This paper presents results of a study to characterise wire-less point-to-point channel for wireless sensor networks applications in sport hard court arenas, grass fields and on roads. Antenna height and orientation effects on coverage are also studied and results show that for omni-directional patch antenna, node range is reduced by a factor of 2 when the antenna orientation is changed from vertical to horizontal. The maximum range for a wireless node on a hard court sport arena has been determined to be 70m for 0dBm transmission but this reduces to 60m on a road surface and to 50m on a grass field. For horizontal antenna orientation the range on the road is longer than on the sport court which shows that scattered signal components from the rougher road surface combine to extend the communication range. The channels investigated showed that packet error ratio (PER) is dominated by large-scale, rather than small-scale, channel fading with an abrupt transition from low PER to 100% PER. Results also show that large-scale received signal power can be modelled with a 2nd order log-distance polynomial equation on the sport court and road, but a 1st order model is sufficient for the grass field. Small-scale signal variations have been found to have a Rice distribution for signal to noise ratio levels greater than 10 dB but the Rice K-factor exhibits significant variations at short distances which can be attributed to the influence of strong ground reflections.


Written by leading American practitioners, the Oxford American Handbooks of Medicine each offer a pocket-sized overview of an entire specialty, featuring instant access to guidance on the conditions that are most likely to be encountered. Precise and prescriptive, the handbooks offer up-to-date advice on examination, investigations, common procedures, and in-patient care. These books will be invaluable resources for residents and students, as well as a useful reference for practitioners. The Oxford American Handbook of Sports Medicine brings together the common problems and diagnoses of sports medicine into a focused summary of the latest strategies, management plans, and evidence-based protocols. Its quick, accessible overview in a portable format will make it ideal for use on the sidelines and in the clinic by physicians working with both professional and amateur athletes and teams. Plus, primary care and orthopedic students, residents, and fellows will find it a dependable, practical guide during sports medicine rotations and clerkships as well as a good review tool for in-training exams. Extensively illustrated, compact and comprehensive, the full range of the specialty is covered including sections on sports psychology, imaging and procedures, as well as issues specific to women athletes and pediatric patients.


Olfactory sensory stimulation induces a fast-phase arrest response (FPA-R) of the blowfly heart activity that has been described as a sensitive tool for testing insect reactivity to odor perception. We analyzed FPA-R occurrence to repeated olfactory stimulation with low and high 1-hexanol concentrations that are behaviorally attractant and repellent, respectively, in the blowfly. FPA-R occurrence diminished and ceased with repeated presentations of low and medium odor concentrations, according to dynamics inversely related to odor doses. On the other hand, repeated stimulation with higher odor concentrations induced persistent FPA-Rs. Sensory input amplitude to repeated presentations of singly tested odor concentrations did not change throughout stimulation sessions. A spontaneous restoration of FPA-R to olfactory stimulation was recorded 30 min after cessation of FPA-R to a previous olfactory stimulation session. However, a prompt restoration of FPA-R to olfactory stimulation after cessation of FPA-R was obtained following mechano-taste stimulation of labellar sensilla. Our findings show that the FPA-R habituates to olfactory sensory stimulation with low and medium odor concentrations according to dynamics inversely related to odor intensities. On the other hand, the FPA-R does not habituate to higher odor concentrations. Therefore, flies learn to disregard nonaversive odor information, but they cannot ignore iterative detection of a repellent volatile.


The flow rates and velocities of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the central nervous system (CNS) can be measured using advanced imaging modalities such as cine-phase-contrast-MRI, but the driving forces behind CSF motion are not fully understood. Recent clinical measurements create the observations necessary to establish a relationship between cerebral blood flow dynamics and pulsatile CSF flow. However, a fundamental mathematical model useful for interpreting and quantifying the dynamic force balances between expanding cerebral vasculature, deformable brain tissue, and displaceable CSF does not yet exist. To bridge the gap between observations of a blood-CSF flow relationship and insight into how these mechanisms occur in reality, this dissertation proposes a multi-scale modeling approach for explaining and quantifying the interactions between expanding vasculature, brain tissue, and CSF.
The core hypothesis of this dissertation is that the oscillatory CSF flow is due to pulsating cerebral vasculature expansion. To test this hypothesis, an integrated model of cerebral vasculature, brain tissue, and CSF is presented. Brain and CSF domains were generated from medical images and spatially discretized using the finite volume method. Large arteries of the vasculature network were reconstructed from medical images and an automatic vessel growth algorithm was used to generate regions of microvasculature. The completed vasculature domain was represented as a complex, continuous network of cylindrical tubes. In the model, cerebral blood flow, pressures, and vessel expansion are solved in the entire vascular network. Changes in vessel caliber are transmitted to the brain as a volumetric strain, thus inducing tissue displacement. The deforming brain, in turn, accelerates the CSF throughout the cranial fluid space. The displacement of the brain tissue is governed by a steady-state linear momentum balance with an underlying linear-elastic constitutive model. CSF flow is predicted by solving mass and momentum balances using the SIMPLE (semi-implicit method for pressure linked equations) algorithm for incompressible fluids. Because the CSF space is deformable due to motion along the CSF-brain tissue boundary, the fluid equations are written in an Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian framework. A mesh displacement scheme was implemented to maintain fluid grid integrity.
The model predicts a pulsatile CSF flow pattern that matches in magnitude and timing the in vivo measurements of normal and hydrocephalic patients. Although the close match does not prove the original hypothesis is true, it does provide a rational explanation for the driving forces of intracranial dynamics of the CNS. This extensive undertaking has resulted in the first fully integrated model of vasculature, brain, and CSF, and is an important step toward quantifying complex biomechanical interactions in the brain.


The relationship between corn and oil prices is not a stable one. We identified three breaks in the relationship between corn and oil prices. The first break coincides with the second oil crisis. The second break marks the end of the agricultural export subsidy war between the EU and the US in the mid 1980s while the third one occurred at the beginning of the ethanol boom at the very end of the 1990s. The relationship between corn and oil prices tends to be stronger when oil prices are highly volatile and when agricultural policies create less distortion. The ethanol boom strengthened the relation between corn and oil prices which are (were not) cointegrated in the fourth regime (first three) regime(s). Impulse response functions confirm that corn prices systematically respond to oil price shocks, but the converse is not observed.


In this tutorial, you will learn how to fit structural equation models (SEM) using Stata software. SEMs can be fit in Stata using the sem command for standard linear SEMs, the gsem command for generalized linear SEMs, or by drawing their path diagrams in the SEM Builder. After a brief introduction to Stata, the sem command will be demonstrated through a confirmatory factor analysis model, mediation model, group analysis, and a growth curve model, and the gsem command will be demonstrated through a random-slope model and a logistic ordinal regression. Materials and datasets are provided online, allowing anyone with Stata to follow along.


The past decade has seen American culture deeply divided by debates over social identity, public morality, communal values and freedom of expression. A key focus of these polarizing discussions has been the role of visual arts in public life. In Art Matters, five leading cultural critics and two prominent contemporary artists show the ways that this debate has profoundly reshaped our view of American culture. Lucy Lippard investigates the extraordinary recent transformations in visual art; Michele Wallace takes on high art, popular culture, and African American identity; David Deitcher discusses queer culture and AIDS; Carole S. Vance ponders censorship and sexually explicit imagery; and Lewis Hyde considers democracy and culture. Projects by artists Julie Ault and Andrea Fraser provide a context for these debates. Art Matters also offers a close examination of attempts to develop alternative funding sources for artists, focusing specifically on the influential private foundation Art Matters-a foundation which became an important proponent for new forms of art and for protecting freedom of expression through its funding and advocacy efforts.


T cell-mediated autoimmunity to collagen V (col-V), a sequestered yet immunogenic self-protein, can induce chronic lung allograft rejection in rodent models. In this study we characterized the role of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in regulating col-V autoimmunity in human lung transplant (LT) recipients. LT recipients revealed a high frequency of col-V-reactive, IL-10-producing CD4+ T cells (TIL-10 cells) with low IL-2-, IFN-γ-, IL-5-, and no IL-4-producing T cells. These TIL-10 cells were distinct from Tregs because they lacked constitutive expression of both CD25 and Foxp3. Expansion of TIL-10 cells during col-V stimulation in vitro involved CTLA-4 on Tregs, because both depleting and blocking Tregs with anti-CTLA4 F(ab′)2 mAbs resulted in loss of TIL-10 cells with a concomitant increase in IFN-γ producing Th1 cells (TIFN-γ cells). A Transwell culture of col-V-specific TIL-10 cells with Th1 cells (those generated in absence of Tregs) from the same patient resulted in marked inhibition of IFN-γ and proliferation of TIFN-γ cells, which was reversed by neutralizing IL-10. Furthermore, the TIL-10 cells were HLA class II restricted because blocking HLA class II on APCs resulted in the loss of IL-10 production. Chronic lung allograft rejection was associated with the loss of Tregs with a concomitant decrease in TIL-10 cells and an increase in TIFN-γ cells. We conclude that LT patients have col-V-specific T cells that can be detected in the peripheral blood. The predominant col-V-specific T cells produce IL-10 that suppresses autoreactive Th1 cells independently of direct cellular contact. Tregs are pivotal for the induction of these "suppressor" TIL-10 cells.


We derive estimates of temperature of the Australian continental mantle between 80 and 350 km depth from two published S-velocity models. Lithospheric temperatures range over about 1000 °C, with a large-scale correlation between temperature and tectonic age. In detail however, variations ranging from 200 to 700 °C occur within each tectonic province. At the current seismic resolution, strictly Proterozoic and Archean blocks do not have substantially different temperatures, nor does the Phanerozoic lithosphere east and west of the Tasman line. Temperatures close to an average (moist) MORB source mantle solidus characterize the eastern seaboard and its offshore. Differences between the temperatures derived from the two velocity models illustrate the importance of well-constrained absolute velocities and gradients for physical interpretation. The large range of lithospheric temperatures cannot be explained solely with documented variability in crustal heat production, but requires significant variations in mantle heat flow as well.


This economic policy note addresses the issue of the East Asian financial crisis, suggesting that recent trade socks, were both a cause and a consequence of this crisis. It further suggests that, though it appears that these trade shocks were largely cyclical in nature, structural changes and policy choices may also have played a role. Dramatic trade changes in the region took place, where the region's overall imports dropped by 4 percent, with a significant 18 percent drop in imports from Japan. Export growth is considered to be a major prospect for short-term economic expansion in the region, depending in part on the composition and pattern of trade flows. The note also suggests that policy implications should be considered, such as heavy investments in education and skills upgrading. Furthermore, macroeconomic policies will be required to capitalize on the initial boost to competitiveness, provided by recent devaluations in the region. The inevitable risk of adjustment pressures in OECD markets exists, though raising barriers should be avoided, since this would harm East Asia's recovery.


Spindle cell lipomas (SCL) are typically tumors of the upper back/neck (shawl region) of men (80% to 90%). In general, there is a frequent tendency to restrict the diagnosis to this specific clinical scenario and a hesitancy to diagnose SCL in women. We hypothesized that SCL in women have a more varied presentation. A total of 395 SCL were diagnosed at our institution over the last 11 years. The diagnosis of SCL in women was confirmed by re-review. Immunohistochemical stains for CD34, desmin, estrogen receptor, and p16 were performed. In a subset, fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect Retinoblastoma1 (RB1) gene deletion was performed. Of 395 SCLs, 331 (86%) occurred in men; 53 (14%) occurred in women (11 cases excluded). Of the 64 SCL in women, 58 had available material. In total, 53 of 58 were confirmed as SCL. Women were younger at diagnosis (median, 51 y; range, 5 to 76 y) compared with men (64 y; range, 23 to 98 y), P<0.0001, t test. SCL in women typically occurred outside the shawl distribution (36/53, 68%) compared with men (95/331, 29%) (P<0.001), including extremities (16/53, 30% vs. 32/331, 10%) and face (11/53, 21% vs. 47/331, 14%). Dermal SCL in women were also relatively common (16/53, 30%). The cases demonstrated varying proportions of bland spindled cells, ropey collagen, myxoid matrix, and adipocytes. By immunohistochemistry, 46/46 were CD34+, 48 of 48 were desmin negative, 33 of 42 were estrogen receptor negative, and 29 of 42 had loss of p16 expression. In total, 12 of 14 showed RB1 loss by fluorescence in situ hybridization. SCL in women frequently occurs in unconventional locations and in at a slightly younger patient age.


The present paper deals with the formation of macrosegregation in a benchmark ingot using (Fe-C-Cr) ternary alloy composition. The numerical investigation of complex multiphase phenomena is a difficult study, because the thermophysical properties depend strongly on the temperature, concentration, pressure and chemical composition as well. For the numerical modeling of solidification and melting processes different phases (e.g. liquid, equiaxed crystals and columnar dendrite trunks) have been considered. The mass, momentum, energy conservation and species conservation equations for each phase have been solved. The Eulerian-Eulerian model equations have been implemented in the commercial Finite Volume Method based FLUENT-ANSYS v6.3 CFD software using User-Defined Functions (UDF). The mass transfer has been modelled by diffusion controlled crystal growth by applying an advanced tip tracking algorithm for columnar solidification. The modeling of the grain density transport has been improved. The derivatives of the mass fraction quantities for each component appear in the nucleation rate term. It means that we obtain a new term of the right hand side of the grain density transport equation for using ternary alloy composition. This paper focuses on both the process and simulation parameters and their influence on the macrosegregation formation. The results show that the macrosegregation pattern does not change significantly above a well-chosen number of grid cells, and the computational time could be decreased, when the time step size has been increased.


We report a systematic strengthening of the local solar surface or fundamental f-mode one to two days prior to the emergence of an active region (AR) in the same (corotating) location. Except for a possibly related increase in the kurtosis of the magnetic field, no indication can be seen in the magnetograms at that time. Our study is motivated by earlier numerical findings of Singh et al., which showed that, in the presence of a nonuniform magnetic field that is concentrated a few scale heights below the surface, the f-mode fans out in the diagnostic diagram at high wavenumbers. Here we explore this possibility using data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and show for six isolated ARs, 11130, 11158, 11242, 11105, 11072, and 11768, that at large latitudinal wavenumbers (corresponding to horizontal scales of around ), the f-mode displays strengthening about two days prior to AR formation and thus provides a new precursor for AR formation. Furthermore, we study two ARs, 12051 and 11678, apart from a magnetically quiet patch lying next to AR 12529, to demonstrate the challenges in extracting such a precursor signal when a newly forming AR emerges in a patch that lies in close proximity to one or several already existing ARs, which are expected to pollute neighboring patches. We then discuss plausible procedures for extracting precursor signals from regions with crowded environments. The idea that the f-mode is perturbed days before any visible magnetic activity occurs at the surface can be important in constraining dynamo models aimed at understanding the global magnetic activity of the Sun.


Abstract The objective quantification of integumentary color and its pigmentary basis have been relatively little studied in turtles. We used reflectance spectrometry to measure the color of the chin, neck, and leg stripes and spots of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) and the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta), and we used absorbance spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography to identify pigments in these colored patches. Both species had stripes and patches that were predominantly yellow and orange, but the yellow stripes typically contained a small ultraviolet (UV) reflectance peak. Chin, neck, and leg stripes of the painted turtle and chin and neck stripes of the red-eared slider contained an unidentified apocarotenoid and a ketocarotenoid (astaxanthin), but the postorbital eyespot of the red-eared slider contained only astaxanthin. These findings add painted turtles and red-eared sliders to the growing list of animals that use carotenoids in part to generate red, orange, yellow, and UV colors. We discuss these findings in the context of dual pigment production, pigment metabolic production costs, immune system health, and visual signal use in emydid turtles and other vertebrates.


Although it is largely agreed that phonological processing deficits are a major cause of poor reading, the neural origins of phonological processing are not well understood. We now show, for the first time, that phonological decoding, measured with a test of singlenonword reading, is significantly correlated with the timing of subcortical auditory processing and also, to a lesser extent, with the robustness of subcortical representation of the harmonic content of speech, but not with pitch encoding. The relationships we observe between reading and subcortical processing fall along a continuum, with poor readers at one end and good readers at the other. These data suggest that reading skill may depend on the integrity of subcortical auditory mechanisms and are consistent with the idea that subcortical representation of the acoustic features of speech may play a role in normal reading as well as in the development of reading disorders. These data establish a significant link between subcortical auditory function and reading, thereby contributing to the understanding of the biological bases of reading. At a more general level, these findings are among the first to establish a direct relationship between subcortical sensory function and a specific cognitive skill (reading). We argue that this relationship between cortical and subcortical function could be shaped during development by the corticofugal pathway and that this cortical--subcortical link could contribute to the phonological processing deficits experienced by poor readers.


Geographically replicating popular objects in the Internet speeds up content distribution at the cost of keeping the replicas consistent and up-to-date. The overall effectiveness of replication can be measured by the total communication cost consisting of client accesses and consistency management, both of which depend on the locations of the replicas. This paper investigates the problem of placing replicas under the widely used TTL-based consistency scheme. A polynomial-time algorithm is proposed to compute the optimal placement of a given number of replicas in a network. The new replica placement scheme is compared, using real Internet topologies and Web traces, against two existing approaches which do not consider consistency management or assume invalidation-based consistency scheme. The factors affecting their performance are identified and discussed


Levels of serum IgG antibodies to somatic antigens of Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were determined in 127 healthy people, 37 patients with chronic bronchitis and 20 patients with bronchiectasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The logarithmic mean titers of antibodies to Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were significantly higher in the patients with chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis than in healthy people. The invasion rate of Haemophilus influenzae was identical in healthy people, chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis, while that of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly lower in healthy people than in chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis patients. These results indicate that patients with chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis may often have recurrence and are easily infected because of lowered defense mechanisms in the respiratory tract.


Clinical signs of a lesion of a small bowel at a chronic pancreatitis are caused by disturbance first of all a membranous stage of intestinal digestion, observed at early stages of disease and progress in process of augmentation of duration of disease. Expression of enzymatic disorders correlated with a lesion of elements of a brush border.


Routine susceptibility data for urinary coliform isolates from community practice were analysed in comparison with dispensed antibiotic prescriptions for all conditions and social deprivation data for Bro Taf and North Wales Health Authorities for financial years 1996--1998. Prescribing rates and resistance rates varied widely between practices. Among isolates from practices with high usage of an antibiotic, rates of resistance to that antibiotic tended to be high, and usage correlated significantly with resistance between practice population units. Cross-correlations were found between usage of one antibiotic and resistance to another, particularly for trimethoprim and ampicillin. Usage, particularly of trimethoprim, was associated with multi-resistance to up to four antibiotics. Resistance was more frequent in isolates from males, children and the elderly. Ampicillin resistance correlated with social deprivation. Analyses including or excluding potential repeat isolates yielded closely similar results. Indices reflecting sampling behaviour (laboratory coliform positivity rates, positivity per 1000 registered patients, specimens submitted per 1000 registered patients) varied widely between surgeries, suggesting lack of consensus on urine sampling policies. These indices showed only weak correlations with usage or resistance. Associations between resistance and usage were compared for isolates from two patient subsets that were likely to differ in their proportions of non-Escherichia coli isolates: female patients aged 16--55 years; and males, children and patients aged >55 years. The latter showed higher base levels of resistance, but the associations of resistance with usage were statistically indistinguishable for the two populations. The results suggest that usage of antibiotics in a practice population may affect the rate of urinary infection caused by resistant coliform organisms in that population.


The author indicates the similarity of a human tooth and an endoprosthesis in their action, which is the basis for developing a procedure of endoprosthesis and designing an endoprosthesis with dumping elements. The procedure has been developed during a long-term surgical experiment by examining the results by the following techniques: X-ray, bed testing, light and scanning electron microscope. Experimental results are convincing. For coating the prostheses, polytetrafluoroethylene velour is used in the experiment, but cauflene, the material of the same kind polytetrafluoroethylene, is employed in the clinical setting. The experiments yielded two inventions patented in the Russian Federation. This direction in their development seems to be fruitful in preventing the aseptic endoprosthetic instability that is the most common and severe complication after endoprosthesis and requires most frequently resurgery.


Based on the coupled Ginzburg-Landu equation, we numerically investigate the pulse dynamics in a dispersion-managed normal dispersion Tm-doped mode-locked fiber laser. The influences of the modulation depth and saturation power of saturable absorber on the pulse dynamics are presented. The simulation results show that these parameters are crucial to achieve high pulse energy and high pulse peak power pulsed laser near 2-\mu m wavelength.


In this paper, an asymmetrical pulse-width-modulated (APWM) resonant inverter topology is presented for high frequency AC power distribution systems. The inverter system is comprised of simple power and control circuitry. The detailed analysis shows that the proposed inverter has very low total harmonic distortion, near-zero switching losses, and fast transient response. A design procedure is illustrated as well. Simulation and experimental results are presented to prove the performance of the proposed inverter.


Inspired by the strong adhesion of mussel, taking advantage of a simple one-pot approach, we designed a robust and boiling-water resistant superhydrophobic polydopamine@SiO2(PDA@SiO2) coated cotton fabric through copolymerization reaction and trimethyl silyl modified process at room temperature. The as-prepared fabric not only shows great resistance to mechanical abrasion, wear and ultrasonic treatment but also has excellent superhydrophobicity stability towards UV irradiation, high temperature and organic solvents immersion. More importantly, the superhydrophobic fabric also exhibits boiling water (99 °C) repelling properties, while several superhydrophobic surfaces lose their superhydrophobicity when exposed to hot water with temperature more than 50 °C. It is also noticeable that the purity of all the collected oil is as high as 99.9% when superhydrophobic fabric is used to separate oil/water mixture for 20 cycles, indicating the high oil/water separation efficiency of the fabric. We believe that the modified fabric is environmentally friendly, low cost and easy to fabricate, and thus exhibits great potential applications in solving the serious problems of oily waste water and scald-protection clothes.


The quest for improved energy savings is driving research into power converter high-efficiency operation under extremely light-load conditions. The use of multiple output converters to satisfy circuit needs and cost requirements adds additional complication to the standby mode power-consumption problem. This is due to the difficulty of satisfying both good cross-regulation under various load conditions as well as high efficiency in the standby mode simultaneously; because topologies that exhibit a good cross-regulation performance, such as resonant converters, generally have a poor efficiency problem under extremely light-loads. A secondary side post regulator (SSPR) is proposed to reduce the standby power consumption and to improve the cross-regulation performance of single- controller multiple-output channel power converters. It is capable of reducing the power consumption of the power converter as well as the SSPR. The SSPR is analysed using its operational principles and small signal models. A 110 W experimental prototype was built to verify the standby power consumption and cross-regulation performance using the proposed SSPR.


Introduction Endoscopic management of male anterior urethral stricture disease is common; however, repeat treatment is associated with high recurrence rates. Here, we report the 3-year results of the ROBUST I trial, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of the Optilume® drug coated balloon (DCB) in men with recurrent urethral strictures. Methods Adult men with recurrent bulbar urethral strictures ≤2 cm in length and 1–4 prior endoscopic interventions were treated with the Optilume DCB. Functional success was defined as ≥50% reduction in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) without need for retreatment. Other outcomes included quality of life, maximum flow rate, post-void residual urine volume, erectile function, and freedom from repeat intervention. Results Of the 53 enrolled and treated men, 33 completed the 3-year visit, with 10 patients experiencing clinical failures at previous visits, giving a total of 43 subjects evaluable for the functional success endpoint. Functional success was achieved in 67% (29/43) and freedom from retreatment in 77% (33/43). Average IPSS improved from 25.2 at baseline to 5.5 at 3 years (p<0.0001). Significant improvements were observed in quality of life, flow rate, and post-void residual urine volume. Erectile function was not affected by treatment. Device-related adverse events were mild or moderate in nature and resolved quickly after onset. There were no serious treatment-related adverse events. Conclusion Symptomatic improvement after treatment with the Optilume DCB was maintained through 3 years in a population highly susceptible to recurrent urethral stricture disease. This minimally invasive therapy is safe with no negative impact on sexual function.


This memo specifies, for OSPF implementors and users, mechanisms describing how the protocol operates in ATM networks over PVC and SVC meshes with the presence of Proxy-PAR. These recommendations require no protocol changes and allow simpler, more efficient and costeffective network designs. It is recommended that OSPF implementations should be able to support logical interfaces, each consisting of one or more virtual circuits and used either as numbered logical point-to-point links (one VC), logical NBMA networks (more than one VC) or Point-to-MultiPoint networks (more than one VC), where a solution simulating broadcast interfaces is not appropriate. PAR can help distribute across the ATM cloud configuration setup and changes of such interfaces when OSPF capable routers are (re-)configured. Proxy-PAR can in turn be used to exchange this information between the ATM cloud and the routers connected to it.


Plastic garbage is one of the elements that causes the pollution and especially pollution in the sea. The amount of rubbish in the waters has indeed become one of the problems which has not been resolved. It comes from the activities of human who throw garbage into the sea, the lack of mutual cooperation activities and public awareness in disposing of garbage in its place. The aims of this research are to make a suction tool and trash collector to help the community in collecting marine trash on the surface of the sea, so the community does not need to manually collect or clean up trash in the port area or residents homes near coastal. In this study, the researcher used LDR sensor to respond the presence of garbage, DC motors to move the garbage nets, relay modules as the regulators of the life of the pump, and limit switches to turn off and turn on the DC motors, and also GSM900 Modules as notification tools which is to send a Short Message Service (SMS) to the user that the garbage is full and ready to be picked up. The result of the study was obtained that the device are able to take waste with an average weight every hour, 0.3 kg and the maximum weight that can be lifted nets 0.5 kg and minimum weight around 0.1 kg. with the most type of waste in the form of plastic waste , organic waste and other household waste in small size.


This article provides an account of sensitivity and robustness of structure and motion recovery with respect to the errors in intrinsic parameters of the camera. We demonstrate both analytically and in simulation, the interplay between measurement and calibration errors and their effect on motion and structure estimates. In particular we show that the calibration errors introduce an additional bias towards the optical axis, which has opposite sign to the bias typically observed by egomotion algorithms. The overall bias causes a distortion of the resulting 3D structure, which we express in a parametric form. The analysis and experiments are carried out in the differential setting for motion and structure estimation from image velocities. While the analytical explanations are derived in the context of linear techniques for motion estimation, we verify our observations experimentally on a variety of optimal and suboptimal motion and structure estimation algorithms. The obtained results illuminate and explain the performance and sensitivity of the differential structure and motion recovery techniques in the presence of calibration errors.


In this work, an innovative real-time microwave control approach is proposed, to improve the temperature homogeneity under microwave heating. Multiple adaptive or intelligent control structures have been developed, including the model predictive control, neural network control and reinforcement learning control methods. Experimental results prove that these advanced control methods can effectively reduce the final temperature derivations and improve the temperature homogeneity.


Continuing improvements in analytical technology along with an increased interest in performing comprehensive, quantitative metabolic profiling, is leading to increased interest pressures within the metabolomics community to develop centralized metabolite reference resources for certain clinically important biofluids, such as cerebrospinal fluid, urine and blood. As part of an ongoing effort to systematically characterize the human metabolome through the Human Metabolome Project, we have undertaken the task of characterizing the human serum metabolome. In doing so, we have combined targeted and non-targeted NMR, GC-MS and LC-MS methods with computer-aided literature mining to identify and quantify a comprehensive, if not absolutely complete, set of metabolites commonly detected and quantified (with today's technology) in the human serum metabolome. Our use of multiple metabolomics platforms and technologies allowed us to substantially enhance the level of metabolome coverage while critically assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of these platforms or technologies. Tables containing the complete set of 4229 confirmed and highly probable human serum compounds, their concentrations, related literature references and links to their known disease associations are freely available at http://www.serummetabolome.ca.


cryIVA gene of the Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis was subcloned into the Tn10 of a suicide transposon plasmid vector and a transposon plasmid pLF97A carrying cryIVA was constructed. By electroporation and transposition, cryIVA gene integrated into chromosome DNA of F.P.DE2. Thus the genetic engineered bacterial strain, F.P.DE202, was constructed. Southern blotting revealed that this integration was happened in different loci of the chromosome. Western blotting demonstrated that cryIVA was expressed in the engineered strain, and that the expressed product possesed the pesticidal ability against the third-instar larva of Bradysia odoriphaga.


I.—INTRODUCTION.

The Craven Lowlands, bounded to the north-west by the Millstone Grit of the Bowland Fells and to the south-east by that of the Pendle Range and the Mid-Pennine Moors of Yorkshire, is an area of Lower Carboniferous built of a series of E.N.E.—W.S.W. folds, the most noticeable of which are the Clitheroe-Skipton and Slaidburn-Cracoe anticlines.* The north-eastern end of the Slaidburn-Cracoe anticline is crossed by the Craven Faults; the North Craven Fault separates the reef limestone of Cracoe from the more northern facies; the Middle Craven Fault divides the reef limestone of Elbolton and Thorpe Kail from that of Swinden and Butterhaw, while the South Craven Fault splits up into two faults which pass through Winterburn and Gargrave respectively and divide the area under consideration in this paper. This north-eastern part of the anticline was called the Eshton-Hetton anticline by Dr. Wilmore.14* It includes the Cracoe knoll area, where the anticline degenerates into a series of smaller folds of which one is the anticline of Swinden knoll, one the main axis of the Elbolton group of knolls, and one of which is continued across the North Craven Fault and forms the anticline between Dibbles Bridge and Greenhow.3 The area dealt with in this paper is that part of the Slaidburn-Cracoe anticline which is immediately south-west of the Cracoe knoll area and between the Millstone Grit of Threshfield Moor and that of Embsay Moor and Rylstone Fells (see map, p. 415).

The investigation of the geology of this ...


The structure and function of the TCR-CD3 complex containing a homodimer of the gamma chain of the high affinity receptor for IgE (FcR gamma) (FcR gamma+ TCR) was investigated by transfecting the FcR gamma gene into a CD3 zeta-, CD3 eta-, FcR gamma- T cell line. Introduction of FcR gamma, as well as CD3 zeta, induced a high expression of the TCR-CD3 complex on the cell surface. Transfected FcR gamma formed a homodimer and associated firmly with the TCR alpha beta dimer but only weakly with the CD3 gamma delta epsilon. Stimulation of both FcR gamma and CD3 zeta transfectants by antibodies against TCR or CD3 induced accumulation of inositol phosphates, the Ca2+ response, IL-2 production, and growth inhibition. On the other hand, antigen stimulation of transfectants expressing FcR gamma as well as CD3 zeta induced IL-2 production, but only the latter exhibited the antigen-induced growth inhibition. In vitro kinase assay suggested that the CD3 zeta dimer but not the FcR gamma dimer associates with the Fyn kinase. These results indicate that the FcR gamma homodimer is able to form a functional TCR complex but that the mode of assembly and the signaling function of FcR gamma+ TCR, including its association with tyrosine kinase(s), may differ from the TCR-CD3 complex containing CD3 zeta homodimers (zeta+ TCR). This provides an example which illustrates that different TCR isoforms mediate distinct signals and functions.


Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) was found to be associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in the general population. Patients after kidney transplantation are prone to AKI events and are also at an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. The association between AKI and MACE in kidney transplant patients is yet to be studied. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study reviewed 416 adult renal allograft recipients transplanted between 2005 and 2010. AKI events were recorded starting 2 weeks after transplantation, or following discharge with a functioning graft. AKI was defined, according to the KDIGO criteria. The primary outcome was the composite of MACE starting 6 months after transplantation and all-cause mortality. For survival analysis, we used univariate and multivariate time varying Cox proportional hazard model. Results: One hundred and twenty-four patients (29.8%) had at least one episode of AKI. During the median follow-up time of 7.2 years (interquartile range 4.3–9.1), 144 outcome events occurred. By time varying Cox regression analysis, AKI was associated with an increased rate of CV outcomes or death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.96, 95% CI 1.36–2.81, p < 0.001), and the association remained significant by multivariate adjusted model (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.18–2.63, p = 0.005). As for the different components of MACE, all-cause mortality and CV mortality were the only outcomes that were significantly associated with AKI. No interaction between AKI timing and MACE was found. Conclusion: AKI in kidney transplant recipient is associated with an increased risk of CV disease.


Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent clinical complication of cancer and its treatment. Although much of the epidemiologic data regarding this complication have been based on symptomatic events, the use of multidetector row CT scanner technology has led to increased identification of VTE on scans ordered primarily for staging or restaging of malignancy. These incidentally discovered VTEs are variously referred to in the literature as incidental, asymptomatic, unexpected, or unsuspected VTE. A recent guidance paper by the Hemostasis and Malignancy Subcommittee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis provided recommendations regarding this terminology (now termed incidental) and reporting of incidental VTE for clinical trials. A growing number of retrospective and case-controlled reports have described the prevalence, prognostic implications, and treatment options for these incidentally discovered VTE events, and have reported similar clinical outcomes for patients with incidental and symptomatic VTE. Because most reported patients with incidental VTE have been treated in a manner similar to those with symptomatic events, the present recommendations, except in rare circumstances, support the use of standard anticoagulation in the management of incidental deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.


Objective: Community health workers (CHWs) experience higher than average risks for chronic diseases and poor health and are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to being from historically marginalized populations. Despite limited literature, these factors indicate a need for CHW-specific support programming for wellness and self-care. Therefore, we conducted formative evaluation using virtual focus groups (N = 5) using descriptive and interpretive qualitative research methods to inform a program called "HANS KAI." Methods: The focus groups included CHWs (N = 35) and CHW supervisors (N = 5) to explore CHW-support programming needs and understand their perceptions of HANS KAI. Two moderators followed a semi-structured focus group guide with questions and prompts focused on 5 primary domains: (1) Intervention Initiation, (2) Impact of Agency Culture, (3) HANS KAI Meeting Details, (4) HANS KAI Meeting Topics, and (5) Intervention Incentives. Audio-transcribed data were aggregated and analyzed for each domain with inductive codes involving iterative cycles of descriptive and in vivo coding. Salient themes and sub-themes were developed based on the domains. Results: We developed 8 salient themes within the domains. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that CHW HANS KAI components reflect CHWs' needs, may benefit CHWs, and provide insights into CHW-specific programming.


BACKGROUND
Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN) is a devastating condition affecting one in three people with diabetes.

INTRODUCTION
Keeping in mind the unceasingly escalating prevalence of diabetes mellitus worldwide, the number of PDN patients is also expected to rise with a reduced quality of life in patients and staggering increase in healthcare cost. Despite relentless efforts and continuous research, the commercially available medication for relieving diabetic neuropathy pain are only partially effective with substantial side effects. This is, in part, due to our partial awareness of the underlying complexities causing PDN. The pathogenesis of PDN remains elusive because of the difficulty in obtaining damaged nerve samples and the absence of non-invasive methods to investigate the pathogenesis at different stages of disease progression. The purpose of this review is to describe the pathogenesis, the clinical manifestations and treatment options for PDN.

METHODS
The keywords relevant to the scope of this paper were put in electronic databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) to fetch the relevant data. The data were then analyzed and compiled.

RESULTS
A simplified overview of PDN for researchers new to the field has been provided in an attempt to clarify common confusions. The changes in skin structure and functions in response to diabetes, diabetic neuropathy and painful diabetic neuropathy are also discussed. The unavailability of efficacious pain reliever for PDN stresses on the need for identifying the microenvironmental factors that are altered in PDN and manipulate them to tailor targeted theranostics.

CONCLUSION
In the end, we propose to consider the altered skin structure, function and microenvironmental factors in diabetic population for devising smart, targeted, stimuli-responsive treatment options to attain maximum pain relief with minimum side effects.


Myocardial diseases are associated with an increased risk of potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death/cardiac arrest during exercise, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricular non-compaction, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, and myo-pericarditis. Practicing cardiologists and sport physicians are required to identify high-risk individuals harbouring these cardiac diseases in a timely fashion in the setting of preparticipation screening or medical consultation and provide appropriate advice regarding the participation in competitive sport activities and/or regular exercise programmes. Many asymptomatic (or mildly symptomatic) patients with cardiomyopathies aspire to participate in leisure-time and amateur sport activities to take advantage of the multiple benefits of a physically active lifestyle. In 2005, The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) published recommendations for participation in competitive sport in athletes with cardiomyopathies and myo-pericarditis. One decade on, these recommendations are partly obsolete given the evolving knowledge of the diagnosis, management and treatment of cardiomyopathies and myo-pericarditis. The present document, therefore, aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the most updated recommendations for practicing cardiologists and sport physicians managing athletes with cardiomyopathies and myo-pericarditis and provides pragmatic advice for safe participation in competitive sport at professional and amateur level, as well as in a variety of recreational physical activities.


BACKGROUND Ophthalmomyiasis is ocular invasion by a fly larva. In the United States, only two cases of bilateral subretinal ophthalmomyiasis have been reported in the literature. Subretinal invasion by the fly larva results in characteristic ophthalmoscopic and angiographic findings. Recently, similar subretinal changes have been associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS-PDC) in the Chamorro population of Guam. This pigmentary retinopathy of Guam (PROG) is generally bilateral in presentation, whereas ophthalmomyiasis is generally unilateral. While PROG has been associated with neurologic findings, ophthalmomyiasis interna posterior (OIP) has not. CASE REPORT A case of a 65-year-old Asian man with bilateral subretinal changes is described. Similarities and differences between ophthalmomyiasis and the pigmentary retinopathy of Guam are discussed. CONCLUSIONS Because PROG has been associated with ALS-PDC, a neurologic evaluation should be included in the workup of patients suspected of having OIP or PROG.


Background: In developing countries, oral squamous cell carcinoma is a leading cause of mortality due to late diagnosis. Hence, the aim of the study was to analyze the clinical and pathological presentation of buccal mucosa carcinoma patients. Materials and Methods: A case series study was conducted in regional cancer centre, Tamil Nadu. Demographic and clinical details were collected from medical registries between 2013 and 2015. Results: The present study consists of 198 cases which comprised 125 (63.1%) male and 73 (36.9%) female. The mean age of the cases was 54.16 ± 17.25 years. Histopathology reports showed most frequency of well-differentiated buccal squamous cell carcinoma 98 (49.5%) and followed moderate 98 (34.3%) and poorly differentiated 32 (16.2%). Clinical tumor nodal metastasis reports revealed 168 (85%) of advanced clinical stage (III and IV) of buccal mucosa carcinoma, whereas only 30 (15%) was presented at early stage (I and II) of disease. Based on the clinical and histopathological analysis, 86 (43.4%) cases were fit for surgery and followed by adjuvant chemo- - and radio-therapy. Of 198 cases, the most common clinical complaints were identified with 73 (38%) pain and followed by 47 (28%) bleeding, may be due to unawareness or ignorance of disease. Conclusion: The study concluded that most of the cases had diagnosed in advanced stage of tumor with severe pain and bleeding. Hence, further studies warrant on awareness of clinical symptoms and also to analyze the risk factors for delay diagnosis in Tamil Nadu population, which might reduce morbidity and mortality.


Sera of 50 goats, 3 horses, 1 dog, and 6 herdsmen were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against Listeria monocytogenes by the Osebold agglutination assay on a commercial farm in Akyurt, Ankara. Some of the goats exhibited clinical signs such as apathy, unilateral facial paralysis, incoordination, and abortion. Of the goat samples, 23 (46%) were seropositive and 10 (20%) were at the level of the suspected titer and 17 (34%) were below the cut-off titer in this assay. All horses, the dog and 5 herdsmen were seropositive. The analysis of cerebro-spinal fluid, taken from an agonic goat whose antibody titer was 1/400, revealed a total leukocyte count of 1000 white blood cells per decaliter and total protein of 228.4 mg/dl. The results of this study suggest that listeriosis is prevalent in different animal species and humans, and this infection should be considered by both veterinarians and public health officials.


Objective: To investigate the short-term toxicity of deltamethrin in rats. Materials and methods: Deltamethrin was dissolved in dimethyl sulphoxide and the oral LD 50 was calculated to be 150 mg/kg. Then groups of rats were given repeated daily oral dose (1/10 LD 50 ) of deltamethrin for 30 days. The animals were killed on 31 st day. Activities of various enzymes, cytochrome P 450 and b 5 contents in liver, hepatic antioxidant status, tissue residue concentration, haemogram and pathological changes were studied. Results: Deltamethrin increased the serum aminotransaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase activities and blood glucose level significantly. Deltamethrin decreased PCV and Hb level and the liver cytochrome P 450 content significantly. Considerable amount of residues were present in different tissues. It increased malondialdehyde level, while decreased the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione and glycogen levels in liver significantly. Mild to moderate histological alterations were observed in lungs, liver, stomach, kidney, testes and cerebellum. Conclusion: Repeated dose toxicity studies of deltamethrin at 1/10 LD 50 altered the biochemical parameters; decrease cytochrome P 450 content, antioxidant status, which correlated with histopathological changes with considerable amount in tissue residues.


The effect of cluster carbon implantation and recrystallization on properties of phosphorus doped Si (Si:P) epitaxial films was investigated. Recrystallization techniques based on solid phase epitaxy with rapid thermal annealing (RTA), spike RTA (sRTA), and millisecond laser annealing were employed. It was found that strained carbon doped Si:P (Si:CP) layers with high [C]sub can be achieved by using low temperature sRTA/RTA due to the suppression of carbon–phosphorus coclustering in Si. Additional laser annealing can activate the remaining "nonactive" P atoms in the Si:CP layer recrystallized at low temperatures such as 900 °C sRTA and 800 °C 5 s RTA. This approach of combining a low temperature recrystallization anneal with an additional high temperature laser anneal was found to be useful for creating Si:CP layers with good crystallinity, low resistivity, and less phosphorus diffusion. Finally, a tensile strain was confirmed to be induced into the transistor channel by implementing the recrystallization...


Noble gas and halogen data from a suite of Icelandic samples are presented. Iceland combines hotspot volcanism, a spreading ridge and abundant subglacially erupted samples. This combination allows for samples that erupted under high enough pressures to retain a measurable mantle volatile content, and also display signatures representing interaction between ocean island basalt (OIB) and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) mantle sources.Erupted samples used to determine the mantle?s halogen and noble gas content have undergone a degassing process that can alter their volatile composition. An existing disequilibrium degassing model is developed with the modified model taking into account the evolution of the major volatiles over a multi-stage process and the different conditions present during magma ascent and quenching. The modified model allows substantially lower elemental noble gas ratios to be reached under disequilibrium conditions than allowed by the original model. Initial CO2 concentrations, pressure, diffusivity, ascent rate and degree of disequilibrium are shown to be critical parameters for this model. Final degassed noble gas concentrations are most affected by the surface quenching stage of an eruption, whereas noble gas elemental ratios can be primarily determined during magma ascent. In applying this model to MORB and OIB sample suites, the 3He/22Ne ratio of the MORB source mantle is constrained to be lower than 4.4, similar to estimates for the OIB source mantle. Additionally the most straightforward match between the degassing model and OIB helium and neon data suggest the OIB source mantle has 3He concentrations similar to or lower than the MORB source mantle. This finding requires a model for the OIB source mantle in which a high 3He/4He component is added to a helium-poor protolith.Noble gas studies are hampered by the large, isotopically atmospheric component typically found in Icelandic subglacial samples, which can swamp other signatures. Detailed analysis of a volatile rich sample from SW Iceland shows evidence for more than one ?contaminant? component and that two component fits used incorrectly can produce misleadingly precise source mantle noble gas ratios. Multi component best fits to noble gas elemental ratios find that four components are present in samples from this region. These components are unfractionated air, fractionated air and a mantle component which shows some variation due to degassing. Combining the disequilibrium degassing model with component resolution allows limits to be placed on the source mantle composition for this sample. The light noble gas source composition is compatible with mixing between a solar (?direct nebula?) component and a MORB-like component. This direct nebula signature is at odds with an implanted signature seen in both Ne and Kr for the convecting mantle, and shows that both accretionary volatile origins must have contributed during the Earth?s formation. The heavy noble gases show an elemental abundance pattern which is distinct from air and solar patterns, and trends towards seawater. This confirms the presence of a recycled volatile signature in Iceland?s mantle but it is not possible to further constrain the origin of this signature.The Icelandic halogen data shows no evidence for significant fractionation during degassing or melt generation. Source estimates for the Br/Cl and I/Cl ratios for Iceland?s plume are found to be (1.56�0.03) x 10-3 and (3.1�0.3) x 10-5, compatible with estimates for the MORB source mantle. Halogen source concentrations in central Iceland are found to be approximately three times higher than estimates for the convecting mantle and correlate with the regions of Iceland that show high 3He/4He ratios and high source water contents. This may indicate a recycled halogen signature associated with Iceland?s proposed mantle plume.


"How much energy is consumed for an inference made by a convolutional neural network (CNN)?" With the increased popularity of CNNs deployed on the wide-spectrum of platforms (from mobile devices to workstations), the answer to this question has drawn significant attention. From lengthening battery life of mobile devices to reducing the energy bill of a datacenter, it is important to understand the energy efficiency of CNNs during serving for making an inference, before actually training the model. In this work, we propose NeuralPower: a layer-wise predictive framework based on sparse polynomial regression, for predicting the serving energy consumption of a CNN deployed on any GPU platform. Given the architecture of a CNN, NeuralPower provides an accurate prediction and breakdown for power and runtime across all layers in the whole network, helping machine learners quickly identify the power, runtime, or energy bottlenecks. We also propose the "energy-precision ratio" (EPR) metric to guide machine learners in selecting an energy-efficient CNN architecture that better trades off the energy consumption and prediction accuracy. The experimental results show that the prediction accuracy of the proposed NeuralPower outperforms the best published model to date, yielding an improvement in accuracy of up to 68.5%. We also assess the accuracy of predictions at the network level, by predicting the runtime, power, and energy of state-of-the-art CNN architectures, achieving an average accuracy of 88.24% in runtime, 88.34% in power, and 97.21% in energy. We comprehensively corroborate the effectiveness of NeuralPower as a powerful framework for machine learners by testing it on different GPU platforms and Deep Learning software tools.


The presentation of a Nocardia infection is quite variable. We report a case of nocardiosis presenting as endobronchial obstruction with postobstructive pneumonia and atelectasis, in a patient with a low index of suspicion for bronchogenic carcinoma. Our report emphasizes the importance of considering the diagnosis of endobronchial nocardiosis in patients with endobronchial obstruction and a low index of suspicion for carcinoma, as well as those with a high index of suspicion, but with repeatedly negative biopsies.


In recent years a number of major events have influenced Australians' work, personal, family and community lives. The global financial crisis commenced in 2007/8 and international financial markets have experienced continuing instability. The Fair Work Act 2009 introduced a number of changes to the regulation of work. These included a new net of National Employment Standards that incorporated a formal right for some workers to request flexibility or extended unpaid parental leave from 1 January 2010. A national system of paid parental leave came into effect in January 2011. At the same time, the Australian labour force has continued to evolve, with increasing participation of women, declining rates of participation amongst men, an ageing workforce and a continuing shift in the composition of employment away from manufacturing and agriculture towards the services sector.


Background: Most research on adolescent focuses on the risk associated with the illness. Very little research has been carried out on adolescents who have been diagnosed with HIV since birth. With recent advances with ART treatment, life span of these children has increased, and there are lots of protective factors in the environment influencing the resilience. The present study has focused on the resilience among the adolescence with respect to the living arrangement, i.e., in institutionalized care and extended family. Methodology: The current study follows an exploratory research design with the aim of comparing resilience among adolescents living in the institutional setup and those living with their families–parents and extended families. Adolescents receiving ART treatment from a tertiary care hospital constitute universe and were selected purposively for the study. Resilience was measured using Child and Youth Resilience Measure. Results: The results indicated that 70% of the female and majority of them belong to Hindu religion. For majority, the mode of transmission is mother to child. There is no statistically significant difference between the resilience with respect to the living arrangement. However, respondents are resilient. Conclusion: This study has given a space for resilience for different groups of adolescents with respect to the living arrangement.


A total of 2,553 pigs (PIC L337 × C22) were used in two experiments in a commercial research barn to evaluate the effects of a commercially available Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) vaccine on finisher pig growth rate, feed efficiency, and mortality rate. Pigs in Exp. 1 were vaccinated at 9 and 11 wk of age while pigs in Exp. 2 were vaccinated earlier at 5 and 7 wk of age. In Exp. 1, 1,300 pigs were individually weighed and the vaccine treatment administered 15 and 1 d before being placed on test in the finisher. In Exp. 2 1,253 pigs were used and randomly allotted based on nursery pen average pig weight and the vaccine treatment administered 41 and 27 d before being placed on test in the finisher. Pen weights were obtained on d 0 and every 2 weeks until the end of the trial. Feed intake was recorded on a pen basis. In Exp 1, growth rate, feed intake, feed efficiency, and mortality were improved (P<0.05) in vaccinated pigs compared to unvaccinated pigs. In Exp. 2, there was a vaccine by sex interaction (P<0.01) for ADG 2. The interaction was the result of the vaccine increasing ADG to a greater extent in barrows than in gilts. The interaction for ADG resulted in a vaccine by sex interaction for market weight (P<0.05). Vaccinated barrows were 10.6 lb heavier compared to unvaccinated control barrows while vaccinated gilts were only 2.1 lb heavier than unvaccinated gilts at market. In Exp. 2, ADFI and F/G were numerically better and mortality rate was decreased for vaccinated pigs compared to control pigs. In both experiments, mortality rates were lower (P<0.05) in vaccinated pigs. Vaccinated pigs had 2.6 and 5.9% less mortality than nonvaccinated pigs in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. The commercial PCV2 vaccine used in this study was effective at reducing mortality and increasing growth rate in finisher pigs with histopathologic lesions suggestive of Porcine Circoviral Disease (PCVD).; Swine Day, 2007, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2007


Aim: We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices in the application of artificial intelligence in the emergency setting among international acute care and emergency surgeons.
Methods: An online questionnaire composed of 30 multiple choice and open-ended questions was sent to the members of the World Society of Emergency Surgery between 29th May and 28th August 2021. The questionnaire was developed by a panel of 11 international experts and approved by the WSES steering committee.
Results: 200 participants answered the survey, 32 were females (16%). 172 (86%) surgeons thought that artificial intelligence will improve acute care surgery. Fifty surgeons (25%) were trained on robotic surgery and can perform it. Only 19 (9.5%) were currently performing it. 126 (63%) surgeons do not have a robotic system in their institution, and for those who have it, it was mainly used for elective surgery. Only 100 surgeons (50%) were able to define different artificial intelligence terminology. Participants thought that artificial intelligence is useful to support training and education (61.5%), perioperative decision making (59.5%), and surgical vision (53%) in emergency surgery. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females in ability, interest in training or expectations of artificial intelligence (p values 0.91, 0.82, and 0.28 respectively, Mann-Whitney U test). Ability was significantly correlated with interest and expectations (p< 0.0001 Pearson rank correlation, rho 0.42 and 0.47 respectively) but not with experience (p = 0.9, rho -0.01)
Conclusions: The implementation of artificial intelligence in the emergency and trauma setting is still in an early phase. The support of emergency and trauma surgeons is essential for the progress of AI in their setting which can be augmented by proper research and training programs in this area.


Education reforms underpinned by neo-liberal values have been criticised for bringing an adverse impact on teachers' professional identity. This article presents a qualitative study of teachers' professional identity in three historical periods in Hong Kong: Phase 1: 1965–84; Phase 2: 1984–97; and Phase 3: the post-1997 period. By juxtaposing the systemic narratives against the work life narratives of 23 teachers, the study finds the manifestation of the perils of neo-liberal pressures on education in three themes of educational change in Hong Kong: (1) the changing structural conditions of the teaching career; (2) the changing nature of teachers' work; and (3) the changing nature of educational change. The article concludes by suggesting possibilities to counteract neo-liberal pressures on education with the preservation, reclamation and renewal of teachers' 'student-focused' professional identity grounded on teachers' moral agency.


The Pesticide Data Program (PDP) is a cooperative effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several state agencies. The ultimate purpose of the PDP is to make scientific statements about the distribution of certain pesticide residues in particular commodities consumed by the US public over a calendar year. The estimation strategy that has been used in the PDP for the last several years will be described and then the current (as of 2006) estimation routine will be compared to a new approach to be introduced in 2007.


Purpose
This research examines the effects of Type 1 and Type 2 synthetic polypropylene fibres in concrete, with and without silica fume, regarding porosity. The raison d'etre for the research is to examine the porosity of fibre concrete where the concrete may be subject to a hydrostatic pressure from water. The use of silica fume defines the positive benefits that can be achieved by utilising a waste/by product in a concrete mix.

Methodology
The standard for determining the penetration depth of water under pressure (BS 12390: part 8 2009) in concrete was used with two types of synthetic fibre (Type 1 and Type 2) and plain concrete, with and without silica fume were subject to a water pressure test over 72 hours to determine the depth of water penetration.

Findings
The findings showed that synthetic fibres when added to a concrete mix increase the porosity of the concrete when compared to plain concrete, however when additional silica fume is used at a dry rate of 10% to the dry mass cement content or 20% slurry content, the porosity of the concrete is significantly reduced.

Originality
Designers and contractors use fibre reinforced concrete to create water retaining structures. Low permeability equates to more consistent and better stored water quality. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of silica fume, which improves the performance of the concrete with regard to porosity and mitigates the effects of the synthetic fibre inclusion. Low absorption in concrete equates to low life cycle costs and good sustainability credentials through the use of a by product.


Biosynthetic human proinsulin (obtained by recombinant DNA techniques) was used as the starting material for the preparation, by semisynthetic methods, of [3H]proinsulin with the label at the N-terminal phenylalanine residue. The labelled proinsulin was characterized by its retention time on reversed-phase h.p.l.c., by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, by the time course of its enzymic conversion into insulin and by chromatographic analysis after extensive proteolytic degradation. The specific radioactivity of the product was 5 Ci/mmol. Experimental details of the preparation of human [[3H]Phel]proinsulin, the isolation of this product by isocratic h.p.l.c. and gel filtration, and further characterization of protein intermediates have been deposited as supplement SUP 50138 (12 pages) at the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on prepayment [see Biochem. J. (1987) 241, 5].


This brief is concerned with delay-dependent stability for neural networks with two additive time-varying delay components. By constructing a new Lyapunov functional and using a convex polyhedron method to estimate the derivative of the Lyapunov functional, some new delay-dependent stability criteria are derived. These stability criteria are less conservative than some existing ones. An example is given to demonstrate the less conservatism of the stability results.


A high solid loading concentration of solid-liquid mixing was investigated to observe the effect of ratio C, Clearance, and T, diameter tank, with C/T 0.33; C/T 0.25 and C/T 0.17 on local volume of hydrodynamic and spatial distribution of polydisperse solid suspension using CFD, Computational Fluid Dynamics. The 45o pitch blade turbine, diameter 0.5T, with down pumping flow simulation was used to remove solid particle from bottom of the tank. The tank is also equipped with four baffle with the size of 0.1T.. A solid-liquid mixing consists of five fractions of glass beads with equal proportion (X1=X2=X3=X4=X5=0.2X) have 40% wt total solid concentration with liquid fraction is aqueous solution of NaCl. The effect of ratio C/T at impeller speed 612 rpm create a flow pattern in the tank different. Effect ratio C / T also indicated the distribution on solid had a good uniformity index when N≥ Njs, just suspended speed. The highest uniformity was obtained on C/T 0.17. it also made difference power consumption on each geometry with C/T 0.17, 0.25, and 0.33 respectively are 251.18, 238.13, and 270.65watt.


We present a model where each of two players chooses between remuneration based on either private or team effort. Although at least one of the players has the equilibrium strategy to choose private remuneration, we frequently observe both players to choose team remuneration in a series of laboratory experiments. This allows for high cooperation payoffs but also provides individual free-riding incentives. Due to significant cooperation, we observe that, in team remuneration, participants make higher profits than in private remuneration. We also observe that, when participants are not given the option of private remuneration, they cooperate significantly less.


Low-distortion I/Q baseband filters interface with a 2.5 GHz RF receiver front-end configured as a Gm-cell in a direct-conversion architecture targeted towards WLAN 802.11b application. The active I/Q current-mode filters use AC current to carry the large swing of both desired and blocker signals, relaxing the voltage headroom requirement to a 1.2 V supply. An on chip master-slave automatic tuner is used to lock the filter bandwidth to a precision 20 MHz reference crystal oscillator, resulting in a <3% tuning accuracy and <0.5% I/Q bandwidth matching. The receiver achieves a 3.2 dB DSB NF, -14 dBm out-of-band IIP3, and + 27 dBm worst case IIP2, all referred to the LNA input, while drawing 30 mA from a 2.7 V supply. The chip is fabricated in a 0.5 mum 46 GHz fT SiGe BiCMOS process. The active area is 2.54 mm2.


Background and Purpose:
Within the child welfare (CW) system, birth parent involvement at an agency level is an emerging national trend. Agency-level involvement, where birth parents share their perspective in committees and forums to inform CW system improvements, is a key component of parent partner programs where parents who work as mentors, also represent the parent voice at an agency level. Parent involvement may offer new insight on how to resolve child maltreatment concerns, but little is known about how agency-level involvement is reflected in practice, or what it achieves. This study aims to obtain a deeper understanding of agency-level involvement to inform the development of meaningful involvement practices. Research questions explored the perspectives of parents in parent partner/coordinator roles who are involved at an agency level, specifically what factors contributed to their involvement, how their involvement was reflected in practice, what they hoped to achieve, and how their involvement contributed to CW system improvements.

Methods:
The study used an exploratory qualitative research design (Patton,2015; Padgett 1998). Two sites were selected based on their status as national leaders in parent partner programs. All birth parents in their role for at least six months were invited to participate. Parent partners (n=20) participated in in-depth telephone interviews and Coordinators (n=8) participated in focus groups using a semi-structured interview guide. The final sample was predominantly White, Non-Hispanic (92%) mothers (70%) aged 32 to 60 (M=42) years. Participants experienced multiple and complex social problems, with substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental health difficulties the most common reasons for prior CW involvement. Most participants (96%) were previously receiving CW services for neglect, and 93% experienced child removal. Data was transcribed and themes identified through constant comparison using NVivo 11. Trustworthiness criteria were credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.

Results:
Data revealed factors and processes that support parents to find their voice in agency level involvement activities. Parents reported initial uncertainty in the purpose and value of their contribution, followed by an eventual realization of the power of their message. Trial and error was used to learn effective strategies to share their perspective, with parents adapting their approach as needed. Many parents integrated "recovery thinking," which reflected an involvement approach with professionals that was strengths-based and collaborative. Effective involvement strategy themes were transparency, recognizing the perspective of others, and building relationships. Once mastery was achieved, many parents described transitioning from involvement to supporting other parents to ensure continued innovation and sustainability in involvement activities.

Conclusions and Implications:
Parent involvement at an agency level, despite gaining traction in the child welfare field, remains a nascent area of research. This study provides new and important insight into parents' perceptions of how their agency-level involvement develops and influences system change. Findings highlight approaches and techniques used by parents to establish and strengthen their voice in involvement activities, as well as which approaches they perceive as meaningful and effective. This study identifies practice and policy implications to promote meaningful involvement among some of the most vulnerable parents in society.


Protease‐resistant prion protein, total prion protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein were measured in various brain regions from 9 subjects with fatal familial insomnia. Six were homozygotes methionine/methionine at codon 129 (mean duration, 10.7 ± 4 months) and 3 were heterozygotes methionine/valine (mean duration, 23 ± 11 months). In all subjects, protease‐resistant prion protein was detected in gray matter but not in white matter and peripheral organs. Its distribution was more widespread than that of the histopathological lesions, which were observed only in the presence of a critical amount of the abnormal protein. In the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, however, a severe neuronal loss and astrogliosis were associated with relatively moderate amounts of protease‐resistant prion protein, suggesting a higher vulnerability. There was no overall correlation between amount of protease‐resistant prion protein and either glial fibrillary acidic protein or total prion protein. While protease‐resistant prion protein was virtually limited to subcortical areas and showed a selective pattern of distribution in the subjects with disease of the shortest duration, it was more widespread in the subjects with a longer clinical course, indicating that with time the disease process spreads within the brain. The kinetics of the accumulation of protease‐resistant prion protein varied among different brain regions: While in the neocortex and to a lesser extent in the limbic lobe and in the caudate nucleus, the amount increased with disease duration, in the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and in the brainstem it was present in comparable amounts in all subjects regardless of the disease duration. These findings indicate that in fatal familial insomnia, the pathological phenotype is the result of the variability, in different brain regions, of the (1) timing and rate of accumulation of protease‐resistant prion protein, and (2) vulnerability to the presence of protease‐resistant prion protein.


This work [analyzes] the presence of foreign workers in the Federal Republic of Germany during the past 25 years. The causes of this phenomenon are discussed from the German point of view. This work also studies the growth of the foreign population from the 1960s to our day according to ethnic background age composition [region sex and profession]. The work ends with a critical analysis of the present migration policy of the Federal Republic of Germany which paradoxically offers financial inducements for the social integration of the foreigners as well as for their repatriation. (summary in ENG FRE) (EXCERPT)


BACKGROUND
A high plasma homocysteine concentration is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and thrombosis, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality in heart transplant patients. High homocysteine concentrations may be caused by lower folate and vitamin B6 levels. We hypothesized that these patients might have high homocysteine concentrations and low levels of folate and vitamin B6, which could contribute to the development of vascular complications.

METHODS
Total fasting plasma homocysteine was measured in 189 cardiac transplant recipients and in healthy controls, as were concentrations of folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and creatinine.

RESULTS
Homocysteine concentrations were higher in recipients than controls (19.1+/-13.0 vs. 11.0+/-3.0 micromol/L, P<0.01), and hyperhomocysteinemia (>90th percentile for controls, 14.6 micromol/L) was seen in 68% of recipients (P<0.01). Folate and vitamin B6 concentrations were lower (5.9+/-4.2 vs. 7.9+/-4.2 pmol/L and 40+/-25 vs. 84+/-77 nmol/L, respectively; P<0.01 for both). Folate and vitamin B6 deficiencies were seen in 10.8% and 17.91% of recipients, respectively (P<0.01). Hyperhomocysteinemia was more frequent in patients with vascular complications after transplantation than in those without (79.2% vs. 63.8%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Elevated plasma homocysteine and deficiencies of folate and vitamin B6 are common in transplant recipients. A high homocysteine concentration was more common in patients with vascular complications. Prospective studies are now required to evaluate the role of these abnormalities as risk factors for the atherothrombotic complications of transplantation.


Comprehension of the effect of energy generation technologies on the natural environment, human health and safety leads to a new and responsible approach to the choice and development of technologies. When it comes to preparing energy growth scenarios and handling issues related to the choice and assessment of technologies, environmental studies must be in a particular spotlight. One way to make quantitative and qualitative assessment of the effect of technologies on the environment is through a thorough integrated analysis, which, in addition to economic and technical solutions, also considers other aspects of concern to the public. A changed environment demands for systems of criteria which help consider its changes, the attitudes of the general public, public sentiments toward the effect of technologies, public values and community involvement in the process of important decision-making. The article examines how the dimension of values affects the analysis of the impact of environmental factors on the value of energy generation technologies. It presents a set of criteria for the assessment of energy generation technologies; the set, in addition to technological, economic and environmental criteria, includes criteria which reflect the values. The article also introduces the expert decision support system EGTAV-SPS, which helped assess the effect of environment on energy production technologies.


Although quantum circuits have been ubiquitous for decades in quantum computing, the first complete equational theory for quantum circuits has only recently been introduced. Completeness guarantees that any true equation on quantum circuits can be derived from the equational theory. We improve this completeness result in two ways: (i) We simplify the equational theory by proving that several rules can be derived from the remaining ones. In particular, two out of the three most intricate rules are removed, the third one being slightly simplified. (ii) The complete equational theory can be extended to quantum circuits with ancillae or qubit discarding, to represent respectively quantum computations using an additional workspace, and hybrid quantum computations. We show that the remaining intricate rule can be greatly simplified in these more expressive settings, leading to equational theories where all equations act on a bounded number of qubits. The development of simple and complete equational theories for expressive quantum circuit models opens new avenues for reasoning about quantum circuits. It provides strong formal foundations for various compiling tasks such as circuit optimisation, hardware constraint satisfaction and verification.


The existential state of protein in complexes directly affects the performance and applications of the composite materials. The interlayer space changes of montmorillonite in the protein / montmorillonite (MMT) composite were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). And the interaction between protein and MMT were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and UV/vis spectrophotometry. The loading amount of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto MMT was calculated from the TG data. The types of adsorption isotherm of BSA onto montmorillonite were analyzed. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that the structure of proteins in the montmorillonite interlayers has been changed, and the hydrogen bond and Van der Waals force between the BSA molecules and montmorillonite crystal layers are intensified. The α-helix content of BSA molecules reduces while random coil increases. The protein shows a state of being squashed.


The conventional materials used in superplastic forming operations generally have grain sizes of ~2 µm or larger and they exhibit superplasticity at relatively low strain rates. Processing by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) produces materials having ultrafine-grain sizes, usually in the submicrometer range. If these ultrafine grains show reasonable stability at elevated temperatures, the alloys may exhibit a capability for achieving superplastic elongations at high strain rates. This paper examines the development of ultrafine-grained structures and superplastic ductilities in a spray-cast aluminum 7034 alloys through ECAP. The results show that ECAP is a very effective procedure for achieving grain refinement and superplasticity at rapid strain rates.


Power-frequency magnetic field exposure science as it relates to men and couples have not been explored despite the advantage of this information in the design and interpretation of reproductive health epidemiology studies. This analysis examined the distribution and temporal variability of exposures in men, and the correlation of exposures within couples using data from a longitudinal study of 25 men and their female partners recruited from an infertility clinic. The average and 90th percentile demonstrated fair to good reproducibility, whereas the maximum showed poor reproducibility over repeated sampling days, each separated by a median of 4.6 weeks. Average magnetic field exposures were also strongly correlated within couples, suggesting that one partner's data could be used as a surrogate in the absence of data from the other for this metric. Environment was also an important effect modifier in these explored matters. These issues should be considered in future relevant epidemiology studies.


Technology is a remarkable gift, but it needs wisdom to manage it well. Its handling has become a real drama, if not a tragedy, in our days. In this paper, we will try to understand how we arrive at our current predicament and offer some orientation regarding how to administer technological power appropriately. Without any pretense of originality, we draw on the thoughts of three significant philosophers—Descartes, Heidegger, and Jonas.


Sonomatter (2017) is a sound installation and performance that transforms the bioelectrical signals from microorganisms into sound. This work starts with building Winogradsky Columns to make a small ecosystem out of mud and water and generate an electric signal with a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). As time proceeds, the microbes will create electricity and eventually die when they lack nutrients. A customdesigned Bioelectricity-Controlled-Oscillator (BCO) circuit converts the bioelectricity to sound at the same time, it consumes the (bioelectrical) energy to control the sound of the oscillator. In this work, mud is seen as a matter that implies a circular relationship between life and death because life and death phenomenon happen in the same material. Mud takes in valueless things such as dead bodies and digest it into nutrients to grow living things. A poetics of microbial sphere can be described throughout the interaction between organic matters such as soil and water, and natural phenomenon such as respiration and oxidation in the mud. It describes a symbiotic relationship in a microcosm. The project is thus not only a metaphorical exploration of the interaction between living matters and natural phenomena, but it also explores the domain of energy harvesting as well as sonification.


We recently reported that L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AP) stimulates the growth of human dermal papilla (DP) cells, induces secretion of IGF-1 from the DP cells to promote hair shafts elongation in cultured human hair follicles, and triggers early progression from the telogen to anagen phase in mice. Since the magnesium salt of AP (APMg) is a highly hydrophilic ionic molecule, it is not easy to deliver this reagent to the skin or hair follicles by topical application alone. In order to enhance skin penetration of APMg without changing any molecular properties, a non-invasive iontophoretic delivery method was introduced. Iontophoresis of the negatively charged APMg under the electrode bearing same charge (cathode) significantly enhanced the in vitro penetration of APMg into a Franz cell equipped with mouse dorsal skin. In contrast, iontophoretic movement with the anode inhibited APMg penetration achieved with passive diffusion alone. The effect of iontophoresis on enhancing the penetration of APMg was also found to be much higher in the skin of hairy mice (3 - 8 times) compared to hairless mice (1.5 - 2.5 times). These findings indicated that iontophoretic movement induced the transfollicular pathway more strongly and effectively than the transdermal pathway. This phenomena was also demonstrated by the in vivo iontophoretic delivery of sodium fluorescein using hairy and hairless mice. The degree of iontophoretic enhancement during APMg penetration was also dependent on various conditions such as current density and application duration.


Aluminum (Al) toxicity limits crop yield in acidic soil through affecting diverse metabolic processes, especially photosynthesis. The aim of this work was to examine the effect of Al on photosynthetic electron transport in vivo as determined by chlorophyll fluorescence and delayed fluorescence of tobacco leaves. Results showed that Al treatment inhibited the photosynthetic rate and electron transfer, and decreased photosystem (PS) II photochemical activity in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, which could not be obviously alleviated by the addition of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger ascorbic acid (AsA). These results suggested that photosynthetic electron transfer chain components, especially PSII, might be directly damaged by Al instead of in an ROS-dependent manner. Furthermore, the fluorescence imaging and biochemical analysis exhibited that Al, after entering the cells, could accumulate in the chloroplasts, which paralleled the decreased content of Fe in the chloroplast. The changes in the chlorophyll fluorescence decay curve, the delayed fluorescence decay curve and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters indicated that Al, through interacting with or replacing the non-heme iron between Q(A) and Q(B), caused the inhibition of electron transfer between Q(A) and Q(B), resulting in PSII photochemical damage and inhibition of the photosynthetic rate. In summary, our results characterized the target site of Al phytotoxicity in photosynthetic electron transport, providing new insight into the mechanism of Al phytotoxicity-induced chloroplast dysfunction and photosynthetic damage.


Abstract In the early 1970s, the executives of the First National Bank of Boston spent hundreds of thousands of the bank's dollars on ads opposing statewide efforts to raise their personal income taxes. When frustrated Massachusetts legislators banned this sort of corporate spending, the executives sued, arguing that "corporations have the same First Amendment rights as individuals." In First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, the Supreme Court held for the first time that the First Amendment protects all political speech, even ads paid for by a corporation. Surprisingly, the first corporation to take advantage of this decision was not the bank, but the city of Boston--a municipal corporation that spent nearly a million dollars on a new referendum in the fall of 1978. This article discusses the history of the 1978 referendum, one pitting municipal corporations against business corporations. It argues that the referendum and the discourse surrounding it made it intuitive for Bostonians that all corporations, banks and cities, are representative institutions. Corporations can "speak" only by spending money, and the leaders of Boston and the bank justified spending other people's money by pointing to the internal elections that put them in office. But voters were skeptical of the argument that "corporate democracy" alone could guarantee that elected executives spoke with the consent of the people they purported to represent. The article offers a novel contribution to the historiography of modern business and politics: a legal history of how corporations--municipal and financial--became politicized in the wake of evolving First Amendment free-speech doctrine.


This directory provides a comprehensive and current reference for both physicians and scientists who need to identify commercial and contract laboratories for safety, efficacy, and claim-substantiation testing of chemicals, cosmetics, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, foods, and household products. Each laboratory is listed by name, address, telephone number, contact person, year founded, and whether it is independent or a subsidiary of another academic or corporate entity. The laboratory is then listed by its range of preclinical and/or clinical testing services, with subheadings for general test categories. Laboratories can be found for the entire spectrum of testing services, including acute, subacute, and chronic preclinical and clinical studies. The majority are within the United States (including Puerto Rico), but laboratories in Canada, Europe, Israel, and Japan, are also listed. The laboratories are indexed according to geographic location and whether they perform preclinical and/or clinical testing. Specific testing services are not indexed, and the


The objective of this thesis project was to design a wide band Doherty Power Amplifier (DPA) using bare die transistors. Different techniques had been applied in this thesis to make a DPA wide band while maintaining its efficiency and power. The study of a phase shifter and combiner network was made to find a solution to achieve the desired bandwidth. To determine the best suitable class of amplifier for DPA design, three different classes A, B, AB were considered. The symmetric AB class was used for the main and peak amplifiers. A 15 W GaN HEMT transistor was used for both main and peak amplifiers. The desired range of frequency is from 2 GHz to 3 GHz having 46 dBm peak power with 60% efficiency and 55% efficiency at 6 dBm back off. For the combiner, network Roger's RO4350, Arlon's AD1000 and STMicroelectronics' glass substrate with copper fabricated on it was used. The size of the combiner was 3 mm x 8 mm for AD1000 and 0.7 mm x 0.9 mm for glass substrate. The phase shifter was designed using GaAs technology. The thesis work was validated using ADS Design Tool v2011 and v2009 using design kits for GaAs and glass substrate. Multiple design configurations were simulated, and the design supporting high efficiency and good bandwidth was considered. The band achieved was 2 GHz to 3 GHz with an average efficiency of 58% at 46 dBm peak power and 51% average efficiency at back off power of 40 dBm using the three different substrates. The designed DPA can be used for multiple wireless communication systems such as LTE and WCDMA.


Confining the entire population to a lockdown after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was an unprecedented measure designed to protect the health of those living in Spain. The objective of the present study is to assess the evolution of mental health and psychological wellbeing during lockdown. To do this, we carried out a longitudinal study, via an online survey over the eight weeks of lockdown (weekly assessments). Sociodemographic variables were recorded, along with data related to COVID-19, psychological wellbeing (anxiety, depression, psychotropic drugs, consultations made to improve mood or anxiety), life satisfaction, and self-perceived health. A total of 681 individuals participated in the study, 76.8% were women; the mean age was 43 years old (SD = 12.7). Initially, high scores were reported for anxiety, depression, and the number of consultations to improve mood, but these decreased significantly over the study period. The reverse seems to be true for life satisfaction, perceived good health, and intake of psychotropic drugs. We also identified groups whose psychological wellbeing was more susceptible to the effects of lockdown. Women, those worried about their jobs after the pandemic, and those afraid of being infected were the most affected individuals. More generally, after the initial negative effect on psychological wellbeing, various indicators improved over the lockdown period.