational costs, simulations are run beforehand to predict the possible outcomes of a mission. However, this approach is limited as it is based on parameter space discretization and therefore cannot be considered a proof of feasibility. To overcome this limitation, set-membership methods based on interval analysis, guaranteed integration, and contractor programming have proven their efficiency. Guaranteed integration algorithms can predict the possible trajectories of a system initialized in a given set in the form of tubes of trajectories. The contractor programming consists in removing the trajectories violating predefined constraints from a system's tube of possible trajectories. Our contribution consists in merging both approaches to allow for the usage of differential constraints in a contractor programming framework. We illustrate our method through examples related to robotics. We also released an open-source implementation of our algorithm in a unified library for tubes, allowing one to combine it with other constraints and increase the number of possible applications.


: In 1980, GMENAC predicted a substantial oversupply of physicians by 1990 and a questionable role for nonphysician providers in the future. The authors contend, however, that the demand for nonphysician health care providers will intensify as competition and cost containment pressures increase. Outlined here are the future directions of manpower utilization.


The study was carried out in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State, Nigeria in the year 2013 to assess the farmers' perception on the strategies for increasing tomato production in the LGA; an area that has potential to produce tomato on commercial level. The objectives of the study were to identify the cultural and agronomic practices considered to boost yield, identify farm inputs, training needs and credit facilities necessary for increasing production of tomato. Ninety tomato farmers were interviewed through the use of structured interview schedule and data analysis was carried out using frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as correlation. Results showed that more females than males were involved in tomato production in the study area, while mean age of farmers was 45.6±14.7years. The results of the study also showed that adequate and timely preparation of land, use of improved seeds and fertilizer, irrigation facilities during dry season, prompt access to credit facilities among others were perceived as necessary strategies for increasing tomato production. The correlation results showed positive and significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of tomato farmers such as level of education(r=0.408), extension contact (r=0.398) and income from tomato production (r= 0.334) and strategies adopted for increased in tomato production (P≤ 0.01). The study therefore recommended the need for the provision of adequate training, necessary incentives, provision of infrastructural facilitates and improved variety of tomato to farmers as a panacea for sustainable and commercial production of tomato in the area of study. Keywords: Agronomic practices, credit facilities, incentives, strategy, training needs, tomato.


DNA methylation is an environmentally influenced epigenetic modification that regulates gene transcription and has the potential to influence variation in economically important phenotypes in agricultural species. We have utilized a novel approach to evaluate the relationship between genetic and epigenetic variation and downstream phenotypes. To begin with, we have integrated RNA-Seq and methyl binding domain sequencing (MBD-Seq) data in order to determine the extent to which DNA methylation affects phenotypic variation in economically important traits of cattle. MBD-Seq is a technique that involves the sample enrichment of methylated genomic regions followed by their next-generation sequencing. This study utilized Illumina next generation sequencing technology to perform both RNA-Seq and MBD-Seq. NextGENe software (SoftGenetics, State College, PA) was employed for quality trimming and aligning the sequence reads to the UMD3.1 bovine reference genome, generating counts of matched reads and methylated peak identification. Subsequently, we identified and quantified genome-wide methylated regions and characterized the extent of differential methylation and differential expression between two groups of animals with extreme phenotypes. The program edgeR from the R software package (version 3.0.1) was employed for identifying differentially methylated regions and regions of differential expression. Finally, Partial Correlation with Information Theory (PCIT) was performed to identify transcripts and methylation events that exhibit differential hubbing. A differential hub is defined as a gene network hub that is more highly connected in one treatment group than the other. This analysis produced every possible pair-wise interaction that subsequently enabled us to look at network interactions of how methylation affects expression. (co-expression, co-methylation, methylation x expression). Genomic regions of interest derived from this analysis were then aligned to previously identified QTL and GWAS regions using Animal QTL database. The approach described here has provided us with evidence that QTL and GWAS regions overlay genomic regions where methylation may regulate transcription.


We studied a large kindred with nonsyndromic autosomal dominant thrombocytopenia to define the phenotype and used genomic linkage analysis to determine the locus of the abnormal gene. Affected family members are characterized by lifelong moderate thrombocytopenia (mean = 42.7 x 10(9)/L) with moderate propensity toward easy bruising and minor bleeding. Megakaryocytes are present in bone marrow with reduced frequency, and there are no apparent abnormalities of myeloid or erythroid cells. This type of inherited thrombocytopenia has no evident association with hematopoietic malignancy or progression to aplastic anemia. In the past, members of this family have failed therapeutic trials of immunosuppression and splenectomy. In our investigation, we found that affected individuals had normal platelet size compared with unaffected family members and modestly increased thrombopoietin levels. Hematopoietic colony assays from bone marrow and peripheral blood demonstrated that megakaryocyte precursors (CFU-Mk) were dramatically increased in both number and size in affected individuals. Bone marrow cells grown in liquid culture with thrombopoietin failed to develop polyploid cells greater than 8N. Also, electron microscopy demonstrated that megakaryocytes from an affected individual had markedly delayed nuclear and cytoplasmic differentiation. Genome-wide linkage analysis established a single locus for the disease gene on the short arm of chromosome 10 with a maximum 2-point lod score of 5.68 (at theta = 0). By recruiting additional family members, the genomic region was narrowed to 17 centimorgans. We conclude that a gene in this locus plays an important role in megakaryocyte endomitosis and terminal maturation.


This paper presents probabilistic models developed based on the Poisson probability distribution for determining the optimal number of transformer spares for distribution transformer systems. The outage of a transformer is a random event and the probability mathematics can best describe this type of failure process. The developed models have been illustrated using illustrative 72-kV distribution transformer systems. Industry-average catastrophic transformer failure rate and a 1-year transformer repair or procurement time have been utilized in the examples considered in the paper. Among the models developed for determining the optimum number of transformer spares, the statistical economics model provides the best result as it attempts to minimize the total system cost including the cost of spares carried in the system.


In 2015, the American Law Institute (ALI) launched a project to create a Restatement of the Law, Copyright.  Concern, objection, and disagreement about the ALI's Restatement projects is not new, but the Restatement of Copyright project seems to be particularly controversial among industries dependent on copyright protection.  The drafting group has now worked through several versions of some proposed sections; a handful of these have been approved by the ALI Council and are ready to go before the ALI general membership. So now is a good time for close analysis of the chunks of the projects that have crystallized.
This Article reviews the 2020 draft Restatement's presentation of American copyright law's threshold requirement for protection: that copyright protects only "original works of authorship," and how that "originality" requirement should be understood in light of the Supreme Court's 1991 decision in Feist v. Rural Telephone.  Copyright's originality requirement is a challenging subject for a Restatement because what is unquestionably agreed is that black letter law is  limited, formulaic, and opaque.  Not surprisingly, the Restatement's handling of this topic hews close to the words of the Supreme Court's modern pronouncement on the issue, sometimes to the detriment of a richer, potentially more enlightening discussion.
The discussion here is based principally on "Tentative Draft No. 1" of the Restatement, released on April 8, 2020,3 but the discussion will also include consideration of the earlier "Council Drafts"4 that led to the 2020 proposal.
Part I of the Article briefly describes the controversial beginnings of this Restatement project—and, as of 2021, the continuing animosity of copyright stakeholders to the project. Part II lays out the 2020 draft Restatement's core provisions on copyright originality, the modest evolution of these provisions since the 2017 draft, and some concerns with what these sections, Comments, and Reporters' Notes say. In broad strokes, the draft Restatement's take on copyright originality is faithful to the Supreme Court's 1991 Feist v. Rural Telephone decision, perhaps too much so. Part II.A explores the draft Restatement's presentation of Feist's "modicum of creativity" requirement, raising some issues both with what the Reporters have said so far and equally with what the draft Restatement seems unwilling to say about minimal creativity.  Part II.B discusses the draft Restatement's presentation of Feist's "independent creation" requirement; here the concern is that the draft may conflate independent creation with minimal creativity in a way that does not contribute to coherence in copyright law.


Background Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency. Here, we developed and validated a practical model based on the data from a multi-center cohort in China for early identification and prediction of which patients will be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods Data of 1087 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were collected from 49 sites between January 2 and February 28, 2020, in Sichuan and Wuhan. Patients were randomly categorized into the training and validation cohorts (7:3). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and logistic regression analyzes were used to develop the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated for the C-index, calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness. Further, the nomogram was externally validated in a different cohort.Results The individualized prediction nomogram included 6 predictors: age, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, fever, and chronic kidney disease. The model demonstrated a high discriminative ability in the training cohort (C-index = 0.829), which was confirmed in the external validation cohort (C-index = 0.776). In addition, the calibration plots confirmed good concordance for predicting the risk of ICU admission. Decision curve analysis revealed that the prediction nomogram was clinically useful.Conclusion We established an early prediction model incorporating clinical characteristics that could be quickly obtained on hospital admission, even in community health centers. This model can be conveniently used to predict the individual risk for ICU admission of patients with COVID-19 and optimize the use of limited resources.


Multidrug resistance is the ongoing burning issue in Salmonella typhi around the whole globe. This study was conducted to investigate changing trends in antibiotics resistance and mechanism of resistance against Nalidixic acid among multidrug resistant Salmonella typhi strains isolated from Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan.
Methodology: Prior to blood sampling, demographic data of patients was recorded. A total of 103 clinical isolates from blood of typhoid patients were identified using microbiological techniques such as colony morphology, Gram's staining and confirmed using standard biochemical techniques. For molecular confirmation, hyper variable region VI of flagellin fliC gene was targeted using PCR. Antibiogram of the isolates was tested by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method using fifteen regularly used antibiotics. Efficacy of antibiotics was evaluated in respect to various seasons, age groups and gender of patients. Relevant genes gyrA and gyrB were targeted and quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) of these genes was sequenced to analyze mutations.
Results: Antibiogram study demonstrated that 90.3% isolates were multidrug resistant. 75.7% isolates were sensitive to cefipime while 80.58% were resistant to nalidixic acid. 66.02% isolates were found to be ciprofloxacin resistant exposing reduced susceptibility of salmonella typhi to fluoroquinolones. Molecular studies revealed a single point mutation with substitution of serine-83 by phenyl-alanine. This single point mutation seems to be responsible for resistance against nalidixic acid in S. typhi.
Conclusion: The incidence of typhoid is high in Islamabad with significant resistance of S. typhi isolates against currently administrated antibiotics due to the presence of one point mutation. Therefore, it must be mandatory for the health care professionals to test for the antibiogram before prescribing appropriate antibiotics.


We give a new combinatorial interpretation of the stationary distribution of the (partially) asymmetric exclusion process on a finite number of sites in terms of decorated alternative trees and coloured permutations. The corresponding expressions of the multivariate partition functions are then related to multivariate generalisations of Eulerian polynomials for coloured permutations considered recently by N. Williams and the third author, and others. We also discuss stability and negative dependence properties satisfied by the partition functions.


The imaging of soft X-ray images is typically performed with charge coupled devices (CCDs). However, these can have limited readout speed, dynamic range and can also require significant cooling to obtain the required signal to noise ratio. Active pixel sensors (APS) are able to combine faster readout speeds and higher dynamic range with in-pixel intelligence to allow region of interest readout and adaptive gain. To obtain high detection efficiency and 100% pixel fill factor the sensor is back thinned and illuminated from the backside. We report on the characterization of a back-thinned APS (Vanilla); an array of 512 × 512 pixels of size 25 × 25 microns. The sensor has a 12-bit digital output for full frame mode, as well as being able to be readout in a fully programmable Region-Of-Interest (ROI) analogue mode. In full frame, the sensor can operate at a readout rate of more than 100 frames per second. Characterization of the detector was carried out through the analysis of photon transfer curves to yield measurements of the full well capacity, noise levels, gain constants and device linearity. Spectral response measurements were made to show the improvement in detection efficiency using a backthinned sensor. A typical synchrotron experiment was performed at the Diamond Light Source (DLS) using Soft X-rays ( ∼ 700 eV) to produce a diffraction pattern from a permalloy sample. The pattern was imaged at a range of frame rates, up to 20Hz, and a range of temperatures for both a back-thinned Vanilla and a Princeton PIXIS-XO: 2048B CCD. The results of which are compared. The detection efficiency of the APS is shown to be comparable to the CCD for a given frame rate (0.1Hz), with similar noise levels. We suggest that the back-thinned APS are a viable technology choice for the direct detection of soft X-rays for synchrotron applications.


The contents of immunoreactive somatostatin (IR-SRIF) and beta-endorphin (IR-beta-EP) in 12 brain regions were examined in rats exposed neonatally to propylthiouracil (PTU) through the mother's milk. Since the dose of PTU used in this study is lower than the usual dose employed to induce hypothyroidism, a milder form of neonatal hypothyroidism resulted. This conclusion is supported by the only mild subnormal growth of rats to adulthood and serum T4 and T3 concentrations in the normal range. Adult rats treated with PTU neonatally had significantly higher IR-SRIF contents in several brain regions compared to controls, whereas IR-beta-EP levels were not significantly different (significant increase only in the thalamus) in most regions. The results indicate that even mild hypothyroidism during early postnatal development causes permanent impairment of brain function, which manifests itself in part by an altered brain content of IR-SRIF.


The study of composition and microstructure of welded joints was performed before and after the diffusion annealing at elevated temperatures for different annealing time. The Kirkendall effect in the Ni/Ni3Al diffusion couples was observed by means of different methods, e.g. using light, scanning electron and atomic force microscopies. The study suitably completes and specifies the morphology features of Kirkendall voids at different evolution stages, i.e. at nucleation, growing and coalescence. Kirkendall voids occurred in the region between the Matano and γ/γ´interface planes. The location of the γ/γ´ interface that moved in the direction of Ni3Al phase during the annealing resulted from the Al concentration profile measured by EDAX. The Matano plane location was determined by means of Boltzmann-Matano's method using concentration profile data. It was observed that the void size was increasing in the direction from the Matano plane to the γ/γ´ interface. The obtained results were completed by surface topography of Kirkendall voids of slightly etched specimens by atomic force microscopy (AFM).


SUMMARY: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii when growing under the conventional synchronizing conditions of batch culture and intermittent illumination shows periodic changes in the rate of 35SO4 uptake and in the specific rate of 35S incorporation into protein relative to total protein. There are also periodic changes in the rates of synthesis of individual proteins including several chloroplast membrane proteins and of tubulin, which is synthesized maximally prior to the initiation of division events and is not synthesized during cytokinesis. Activities of citrate synthase and aspartate transcarbamoylase enzymes increase discontinuously under synchronizing conditions. These periodic events are not part of a developmental programme which is essential for division, since the periodicity disappears under constant environmental conditions. Synchronously dividing cells then show smoothly increasing rates of 35SO4 uptake into cells and of incorporation into protein. There is a constant specific rate of isotope incorporation, relative to total protein, which correlates with the exponential accumulation of protein through the cell cycle. The 300 most abundantly labelled proteins are synthesized continuously through the cell cycle and this accords with the continuous accumulation of citrate synthase and aspartate transcarbamoylase enzyme activities. Tubulin synthesis is continuous under constant growth conditions and therefore periodic increases in tubulin concentration are not an essential part of mitotic spindle or phycoplast formation. Of the sedimentable proteins only one of the 200 most abundantly labelled shows a cessation of synthesis. A previously reported periodic synthesis of chloroplast membrane proteins is not essential for chloroplast assembly in dividing cells. The significance of these data is discussed in relation to cell cycle control and it is proposed that three categories of periodic event should be recognized. Periodic syntheses of proteins that are directly involved in division processes may be classed as primary cell cycle events if they accompany the cell cycle under all growth conditions, and these events may include division-initiating processes. If periodic synthesis of such proteins occurs only under some growth conditions then their synthesis is classed as a secondary cell cycle event. Discontinuous synthesis of proteins that do not contribute directly to division processes and are only synthesized discontinuously during or in recovery from changing environmental conditions, is considered a tertiary cell cycle event, but by adapting cell structure and metabolism to environmental conditions such events may indirectly sustain division processes. It is suggested that the periodic synthesis of tubulin under synchronizing conditions is consistent with the operation of a secondary cell cycle control, but that the periodic increases in the activity of a respiratory and biosynthetic enzyme and the periodic synthesis of numerous individual unidentified proteins, under changing conditions in synchronous culture are only tertiarily related to the cell cycle.


This thesis concerns middle-scale enterprise and economic development, focussing on the case of Kenya. The distribution of industry in Kenya is characterised by an apparent underdevelopment of middle-scale enterprise compared with micro- and large-scale, a feature frequently referred to as the 'missing middle'. A further distinctive feature of Kenya's middle is the relatively strong involvement by entrepreneurs of Asian origin. The immediate objective of this thesis is to produce a better understanding of these phenomena, argued to be highly relevant to Kenya's wider economic development. To understand the position of the middle in Kenya, a new concept frame is put forward based on a broadly institutional approach drawing on both new and old institutional economics. This frame sees the potential for middle-scale enterprise in terms of the economic and social context, with formal and informal institutions playing a role. The notion of discontinuity is introduced to describe interactions between elements of structure which produce an adverse exchange environment for enterprise. It is argued that Kenya has a generally hostile environment for middle- scale enterprise, characterised by discontinuities and uncertainty. Entrepreneurs from Kenya's Asian communities are able to escape these generic problems by use of informal social institutions, accounting for their relative success. Evidence from cases studies of middle-scale enterprises owned by Kenyans of both Asian and African origin, together with secondary data, broadly supports the argument. There are strong indications of discontinuities between large and middle- scale enterprise and within the formal institutional environment. Asian entrepreneurs are observed to rely heavily on informal social institutions to facilitate exchange. Such an option does not appear open to aspirant African entrepreneurs. Supporting the development of Kenya's middle-scale will necessitate addressing the discontinuities undermining its development. Simple deregulation and market liberalisation will not suffice.


Abstract The Xingu River has one of the most diverse fish faunas in the Amazon region. Loricariidae stands out as the most diverse family in the basin, comprising more than 60 species distributed over 26 genera. Species of Loricariidae are some of the most economically valued in the ornamental market worldwide. The loss of fishing environments in Altamira region due to dam impacts is driving a shift of ornamental fishing to areas upstream, among which are included the Xingu River and Iriri River Extractive Reserve Areas. Thus, the objective of this work was to inventory fish species with ornamental potential in these extractive reserves to serve as a baseline to help guide the future management of ornamental fishing in those areas. Thirty-two species of Loricariidae were collected in these reserves through either free diving or diving with compressed air. The composition of species varied according to the sampling method and area. The majority of species found in the reserves are also found in the impacted areas of Belo Monte near Altamira. The study areas showed high diversity of fish species in rapids environments, suggesting that this area could serve as an additional source of income for the residents of these reserves.


We describe an approach to acquiring information during the creation and use of domain-oriented design environments. Our model consists of three phases: seeding, evolutionary growth, and reseeding. A seed for a domainoriented design environment is created through a participatory design process between environment developers and domain designers by incorporating domain-specific knowledge into a domain-independent architecture for design environments. Evolutionary growth takes place as domain designers use the seeded environment to undertake specific projects. Reseeding is a process that reinvolves the environment developers to help domain designers better organize, formalize, and generalize knowledge added during the use phases,


Objectives The microRNAs (miRNAs) can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and heart development. Pax-8 gene knockout mice have apparent heart abnormalities. This study investigated the role of miRNAs in regulation of cardiac apoptosis and development in the knockout mice. Methods microRNA microarrays demonstrated differential expression of microRNAs between Pax-8−/− and Pax-8+/− mice, confirmed by real-time PCR. Results miR-122 was up-regulated by 1.92 folds in Pax-8−/− mice. There were ventricular septum defects in Pax-8−/− mice, and increased numbers of apoptotic cells in the left ventricular wall and interventricular septum in Pax-8−/− mice. In H9C2 myocytes, treatment with miR-122 mimics or miR-122 inhibitor affect the expression of CCK-8 and activity of Caspase-3. Conclusions The miR-122 is upregulated in the myocytes of Pax-8−/− mice and may participate in the apoptotic gene expression and pathogenesis of heart development defect.


ABSTRACT Infection with a viral pathogen triggers several pathways in the host cell that are crucial to eliminating infection, as well as those that are used by the virus to enhance its replication and virulence. We have here used suppression subtractive hybridization and cDNA microarray analyses to characterize the host transcriptional response in an avian pneumovirus model of infection. The results of our investigations reveal a dynamic host response that includes the regulation of genes with roles in a vast array of cellular functions as well as those that have not been described previously. The results show a considerable upregulation in transcripts representing the interferon-activated family of genes, predicted to play a role in virus replication arrest. The analysis also identified transcripts for proinflammatory leukocyte chemoattractants, adhesion molecules, and complement that were upregulated and may account for the inflammatory pathology that is the hallmark of viral respiratory infection. Interestingly, alterations in the transcription of several genes in the ubiquitin and endosomal protein trafficking pathways were observed, suggesting a role for these pathways in virus maturation and budding. Taken together, the results of our investigations provide key insights into individual genes and pathways that constitute the host cell's response to avian pneumovirus infection, and they have enabled the development of resources and a model of host-pathogen interaction for an important avian respiratory tract pathogen.


Electronic government (e-government) has become one of the most evolving and important applications of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in recent years. Due to its positive impact on Citizens, government and society alike, most developed and developing countries have attempted to apply e-government projects with mixed success. Many developing countries were facing difficulties in applying successful e-government projects due to different electronic readiness (e-readiness) problems, such
as poor ICT infrastructure and a high percentage of digital illiteracy among Citizens that have lead to e-government projects abandoned by users. Despite the various efforts by
developing countries to overcome these problems, the factors that particularly affect Citizens and their use of e-government have not been adequately identified and tested.

This research proposed a model based on e-readiness assessments and relevant literature that investigates the impact of Citizens' readiness for e-government (CREG) on e-government success within developing countries. The C R E G model explores a new vision for e-government success by introducing a combination of e-readiness and trust factors
that together directly affect e-government projects in developing countries. The focus of the research is on government to citizen (G2C) services. Egypt was selected as an example of a developing country in which to conduct the study and three e-government services were selected for focused investigation.

The research confirmed the importance of the CREG model to achieve successful e-government projects in developing countries. The proposed CREG factors including e-readiness,
trust and other factors were found to be crucial in Citizens' use or non-use of e-government services. E-readiness factors showed a significant impact on increasing
Citizens' usage of e-government services as Citizens who used online e-government services were more e-ready than non-users. The results also highlighted that e-readiness
factors need to be combined with trust in both the technology and e-government in order to encourage more Citizens to use e-government services. Adequate security and privacy measures that ensure information protection combined with providing a credible service that satisfies Citizens' needs were shown to be important factors to encourage trust in technology and e-government.


Single-cell genomic analysis has grown rapidly in recent years and will find widespread applications in various fields of biology, including cancer biology, development, immunology, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and neurobiology. In this study, we amplified genomic DNA from individual hippocampal neurons using one of three single-cell DNA amplification methods (multiple annealing and looping-based amplification cycles (MALBAC), multiple displacement amplification (MDA), and GenomePlex whole genome amplification (WGA4)). We then systematically evaluated the genome coverage, GC-bias, reproducibility, and copy number variations among individual neurons. Our results showed that single-cell genome sequencing results obtained from the MALBAC and WGA4 methods are highly reproducible and have a high success rate. Chromosome-level and subchromosomal-level copy number variations among individual neurons can be detected.


Brand equity is an import but fragile asset, which is easy to suffer loss in product harm crises. However, by analyzing cases in China, we found that companies responded to product harm crises differently, implying that they didn't reach consensus on which response was the best to protect brand equity. This paper concludes that: 1) to resolve defensible product harm crises, defensive strategy is best; 2)to resolve indefensible product harm crises, accommodative strategy is the best; and 3)company reputation plays a positive moderating role when company chooses most appropriate strategy or mixed strategy. These findings could not only help companies to resolve product harm crises effectively, but also provide suggestions for government to improve their quality safety work.


This study presents new analyses of NEO Personality Inventory–Revised (NEO-PI-R) responses collected from a large British sample in a high-stakes setting. The authors show the appropriateness of the five-factor model underpinning these responses in a variety of new ways. Using the recently developed exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) technique, the authors show that model fits improve markedly over conventional confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of the same data set, but that (a) factor interpretations do not change under ESEM analyses, (b) ESEM factor scores, just like CFA factors scores, correlate at near unity with sums of observed scores, (c) NEO-PI-R facets under ESEM analyses are invariant across gender, and (d) ESEM highlights the inappropriateness of alpha and beta as a higher order representation of NEO-PI-R facets, whereas a CFA approach might lead researchers to believe in the appropriateness of these higher order factors. These results, coupled with the existing validity evidence for the NEO-PI-R, suggest that the five-factor structure is the most parsimonious structure for summarizing NEO-PI-R responses from high-stakes settings in the United Kingdom.


The immunomodulatory properties of thalidomide are currently being exploited therapeutically in conditions as diverse as erythema nodosum leprosum, chronic graft-vs-host disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and sarcoidosis. The relevant mechanism of action of thalidomide in these diseases remains unclear. The important role recently ascribed to IL-12, a cytokine critical to the development of cellular immune responses, in the pathogenesis of several of these conditions led us to examine whether thalidomide affects the production of IL-12. Thalidomide potently suppressed the production of IL-12 from human PBMC and primary human monocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Thalidomide-induced inhibition of IL-12 production was additive to that induced by suboptimal inhibiting doses of dexamethasone, and occurred by a mechanism independent of known endogenous inhibitors of IL-12 production. These results suggest that thalidomide may have therapeutic utility in a wide range of immunologic disorders that are characterized by inappropriate cellular immune responses.


The jet smooth ride is still a vision for helicopters. Even though noise and vibration levels were already
drastically diminished there is still the need for further reduction. The main rotor as a major source of
those disturbances is one factor that hinders the realization of this vision. Individual blade control (IBC)
in general has the potential to reduce noise and vibration of rotary wing aircrafts. This is mainly done
by preventing blade vortex interactions and generation of aerodynamic forces to cancel out vibrations.
The architecture of IBC systems evolved from actuated pitch links to active flaps and active twist. Since
the active twist can also be used to adapt the pre-twist of the blade, it is as well possible to improve
the hover figure of merit and to increase the maximum take off weight. The active twist blades investigated
at DLR (German Aerospace Center) are actuated by piezoelectric Macro Fiber Composite (MFC)
actuators that are integrated into the skin of the rotor blades (see Figure 1). However some advantages
Actuator Strain gage position
Figure 1: Active twist blade
of the active twist concept like distributed actuation without big local strains or no moving components
are also causing some challenges in the control of the actuation. Even though a feed forward control of
the actuation voltage can be realized easily it is quite difficult to find a physical value that is suited to
close the loop for a direct control of the twist. As the angle of attack at the blade tip has a big influence
on the trajectory of the vortices, and therefore the potential to reduce noise and vibration generated by
blade vortex interactions, the tip twist angle of the blade is intended to be controlled. But since the twist
is generated over the whole span of the blade, it is not possible to measure the actuation amplitude at a
discrete hinge as for an active flap. The fact that the active twist blades investigated at DLR are model
scale blades causes additional challenges due to the high centrifugal accelerations and the limitations in
size.
In a first attempt commercial accelerometers were used to detect the flap wise accelerations at the leading
and trailing edge of the blade tip. The results of those measurements will be compared to an optical
reference and the limitations of this principle will be shown. Another way to estimate the motion of
the blade tip is the use of strain gage data. The strain gages as well as the actuators were directly
integrated into the skin of the rotor blade during the manufacturing process. Theoretically the moments
measured by the strain gages can be integrated to a deformation when the distribution of the stiffness
is known. The main challenges in the calculation of the tip twist for an active twist rotor blade are
the differences in the shear flux distribution that arise when the blade is deformed by the actuators or
by other "passive" moments (see Figure 2). Hence the twist can not be predicted without additional
information about the actuator state. A method for the compensation of the actuator influence on the
torsion strain gage bridges was developed. The efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated using rotor
test data. The database that is needed for these investigations was established during an extensive
measurement campaign performed in the DLR rotor test facility in Braunschweig between January and
April 2009. The German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) supported this campaign with Stereo Pattern
Recognition (SPR) measurements to determine the blade motion. Figure 3 shows the principle setup of
the test. One single blade was tested on an articulated rotor hub. The SPR cameras were capturing the
position of 28 ultraviolet reflecting markers that were painted on the blade. The blade was illuminated
by 20 arrays of triggered ultraviolet LEDs. For an additional optical measurement of the blade tip
*(E-mail: email@example.com)
strain gage position
profile
passive
active
Figure 2: Active and passive distribution of +45 strain
Figure 3: Measurement campaign test setup
motion, 2 red LEDs were incorporated at the tips leading and trailing edge. A camera with a shutter
time of 10s was used to capture the position of the LEDs. The SPR measurements and the additional
optical measurement system served as reference for the strain gage based tip twist calculation. The
measurement of deformation using strain gages has another remarkable difficulty. It is a challenging task
to incorporate the influence of the centrifugal forces in the calibration of the strain gage bridges. Due
to small and unavoidable misalignments in the position of the single strain gages the bridge mean value
changes with rising rotor speed. Unfortunately this drift is mixed with signals generated by extension
torsion or extension bending couplings. Consequently the static deformation of the blade, caused by the
centrifugal forces, is hard to measure with strain gages.
As already mentioned the use of acceleration sensors for the prediction of the blade tip twist motion is
generally an alternative to strain gage data based methods. Since commercially available sensors did not
fulfill the requirements to measure the tip twist a novel sensor concept was investigated. The geometry
of the sensor is realized in a way that the cross sensitivity to other accelerations is very small. The
signal to disturbance ratio is further improved by the use of a Wheatstone bridge. The sensor can be
configured to work as an accelerometer that is sensitive to torsional motions only or as a sensor that
takes advantage of the centrifugal field to measure even static twist. An optimization is performed to
find the best sensor configuration.
Within this paper the requirements on a measurement system for the detection of the tip twist angle
of an active twist blade in model scale will be elucidated. Experimental results are used to compare
different approaches. Further on the principle of a novel tip twist sensor will be shown and simulation
results will be presented.


Chlorophyll-a measurements are an important factor in the water quality monitoring of surface waters, especially for determining the trophic status and ecosystem management. However, a collection of field samples for extractive analysis in a laboratory may not fully represent the field conditions. Handheld fluorometers that can measure chlorophyll-a in situ are available, but their performance in waters with a variety of potential light-interfering substances has not yet been tested. We tested a handheld fluorometer for sensitivity to ambient light and turbidity and compared these findings with EPA Method 445.0 using water samples obtained from two urban lakes in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Our results suggested that the probe was not sensitive to ambient light and performed well at low chlorophyll-a concentrations (<25 µg/L) across a range of turbidity levels (50–70 NTU). However, the performance was lower when the chlorophyll-a concentrations were >25 µg/L and turbidity levels were <50 NTU. To account for this discrepancy, we developed a calibration equation to use for this handheld fluorometer when field monitoring for potential harmful algal blooms in water bodies.


Freshwater crab sister group relationships with marine eubrachyuran families were investigated[ A morphology!based cladistic analysis was conducted on representatives of the freshwater crab families Deckeniidae\ Gecarcinucidae\ Parathelphusidae\ Potamidae\ Potamonautidae\ Pseudothelphusidae\ and Trichodactylidae using a disparate assemblage of marine heterotreme and thoracotreme brachyurans as possible sister groups[ The monophyly of the freshwater crabs sensu lato is falsi_ed[ The family Trichodactylidae and the marine portunid subfamily Carcininae form basal groups within the superfamily Portunoidea[ The monophyly of the Pseudothelphusidae and the Paleotropical freshwater crab families is supported\ and this clade is the sister group of the Thoracotremata "Gecarcinidae\ Grapsidae s[l[\ and Ocypodoidea#[ The origin\ groundplan\ and diversi_cation of freshwater crabs are discussed in the context of previously published scenarios of their evolution[ Key words] Eubrachyuran phylogeny Ð freshwater crabs Ð cladistic analysis


Grounding-zone wedges have been mapped on many of the formerly glaciated continental shelves around Antarctica. These wedges record periods of grounding-line stillstand during general ice-sheet retreat following the Last Glacial Maximum (~26-19 ka BP; kiloyears before present). The presence of grounding-zone wedges along the axis of a palaeo-ice stream trough therefore indicates a style of episodic grounding-line retreat during the migration from its initial position at the LGM to its modern position. However, precise chronological constraints for both the onset and duration of these stillstands are still lacking. Consequently, the role of grounding-zone wedge formation in modulating post-LGM ice-sheet retreat, and therefore ice sheet stability cannot be reliably quantified. Additionally, this information is also vital for calculating reliable retreat rates during the past, which are essential for evaluating and understanding the significance of modern, locally very high retreat rates. Here we present the currently known inventory of grounding-zone wedges on the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf. We will discuss formation processes and possible relations between grounding-zone wedges in neighbouring palaeo-ice stream troughs that are separated by an inter-ice stream ridge. Furthermore, we will present our approach on how i) to reliably date the onset of stabilization periods, and ii) to constrain their actual duration. This knowledge will help refine available post-LGM retreat chronologies, which, in turn, serve as a basis for validating and improving ice-sheet models.


The study uses the chi-square contingency test for independence and an ordered probit model to examine the relationships between early adoption of new food products and primary grocery shoppers' geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics (GDS). The results suggest that GDS variables affect early adoption. Specifically, early adopters are likely to be women, about 42 years old, living in three-person households, college educated, Catholics, Caucasians, and have household income of at least $50,000.


Glyphosate is occasionally detected as water contaminants in agriculture areas where the herbicide is used extensively. The removal of glyphosate in synthetic solution using advanced oxidation process (AOP) is a possible approach for remediation of contaminated waters. Here, the ability of anodic oxidation for the degradation and mineralisation of glyphosate herbicide was investigated using Ti/PbO₂ anode in batch mode. The experimental results provided that the current intensity, treatment time, pH and initial concentration are the influent parameters on the glyphosate degradation. At the optimal condition, 16.9 mgL⁻¹ of glyphosate decreased up to 0.6 mg L⁻¹, i.e the removal efficiencies were 95 ± 16 %. This work demonstrates that electrochemical oxidation is a promising process for degradation and mineralization of glyphosate.


We investigate human interest in photos. Based on our own and others' psychophysical experiments, we identify various cues for "interestingness", namely aesthetics, unusualness and general preferences. For the ranking of retrieved images, interestingness shows to be more appropriate than cues proposed earlier. Interestingness is correlated with what people believe they will remember. This is opposed to actual memorability, which is uncorrelated to both. We introduce a set of features computationally capturing the three main aspects of visual interestingness and build an interestingness predictor from them. Its performance is shown on three datasets with varying context, reflecting the prior knowledge of the viewers.


The aim of the present work is to prepare a set of Al -Cu alloys with slow precipitation hardening by aging. Present work results can be utilized during the importing or exporting of such alloys at solution treatment conditions. In order to establish this aim, a set of Al-4%Cu alloys have been prepared in the laboratory to investigate the effect of Cd -addition with the percentage varied from (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5) weight percentage. The prepared alloys with different Cd additions were subjected to a natural aging up to 60 days after solution treatment. As a result, the alloys showed an obvious retarding in the aging kinetics as the percentage of Cd additions increasing. This retarding was found to be due to the trapping of the vacancies that resulted during the quenching step that resulted in delays of GunierPreston zones precipitation. SEM has been used in monitoring of microstructur e as well as optical microscopy.


This work investigates the problem of robust output feedback H/sub /spl infin// control for a class of uncertain discrete-time fuzzy systems with time delays. The state-space Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model with time delays and norm-bounded parameter uncertainties is adopted. The purpose is the design of a full-order fuzzy dynamic output feedback controller which ensures the robust asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system and guarantees an H/sub /spl infin// norm bound constraint on disturbance attenuation for all admissible uncertainties. In terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), a sufficient condition for the solvability of this problem is presented. Explicit expressions of a desired output feedback controller are proposed when the given LMIs are feasible. The effectiveness and the applicability of the proposed design approach are demonstrated by applying this to the problem of robust H/sub /spl infin// control for a class of uncertain nonlinear discrete delay systems.


In 1974, Sobbe et al1 applied 26.5-kHz ultrasound (US) to recanalize thrombosed iliofemoral arteries in dogs with minimal complications. These pioneer efforts were followed by studies showing that catheter-based or transcutaneous US can enhance the effect of fibrinolytic agents in recanalizing thrombosed arteries,2–8 thus paving the way for first clinical studies evaluating the adjunct effect of US in treating patients with ischemic stroke.

### Mechanisms

#### US Thrombolysis

Despite numerous studies documenting a thrombolytic effect of US, the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Inertial cavitation (ie, the formation and violent collapse of gas-filled bubbles in a fluid exposed to US) gave rise to transient microjets that disintegrate thrombus mechanically.9 Stable cavitation (ie, sustainable nonlinear periodic contraction or expansion of a gas body or bubble) may be more effective than inertial cavitation in clot lysis.10 US also facilitates penetration of fibrinolytic drugs into the thrombus and binding to fibrin.11 This is because US promotes the motion of fluids around the clot surface through a process called microstreaming. Moreover, pressure waves may increase the permeation of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) into the interior of the fibrin network.12 Heating is uniformly present in tissue exposed to US but has been deemed too mild to explain thrombolytic effects.

#### Microbubble-Enhanced Thrombolysis With tPA

Significant amplification of lysis occurs with the addition of microbubbles to the combination of thrombolytic drug and US.13–15 Microbubbles, composed of lipid, albumin, or galactose shells and ranging in size from 0.5 to 5 μm, lower the threshold for thrombolysis by providing a pre-existing bubble that easily can be made to cavitate by US. Stable cavitation can produce microstreaming in the area and dramatically enlarge the bubble momentarily. This will cause localized mechanical stress on the adjacent clot. The surface of the clot will erode, and even penetration and numerous microscopic …


A non-linear filter is developed for continuous-time systems with observations/measurements carried out in discrete-time. The filter developed can approximate the a priori and a posteriori probability density function (pdf) with weighted Gaussian sums inside specific search regions. To make the approximations, first, Gaussians are placed with equal intervals inside the search regions and deterministic sample points are chosen within the search regions. The pdf values are then calculated at sample points using numerical solution of the Fokker–Planck equation for the a priori pdf and using Bayes' rule for the a posteriori pdf. These values are used to find the weights of Gaussians using least-squares method. This process is similar to curve fitting with Gaussian radial basis functions. Inside the search regions, locations of the sample points and mean and covariance values of Gaussians are found by the help of a unscented Kalman filter (UKF). By adjusting the width of the search regions, all the parts, or the ones close to mean values of pdfs, can be approximated. The performance of the filter developed is analysed using a non-linear system with a single-state variable and two radar tracking applications. It is compared with particle filter, UKF and converted measurement Kalman filter for these cases.


The influence of an electric field on the annealing of high purity (99.999%) cold rolled nickel has been investigated. Annealing was carried out for 2 hours at temperatures between 300oC and 800oC with and without an electric field of strength 2.0KVcm-1. The microstructure and fraction of cube texture resulting were characterized using electron backscattering pattern (EBSP) technique. Annealing in an electric field leads to somewhat smaller average values of the cube fraction and grain sizes compared to annealing without an electric field. The highest temperature (800oC) annealing in an electric field results in microstructures with a lower fractional twin boundary length.


Deep generative networks have been widely used for learning mappings from a low-dimensional latent space to a high-dimensional data space. In many cases, data transformations are defined by linear paths in this latent space. However, the Euclidean structure of the latent space may be a poor match for the underlying latent structure in the data. In this work, we incorporate a generative manifold model into the latent space of an autoencoder in order to learn the low-dimensional manifold structure from the data and adapt the latent space to accommodate this structure. In particular, we focus on applications in which the data has closed transformation paths which extend from a starting point and return to nearly the same point. Through experiments on data with natural closed transformation paths, we show that this model introduces the ability to learn the latent dynamics of complex systems, generate transformation paths, and classify samples that belong on the same transformation path.


PURPOSE
To examine the relationship between the distance of axotomy and axonal regeneration of injured retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) systematically and the effect of a predegenerated (pretransected or precrushed) peripheral nerve (PN) graft on axonal regeneration of RGCs axotomized at a definite distance (0.5 mm from the optic disc) in comparison with a normal PN graft.

METHODS
The optic nerve (ON) was transected intraorbitally at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, or 3 mm or intracranially at 6 to 8 mm from the optic disc, and a PN graft was transplanted onto the ocular ON stump in adult hamsters. Four weeks after grafting, the number of RGCs regenerating their injured axons into the PN graft was investigated in all animals.

RESULTS
The number of regenerating RGCs decreased significantly when the distance of axotomy increased from 0.5 to 7 mm. A precrushed PN graft was shown to enhance more injured RGCs to regenerate axons than a normal or pretransected PN graft.

CONCLUSIONS
The distance of axotomy on the ON of adult hamsters is critical in determining the number of regenerating RGCs. Thus, experimental strategies to repair the damaged ON by PN transplantation is to attach a precrushed PN graft as close to the optic disc as possible to obtain optimal axonal regeneration of the axotomized RGCs.


The goal of this user centric approach is to observe how Collaborative Web-Based Environments (CWBEs) of data collection, improve the quality of library services by means of library professional's teamwork skills, and technosavey approach for the use of CWBEs and the use of modern era's tools and technologies, particularly online data collection. Online data collection model was developed for collection of data of library users to improve the quality of library services, reduce the cost and save the time of library trinity. In this paper, authors described the important of online data collection and how it's helpful for the creation of user centric environment. Authors utilized Google form, which is free and user friendly tools for the collection of data. These forms play a key role for the collection of data for library users and library staff. Among a sample of 4153 entries are collected from students, faculty members and library staff by using the tool of Google form, from various library forms. Results shed light on two aspects which improve teamwork performance: 1) the functionality of CWBEs and 2) the ability and motivation of students, faculty and library staff in these environments.


Lateral gene transfer is an important mechanism for evolution among bacteria. Here, genome-wide gene insertion and deletion rates are modeled in a maximum-likelihood framework with the additional flexibility of modeling potential missing data. The performance of the models is illustrated using simulations and a data set on gene family phyletic patterns from Gardnerella vaginalis that includes an ancient taxon. A novel application involving pseudogenization/genome reduction magnitudes is also illustrated, using gene family data from Mycobacterium spp. Finally, an R package called indelmiss is available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network at https://cran.r-project.org/package=indelmiss, with support documentation and examples.


The scapula or shoulder blade is the bone that connects the clavicle to the humerus. The scapula forms the posterior of the shoulder girdle. It is a sturdy, flat, triangular bone. The scapula provides attachment to several groups of muscles. The intrinsic muscles of the scapula include the rotator cuff muscles, teres major, subscapularis, teres minor, and infraspinatus. These muscles attach the scapular surface and assist with abduction and external and internal rotation of the glenohumeral joint. The extrinsic muscles include the triceps, biceps, and deltoid. The third group of muscles includes the levator scapulae, trapezius, rhomboids, and serratus anterior. These muscles are responsible for rotational movements and stabilization of the scapula.


Studying the vertical density profile (VDP) forming progress of fiberboard helps understand and improve the hot-pressing technology. The presented work aims to investigate the effects of coreline temperature and thickness curve on VDP by changing hot-pressing curve and moisture content of mat. In doing so, it was hoped to study the VDP forming progress and manufacture "Steep-Flat" VDP and "Flat" VDP fiberboard. The results indicated that Closure phase of traditional hot-pressing curve failed to alter shape of mat thickness curve which control the shape of VDP. The mat manufactured by traditional hot-pressing curve was "Steep" VDP and could not manufacture "Steep-Flat" VDP and "Flat" VDP; Closure phase of "high-low-high" hot-pressing curve could be separated into rapid compression stage, thickness expansion stage, and second compression stage. The density of surface layer formed at rapid compression stage and decided by first high-pressure. The density gradient between surface layer and core layer formed at thickness expansion stage and decided by expansion time. The density of surface layer formed at rapid compression stage and decided by second high-pressure. The "Steep-Flat" VDP and the "Flat" VDP could manufactured by modulated moisture content of mat, first high-pressure, expansion time, second high-pressure.


In light of the remarkable benefits and numerous applications of the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy system modeling method and the sliding mode control (SMC) technique, this paper aims to study the design of robust controllers for a set of second-order systems using a combination of these two approaches. The combined scheme is shown to have the merits of both approaches. It alleviates not only the online computational burden by using the T-S fuzzy system model to approximate the original nonlinear one (since most of the system parameters of the T-S model can be computed offline) but also preserves the advantages of rapid response and robustness characteristic of the classic SMC schemes. Moreover, the combined scheme does not need to online compute any nonlinear term of the original dynamics, and the increase in the number of fuzzy rules does not create extra online computational burdens for the scheme. The proposed analytical results are also applied to the control of a two-link robot manipulator and compared with the results using classic SMC design. Simulation results demonstrate the benefits of the proposed scheme.


Received: December 20, 2019 Accepted: January 19, 2020 Published: January 31, 2020 Volume: 3 Issue: 1 DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2020.3.1.24 The development trend of online journalism in Kosovo continues with great strides in relation to newspaper journalism. Some newspapers are continuing to survive and still on market despite the decline of readers as part of a worldwide trend of readers moving to online platforms. This paper will analyze the content of journalistic texts in newspapers and online media, measuring their core values. This paper will be seen the transformation, namely the change of journalism standards from traditional media (newspapers) to online media. Journalism theorists argue that the standards of journalism should be the same in newspapers and online media. But the practice in Kosovo is completely different. The main hypothesis of this paper is that professional standards in online journalism in Kosovo have fallen; in newspaper journalism, however, there is still a high level of professionalism in writing and reporting. To test these two hypotheses, texts were analyzed in two newspapers and two online media. Therefore, the analysis was done on the texts of "Zëri" and "Koha Ditore" newspapers, and their online versions, "zëri.info" and "koha.net". KEYWORDS


Aerial monitoring of ground sites using video cameras is playing an increasingly important role in autonomous surveillance applications. In such tasks it is important to be able to relate the activities detected in the video sequence to the 3D world, typically represented by a map, orthoimage or site model. Traditional image positioning approaches are generally not applicable to the real-time processing of (typically) low-resolution aerial video. The paper presents an approach to the automatic registration of aerial video to a site model. Low precision metadata are used to initialize the registration, and the resulting registration error is modeled as a simple translational shift. An operator-selected site feature is automatically tracked using frame stabilization parameters, and in each frame the registration error is corrected using the discrepancy between the metadata-predicted and tracked feature locations. This system runs on a PC in real time using less than 2% of the CPU. It has been demonstrated on real data obtained live during several flight experiments.


This paper presents a method of alignment for condenser mirror of soft x-ray microscopy system based on nano-positioning control. The X-ray source was focused on a sample by a doubled ellipsoidal condenser reflective mirror. X-ray source focusing will increase the photon density in the object plane and is very important to approach high resolution imaging. Required degree of freedom (DOF) of optics aligner in X-ray microscope is dependent on the kind of optics, but generally 5-DOF is needed. We used 5-axis manipulator that consists of three linear motions (X, Y and Z) and two tilting motions (Rx, Ry). A linear translation stage is adopted a kind of DC motor with a linear resolution 50nm and travel range of 5mm. The mechanism was controlled with PID controller augmented with closed feedback loop for precision control. A two axis tilt stage is employed a design resolution of 0.23μrad and tilt range of ±7deg. We have designed 5-axis manipulator for alignment of condenser mirror and developed to control algorithm by inverse kinematics. The performance of the proposed 5-DOF manipulator is evaluated by using a laser interferometer system with two plane mirror reflectors. The experimental results are depicted in this paper.


This study examined the physiological effects of crushed ice ingestion before steady state exercise in the heat. Ten healthy males with age (23 ± 3 y), height (176.9 ± 8.7 cm), body-mass (73.5 ± 8.0 kg), VO2peak (48.5 ± 3.6 mL∙kg∙min-1) participated in the study. Participants completed 60 min of cycling at 55% of their VO2peak preceded by 30 min of precooling whereby 7 g∙kg-1 of thermoneutral water (CON) or crushed ice (ICE) was ingested. The reduction in Tc at the conclusion of precooling was greater in ICE (-0.9 ± 0.3 °C) compared with CON (-0.2 ± 0.2 °C) (p £ .05). Heat storage capacity was greater in ICE compared with CON after precooling (ICE -29.3 ± 4.8 W∙m-2; CON -11.1 ± 7.3 W∙m-2, p < .05). Total heat storage was greater in ICE compared with CON at the end of the steady state cycle (ICE 62.0 ± 12.5 W∙m-2; CON 49.9 ± 13.4 W∙m-2, p < .05). Gross efficiency was higher in ICE compared with CON throughout the steady state cycle (ICE 21.4 ± 1.8%; CON 20.4 ± 1.9%, p < .05). Ice ingestion resulted in a lower thermal sensation at the end of precooling and a lower sweat rate during the initial stages of cycling (p < .05). Sweat loss, respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion and thirst were similar between conditions (p > .05). Precooling with crushed ice led to improved gross efficiency while cycling due to an increased heat storage capacity, which was the result of a lower core temperature.


The fetal and newborn lamb has been the subject of a great deal of experimental investigation, and the results obtained from these studies have been used to make analogies with human newborns where direct observations have been few.1,2Many of the observations on lambs have been made under experimental conditions which undoubtedly have changed the normal resting physiological state, and the usual sequence of perinatal events may have, therefore, been interrupted or distorted. Indicator-dilution techniques of studying the cardiovascular system can be performed in the intact, unanesthetized animal or man with minimal disturbance of the hemodynamics. These techniques were chosen for the study of the neonatal hemodynamic adjustments of normal unanesthetized lambs lying quietly either sleeping or sucking on a sugar nipple. These same techniques may be directly applicable to the study of human newborn infants with less risk than cineangiography. Methods and Materials Nine normal lambs were studied


Phosphorylating glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC-1) is a highly conserved cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of glyceraldehyde-3-P to 1,3-bis-phosphoglycerate; besides its participation in glycolysis, it is thought to be involved in additional cellular functions. To reach an integrative view on the many roles played by this enzyme, we characterized a homozygous gapc-1 null mutant and an as-GAPC1 line of Arabidopsis thaliana. Both mutant plant lines show a delay in growth, morphological alterations in siliques and low seed number. Embryo development was altered showing abortions and empty embryonic sacs in basal and apical siliques, respectively. gapc-1 line shows a decrease in ATP levels and reduced respiratory rate. Furthermore, both lines exhibit a decrease in the expression and activity of aconitase and succinate dehydrogenase and reduced levels of pyruvate and several Krebs cycle intermediates, as well as increased reactive oxygen species levels. Transcriptome analysis of the gapc-1 mutants unveil a differential accumulation of transcripts encoding for enzymes involved in carbon partitioning. According to these studies, some enzymes involved in carbon flux decreased (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, NAD-malic enzyme, glucose-6-P dehydrogenase) or increased (NAD-malate dehydrogenase) their activities compared to the wt line. Taken together, our data indicate that a deficiency in the cytosolic GAPC activity results in modifications of carbon flux and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to an alteration of plant and embryo development with decreased number of seeds, indicating that GAPC-1 is essential for normal fertility in Arabidopsis plants.


The Lidah Mertua Plants (Sansevieria trifasciata) have active compounds namely Saponin, Polifenol, and Flavonoids that are able to work as antibacterials. Saponin content in the extracts of lidah mertua also work to help the formation of collagen is effective in accelerating the healing process of burns. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of healing of burns in rabbit animal experiments (Oryctolagus cuniculus) using ethanol extract of lidah mertua (Sansevieria trifasciata). The type of this study was pre experiment in which there were 5 treatments, ie 3 treatments and 2 controls with concentrations of 10% b/v, 15% b/v, and 20% b/v, and negative control using aquadest and positive control using bioplacenton. This sample was extracted by maceration method using ethanol 70%. The results showed that the extract of lidah mertua can heal burns, this was based on the results of anova test at the level of 95% confidence where F arithmetic (30)> F table (2.35) which means the hypothesis accepted. Followed by the BNT test (Beda Real Smallest) showed that the extract of tongue-in-law with concentration of 10% b/v, 15% b/v, and 20% b/v could produce different effect significantly, with optimum effect was tongue extract with 20% concentration. Keyword : Lidah Mertua extract ; Healing burns ; Rabbit Jurnal Farmasi Indonesia Vol. 17 No. 1, bulan April tahun 2020 online: jfi.setiabudi.ac.id ISSN: 1693-8615 EISSN : 2302-4291


In millimeter-wave CMOS circuits, a balun is useful for connecting off-chip single-end devices and on-chip differential circuits to improve noise immunity. However, an on-chip balun occupies large chip area. To reduce the chip area required for the on-chip balun, a new rat-race balun using rewiring technology with a wafer-level chip-size package (W-CSP) is proposed. The W-CSP balun occupies no area in a die because it is placed over integrated circuits. In the proposed balun, an S-shaped structure is adopted in order to directly connect the balun to differential GSGSG pads on a chip with small area. The S-shaped W-CSP balun was fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The core area of the S-shaped rat-race balun is 480 mum times 735 mum, which is 22.4% that of a square rat-race balun. As a result of measurement, we found that the minimum insertion loss is 1.7 dB and the operating frequency range is 40 to 61 GHz.


Trust plays a key role in social interactions. Explicitly modeling trust is therefore an important aspect of social network analysis in settings such as reputation management systems, recommendation systems, and viral marketing. Within the social sciences, trust is known to depend on network structure, context, individual actors' attributes, and group memberships and affiliations. Furthermore, trust is often measured quantitatively, according to degrees of trust, rather than as a binary indicator. In this paper, we propose trust modeling as a rich challenge for statistical relational learning (SRL). Additionally, we show that probabilistic soft logic (PSL) is particularly well-suited for this problem. PSL, like many SRL languages, provides an intuitive framework for capturing the relational aspects of trust modeling, while its soft truth values easily accommodate varying strengths of trust. We model various sociological theories of trust in PSL and experimentally compare the resulting PSL programs to existing trust prediction methods, demonstrating the ease of model development and showing that these interpretable first-order logic models produce results of competitive quality.


Administration of synthetic ovine corticotropin-releasing factor led to rapid, parallel increases in adrenocorticotropin and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone concentrations in rat plasma. Prior treatment with dexamethasone almost completely blocked the adrenocorticotropin response but not the increase in melanocyte-stimulating hormone. These data demonstrate that corticotropin-releasing factor is a potent stimulator not only of adrenocorticotropin secretion from the corticotrophs of the anterior pituitary gland but also of peptide secretion from the intermediate lobe. Such data suggest that melanocyte-stimulating hormone and beta-endorphin play a role in the physiological response to stress.


Objective: To compare between the effects of core stability exercise and manual therapy in athletes with non-specific mechanical low back pain.Short-term pre-test posttest randomized experimental study.Setting: JLN Stadium, SAI, New Delhi.Participants: 30 subjects with non-specific low back pain divided in three groups (n=10) (mean age ± standard deviation, 19.9 ± 2.64, 21.0 ± 3.23, 19.1 ± 2.37 years for control, manual and core group respectively).Intervention: Each of the 30 subjects was randomly assigned into one of three treatment programs for 3 days per week for 5 weeks. Group A was the control group, received hot pack, along with normal warm-up and cool down that the athletes undergo during training session. Group B and C were the experimental group for manual therapy and core stability exercise group respectively. In the experimental group also, the subjects were given hot pack and warm up and cool down common as per their training programmer. Schober's test, plank test, 30ft shuttle run test, lbp questionnaire and self-confidence questionnaire were the dependent variables and were assessed before and after the intervention.Results: There was statistically improvement in the baseline measures- plank test, 30ft shuttle run test, lbp questionnaire and self-confidence questionnaire- in the manual group.Conclusion: The data signifies that active rehabilitation approach has definitely a positive effect in decreasing the symptoms of nonspecific lbp in athletes. The experimental hypothesis regarding manual therapy being significant was valid due to the significance of values in parameters- 30ft shuttle run, plank test, LBP questionnaire and self-confidence questionnaire. No doubt, the result was more significant in manual group but the difference is not that wide. Yet that's suggestive of core also has some significant effect but less than manual.


OBJECTIVES--To study the specificity of screening for breast cancer by clinical examination with or without mammography and to estimate the extra breast biopsies resulting from a population screening programme. DESIGN--Non-randomised, population based study. SETTING--Two screening districts (Edinburgh and Guildford) and four comparison districts (Dundee, Oxford, Southmead, and Stoke). SUBJECTS--49,956 women aged 45-64 in the screening districts and 127,109 women in the comparison districts. INTERVENTIONS--The screening districts offered women annual screening by clinical examination, with mammography in alternate years for seven years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Numbers of true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative results; specificity and predictive value of screening; numbers of benign and malignant biopsy specimens. RESULTS--At their first mammographic and clinical screen 94% (30,035/31,997) of women without breast cancer were correctly classified as negative; 6% (1962) were referred for further investigation, but only 321 (1%) required a biopsy to establish that the suspicious lesion was not malignant. At subsequent screens specificity improved to 96%, and only 0.4% of women without cancer received biopsy. After the first screen the ratio of benign to malignant biopsy specimens was the same as that among women in the comparison centres, but because mammographic screening increased the number of women with both malignant and benign disease referred the number of biopsies was increased up to twofold in the years women were offered screening by mammography. CONCLUSION--Our provision of a prompt, highly specialised assessment of women with suspicious lesions at screening may have contributed to the relatively low specificities, while at the same time probably mitigating the adverse effects of low specificity.


Objectives: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was associated with serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) in untreated Chinese. We investigated in the same cohort whether cfPWV, brachial-ankle (baPWV) and heart-brachial (hbPWV) pulse wave velocity (PWV) were associated with rs6127099 (CYP24A1) and rs4074995 (RGS14), of which each additional copy of the T or G allele increases serum PTH by 7% and 3%, respectively. Methods: In 1601 untreated Chinese patients (mean age, 51.0 years; 51.9% women), we measured cfPWV by tonometry (SphygmoCor) and baPWV and hbPWV by combined oscillometry and plethysmography (VP-2000 PWV/ABI analyser), serum PTH by an immunoassay, and genotypes by the SNapShot method. Results: cfPWV, baPWV and hbPWV averaged 7.9, 14.6 and 5.5 m/s and serum PTH 65.7 pg/mL. Genotype frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, amounting to 41.7% (AA), 44.9% (AT) and 13.4% (TT) for rs6127099 and to 70.7% (GG), 26.9% (GA) and 2.3% (AA) for rs4074995. With adjustments applied for sex, age, body mass index, heart rate and season, hbPWV was 0.05 m/s (P = 0.042) lower with each additional copy of the minor allele (T) of rs6127099. In similarly adjusted analyses of 157 normotensive participants younger than 50 years, cfPWV was 0.32 m/s (P = 0.004) higher per additional copy of the T allele. Sensitivity analyses additionally accounting for the total-to-HDL serum cholesterol ratio, plasma glucose, eGFR and 24-h systolic blood pressure were consistent. No other association of PWV with the genetic variants reached significance. Conclusion: With an increasing number of rs6127099 T alleles, arterial stiffness, as exemplified by PWV, was lower in all participants in a muscular artery (hbPWV), but higher in young normotensive participants in an elastic artery (cfPWV).


Three ets family members, v-ets, spleen focus forming virus proviral integration 1/Pu.1, and Friend leukemia integration 1 (Fli-1), were shown to be involved in retroviral mediated acute leukemias suggesting that ets family members play a crucial role in transformation. Mouse Fli-1 was shown to be involved in 75% erythroleukemias induced by Friend murine leukemia virus suggesting the possibility that Fli-1 may play a critical role in cellular transformation. Since Fli-1 maps to the mouse chromosome region syntenic with human chromosome 11q23-24, it is tempting to speculate that human Fli-1 may be involved in human sarcomas, leukemias, and lymphomas involving human chromosome 11q23-24. We have isolated complementary DNA clones representing the human homologue of Fli-1 gene. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the human Fli-1 gene codes for a 452-residue protein the predicted amino sequence of which shows 80% homology to the human erg-2 protein previously described. A 3.5-kilobase transcript of the human Fli-1 gene was observed in different cells. Sequence analysis revealed two domains of ets homology, one at the 5' and the other at the 3' end of the Fli-1 gene. This 3'-ets homology domain, which is mainly responsible for DNA binding activity, is seen in all the ets family members; however, the 5'-ets homology region is conserved in only five genes, Fli-1, c-ets-1, ets-2, GABP-alpha, and erg, suggesting a common biological function which is shared among these genes. Interestingly, mouse and human Fli-1 transcripts contain highly homologous 5'-untranslated region suggesting that this conserved region may play an important role in the posttranscriptional regulation of the Fli-1 transcript.


Purpose. Compared to patients with explained illness, patients with medically unexplained illness (MUI) may be at elevated risk of applying for disability. Accordingly, patients with MUI may account for a disproportionate number of disability claims and for a disproportionate percentage of salary reimbursement costs. The study was conducted to determine: (a) The prevalence of MUI among disability insurance claimants; (b) the cost of salary reimbursement; and (c) the impact of psychiatric comorbidity on length and cost of disability. Method. An insurance database of 26,451 short-term disability (STD) recipients with long-term disability (LTD) coverage was analyzed to determine the prevalence and salary reimbursement costs of MUI. Applicants with medically explained and psychiatric illness were included for comparison. Results. The prevalence of MUI among STD recipients was lower than clinical and community rates. Rates of application and receipt of LTD benefits for MUI were similar to explained illness. When LTD payments were projected to retirement age, costs associated with unexplained back pain and fibromyalgia were comparable to those of explained illness. The length of disability and salary reimbursement costs were greater when comorbid psychiatric illness was present. Conclusions. Patients with MUI did not account for a disproportionate number of disability claims or amount of the money spent on salary reimbursement. Comorbid psychiatric illness increased the length and cost of disability.


ABSTRACT Building upon recent work on epistemic varieties of liberalism, avant-garde political agency and the theory and practice of activism, I claim that a liberal defence of more open borders does not presuppose either indifference to the problem of the deep structural sources of poverty in poorer countries, or the absence of an account of those structures' transformation. Rather, it is claimed that in addition to the remittance of money and other economic goods to alleviate the symptoms of poverty, more open borders facilitate the remittance of norms and values in terms of which individuals and activist communities in poorer countries may transform the deep structures and institutions that are poverty's sources. This liberal account of more open borders and deep structural transformation also makes possible the non-coercive discharge of obligations of global justice on the part of wealthier states to the world's poor, when poorer nations are either unable or unwilling to discharge them themselves.


Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a new network technology where the cars are used as mobile nodes to form a communication network. In VANET, routing protocols have a significant role in terms of the performance because they determine the way of sending and receiving packets between mobile nodes. In this paper, we examine and analyze the performance of Ad-hoc On-Demand (AODV), Ad-hoc On-demand Multipath Distance Vector (AOMDV) routing protocol using different speeds. The performance measurements; Packet Delivery Ratio, Residual Energy, Average End to End Delay and Average Throughput are examined with respect to 50 Speed and 100 Speed. The objective of this study is to find the best routing protocol over all circumstances. Based on our validated results, AOMDV performs the best among all evaluated protocols.


The on-line automatic monitoring system is self-developed for steel cord conveyor belt. It is based on weak-magnetic field constant nondestructive testing technologies and adopted the sensor array with horizontal and vertical transducers to fully guarantee the fault location accuracy and amplitude accuracy. The TCP and UDP network transport protocol is used in this system, which achieves the real-time communication, data saving and image reconstruction. Different feature fault signal of steel wire is extracted and identified automatically. So the quantitative detection and location detection are realized for various steel cord failures such as rope broken, rust corrosion, joint dislocation, crushed, tilt and so on.


Mainstream education research has devoted little attention to studying highly talented students. Though there exists an expansive specialized literature dedicated to the study of academic giftedness, no recent study has used a large, nationally representative sample to describe gifted American students and how they differ from their nongifted counterparts. Yet identification and management of intellectual talent is essential to maintaining high national standards of achievement in education, international economic competitiveness, and labor market efficiency, as well as to avoid everincreasing social inequality arising from nonlinear returns to ability. This study uses both descriptive statistics and multivariate analytic techniques to explore correlates of academic giftedness for American eighth graders, using the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Our findings indicate that students who are self-reliant and spend more time on homework assignments and leisure reading per week are much more likely to be academically gifted than other students. In addition, high levels of parental educational aspirations as well as high levels of family socioeconomic status are important predictors of academic giftedness.


Aldolase C (Aldoc, also known as "zebrin II"), a brain type isozyme of a glycolysis enzyme, is expressed heterogeneously in subpopulations of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) that are arranged longitudinally in a complex striped pattern in the cerebellar cortex, a pattern which is closely related to the topography of input and output axonal projections. Here, we generated knock-in Aldoc-Venus mice in which Aldoc expression is visualized by expression of a fluorescent protein, Venus. Since there was no obvious phenotypes in general brain morphology and in the striped pattern of the cerebellum in mutants, we made detailed observation of Aldoc expression pattern in the nervous system by using Venus expression in Aldoc-Venus heterozygotes. High levels of Venus expression were observed in cerebellar PCs, cartwheel cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, sensory epithelium of the inner ear and in all major types of retinal cells, while moderate levels of Venus expression were observed in astrocytes and satellite cells in the dorsal root ganglion. The striped arrangement of PCs that express Venus to different degrees was carefully traced with serial section alignment analysis and mapped on the unfolded scheme of the entire cerebellar cortex to re-identify all individual Aldoc stripes. A longitudinally striped boundary of Aldoc expression was first identified in the mouse flocculus, and was correlated with the climbing fiber projection pattern and expression of another compartmental marker molecule, heat shock protein 25 (HSP25). As in the rat, the cerebellar nuclei were divided into the rostrodorsal negative and the caudoventral positive portions by distinct projections of Aldoc-positive and negative PC axons in the mouse. Identification of the cerebellar Aldoc stripes in this study, as indicated in sample coronal and horizontal sections as well as in sample surface photos of whole-mount preparations, can be referred to in future experiments.


It is a common practice nowadays to plan needle access pathways to volumetric organs before performing surgeries. An enormous amount of needle access planning systems has been proposed in recent years. Recent works mainly focus on system usability or target accessibility. Visualization of planned access
pathways has drawn little attention and its effect on insertion quality is left unattended. We aim to address this problem by introducing an all-round evaluation framework which links up with human motions and computer graphics. Our evaluation framework provides an objective and quantitative analysis of the
illustrativeness of needle access pathway visualization techniques to an extent of 5 degrees of freedom. Our experimental results show that the visualization method adopted, greatly influences insertion accuracy. Based on this finding, we propose a new visualization technique that intuitively conveys placement and orientation information. We also show that our method better conveys pathway orientation and thus enables a higher quality
of insertion.


As people age, distinct changes occur across sensory systems. Specifically, the availability and reliability of sensory inputs decrease with age, prompting older adults to adopt behavior modifications to maintain comparable movement outcomes. Older adults have been observed to exhibit varying motor planning and execution strategies (e.g., Chaput & Proteau , 1996), specifically attributed to their ability to use proprioceptive feedback (e.g., Helsen et al., 2016). However, these studies solely employ visual targets, which may not reflect sensory specific motor processes (Bernier et al., 2007). To better understand the use of vision and proprioception for the preparation and control of aiming movements, the current study employed visual, proprioceptive, and visuo-proprioceptive targets. Younger and older adults were seated in a dark room while aiming with their right hand towards a brief visual and/or proprioceptive target. The proprioceptive target was provided to one of three fingers on the contralateral hand. In terms of endpoint precision, younger adults outperformed the older adults, and the visuo-proprioceptive targets yielded the best performance for both age groups. Additionally, younger adults completed movements faster than older adults. Critically, older adults exhibited longer reaction times compared to younger adults, including an age group by target modality interaction. Further analysis revealed that this outcome was especially the case for the proprioceptive targets. The result that older adults experienced greater temporal costs than younger adults when initiating movements to proprioceptive targets may indicate that, as people age, reliance on proprioceptive feedback is down regulated for the identification of a target location.Acknowledgments: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), University of Toronto (UofT).


The activities of liver, muscle, and red blood cell enzymes involved in the degradation of purine were assayed in zinc deficient (ZD), pair-fed control (PF) and ad libitum-fed control (Ad lib) rats. Diets (1.5 ppm of zinc in ZD diet and 110 ppm in control diet) were fed to rats for 6 weeks after which they were sacrificed and tissues isolated for several assays. Results indicated a significant increase in the concentration of plasma NH3 (P less than .0005) and uric acid (P less than .05), and a decrease in the concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (P less than .025) in ZD rats compared to both control groups. The activities of liver and red blood cell (RBC) nucleoside phosphorylase (NPase) were lower (P less than .025) in ZD rats. Activity of 5'adenosine monophosphate deaminase (AMPDA) was higher in liver (P less than .0001) and muscle (P less than .01) in ZD groups vs. controls. Activity of hypoxanthine polyribosyl transferase (HPRT) in liver was higher (P less than .005) in ZD group compared to controls. The present findings could be viewed from two aspects: first, they provide an insight into the specific role of zinc on T-lymphocyte function which is believed to be mediated by the regulatory effect of zinc on the enzyme nucleoside phosphorylase and, second they provide a possible mechanism for hyperammonemia observed in zinc deficient human subjects and experimental animals.


Transport models are developed for the adsorption of monoclonal antibody charge variants in cation exchange columns for two different matrices: UNOsphere S, which has a macroporous architecture, and Capto S, which contains charged dextran polymers grafted to an agarose matrix. The UNOsphere S protein adsorption kinetics is described by a macropore diffusion model with effective pore diffusivity De = 8.3 × 10−8 cm2/s, which successfully predicts resolution of charge variants by frontal analysis at residence times, L/u, between 0.9 and 5.4 min. The Capto S adsorption kinetics is very fast for individual charge variants and for coadsorption of their mixtures, but is dramatically slower for sequential adsorption, when a more strongly bound variant displaces a more weakly bound one. A Maxwell-Stefan model assuming single-file diffusion predicts, in agreement with experiments, poor resolution of charge variants by frontal analysis even at long residence times as a result of highly hindered counterdiffusion. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 2503–2511, 2012


ABSTRACT In traditional English lexicography, individual dictionary editors have had ultimate control over the selection, meaning, and illustration of words and extensive collaboration with contributors has been limited. However, Internet technologies that easily permit exchanges between a user and a database have allowed a new type of dictionary online: one that is built by the collaboration of contributing end-users, allowing users who are not trained lexicographers to engage in the actual making of dictionaries. We discuss here a popular online slang dictionary, UrbanDictionary.com (UD), to illustrate how traditional lexicographic principles are joined with Web-only communication technologies to provide a context for collaborative engagement and meaning-making, and to note the many characteristics and functions shared with traditional print dictionaries. Significantly, UD captures what most traditional English dictionaries fall short of: both recording ephemeral everyday spoken language and representing popular views of meaning. By relying on the users of language to select and define words for a dictionary, UD – which defines more than one million words – has in effect influenced both access to and formulation of the lexis.


Today, as the importance of system automation increases, measurement systems become more and more important. Consequently, in many applications, from washing machines, motorized vehicles, robots to nuclear turbine reactors, velocity measurement is inevitable. In industry, velocity is widespreadly needed to be measured. Besides that researchers through the globe need such measurement devices in their studies. On the other hand, to be able to make a correct measurement, it may be needed to pay much on measuring equipments while the economical issue is sometimes the reason for the research does not continue on or even not begin. So, it has always been a practical problem for both industry and researchers not to be able to measure the rotating velocity of machinery with both sufficient precision and low cost. In this paper, a very low cost but still precise velocity measurement system design is introduced, explained and discussed. First, building up of the sensor circuit and basic components of the system are introduced. Then, data acquisition and signal processing of the system are explained. Finally, advantages of the system are discussed and some conclusions are given.Copyright © 2010 by ASME