In this study, we aimed to evaluate the proliferative, metastatic and apoptotic capacities of TVT cases, which are in various phases of development, by using immunohistochemical markers. The material of this study consisted of twelve female and six male dogs diagnosed with TVT brought to our department between 2007 and 2020 years. Diff-quick staining was applied to the smear taken from tumoral masses for cytological examinations. Tumoral tissues from dogs were fixed in a 10% neutral buffered formaldehyde solution. After routine tissue procedures Hematoxylin & Eosin stain was applied to the sections. Tissue sections were investigated under a light microscope and photographed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on the tissues using the avidin-biotin immune peroxidase complex method. As a result of macroscopic, cytological and histopathological examinations, TVT positive cases were divided into three according to their developmental stages. While the expression of PCNA, MMP-9, mutant p53 and Bcl-2 increased significantly in progressive cases compared to regressive and stable cases, Bax expression increased significantly in regressive cases compared to progressive and stable cases. In conclusion, we thought that the mentioned markers are very useful for understanding the prognosis of TVT, the tumor aggressiveness and the survival of the malignant cells.


We present a computational analysis of three language varieties: native, advanced non-native, and translation. Our goal is to investigate the similarities and differences between non-native language productions and translations, contrasting both with native language. Using a collection of computational methods we establish three main results: (1) the three types of texts are easily distinguishable; (2) nonnative language and translations are closer to each other than each of them is to native language; and (3) some of these characteristics depend on the source or native language, while others do not, reflecting, perhaps, unified principles that similarly affect translations and non-native language.


The main objective of this thesis was to study antibiotic effects on nongrowing baCteria and to study the development of resistance in Staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacterium which is often found in biofilm infections. The antibiotic effect on biofilm infections is generally weak, which probably is due to decreased growth rate of the bacteria. The effects of antibiotics on growing and nongrowing bacteria were studied with pharmacodynamic parameters. One of these parameters is postantibiotic effect (PAE). The conventional PAE measurement is performed with viable count. Viable counting is very laborious, which is why other methods have been used. However, the results may differ from those obtained with the viable count method for determining PAE. In this study effective regrowth time (ERT) and control-related effective regrowth time (CERT) were shown to be independent of the method used for bacterial quantification. With CERT and PAE it possible to study antibiotic effects on nongrowing and growing bacteria.CERT and PAE of amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem were investigated on growing and nongrowing Escherichia coli and Pseudonumas aeruginosa. All drugs had long CERT and PAE on growing bacteria. Arnikacin and ciprofloxacin, but not imipenem had long CERT and PAE on nongrowing bacteria.Amikacin, imipenem, ofloxacin, rifampicin, and vancomycin induced CERT and PAE on growing S. epidermidis, and imipenem combination with amikacin or vancomycin had a synergistic CERT and PAE in these cultures. Only rifampicin or antibiotic combinations containing rifampicin were effective against nongrowing S. epidermidis. There was no synergistic CERT or PAE on nongrowing bacteria.Selection and regrowth of highly rifampicin resistant S. epidermidis, which was present at a frequency of 10·7 in the initial inoculum, were seen when the bacteria were in~ubated with rifampicin at a high inoculum. Rifampicin combined with high concentrations of amikacin or ofloxacin prevents selection and regrowth of rifampicin resistant bacteria.


Abstract In clinical laboratories, patient results can be obtained in two ways: (i) by direct determination of requested tests using various chemical methods, (ii) by calculation of unknown test results, based on relationships between measured tests. The reliability of measured tests can be checked by various quality control rules. However, no test is performed to check the reliability of calculated data. In this study we develop a method using Taylor series expansion and an alternative equation to obtain the standard deviation of calculated laboratory tests and discuss the reliability of calculated data. To obtain reliable test results by calculation instead of being measured by chemical methods, the standard deviation of each measured component of the equation must be thoroughly analyzed and then the standard deviation of the equation must be determined. We conclude that the analytical coefficient of variation of any measured component must be lower so as to obtain an acceptable analytical coefficient of variation for calculated tests. Otherwise we should measure the concentration of requested tests by chemical methods instead of calculation by equation using specified components.


In light of the notable rocker-bogie mechanism, this paper shows an ideal plan of a rocker-bogie suspension framework so as to ensure high mobile steadiness as well as excellent versatility of a prototype rover vehicle while traversing through rough terrains. It is essentially a suspension arrangement utilized in mechanical automated vehicles utilized explicitly for space investigation. The rocker-bogie suspension-based rovers have been effectively presented for the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) missions led by zenith space investigation laboratories all through the world. The proposed suspension framework is presently the most supported structure for each space investigation organization. It is basically a mechanism which comprises of two arms with wheel mounted to each and the two arms are associated through a versatile joint. The current development in design has been studied as well as a different approach towards designing the basic structure of suspension has been done. It has been further verified using various static and dynamic load calculations, solid modelling computer aided design software and simulation software for analysis and testing.


Noise mechanisms that limit the high frequency performance of submicron channel length NMOS FETs are presented. We develop here a physical understanding of the various noise mechanisms and evaluate the impact of device structure on them. This involves a review of some already published work and an examination of some new results.


Scale dependency of solute dispersion in porous media is one of the major striking issues in simulating larger scale aquifers. There are numerous studies dedicated to development of the simulation models that represent heterogeneous real world aquifers. In this paper we investigated the ability of a stochastic solute transport model (SSTM) of capturing the scale dependency. Initially, flow profiles were visually compared for different t10w lengths. Then a stochastic inverse method was used to estimate the corresponding dispersion coefficient (D) for each parameter combination of the stochastic model. The results reveal that SSTM is capable of simulating tlie scale effect of solute dispersion, and to some extent, they agree with the past literature. Dispersivity increases with the smaller t10w lengths, and the rate of increase decreases and tends to reach an asymptotic value for larger scales for similar parameters ofSSTM.


The aim of this work was to identify and quantify formaldehyde present in commercial hair straightening formulations, the application of cosmetovigilance from organoleptic/physicochemical tests and label analysis being approached. Samples A1, A3, A5, and A8 had a formaldehyde concentration ranging from 1.5 to 3.83% (w/v), corresponding to concentrations of 7.5, 16.45, 7.9, and 19.15 times higher than that allowed by the National Agency of Sanitary Monitoring (ANVISA), resulting in strong odor characteristic of this active substance. Of these samples, A3 and A5 did not indicate the presence of formaldehyde on the label besides ignoring the warning information and restrictions of use. The absence of the registration number granted by ANVISA for sample A5, which may be an indication of a clandestine product, was also verified. As to the organoleptic and physicochemical properties, only the A2 sample presented different viscosity and centrifugation results. In view of these results, it was concluded that 50% of the analyzed products were reproved because of the presence of formaldehyde out of the allowed concentration, being evident the importance of the implantation of cosmetovigilance system to guarantee the final quality of the cosmetic products, mainly in view of the safety and efficacy of these products.


Epicardial ST-segment alterations were determined 15 min. following acute ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in dogs, and the extent of the left ventricular wall infarcted at each mapping site was determined 24 hours later. A close correlation was observed between the ST-segment elevation and the percent of left ventricular wall infarcted (r = .891; P less than .001) at the same mapping site. A significant portion of the left ventricular wall remained viable at sites with less than 8 mV elevation; however, the chance of transmural infarction became high at sites with elevations greater than 10 mV. It may be that sites with less than 10 mV elevation in the epicardial ST-segment elevation are ischemic areas where pharmacologic interventions designed to limit infarct size have the greatest change of success.


SVM-based phonotactic language recognition is state-of-the-art technology. However, due to computational bounds, phonotactic information is usually limited to low-order phone n-grams (up to n = 3). In a previous work, we proposed a feature selection algorithm, based on n-gram frequencies, which allowed us work successfully with high-order n-grams on the NIST 2007 LRE database. In this work, we use two feature projection methods for dimensionality reduction of feature spaces including up to 4-grams: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Random Projection. These methods allow us to attain competitive performance even for small feature sets (e.g. of size 500). Systems were built by means of open software (BUT phone decoders, HTK, SRILM, LIBLINEAR and FoCal) and experiments were carried out on the NIST 2009 LRE database. Best performance was attained by using the feature selection algorithm to get around 11500 features: 1.93% EER and CLLR = 0.413. When considering smaller sets of features, PCA provided best performance. For instance, using PCA to get a 500-dimensional feature subspace yielded 2.15% EER and CLLR = 0.457 (25% improvement with regard to using feature selection).


3D  feature  descriptors  extracted  from  point  clouds  are  becoming  a  promising  information  source  for  many  applications. These include object/shape recognition, building information and civil structures modeling, autonomous navigation systems, etc. Considering these trends, this paper presents a classification system for vehicles based on the bag of visual words framework. The former extracts feature descriptors from range images being captured from a SICK LMS200 sensor. Our approach uses also visual information to estimate the vehicle velocity using a Kalman filter. The velocity estimation is used to properly register laser scans and build the scene point cloud. In this work, a  dataset  was  set  up  by  including  the  vehicle  point  cloud,  related  visual  information,  vehicle  velocity  estimation  as well as captured label classes. Using this dataset, various 3D descriptors were tested and for the classification process a bag of visual words was employed while KD-trees were used to speed up the process. As a result, our approach can classify up to nine different classes of vehicles. In this work, the classifier performance was measured using Precision-Recall curves.


Abstract. A novel design of lysimeter for use in mires (peatlands) with shallow water tables is described. It employs an hydraulic mechanism for the automatic equilibration of soil moisture distribution between the outside and the inside of the lysimeter tank but uses no electronic components or electrical power; and it can be installed with minimal disturbance in surfaces with poor load-bearing capacity. The system was deployed on a mire in northern Scotland to investigate the distribution of shallow seepage associated with catenary arrays of different types of surface (microtopes). During the three-year period 15 November 1988 to 19 November 1991, the fraction of rainfall dispersed as seepage was 52% in a pool system; 62% in ridge-furrow microtopography; and 59-67% in unpatterned sloping mire. The data provide preliminary confirmation of the hypothesis of K. E. Ivanov that different microtopes within the same mire differ in their hydrological norms; and suggest that the range of ecohydrological differences at the study site may be similar to those obtained by Ivanov in western Siberia. Details of lysimeter design, construction, installation and operation are appended together with a discussion of the theory of the lysimeter. Keywords: acrotelm, blanket mire, ecohydrology, evapotranspiration, pool system, valleyside flowe, water balance


Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type IIIC or Sanfilippo syndrome type C is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal membrane enzyme, heparan sulfate acetyl‐CoA (AcCoA): α‐glucosaminide N‐acetyltransferase (HGSNAT; EC 22.214.171.124), which catalyzes transmembrane acetylation of the terminal glucosamine residues of heparan sulfate prior to their hydrolysis by α‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase. Lysosomal storage of undegraded heparan sulfate in the cells of affected patients leads to neuronal death, causing neurodegeneration and severely impaired development accompanied by mild visceral and skeletal abnormalities, including mild dwarfism, coarse facies, and joint stiffness. To date, 50 HGSNAT mutations have been identified in MPS IIIC patients: 40 were previously published and 10 novel mutations are reported here. The mutations span the entire structure of the gene and include 13 splice‐site mutations, 11 insertions and deletions, 8 nonsense mutations, and 18 missense mutations (http://chromium.liacs.nl/LOVD2/home.php?select_db=HGSNAT). In addition, four polymorphisms result in amino acid changes that do not affect activity of the enzyme. In this work we discuss the spectrum of MPS IIIC mutations, their clinical presentation and distribution within the patient population, and speculate how the mutations may affect the structure and function of HGSNAT. Hum Mutat 30, 918–925, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Many genes localize at the nuclear periphery through physical interaction with the nuclear pore complex (NPC). We have found that the yeast INO1 gene is targeted to the NPC both upon activation and for several generations after repression, a phenomenon called epigenetic transcriptional memory. Targeting of INO1 to the NPC requires distinct cis-acting promoter DNA zip codes under activating conditions and under memory conditions. When at the nuclear periphery, active INO1 clusters with itself and with other genes that share the GRS I zip code. Here, we show that during memory, the two alleles of INO1 cluster in diploids and endogenous INO1 clusters with an ectopic INO1 in haploids. After repression, INO1 does not cluster with GRS I - containing genes. Furthermore, clustering during memory requires Nup100 and two sets of DNA zip codes, those that target INO1 to the periphery when active and those that target it to the periphery after repression. Therefore, the interchromosomal clustering of INO1 that occurs during transcriptional memory is dependent upon, but mechanistically distinct from, the clustering of active INO1. Finally, while localization to the nuclear periphery is not regulated through the cell cycle during memory, clustering of INO1 during memory is regulated through the cell cycle.


Traditionally, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms solve the localization and mapping problem in explored regions. This paper presents a prediction-based SLAM algorithm (called P-SLAM), which has an environmental-structure predictor to predict the structure inside an unexplored region (i.e., look-ahead mapping). The prediction process is based on the observation of the surroundings of an unexplored region and comparing it with the built map of explored regions. If a similar environment/structure is matched in the map of explored regions, a hypothesis is generated to indicate that a similar structure has been explored before. If the environment has repeated structures, the mobile robot can use the predicted structure as a virtual mapping, and decide whether or not to explore the unexplored region to save the exploration time. If the mobile robot decides to explore the unexplored region, a correct prediction can be used to speed up the SLAM process and build a more accurate map. We have also derived the Bayesian formulation of P-SLAM to show its compact recursive form for real-time operation. We have experimentally implemented the proposed P-SLAM on a Pioneer 3-DX mobile robot using a Rao-Blackwellized particle filter in real time. Computer simulations and experimental results validated the performance of the proposed P-SLAM and its effectiveness in indoor environments


The Aotearoa (New Zealand) housing crisis and environmental shifts have inspired this thesis, which will address contemporary issues regarding Landscape Architecture, housing and urban design in Maungawhau (Mount Eden), Tāmaki-Makaurau (Auckland). Certain design decisions and some areas of local and national policy have restricted property development (or allowed poor development to occur). These developments have also limited infrastructural progress particularly in regard to sustainable urban planning strategies throughout Tāmaki-Makaurau in the past two decades in particular. The population of Tāmaki-Makaurau is rapidly growing, the 2018 census revealed a population increase of 11% in the past five years. Tāmaki-Makaurau is home to roughly 1.6million people, which is 1/3rd of Aotearoa's population. House prices reached an all-time high in 2016, causing major concern at a national level.  To tackle these issues of improving sustainable infrastructure and high-density housing this thesis will create a design strategy which will form a new urban fabric for Eden Park. The Master Planning strategy will take a cross-disciplinary approach. Involving Landscape Architecture, elements or urbanism, architecture and hydrology. The landscape, and water sensitive design will be the key drivers in how the housing mosaic is formed. Eden Park will be used as a blank canvas site of 105,300m2. The applied design will evolve as the site challenges the aims of the thesis, methods will be tested and the project will adapt as the site develops, the implementation of precedent and methods will be displayed in the design development and final design. This will result in a robust Master Planning strategy. A detailed urban design strategy will be a solution to the challenges set out in the thesis statement. The design development for Eden Park will intertwine with the wider Maungawhau network, this will be displayed in the final design drawings. The wetland will aim to treat a larger catchment of the area of 1,026,130.33m2, this means that the wetland will need to be roughly 20,000m2 so that the total catchment can be treated by this artificial wetland at 2%. The design goal is to create a multi-layered high-density housing assemblage and mixed use space that will stand as an example of a contemporary water sensitive and high-density design in action. The final design will be strong, versatile, and have the potential to be developed and expanded into wider networks over time in regard to using similar design strategy. I envisage a successful landscape design framework as a tool that aims to design more cohesive, innovative, adaptive and local high-density urban plans, which will respond to the demands of a growing population, ever-changing environmental conditions, and overall enhance a better quality of life.


: It is clear that in the vast majority of cases, shoulder dystocia cannot be predicted by the physician. Although macrosomia is strongly associated with shoulder dystocia in retrospective analyses, there are no clinical or sonographic parameters that can reliably and prospectively identify the individual macrosomic fetus. Furthermore, more than 98% of patients with macrosomic fetuses who deliver vaginally do not have shoulder dystocia. Some investigators have advocated the use of cesarean delivery for suspected macrosomic fetuses to avoid potential birth trauma during vaginal delivery; however, this strategy has not been shown to be beneficial in the majority of cases. Boyd and colleagues report that an increase in the cesarean delivery rate for suspected macrosomia from 8% in the 1960s to 21% in 1980 did not improve overall perinatal outcome among macrosomic infants. Since 50% to 90% of cases of shoulder dystocia occur in normally grown fetuses, cesarean delivery for all suspected macrosomic fetuses would not be expected to prevent the vast majority of cases of shoulder dystocia and would expose many mothers to a substantially increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Management of this complex problem requires clinical judgment by the well-trained physician and individualized care for each patient. Because shoulder dystocia remains unpredictable in almost all cases, when it does occur it must be managed expeditiously but carefully with one or more of the maneuvers described. The sequence of manipulations reported herein represents one way of managing shoulder dystocia (Fig. 11). As noted before, however, there are no data to support improved efficacy of one particular sequence over another. The sequence of maneuvers chosen by the clinician should be based on the algorithm with which he or she is most familiar and which has proven successful in their hands. Permanent injury to the fetus fortunately is rare but does occur even in the well-managed case.


The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is responsible for the Ethio-Dutch Program for Horticulture Development (EDPHD). One of the components of this program is the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which has been executed by Wageningen University and Research, Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture in collaboration with Ethiopian research organizations and EHPEA. This final report of the WUR team reports on the following project activities: 1) Technical advice on formulation of the best microbial bca's obtained from the conducted research, 2) Survey, collection and commercialization of indigenous natural enemies for the management of major horticultural pests, 3) Support and advice on the study of the biology of identified potential indigenous natural enemies, 4) Support and advice on small-scale mass production for evaluation trials and methods to establish persistent populations in crops, 5) Technical advice on the efficacy trials under laboratory and field conditions on the identified predators and parasitoids, 6) Review of IPM course delivered at Jimma University, 7) Sharing information with growers and companies, 8) Train the trainer, and 9) All collection and other missions


In contemporary control and data acquisition systems for Nuclear Fusion devices, the galloping need for high channel density and real-time multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) support gave rise to a new generation of hardware architecture based on the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) specification. In addition, ATCA successfully delivered solutions in other sensitive issues such as form-factor component area, power dissipation and redundancy, complying with the high complexity and security required for such systems. Experience has showed, however, that due to its aforementioned complexity, such hardware devices can yield to a lengthy development. Furthermore, the ATCA specification is, as yet, somewhat undefined for instrumentation applications, more so within the specificities of Plasma Physics applied devices. The entitled "xTCA" specification is currently being developed for those purposes. Based on the ATCA itself, it will define new functionalities that standardize and facilitate hardware development for device operation in a Fusion control plant environment - most notably, dedicated timing and input-output (IO) port assignment on the Rear Transition Module (RTM). The prototype hereby presented is an xTCA Peripheral Component Interface (PCIe) switch Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) carrier blade. The device serves as a hub, as to control and handle I/O data from its parent nodes existing within the same xTCA shelf through its proprietary fabric channels in dual-star topology. Parent node blades, under development, are equally linked through xTCA's agnostic fabric in full-mesh topology, as to attain system MIMO functionality from all I/O endpoints. The switch blade carries up to four AMC modules, adding up to modularity and versatility. This allows for a much more independent and speedier hardware development, as dedicated AMC modules, such as data processing and storage devices, can be simultaneously projected. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) AMC products are readily available and may also be immediately integrated in the system.


In this paper, we adopt results in nonlinear time series analysis for causal inference in dynamical settings.~Our motivation is policy analysis with panel data, particularly through the use of "synthetic control" methods. These methods regress pre-intervention outcomes of the treated unit to outcomes from a pool of control units, and then use the fitted regression model to estimate causal effects post-intervention. In this setting, we propose to screen out control units that have a weak dynamical relationship to the treated unit. In simulations, we show that this method can mitigate bias from "cherry-picking" of control units, which is usually an important concern. We illustrate on real-world applications, including the tobacco legislation example of \citet{Abadie2010}, and Brexit.


Objective: Patients with pure autonomic failure (PAF) have an abnormal fall in blood pressure (BP) with supine exercise and exacerbation of orthostatic hypotension (OH) after exercise. This study assessed the pressor effect of water on the cardiovascular responses to supine exercise and on OH after exercise. Methods: 8 patients with PAF underwent a test protocol consisting of standing for 5 min, supine rest for 10 min, supine exercise by pedalling a cycle ergometer at workloads of 25, 50 and 75 W (each for 3 min), supine rest for 10 min and standing for 5 min. The test protocol was performed without water ingestion and on a separate occasion after 480 ml of distilled water immediately after pre-exercise standing. Beat to beat cardiovascular indices were measured with the Portapres II device with subsequent Modelflow analysis. Results: All patients had severe OH pre-exercise (BP fall systolic 65.0 (26.1) mm Hg, diastolic 22.7 (13.5) mm Hg), with prompt recovery of BP in the supine position. 5 min after water drinking, there was a significant rise in BP in the supine position. With exercise, there was a clear fall in BP (systolic 42.1 (24.4) mm Hg, diastolic 25.9 (10.0) mm Hg) with a modest rise in heart rate; this occurred even after water ingestion (BP fall systolic 49.8 (18.9) mm Hg, diastolic 26.0 (9.1) mm Hg). BP remained low after exercise but was significantly higher after water intake, resulting in better tolerance of post-exercise standing. Conclusions: Water drinking did not change the abnormal cardiovascular responses to supine exercise. However, water drinking improved orthostatic tolerance post-exercise.


The effects of consanguineous marriages on couples' fertility and sterility were explored through an interview survey of 20 626 women, chosen randomly from the rural and urban areas of the North Arcot District of Tamil Nadu State. Qualified women investigators obtained relevant information about reproductive performances of all married women resident in well defined rural and urban samples chosen randomly from North Arcot District. For each marriage, a family pedigree was drawn, extending upwards to two earlier generations on both sides of each spouse, in order to determine the existence and type of consanguinity involved. Of marriages in rural areas, 46·9% were consanguineous, and in urban areas, 29·1%. In more than 80% of the consanguineous marriages, the spouses were first cousins or more closely related. The extent of primary and secondary sterility and the level of fertility were examined in relation to each type of consanguineous marriage with the duration of the marriage and the age of the woman. The frequency of primary sterility appeared to be lower in the consanguineous marriages compared to that in the non-consanguineous marriages. However, the differences were only marginal and only occasionally attained statistical significance. No trends were seen in the degree of consanguineous relationship, and there did not appear to be any association with the duration of marriage or the age of the woman. The frequencies of secondary sterility did not differ significantly in consanguineous marriages in either the rural or the urban areas. No consistent associations were observed with degree of relationship. There were no specific associations in terms of the duration of marriage or the age of the woman observed in the frequencies of secondary sterility. The mean levels of fertility were slightly raised among the consanguineous marriages and attained significance merely because of the large sample sizes involved. These findings are discussed and compared with relevant published work. Comparisons are made difficult because of paucity of data based on community studies, and also because great differences exist in the methodology adopted by various investigators. The findings from the present study seem to show that long-term inbreeding results in only marginal or non-significant effects on fertility of inbred populations.


The limitations of the asymptotic relative efficiency (ARE) in predicting finite sample size detector performance have been noted in several previous studies. It has been observed that the finite-sample-size relative efficiency (RE) may converge very slowly to its asymptotic limit. In addition, in some cases the RE approaches the ARE from below, while in other cases the RE either starts above or overshoots the ARE and approaches it from above. Results indicate that both of these effects can be predicted for a useful class of detectors for known signals in additive noise. The prediction formula is developed for the generalized correlation detector structure. The result is then used to analyze some specific detectors. Among these are the sign detector, the dead-zone detector, the soft-limiter and the noise blanker. Calculations and simulations giving the relative efficiency as a function of sample size have been used to verify predictions. >


Background: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is currently being used for treatment in rehabilitation situations. Studies indicate that neuromuscular electrical stimulation increases muscle strength in weakened muscles; however few studies have examined the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and muscle strength on healthy muscles or compared combinations of NMES and exercise. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of three methods in strengthening the vastus medialis muscle in healthy adults. Methods: Fifteen healthy male participants between the ages of 18-25 participated in this randomized repeated measures study. The participants were randomly assigned into three (neuromuscular electrical stimulation, neuromuscular electrical stimulation + exercise or exercise only) groups of five. They performed eccentric stepdowns for 5 minutes, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The force of the vastus medialis muscle was measured with an isometric leg extension at 60 degrees, using the Biodex force dynamometer (Model 820-110). This test was performed a total of three times on each participant: pre-testing, mid-testing and final-testing. Results: A two-way analysis of variance and a post hoc Scheffe's test revealed a significant test interaction difference between group and test time. In the neuromuscular electrical stimulation group the mean force from the pre-test (121.4Nm), to the final-test (165.8Nm) significantly increased compared to the pre and post-tests in the other groups. Conclusion: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation training was most effective in increasing muscle strength of the vastus medialis muscle in healthy participants after four weeks.


Balantidium coli, a ciliated protozoan, is well known to cause intestinal infection in humans. Extraintestinal spread to the peritoneal cavity and genitourinary tract has rarely been reported. There have also been a few cases of lung involvement from this parasite. A case of B coli causing a thick-walled right upper lobe cavity in an organic farmer who had contact with aerosolized pig manure is reported. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid examined for ova and parasite revealed trophozoites of B coli in large numbers. Treatment with doxycycline hyclate led to marked improvement. Necrotizing lung infection caused by the protozoan B coli should be considered in individuals who report contact with pigs.


A Railgun-concept for the launch of small payloads into low Earth orbits is currently under investigation. The system design of this entirely new launch system foresees the acceleration of slim projectiles to hypersonic speeds by an electromagnetic railgun. The expected high performance concerning efficiency, cost and repetition rates makes this system attractive for space applications. As a first cornerstone in the development of this unconventional and alternative access to space the launch of scientific experiments into suborbital altitudes is planned, enabling to validate all basic features and characteristics. The first project foresees a 32 MJ railgun system able to launch non-propelled projectiles with experiments for high-atmospheric research to an altitude of 115 km. This application will strongly concentrate on actual market needs and will be capable to provide low-cost flights for atmospheric sounding as a first goal. This will be followed by a system to launch single stage rocket propelled projectiles to put in orbit nano-satellites using a 3.4 GJ railgun with a length of 180 m.

One of the main issues to be investigated, beside the gun structure, is the extreme thermal conditions the projectile's surfaces are exposed to, namely high temperatures and high thermal loads. These are caused by friction and turbulent flow properties, when the projectile rushes through the dense Earth's atmosphere in less than 30 s. The important questions to be answered for the design of a hypersonic projectile are the determination of the duration, magnitude and location of the maximum temperatures with respect to the projectile's surface and its corresponding internal structure. For the determination of this complicated physical conditions a DLR has developed a set of self developed design/CFD tools. Results of analysis are heir presented and commented.

This paper presents the main concepts and the design aspects with special emphasis on flight mechanics, aero-/thermodynamics, materials and propulsion characteristics.


Koshenova M.I. Workaholic: perfect, awful or doesn't matter? // Psychological science and practice: State of the Art. Collected papers / Ed. Kostrigin A.A. Chicago, 2017. P. 107-112. In the last decade the growth of the number of researches on addictology rises in direct ratio to the growth of the number the addictive persons and to the expansion of range the addictive forms of behavior in modern world. The workaholic addiction (in other words workaholism) doesn't make an exception; it is obvious that recently it attracts keen interest of researchers (Barabanschikova, Klimov, 2015; Lukyanov, Shcheglova, Balashov, 2012; Belobrykina, 2015). Nevertheless, it isn't possible to define the content of this type of dependence fully yet, partly because a man working hard is a socially approved image, partly because it isn't always easy to differentiate "love for work" compelled by expense of a large amount of time to provide survival or execution of social obligations from workaholism as "fixing on activity". In this regard the request for the empirical facts allowing to find out significant markers of the phenomenon itself is urgent. Workaholism, as well as any other addiction, is the escape from reality by changing the mental state which in this case is reached by fixing on work. The reasons of workaholism development have to include as the general, peculiar to all types of addictions, as specific, typical only for this type, features. We may assume that, a workaholic as well as other addicts is characterized by the high level of anxiety, inadequate self-assessment, deformed or immature personality identity and disfunctionality in interpersonal relationships. At the same time the analysis of research works on workaholism suggests existence of high level of achievement motivation and specific social-psychological goals in the sphere of motivation and need: orientation toward results, work, power and money at persons fixed on work activity. At the first investigation phase 227 people aged from 41 up to 49 years were diagnosed. On the basis of the data obtained according to Killindzher's test for identification of a workaholism and  E.Rogov's technique of "Defining of a workaholic" two conventional groups for comparison were formed: the first group consisted of 60 persons  with the expressed workaholic addiction, the second – 60 persons without signs of it (groups are approximately balanced on sex and age). Complex of personal techniques was used to test both groups. Comparison of these two groups (Mann-Whitney's U-criterion was used) allowed to reveal a number of authentically significant distinctions. So, the results received by O.F.Potyomkina's technique "Diagnostics of social psychological sets of personality in the sphere of  motivation and need" show that persons with a workaholic addiction are more inclined in their working activity to be guided by the process that is procedural component of activity, but not by the final result. Reliable distinctions on the scale "orientation toward work" show that it is typical for workaholics use almost all the time to make something, without feeling sorry for the days off or a holiday; work activity brings them more joys and pleasures, than some other activities. In this group more reliable and higher results are found according to the scale "orientation toward altruism ", it is frequent to the detriment of itself that deserves the respect. It is considered that altruism – the most valuable public motivation existence of which distinguishes the mature person. Let's add that we didn't manage to find out reliable distinctions in the following criteria "orientation toward power" and "orientation toward money" between these two compared selections that, in our opinion, also demonstrate that the workaholic doesn't consider the sphere of work as "battlefield" for possession of something. With this conclusion the absence of distinctions between two groups of comparison quite correlates on the level of claims (Shvartslander's Scale). In structure of the motives of personality included into the structure of motivation of an affiliation at workaholics the aspiration to acceptance prevails (a technique "Motivation of affiliation" of A. Mekhrabian in M.Sh.Magomed-Eminov's modification), respectively, there are no obstacles of satisfaction of the need to be in the company of other people. At first sight the portrait, "written by large dabs", inspires optimism, but a number of essential moments introduce negative amendments in the profile of "being married to the job". To begin with the fact that orientation to procedural characteristics of work often doesn't give the chance even to achieve result but to see, and therefore, to feel satisfaction from achieved results – any top is not sufficient. Quite naturally it was revealed that easily arising concern, feeling of anxiety is peculiar to workaholics ("Taylor's scale of anxiety" in V. G. Norakidze's adaptation). High anxiety can be caused both by fear of inactive situations, and also by the need for a constant external irritant and for a constant positive assessment of their activity as necessary confirmation of the solvency. These results are quite coordinated with lower self-assessment revealed by S. A. Budassi's technique. Person at a stage of maturity (age of our examinees is 41-49) should be characterized by mature identity with definiteness of valuable orientations and authorities, temporary perspective and a variety of role behavior, and also by self-confidence; however the workaholic personality is characterised by the broken identity (distinctions on scales "the moratorium of identity", "a premature stop", "identity diffusion" ("The status of identity" by Marsia in G. and R. Aminev's modification). The accounting of average values on the scales defining the ways of achievement of identity revealed that workaholics at lesser extent can make decisions of their own personality, but great susceptibility is characteristic of the influences of external circumstances (KKI scale). Thus, the psychological profile of the personality with a workaholic addiction is characterised by orientation to process, high anxiety, the underestimated self-assessment, and absence of ability to appreciate their own achievements, rather essential dependence on other people approval, more problematic than the negative personal identity connected with absence of feeling of self-sufficiency. The workaholic addiction in fact is a form of psychological protection for the personality with the broken identity. All mentioned above means definitely that the workaholic is quite convenient for the authorities and colleagues, at least because he tries to come to the rescue and meet other people's expectations, even who treats him with absolute indifference. And he has quite sufficient destructive potential for himself, at least, because he is not really able to accept and appreciate himself and therefore doesn't dare to have a rest even at an exhaustion of forces.


Since the 1980s, game theory has become a standard feature of man agement school curricula, treated extensively in textbooks and core courses in managerial economics and competitive strategy. It promises a formal and rational set of procedures for formulating decisions in situations of dynamic interaction. I suggest that the appeal, and key symbolic effect of game theory is not due to its actual influence on the decisions reached. Rather, it is due to the reframing of deci sions and the contexts in which they are made, in terms of the framework of game theory. When strategic action is formulated and justified in terms of game theory, the theory serves as a kind of sociodicy, a social theory which justifies suffering as a necessary evil. I suggest that the increased appeal of game theory since the 1980s has to do with changes in the social organization and man agerial culture of corporations.


Objective: To cross-culturally adapt the Danish version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and to evaluate its measurement properties in terms of reliability and known-group validity. Design: Test–retest study. Setting: Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Regional Hospital Herning, Denmark. Subjects: Consecutive shoulder patients referred to an outpatient clinic. Methods: The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index was translated from English into Danish according to international guidelines. The questionnaire was posted to patients one to two weeks before their scheduled clinical examination and repeated on the day of the examination. Results: A total of 65 patients with a variety of shoulder diagnoses were included in the study. No significant differences were found in scores between the first and the second questionnaire. The minimal detectable change was estimated to 19.4 points, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.88 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.94). Internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha was 0.94. The questionnaire was found to discriminate well between currently working and non-working patients. Conclusion: The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index provides a sensitive and reliable tool to assess pain and disability in Danish-speaking orthopaedic shoulder patients.


A fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) study was carried out on paraffin sections of human embryonic and fetal tissues with two DNA probes, DXZ1 and DYZ1 (Oncor), for X and Y chromosome-specific DNA sequences, respectively. The specificity of the DNA probes was confirmed on metaphase and interphase lymphocytes of healthy normal adult males. The paraffin blocks of the human embryonic and fetal tissues examined in the present study had been stored at room temperature for up to 5 years after fixation in 4% paraformaldehyde. All the seven embryos and five fetuses examined were successfully sexed by FISH. The cells from three embryos and four fetuses were positive for a hybridization signal with each of the DXZ1 and DYZ1 probes and they were classified as male. The cells from the remaining four embryos and one fetus were positive for two identical hybridization signals with the DXZ1 probe in a nucleus instead of the absence of the signal hybridized with DYZ1, indicating that their cells have two X chromosomes but no Y chromosomes. The FISH results for the five fetuses examined were consistent with their genital sex and/or gonadal histology. The FISH results were highly specific and no false positive or false negative results were obtained. Thus, the FISH technique has been shown to visualize specific DNAs in situ on paraffin sections and to be useful to determine the sex of fixed embryos and fetuses retrospectively. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


In clinical diagnostics, the fluidic part for sample-preparation should not absorb any of the substances of interest. In this study, the absorption of 4 different interleukins was investigated in a newly developed microfluidic blood filtration element (BFE). The BFE is capable of extracting 8-15 μL volume of plasma from 100 μL of whole blood in 7 minutes. Whole blood from 4 separate human subjects was tested. The recovery from our BFE was lower than 100%, but, as it was reproducible (except for TNF-α), enables use of the device in clinical trials with prior calibration.


This review is focused on the recent advances in the chemistry of sulfur dioxide fixation through a radical process. Diverse sulfonyl compounds can be obtained efficiently under mild conditions. In general, aryl radicals, vinyl radicals, alkyl radicals, and nitrogen-centered radicals can react with sulfur dioxide, giving rise to sulfonyl radical intermediates. The resulting sulfonyl radicals can be captured by nucleophiles, olefins, and alkynes. The sources of aryl radicals from aryldiazonium salts, aryl halides, and diaryliodonium salts are demonstrated. It is believed that more amazing SO2-based achievements will be developed in the near future.


In this short book we have done little more than give in detail the methods of investigation used by us in our successive studies of British Trade Unionism, Consumers' Co-operation, and Local Government. It is true that, in our first chapter and in the last, we have attempted to define the scope and necessary limitations of the science of society. But these pages do not claim to be anything of the nature of a treatise on methodology, or even on the place of social science or sociology in the classification of the sciences. They merely explain our own approach to an understanding of the department of sociology dealing with the upgrowth, the modification and the dwindling, sometimes even to insignificance—of particular kinds of social institutions. Hence the reader must not look for any discussion of the relation of political science to ethics, or whether or not there can usefully be a "pure" science of economics, proceeding by logical deduction from theoretical assumptions or postulates as to the universality or predominance of particular human motives—such, for instance, as the pecuniary self-interest of freely competing wealth producers, on the one hand, or, on the other, the class antagonisms of profit-making capitalists and proletarian wage-earners. Moreover, in the department on which our studies have been concentrated, we have been unable, through lack of qualification, to use, and perhaps even adequately to appreciate, the Statistical Method. Our speciality has been a comparative study of the working of particular social institutions in a single country, made by observation and analysis, through personal participation or watching the organisation at work, the taking of evidence from other persons, the scrutiny of all accessible documents, and the consultation of general literature. If students and investigators find the volume helpful, our aim will have been attained. Any of them wishing further explanations are invited to communicate with one or other of us. - Preface.


Parametric optimization of the transformation process is a task of improving multiple objectives. In general, no single set of input parameters can provide the best hardness of the metal and the best finish of the surface at the same time. While when using the genetic algorithm proved that it is possible to obtain more than one goal of the function at the same time. In the current research the use of Multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) to determine the best hardness of the metal and less roughness of the surface operator at the same time. A mathematical model was also developed to predict the hardness of the metal and surface roughness using Taguchi technology depending on the input variables (cutting speed, cutting depth and feeding rate). Experiments were conducted on a CNC machine in turning carbon steel AISI 1025 using carbide cutting tool. It was found that the most influential factor on the surface roughness is the feeding rate, while the most important effect on the hardness is the cutting speed.


Quantum computing offers powerful new techniques for speeding up the calculation of many classically intractable problems. Quantum algorithms can allow for the efficient simulation of physical systems, with applications to basic research, chemical modeling, and drug discovery; other algorithms have important implications for cryptography and internet security. At the same time, building a quantum computer is a daunting task, requiring the coherent manipulation of systems with many quantum degrees of freedom while preventing environmental noise from interacting too strongly with the system. Fortunately, we know that, under reasonable assumptions, we can use the techniques of quantum error correction and fault tolerance to achieve an arbitrary reduction in the noise level. In this thesis, we look at how additional information about the structure of noise, or "noise bias," can improve or alter the performance of techniques in quantum error correction and fault tolerance. In Chapter 2, we explore the possibility of designing certain quantum gates to be extremely robust with respect to errors in their operation. This naturally leads to structured noise where certain gates can be implemented in a protected manner, allowing the user to focus their protection on the noisier unprotected operations. In Chapter 3, we examine how to tailor error-correcting codes and fault-tolerant quantum circuits in the presence of dephasing biased noise, where dephasing errors are far more common than bit-flip errors. By using an appropriately asymmetric code, we demonstrate the ability to improve the amount of error reduction and decrease the physical resources required for error correction. In Chapter 4, we analyze a variety of protocols for distilling magic states, which enable universal quantum computation, in the presence of faulty Clifford operations. Here again there is a hierarchy of noise levels, with a fixed error rate for faulty gates, and a second rate for errors in the distilled states which decreases as the states are distilled to better quality. The interplay of of these different rates sets limits on the achievable distillation and how quickly states converge to that limit.


We consider a general framework of online learning with expert advice where regret is defined with respect to sequences of experts accepted by a weighted automaton. Our framework covers several problems previously studied, including competing against k-shifting experts. We give a series of algorithms for this problem, including an automata-based algorithm extending weighted-majority and more efficient algorithms based on the notion of failure transitions. We further present efficient algorithms based on an approximation of the competitor automaton, in particular n-gram models obtained by minimizing the∞-Rényi divergence, and present an extensive study of the approximation properties of such models. Finally, we also extend our algorithms and results to the framework of sleeping experts.


The advent of the Internet is reshaping the landscape of B2B commerce in a significant manner. Emerging e-marketplaces are offering firms an opportunity to optimize their supply chain decisions across a variety of sourcing scenarios. In this paper, we have specifically focused on decision-making for systematic sourcing of make-to-order (MTO) items. We minimize sourcing and purchasing costs in the presence of fixed costs, shared capacity constraints, and volume-based discounts for bundles of items. We consider a private-exchange that facilitates collaborative sourcing and enables a buyer firm to aggregate demand across different units to gain savings from volume-based discounts on individual items or groups of items, avoiding the duplication of tooling investments, and reducing setup costs. Due to the computational complexity of this problem, we develop a heuristic procedure based on Lagrangian relaxation technique to solve the problem. The computational results show that the procedure is effective under a variety of scenarios.


Observing the growing popularity of random permutation (RP)-based designs (e.g, Sponge), Bart Mennink in CRYPTO 2019 has initiated an interesting research in the direction of RP-based pseudorandom functions (PRFs). Both are claimed to achieve beyond-the-birthday-bound (BBB) security of 2n/3 bits (n being the input block size in bits) but require two instances of RPs and can handle only oneblock inputs. In this work, we extend research in this direction by providing two new BBB-secure constructions by composing the tweakable Even-Mansour appropriately. Our first construction requires only one instance of an RP and requires only one key. Our second construction extends the first to a nonce-based Message Authentication Code (MAC) using a universal hash to deal with multi-block inputs. We show that the hash key can be derived from the original key when the underlying hash is the Poly hash. We provide matching attacks for both constructions to demonstrate the tightness of the proven security bounds.


We present Magellan/IMACS spectroscopy of the recently discovered Milky Way satellite Tucana III (Tuc III). We identify 26 member stars in Tuc III from which we measure a mean radial velocity of vhel = −102.3 ± 0.4 (stat.) ± 2.0 (sys.) , a velocity dispersion of , and a mean metallicity of . The upper limit on the velocity dispersion is σ < 1.5 at 95.5% confidence, and the corresponding upper limit on the mass within the half-light radius of Tuc III is 9.0 × 104 M⊙. We cannot rule out mass-to-light ratios as large as 240 M⊙/L⊙ for Tuc III, but much lower mass-to-light ratios that would leave the system baryon-dominated are also allowed. We measure an upper limit on the metallicity spread of the stars in Tuc III of 0.19 dex at 95.5% confidence. Tuc III has a smaller metallicity dispersion and likely a smaller velocity dispersion than any known dwarf galaxy, but a larger size and lower surface brightness than any known globular cluster. Its metallicity is also much lower than those of the clusters with similar luminosity. We therefore tentatively suggest that Tuc III is the tidally stripped remnant of a dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxy, but additional precise velocity and metallicity measurements will be necessary for a definitive classification. If Tuc III is indeed a dwarf galaxy, it is one of the closest external galaxies to the Sun. Because of its proximity, the most luminous stars in Tuc III are quite bright, including one star at V = 15.7 that is the brightest known member star of an ultra-faint satellite.


Background: Patients with stroke often have comorbid diabetes. Considering its detrimental effects on brain function, diabetes may increase the risk of poor recovery. Methods: The aim of this review was to investigate the effect of diabetes on post-stroke recovery by a systematic review. Several specific aspects of post-stroke recovery, including activities of daily living (ADL), motor, cognitive, and quality of life (QOL) recovery, were examined. We searched the PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant studies on the effect of diabetes on post-stroke recovery, published until May 26, 2021. A total of 52,051 potentially relevant articles were identified. After reading the titles and abstracts and assessing their eligibility based on full-text articles, 34 publications were included in this review. Results: Of 29 studies that assessed ADL recovery after stroke, 22 studies suggested that diabetes had a negative effect on recovery of ADL after stroke. Regarding motor recovery, only one out of four studies showed that diabetes had some effect on motor recovery after stroke. Of the two studies on cognitive recovery, one reported that diabetes was an independent predictor of poor cognitive recovery after stroke. Three studies on QOL reported that a poor QOL after stroke was associated with the presence of diabetes. Conclusions: The current review suggests that the post-stroke recovery of ADL seems to be poorer in patients with diabetes than patients without diabetes. Further, there are insufficient data to conclude the effect of diabetes on motor and cognitive recovery, but it may have some influence on the quality of life after stroke. Systematic Review Registration: doi: 10.37766/inplasy2021.11.0032, identifier: INPLASY2021110032.


The effect of chemical composition on the bonding environment of Cu, in a series of Ti1-x Cux and TiN/Cu films, is studied using X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopies (XAFS) at the Cu-K-edge. The EXAFS analysis reveals that in all studied samples Cu is amorphous. However, its bonding environment depends on the chemical composition. More specifically, in the Ti1-xCux films, Cu is coordinated with Ti and Cu and belongs both to intermetallic TiCu and to an amorphous Cu matrix. The coordination number of Cu, i.e., the sum of Ti and Cu first neighbours, increases systematically from 6.3 ± 0.7 to 10.6 ± 0.9 when the Cu content increases from 24.1 to 52.7 at%. On the contrary, in the TiN/Cu films, the type of atoms that consists the 1st nearest neighbour shell of Cu varies as a function of the Cu concentration. More specifically, in the TiN/Cu film with the lowest Cu content (27.3 at%), intermetallic TiCu is detected. At intermediate Cu concentration (37.8 at%), Cu is bonded to both Ti and Cu atoms. Finally, in the TiN/Cu film with the highest Cu content (67.7 at%), Cu is metallic.


ABSTRACT The shoreline along the southern portion of Monterey Bay California is undergoing severe erosion. Industrial and architectural sand has been dredged from this portion of the bay for the last 70 years. This withdrawal of sand coupled with weak to absent longshore contributions of new sand has been blamed for modern beach erosion. To determine the relative importance of potential sources to the sediment budget, 30 samples of 130-300 grains each were compared using Fourier grain shape analysis. Potential sources (including Flandrian and preFlandrian dunes, Salinas River, and offshore sands) can be discriminated on the basis of grain shape. Comparison of data from the beach samples and samples from the mining operations shows that most beach sand, offshore (shallow water) sands, and the m ned sand are primarily (70%-90%) derived from Flandrian and preFlandrian dunes. North of the Salinas River, the beach is dominated by fluvial sediments. This study does not prove that sand mining is the major cause of erosion along the southern half of the bay. This analysis does demonstrate however, that recharge of sand onto the southern beaches from the Salinas River is not significant and so cannot be invoked to provide a mechanism to support the concept that the mined sand is a renewable resource.


Tort claims against gun manufacturers call on judges to make policy choices about firearm design and marketing. There is much debate over whether judges should be in the business of making policy choices. On one hand, traditionalists denounce judicial policy making as violating the constitutional separation of powers which reserves policy making to legislatures and consigns courts to resolving individual disputes between parties. Moreover, according to this view, courts lack the breadth of perspective necessary to make good public policy, a breadth that legislatures achieve through initiating investigations or holding hearings. In addition, courts of general jurisdiction lack the technical and scientific expertise that administrative agencies lend to legislative policy making. On the other hand, progressives embrace judicial policy making as part of a public law vision of the tort system. According to this view, courts should craft creative solutions to social problems when deadlocked or corrupt legislatures fail to act. Furthermore, by using procedural techniques that allow for the consolidation of many claims into one legal proceeding, courts can resolve individual claims en masse, thereby avoiding the possible inconsistencies and inefficiencies of piecemeal adjudication on a case-by-case basis. In this chapter, I advocate an intermediate position. I argue that courts should play a secondary role in policy making that complements the regulatory efforts of legislatures and administrative agencies. Against the traditionalist position, I assert that judges are wise in attending to the public policy implications of their rulings in individual cases. The nature of common law adjudication is to apply old legal principles to new problems. The proper application of these principles, however, is often unclear, and judges are required to resolve ambiguities on the basis of something other than clear precedent. It is here that policy analysis plays a legitimate role in judging. Against the progressive position, I argue that courts should confine their policy analysis to the resolution of doctrinal ambiguities. Courts should use policy analysis to gradually refine tort law's system of rules for resolving private disputes in ways that serve the public interest. Radical shifts in doctrine, even when supported by sound policy choices, undermine the legal stability that in our constitutional scheme courts are uniquely qualified to protect. Furthermore, I argue that in making policy choices, courts should, where possible, follow the lead of legislatures. To the extent that there are discernable trends in legislative consideration of a problem, it undermines the legitimacy of judicial decision making for judges to contradict them. The danger of unrestrained judicial policy making is greatest in mass torts, where the aggregation of claims and industry-wide liability exposure can easily transform the resolution of private disputes into the crafting of innovative solutions to social problems, without due regard for doctrinal integrity or legislative preferences.


A large and growing body of social science research uses personal information from research subjects—often collected in collaboration with non-academic partners like private enterprise, governments, or NGOs. Consideration of the complex data security obligations and obstacles that come along with academic/practitioner collaboration, however, has been piecemeal, and actual security practices vary widely from project to project. Identifying and implementing "good practices" depends on the scruples and best judgment of individual research teams because discipline-wide best practices are insufficiently consolidated. This essay makes three preliminary contributions toward the development of best practices. First, it proposes a general set of imperatives/obligations against which data security practices can be measured, and then identifies the primary threats to fulfilling these obligations. Second, it elaborates on the particular threats to data security that come along with practitioner partnerships. Finally, it suggests a non-exhaustive range of data-security practices to address different threats, and demonstrates in appendices how three off-the-shelf tools can be used to ameliorate threats to data security, especially in collaborative projects.


I INTRODUCTION Established in 1945, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established to "contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture." (1) After a peaceful beginning, UNESCO became embroiled in controversy with the 1980 publication of the MacBride Report, which called for the democratization of communication and strengthening of national media. (2) The United States and the United Kingdom denounced the report as an attack on freedom of the press and criticized the organization in general as a platform for communist and Third World countries to attack the West. (3) The United States withdrew its funding for and membership in UNESCO in 1984, followed by the United Kingdom the next year. (4) In the ensuing decade, UNESCO toned down its rhetoric and reorganized itself to be less top-heavy. The United Kingdom eventually rejoined UNESCO in 1997, (5) and the United States rejoined in 2003. (6) How can we explain the exit and reentry of these two crucial countries? Why were they willing to be associated with UNESCO for one period of time but not another, and how did their behavior affect the organization's policies? The UNESCO case highlights a key feature of delegation relationships within international organizations (IOs)--namely, that membership in such organizations is voluntary. What sets IOs apart from countries' internal delegation regimes is the fact that if a country is not satisfied with the results it is obtaining via membership in the organization, it can simply exit, as the United States and the United Kingdom did from UNESCO, or simply decline to join the organization in the first place. (7) This stands in contrast to, for instance, interbranch delegation; if Congress is unhappy with the executive's use of delegated authority, it cannot simply leave and declare itself to be the national legislature of Bolivia instead. More to the point, any change in the delegation regime would itself be subject to a presidential veto, so each Congress is to some degree locked into the delegation arrangements inherited from previous Congresses. If IO membership is voluntary, why would countries delegate in the first place? We argue that international organizations are held together by network externalities, such as free trade, safety via nuclear nonproliferation, and so on. Specifically, a defining feature of international organizations is that the more countries that belong to them, the more benefits accrue to all members. In this sense, IOs display increasing returns to scale, similar to many social or Internet-based resources. Conversely, the departure of key countries can do significant harm to an international organization, sometimes triggering a wave of defections. (8) This article provides a theory of delegation to IOs that incorporates free exit and network externalities into the standard delegation-modeling framework. What issues should such a theory to be able to address? 1. It should predict an IN's membership, including states' decisions to enter and exit. 2. It should predict the policy goals pursued by the IN; moreover, these policy goals should themselves affect membership. Formal models of IOs to date take either the policy choices or the member states as given, but the UNESCO example above makes clear that changes in policy can lead to changes in membership as well. 3. It should allow for differences among states; in particular, some states might be in a position to confer more benefits on their fellow member states than others, such as large countries offering access to their markets by lowering trade barriers. These differences are, in turn, the source of differential power among member countries within the IN. 4. Consistent with the themes of this symposium, it should logically define and incorporate the notions of delegation and sovereignty costs. …


Quantitative research and statistical techniques have long been regarded as superior ways of analyzing knowledge in social sciences. To deal with incomplete or imprecise knowledge while modeling systems, traditional approaches in social sciences (i.e., management science, operations research) have attempted to measure social facts by making approximations of the problem under analysis. Artificial intelligence (AI) research on qualitative reasoning which focuses on using qualitative knowledge to reason about the everyday physical world, suggests an opportunity to extend the capability of current logico-mathematical instruments used by social scientists. This paper proposes an interval propagation difference equation method, a type of qualitative-quantitative simulation method, to model dynamic systems by abstracting from the underlying true model. The proposed difference equation method can be used to model problems requiring discrete-time analysis, such as applications involving time-lag relationships. Moreover, the method does not require the exact functional form of the problem under analysis to be known with certainty. The incomplete or imprecise knowledge available about the functional form of the true model, and the values of its variables, are represented with bounding functions and interval values respectively. >


OBJECTIVE: To analyze the increase in number of authors per article in Brazilian scientific journals on public health. METHODS: Articles published between 1999 and 2010 in six journals on public health and one medical journal (for comparison) from SciELO with Qualis (Capes) classification equal or superior to B-1, were searched on the LILACS database. The evolution of the median number of authors/article and the proportion of articles with more than four authors were evaluated. The association between the the triennium of publication and the presence of four or more authors per paper was estimated through the Mantel-Haenzel odds ratio, adjusted for the type of journal. RESULTS: An increase of the median number of authors and the proportion of articles with more than four authors was observed in all journals, especially in the last triennium. The odds ratio for articles with four or more authors, adjusted for the type of journal, were: second triennium 1.3 (95%CI 1.1;1.4); third triennium 1.5 (95%CI 1.3;1.8), fourth triennium 2.39 (95%CI 2.1;2.8). CONCLUSIONS: Scientific journals on public health have shown an increase in the number of authors per article over the years, regardless of editorial orientation.


This paper is an analysis of the usage of amplifiers in the Chinese Learner English Corpus (CLEC). As a specific type of adverbs of degree, amplifiers, such as absolutely, really, and very, are considered to "express degrees of increasing intensification upwards from an assumed norm". Kennedy (2003) further divides amplifiers into maximizers and boosters. This paper adopts his definition and categorization and uses the mutual information measure (MI) to examine the collocational usage of 23 amplifiers, including 7 maximizers and 16 boosters in CLEC. In comparison with Kennedy's (2003) study of 24 amplifiers in the British National Corpus (BNC), this paper studies Chinese Learners' usage of amplifiers from three aspects: the most frequent pattern usages, the overuse, underuse and misuse of certain patterns, and the possible causes. The major findings can be summarized as follows. Firsdy, while Kennedy finds that most amplifier collocates are adjectives or participles in BNC, most amplifier collocates are verbs in CLEC.Secondly, while most amplifiers show clear preference to negative or positive collocates in Kennedy's study, this paper has found similar preferences of some amplifiers and yet remarkably different preferences of others. In addition, the use of the 23 selected amplifiers is not only more limited but also more interchangeable in CLEC. This shows that learners not only lack the mastery of their usage but also lack the appropriate awareness of their preference in pattern usage. The conclusions we arrive at suggest that amplifiers are probably stored as single words in their memory so that learners are not able to use them appropriately in certain patterns.


Domestic microgeneration is the onsite generation of low- and zero-carbon heat and electricity by private households to meet their own needs. In this paper we explore how an everyday household routine -- that of doing laundry -- can be augmented by digital technologies to help households with photovoltaic solar energy generation to make better use of self-generated energy. This paper presents an 8-month in-the-wild study that involved 18 UK households in longitudinal energy data collection, prototype deployment and participatory data analysis. Through a series of technology interventions mixing energy feedback, proactive suggestions and direct control the study uncovered opportunities, potential rewards and barriers for families to shift energy consuming household activities and highlights how digital technology can act as mediator between household laundry routines and energy demand-shifting behaviors. Finally, the study provides insights into how a "smart" energy-aware washing machine shapes organization of domestic life and how people "communicate" with their washing machine.


Several immunoregulatory defects of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induced B cell activation have been described in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), suggesting that EBV may have a role in the pathogenesis of RA. We assessed EBV specific T cell regulation in 20 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) and immune to EBV and in 10 control subjects also immune to EBV by comparing the secretion of IgM into supernatants of 16 day cultures of B cells alone and cocultures of B and autologous T cells. In control subjects autologous T cells mediated a significant decrease in the secretion of IgM by B cells at 12 and 16 days of culture. Analysis of individual responses showed the existence of two subgroups of patients with PSS: group I (10 patients) had a suppressor T cell function similar to that of controls; group II (10 patients) had a defective T cell function. Differences in the duration or severity of the disease, the slow acting therapeutic agents, and anti-inflammatory drugs could not account for these subdivisions. These results suggest that several immunoregulatory defects of EBV induced B cell activation exist in different connective tissue diseases.


The increasing body of distributed and heterogeneous information and the autonomous, heterogeneous and dynamic nature of information resources are important issues hindering effective and efficient data access, retrieval and knowledge sharing. The importance of ontologies has been recognised within the biomedical domain and work has begun on developing and sharing biomedical ontologies. In this paper, we define ontology and ontology commitments and explain the main characteristics and representations of ontology models. Ontologies are highly expressive knowledge models and as such increase expressiveness and intelligence of a system. We highlight the significance of ontologies in a variety of semi-automatic and automatic tasks, and provide an illustrative example of an ontology-based multi-agent system designed to intelligently retrieve information about human diseases from a number of heterogeneous and dispersed information resources.


Background: Diabetes mellitus is increasing worldwide and is regarded as a public health problem. Older persons with diabetes and comorbidity are associated with a number of complications. Nurses' knowledge of diabetes is paramount for maintaining good patient safety and ensuring people living in residential nursing homes receive the care and assistance self care needed, thus avoiding acute as well as late complications and maintains a good quality of life.Aim: To describe nurses' who work at residential nursing homes knowledge related to diabetes. Method: Descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire study. Data were collected using a questionnaire for control of nurses' knowledge about diabetes. A total of 128 nurses working at residential nursing homes participated. Data were compiled and analyzed with descriptive statistics.Results: The nurses' felt that they had good knowledge of the causes and development of hypoglycemia and it's treatment. Furthermore, the nurses felt they had sufficient knowledge of medical and nursing interventions for abnormal blood glucose levels. Only a few nurses gave correct answers about the risk factors for getting low blood glucose levels. The nurses felt they had the need of education primarily regarding the care of diabetic foot ulcers, diet and unstable blood glucose levels.Conclusion: Study findings suggest there is a lack of knowledge about diabetes among nurses who working at residential nursing homes. The study highlights the need of education to prevent negative consequences for the quality of care and patient safety. Furthermore, there is a necessity for further development of specific measurements for the control of nurses' knowledge regarding development and care of diabetes.


The purpose of this study was to examine how male students navigate depression and masculinity while at their respective institutions. The study explored the topic through analyzing quantitative survey data from the studied university, in addition to hearing male students' experience with depression and masculinity and considering university counselors' expert opinions about patterns they observe in male students. The study was guided by the following research questions: 1. Does depression influence how one perceives his own masculinity? 2. Does an individual's view of masculinity influence their willingness to seek professional help for depression? Major findings surrounding depression and masculinity include depression's affects on emotions, loneliness, the importance of disclosing to others, and barriers when attempting to seek help from peers and professional counselors. Implications for practice include utilizing campus gatherings as spaces to raise awareness of mental health issues, educating faculty on identifying depression in students, and creating educational programs designed to educate peers—specifically male friends—on how to interact with students suffering from depression.


Halâl Certification as an Application of Islamic Business Ethics in Muslim Consumer Protection Halâl certification in food is needed by Muslim consumers to provide assurances that they are not consuming or using product or service that are not halâl so that no sin is commited. It is the duty of government to provide assurances to Muslim consumers that consumer goods or services that are circulating amongst society are really halâl. The halâl label itself provides benefits to businesses such as improving consumer confidence to consume, reaching the global halâl food market, increasing the marketability of products in market and low cost investment. Muslim consumers also have to be smart before purchasing product or services for security and safety. DOI:  10.15408/ajis.v14i1.1251


Phenomenologists turn to Augustine to remedy the neglect of life, love, and language in the Cartesian cogito: (1) concerning life, Edmund Husserl appropriates Augustine's analysis of distentio animi, Edith Stein of vivo, and Hannah Arendt of initium; (2) concerning love, Max Scheler appropriates Augustine's analysis of ordo amoris, Martin Heidegger of curare, and Dietrich von Hildebrand of affectiones; (3) concerning language, Ludwig Wittgenstein appropriates Augustine's analysis of ostendere, Hans-Georg Gadamer of verbum cordis, and Jean-Luc Marion of confessio. Phenomenology's non-Cartesian Augustinianism can tell us something about phenomenology, namely that it is engaged in the project of recontextualizing the cogito, and something about Augustine, namely how radically different his project is than Descartes's. Phenomenology presents an Augustine that is well positioned for the debates of our times concerning mind and world, desire and the human person, and language and embodiment.


Background The eye is one of the commonly affected organs by HIV/AIDS. However, data on HIV/A1DS related ocular lesions among HIV positive patients is not available in Rwanda. Objectives The objective was to determine the prevalence and pattern of ocular findings in patients with HIV/AIDS on HAART and those not on HA ART. Method This was a cross sectional descriptive study conducted on HIV positive patients attending the HIV clinic in Kabgayi Hospital, in which those aged 16 years and above were evaluated for ocular lesions. Their demographic data, history o f CD-icell count and use of HAART was taken. Visual acuity was assessed with the use o f a snellen's chart. Both anterior and posterior segments were examined using a Haag Streit 900 slit lamp, direct and indirect ophthalmoscope. Data was recorded in a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 12.0. A significance level of 95 % was used. Result A total number of 252 patients (169 females and 83 males) with a mean age of 40.4 years were examined. The current CD4 cell count was ranging from 72 to 2601 cells/pL with a mean o f 501.3. The prevalence o f HIV related ocular lesions was 23%. The most common ocular lesions were Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus (1.5%) in the adnexa, dry eye syndrome (16.6%) in the anterior segment and both papilloedema and papillitis (0.4%) in the posterior segment. There was no statistically significant association between the ocular manifestations and CD4 cell count, duration of being on IIAART or the WHO HIV staging in this study. Conclusion The commonest ocular disease was dry eye syndrome. Majority o f the patients were receiving HAART and had high CD4 cell count. This may explain the relatively low prevalence o f HIV related eye disease.


This paper investigates test study of vehicle test rig with electric control and hydrostatic drive (ECHD). The test rig is built up based on the hydrostatic transmission and measurement & control components are the virtual instruments, PXI and labview. At the starting point, this study considers the speed control of the hydrostatic transmission using a revised fuzzy logic law to find the optimal solution for displacement varying of hydraulic variable Pump/Motor assuming a static speed as target speed. And based on the revised fuzzy logic, the typical driving cycle is employed to verify its process control effectiveness. The test results provided by the revised fuzzy logic test demonstrates the effectiveness in speed control of the ECHD vehicle.


Sir, Acute renal failure is a common complication in malaria infection. This can be the result of multiple mechanisms [1]: hypovolaemia, excessive haemolysis, disseminated intravascular coagulation or impaired microcirculation due to a high level of parasitized erythrocytes. Rhabdomyolysis is another uncommon way of inducing renal failure in malaria infection. The diagnosis is based on high serum level of muscular enzymes; Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK) and clinical symptoms like myalgias. To our knowledge, only six cases of rhabdomyolysis complicated by acute renal failure during malaria infection have been described [2,3]. Case. A 20-year-old woman was admitted in our institution with a 5 day history of fever, nausea and muscle pain. She was a Malagasy woman and had been living in France for many years. Six days before, she returned to France after a prolonged stay in Madagascar. During this stay, she did not use any chemoprophylaxis against malaria. On the day of admission, vigilance was impaired (Glasgow coma score: 12) and central temperature was 36 C. On examination, there was a cutaneous lesion on her leg, probably induced by a mosquito bite, without any infectious symptom. Blood pressure was low (88/44mmHg). Cardiac pulse rate was 64 beats/min. The patient was anuric. Abdominal examination revealed a palpable 1 cm hepatomegaly, but no splenomegaly. Blood samples revealed serum haemoglobin level 12.2 g/dl, total white blood cell count 14 000/mm and platelet count 19 000/mm. Blood smear showed ring-form Plasmodium falciparum in 7% of erythrocytes. C-reactive protein level was 171mg/l. Serum potassium concentration was 3.9mmol/l, sodium 124mmol/l, creatinine 724mmol/l and blood urea nitrogen 37.8mmol/l. Serum creatinine kinase and myoglobinaemia levels were very high (71 940UI/l and >20 000UI/l, respectively). Her liver function tests showed hyperbilirubinaemia (41 mmol/l) and elevation of liver enzymes [TGO level: 373UI/l (normal: <35UI/l) and TGP level: 1129UI/l (normal: <30UI/l)]. Urine analysis revealed pigment on dipstick examination and the absence of red blood cells in urine. Proteinuria was low at 0.25 g/l. Because of high CPK level, viral and bacterial serologies were prescribed: Legionnella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Leptospira, influenzae A and B and para-influenzae viruses. Results were all negative. The patient was treated with intravenous chloroquine (24mg/kg/day) and intravenous hydratation. Creatinine level increased initially in spite of a high daily urinary excretion, but returned to normal values after 10 days. No haemodialysis was performed. CPK level decreased, too. Rapidly, neurological status became normal. After complete recovery, the patient was lost of sight. Comment. Ischaemic acute tubular necrosis is by far the most common cause of acute renal failure in P. falciparum malaria. It is the result of hypovolaemia, peripheral pooling of blood and blockage of microcirculation by parasitized red cells and non-specific effects of infection. In this case, none of these mechanisms may explain the renal failure. This patient had a severe rhabdomyolysis that may be the actual reason of this acute renal failure. Many mechanisms may induce these muscle damages [4]. In this case, rhabdomyolysis could not be explained by usual causes (hyperthermia, crush syndrome, metabolic abnormality, drugs or other infectious diseases). Thereafter, the responsibility of P. falciparum as the physiopathological mechanism of the rhabdomyolysis was supposed. Only a few publications are available about rhabdomyolysis and P. falciparum infection [2,3]. The mechanism postulated to explain rhabdomyolysis is the sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes in striated muscle capillaries, inducing microcirculatory obstruction. Plasmodium falciparum may also induce myositis with myoglobinuria [5]. This mechanism may explain the muscle pain experienced by our patient and the high level of CPK. We suggest that rhabdomyolysis has to be researched in patients with acute renal failure and P. falciparum malaria infection, especially if muscle pain is present.


Background/Objectives: Cognitive radio is used as promising technologies for dynamic spectrum access and optimization of wireless resources. Under dynamic spectrum access to provide the ability of working any band of frequency based on need, the reconfigurable cognitive radio is designed. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Multicarrier modulation is the feasible method to share the spectrum without interference. OFDM is one of the efficient multicarrier techniques available for the system design. One of the problems in OFDM for spectral sharing is the side band leakage that will inject interference from secondary radio sub carrier to primary radio sub carrier. To avoid this, in this work a Filter Bank based Multi Carrier (FBMC) modulation is used. Findings: Few simulation works are reported for the interference free spectrum sharing by using FBMC. But this work analyzes the real time practical implementation of the interference free dynamic spectrum sharing. Reconfigurable is another important aspect of the implementation which is provided by the Kintex 7 FPGA implementation of the reconfigurable filter bank multicarrier modulation using NI USRP 2943R SDR platform. This FBMC based Transceiver is implemented by using fast Xilink IP cores of FFT and systolic array based FIR filter IP core. The transceiver is realized to produce output for every clock after a fixed latency 240 clocks or 6 microsecond for 40Mz clock rate. This performance is achieved using single clock loop architecture of LABVIEW FPGA tool and the parallel, pipelined architecture realization of IP cores and other building blocks. Applications/Improvements: Experimental study shows that the BER of primary user for the implemented system is better than the OFDM system by the factor of 10 -1 .


The linguistic input a child receives in the first years of life is foundational for cognitive and language development. In a corpus analysis, the vocabulary in picture books was richer and more extensive than that found in child-directed and even adult-directed speech. The grammar and complexity of these communication media, measured by reading grade level, indicated that picture books averaged two grades higher than child-directed speech and one grade higher than adult-directed speech. These differences between written and spoken language can be more adequately described by formal versus informal genres rather than their oral or written media. Given that the child will read words and grammar not experienced in speech, these results question the feasibility of the popular view that a child's reading task is simply to "decode" the written language into spoken language. A framework of acquiring literacy informally before schooling begins is described and explained.


The crystal morphology and thermal properties of the PA6/PP-g-MAH/POE blends prepared by twin-screw extruder were studied by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) respectively. The results suggest that the crystal morphology of PA6 is acicular crystal while PP-g-MAH is micro-spherulites; The acicular crystals form across POE phase to PA6 phase, and the acicular crystals of PA6 in the POE phase have better regularity in dimension than those in amorphous PA6 phase. Acting as a compatibilizer, PP-g-MAH improves the miscibility of PA6 and POE, leading to the glass transition temperature of the blends decreases gradually with increasing POE contents. PA6 and PP-g-MAH can crystallize individually, and the formed PA6 crystals induced the crystallization of PP-g-MAH at higher temperature; furthermore, PP-g-MAH and POE components can increase the crystallization rate of PA6.


Despite improvements in the accessibility of digital technologies and growing numbers of tools designed specifically for older adults, adoption of such tools remains low for this demographic. This workshop aims to explore the contextual factors that contribute to reduced uptake among older adults in order to understand how to design digital technologies that will be appealing to and work for them, fitting with recent calls for more holistic approaches to designing for older adults. Going beyond standard accessibility considerations, and aiming to inform design of technologies for the general population rather than the design of senior-friendly variants of such tools, we will generate a set of principles for developing tools that older adults can and will use.


The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a candidate technology for a medium-sized telescope within the Cherenkov Telescope Array. It is expected to yield improvements in field of view and image resolution compared to traditional telescopes based on Davies-Cotton optics.
To match the improved optical resolution, challenging requirements of high channel count and density at low power consumption have to be overcome by the camera. An initial prototype camera, with 1600 pixels spanning a 2.7 degree field of view, was installed on the prototype SCT in 2018. A project is now underway to upgrade the camera by increasing its pixel count and field of view by factors of 7 and 3, respectively (to 11,328 pixels and 8.0 degrees). At the same time the electronics design is being improved in order to lower the gamma-ray energy threshold and thereby provide an instrument especially well-suited for scientific studies related to extended sources and multi-messenger astronomy.


One of the expectations for the next generation of industrial robots is to work collaboratively with humans as robotic co-workers. Robotic co-workers must be able to communicate with human collaborators intelligently and seamlessly. However, industrial robots in prevalence are not good at understanding human intentions and decisions. We demonstrate a steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) which can directly deliver human cognition to robots through a headset. The BCI is applied to a part-picking robot. The BCI sends decisions to the robot while operators visually inspecting the quality of parts. The BCI is verified through a human subject study. In the study, a camera by the side of the conveyor takes photos of each industrial part and presents it to the operator automatically. When the operator looks at the photo, the electroencephalography (EEG) is collected through the BCI. The inspection decision is extracted through SSVEPs in EEG. When a defective part is identified by the operator, the signal is communicated to the robot, which locates the defective part by a second camera and removes it from the conveyor. The robot can grasp various part with our random grasp planning algorithm (2FRG). We have developed a CNN-CCA model for SSVEP extraction. The model is trained on a dataset collected in our offline experiment. Our approach outperforms the existing CCA, CCA-SVM, and PSD-SVM models. The CNN-CCA model is further validated in an online experiment and achieved 93% accuracy in identifying and removing defective parts.


A novel design of a compact rapid pressure swing adsorption system consisting of a single adsorber enclosed inside a product storage tank is proposed for application as a medical oxygen concentrator (MOC). A self-contained test unit for the process is constructed which is capable of directly and continuously producing 1–3 sl/m of 90% O2 from compressed air. Pelletized LiLSX zeolite is used as the air separation adsorbent. Steady state process performance data [bed size factor (BSF) and O2 recovery (R) as functions of total cycle time (tc)], as well as transient, cyclic, adsorber pressure, and temperature profiles are presented. A four-step Skarstrom-like pressure swing adsorption cycle was used. Two options for column pressurization, (a) using compressed feed air cocurrently or (b) using a part of the oxygen-enriched product gas counter-currently were evaluated. Option (b) exhibited superior performance. The optimum total cycle time for option (b) was 5–6 s where the BSF was lowest (∼45 kgs/TPD O2) and the corresponding R was ∼29.3%. These numbers indicate that the adsorbent inventory of a MOC can be potentially reduced by a factor of three while offering a ∼10–20% higher O2 recovery compared to a typical commercial unit. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3330–3335, 2014


Scanning curves of two different soils were obtained from three series of infiltration and drainage experiments on two physical models of soil slopes in the laboratory. The first slope model consisted of a fine sand layer overlying a gravelly sand layer, while the second slope model involved a silty sand layer overlying a gravelly sand layer. Each soil layer had a thickness of 200 mm and both slope models had an inclination angle of 30°. The slope models were subjected to artificial rainfalls of different intensities, followed by draining where no rainfall was applied. Various instruments were installed to continuously measure the changes in matric suction, volumetric water content and the water balance of the slope models during the experiment. Scanning curves were then constructed using the matric suction and water content data measured at the bottom, middle and top parts of the slope models and were compared with the primary drying and primary wetting soil-water characteristic curves that were measured separately. It was found that the scanning curves followed the primary wetting curve during the adsorption process and then followed the primary drying curve during the desorption process. During the transition period, over which the scanning curve moved from the primary drying curve to the primary wetting curve (or vice versa), the path of the scanning curve had a relatively flat slope as compared to the slope of the primary curves, and sometimes it was almost horizontal. However, the slope and the path of the scanning curves were found to be similar for the cases with similar initial conditions.