White adipose tissue (WAT) contains a powerful metabolic machinery related to energy metabolism and partition. The adaptive, regulatory, size and structural variety of WAT agrees with this control role. However, its nitrogen metabolism has been sparsely studied and we know close to nothing about its implication on N-related processes and homoeostasis. We have studied, and found a complete urea cycle (liver type) in four WAT sites (gene expressions and enzyme activities). We postulated a possible function of the cycle (under basal conditions) in the control of arginine handling through citrulline synthesis. In our opinion, the metabolic and control potential of WAT on energy metabolism may be second only to liver. This impression should be extended to amino acid metabolism too, WAT providing an extra-intestinal source of citrulline to maintain the body availability of arginine independently of the operation of intestine–liver urea cycle for N disposal.


This paper explores the development of sport for the disabled in Taiwan, from its inception in 1972 until 1992.We start by outlining the socio-political context of Taiwan and highlight how and why the games began as the first of their kind in the sinophone world. Adopting a Foucauldian lens, we use the concept of biopower to illuminate the State apparatus that controls bodies with disabilities. Data was collected through the Foucauldian genealogical tradition, which focuses on how the purpose of the Games for the Disabled was not simply established to provide sporting opportunities, but also became a vehicle in which the biopower of the sovereign was employed. Through the staging of the Games, the authorities of Taiwan achieved the goal of governing the bodies of the disabled in an effort to make the subjugated citizens aware that the disabled should be utilised to contribute toward the nation's greater good.


We have used the Planetary Camera on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to study the morphology and surface brightness parameters of a luminosity-limited sample of fourteen elliptical galaxies in the Virgo cluster. The total apparent blue magnitudes of the galaxies range between 9.4 and 13.4. In this paper, the core brightness profiles are presented, while the overall morphology and the isophotal shapes are discussed in two companion papers (Jaffe et al. (1994); van den Bosch et al. (1994)). We show that, in spite of the spherical aberration affecting the HST primary mirror, deconvolution techniques allow recovery of the brightness profile up to 0.2 arcsec from the center of the galaxies. We find that none of the galaxies has an isothermal core. On the basis of their morphological and photometrical properties, the galaxies can be divided in two physically distinct groups, referred to as Type I and Type II. All of the Type I galaxies are classified as E1 to E3 in the Revised Shapley Ames Catalog (Sandage & Tammann 1981), while Type II galaxies are classified as E5 to E7. The characteristics of Type II galaxies are explained by the presence of disks component on both the 1 arcsec and the 10 arcsec scales, while Type I galaxies correspond to the classical disk-free ellipticals.


A winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop can be seeded after corn (Zea mays L.) silage to mitigate some of the environmental concerns associated with corn silage production. Rye can be managed as a cover crop by chemical termination or harvested for forage. A field study was conducted in Morris, MN in 2008 and 2009 to determine the impact of killed vs. harvested rye cover crops on soil moisture and N0 3 —N, and to monitor the impact of the rye on subsequent corn yield. Corn for silage was seeded either after winter fallow (control), after a rye cover crop terminated 3 to 4 wk before corn planting (killed rye), or after a rye forage crop harvested no more than 2 d before corn planting (harvested rye). Soil moisture after killed rye was similar to the control, but after harvested rye was 16% lower. Available soil NO 3 ―N was decreased after both killed rye (35%) and harvested rye (59%) compared to the control. Corn biomass yield after killed rye was similar to the control, but yield following harvested rye was reduced by 4.5 Mg ha ―1 . Total forage biomass yield (silage + rye) was similar for all treatments. This work demonstrates that the environmental benefits of a winter rye cover crop can be achieved without impacting corn yield, but the later termination required for rye forage production resulted in soil resource depletion and negatively impacted corn silage yield.


We devised a scalable, modular strategy for microfabricated 3-D neural probe synthesis. We constructed a 3-D probe out of individual 2-D components (arrays of shanks bearing close-packed electrodes) using mechanical self-locking and self-aligning techniques, followed by electroless nickel plating to establish electrical contact between the individual parts. We detail the fabrication and assembly process and demonstrate different 3-D probe designs bearing thousands of electrode sites. We find typical self-alignment accuracy between shanks of <0.2° and demonstrate orthogonal electrical connections of 40 µm pitch, with thousands of connections formed electrochemically in parallel. The fabrication methods introduced allow the design of scalable, modular electrodes for high-density 3-D neural recording. The combination of scalable 3-D design and close-packed recording sites may support a variety of large-scale neural recording strategies for the mammalian brain.


The gene encoding serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), one of the key enzymes of the one-carbon-compound assimilation of a methylotroph, Hyphomicrobium methylovorum GM2, and its flanking regions were isolated using a DNA fragment encoding Escherichia coli SHMT as a probe. Nucleotide sequencing of the recombinant plasmids revealed the SHMT gene codes for the 434-amino-acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 46,068 Da. The amino-acid sequence of the enzyme showed identity to the sequences of the enzymes from E. coli (55%) and rabbit liver (44%). The recombinant plasmid, which was constructed by ligation of the cloned gene and an expression vector pKK223-3, was introduced to an SHMT-deficient E. coli mutant ME5427 (glyA-). The transformed E. coli cells expressed SHMT, which was immunologically and enzymologically indistinguishable from the enzyme isolated from H. methylovorum GM2.


Sound absorption can be achieved in a relatively simple manner with passive or active electroacoustic absorbers. Electroacoustic absorbers are basically loudspeakers, the membrane of which is used as an absorber/reflector of sound, and the electric terminals of which are connected to a dedicated electric load. This electric "shunt" can be a simple electric resistor, or an active device employing feedback control on acoustic and/or electric quantities (aka. direct impedance control). Whilst the latter allows significant broadening of acoustic absorption performances that could not be obtained with simple passive resistors, it is also possible to find passive shunt alternatives that allows interesting acoustic performances without the use of expensive and energy consuming electric disposals. A simple configuration of shunt electric resonator is proposed as an alternative to active shunt for broadening the performances of passive electroacoustic absorbers.


Postmetamorphic growth and metabolism measurements were obtained on two cohorts of laboratory-reared Diadema antillarum. The cohorts grew linearly from less than 1 mm to over 43 mm. Daily growth averaged 0.097 and 0.11 mm d−1, respectively, for the two cohorts, and was found to differ significantly. Urchin metabolism was examined by a series of simultaneous measurements of oxygen consumption and ammonium excretion over 16 days on starved juveniles ranging 16.5 to 18.3 mm. Metabolic activity under conditions of starvation was used as a test of the viability of urchins reared in the laboratory with cultured food resources. Catabolic activity differed from the first week of starvation compared to the second. Metabolic response included: (1) a 2.2-fold increase in oxygen consumption rate; (2) 50% decline in ammonium excretion rate; and (3) a 5.1-fold increase in oxygen to nitrogen ratio. These measurements are consistent with a shift from almost pure protein catabolism during the first seven days of starvation to a lipid : protein catabolic ratio of 1 : 1 after the first week. Growth and metabolism experiments of this type are seen as a first step towards optimizing laboratory culture techniques of this species.


This bachelor thesis is titled Who is an extremist? - A qualitative content analysis of the agglutination of right- and left-wing groups and is written by Mans Hoffsten within the discipline of political science. This essay aims to illuminate in which way the Swedish government has tackled extreme forms of left-wing and right-wing activism during the period 1980 – 2013. By looking at how governmental policy-suggestions and reports concerning extremism are formulated during this period this essay explores when and how the two groups first started to become a part of the same problem-representation and on what premises this is built. By analyzing this content, using an WPR-approach it becomes clear that there since 2009 has been a big change in how the governments reports portrays political activism and that the two latest reports has by the help of criminalizing narratives served to increase the legitimacy of governmental surveillance.


We have recently found in conscious pigs that a sequence of brief coronary occlusions induces severe myocardial stunning, but when the same sequence is repeated 24 hours later, the severity of stunning is markedly reduced (approximately 50%) ("late preconditioning against stunning"). As an initial step toward elucidating the mechanism and potential clinical significance of this powerful cardioprotective response, the present study was conducted to define the time course of late preconditioning against myocardial stunning. Conscious pigs underwent a sequence of ten 2-minute coronary occlusion/2-minute reperfusion cycles and then a second identical sequence at 6 hours (group I, n = 7), 12 hours (group II, n = 6), 24 hours (group III, n = 10), 3 days (group IV, n = 10), or 6 days (group V, n = 11) after the first. Systolic wall thickening (WTh) in the ischemic/reperfused region remained significantly depressed for at least 3 hours after the 10th reperfusion of the first sequence, indicating myocardial stunning. When the second sequence of coronary occlusions was performed 6 hours after the first (group I), the recovery of WTh was similar to the first. In contrast, when the second sequence was repeated 12 hours after the first (group II), the recovery of WTh was improved, though not consistently, and the total deficit of WTh decreased by 41% (P < .05) compared with the first sequence. When the second sequence was repeated 24 hours (group III) and 3 days (group IV) after the first, the recovery of WTh was substantially enhanced, with 52% and 49% reductions in the total deficit of WTh, respectively (P < .01 versus the first sequence). When the second sequence was repeated 6 days later (group V), the recovery of WTh was indistinguishable from the first sequence. Thus, late preconditioning against myocardial stunning requires > 6 hours to develop, lasts for at least 60 hours after its appearance (with the most effective protection present at 24 hours and 3 days), and disappears within 6 days after the preconditioning ischemia, a time course that is consistent with the synthesis and degradation of cardioprotective proteins. In view of its sustained duration, this endogenous cardioprotective mechanism is of potential clinical importance.


Electrode erosion in high current, high energy spark gaps was examined both theoretically and experimentally. A brief description is given of the production of high velocity, high temperature electrode vapor jets which are shown experimentally to be the major source of electrode erosion under these conditions. Consideration of a simple one dimensional thermal model with the vapor jet considered as a transient heat flux onto the electrode surface led to a figure of merit for the electrode materials which was in close agreement with experiments. The rapid decrease in erosion with increasing gap separation was also measured and explained by the vapor jet mechanism. Erosion rates are given for a large number of electrode materials including many copper composites, such as copper niobium and copper tungsten. Possible implications of these results on rail gun design are also given.


The relationship between the haemagglutinin from the influenza virus A/duck/Ukraine/1/63 (Hav 7) and the human Hong Kong variants (H3) has been investigated. Amino-acid-sequence analysis shows that the Hav 7 haemagglutinin closely resembles the 1968 human H3 haemagglutinin in structure. However, the number of amino-acid-sequence differences (23) suggest that the Hong Kong haemagglutinin gene did not come directly from A/duck/Ukraine/1/63 but from a virus derived from it by antigenic drift during the period 1963-1968.


The auditory function of 30 patients with homozygous sickle cell disease (sicklers) was compared to a control group of 20 patients with a normal haemoglobin AA (non-sicklers). The sicklers exhibited a relatively higher mean pure tone hearing threshold at most frequencies than the control group, the difference at 4000 cps being statistically significant. The sicklers and non-sicklers (control group) did not show any significant differences in the pattern of tympanograms, static middle ear compliance and mean acoustic reflex thresholds, suggesting essentially normal middle ear mechanisms in both groups. The higher mean pure tone hearing threshold in sicklers may be due to inner ear sensori-neural deafness due to lifelong vaso-occlusion of some of the micro-vasculature supplying the inner ear apparatus in sicklers. Clinical implications are discussed and the need for periodic assessment of auditory function in Nigeria sicklers for preventive management of auditory problems is emphasized.


Researchers have found that anxiety and depression are prevalent diagnoses within the adolescent population, due to increased stressors in several areas of their lives. Research also suggests that humor leads to increased social bonding, and that it can be a powerful tool for encouraging the expression of emotions. Finally, dance movement therapy (DMT) has been found to be a successful practice with adolescents, due to its non-verbal nature and relevance to body image. However, research regarding specific DMT interventions involving humor is lacking. This literature review examines the impact of humor on adolescents with depression and anxiety, and its possible intersections with dance movement therapy. The literature suggests that adolescents could benefit from DMT interventions potentially involving humor, such as mirroring, exaggeration, and working through metaphor. This literature review provides recommendations for interventions, as well as for further research on this topic.


Moringa plant is a plant with increase awareness of its health and nutritional benefits in Nigeria. This study was conducted to examine the nutrient composition of underutilized hull of Moringa oleifera seed. Proximate composition, antinutrients, minerals and vitamins profile of the hull were determined using standard analytical methods. The hull contained crude protein 5.25±0.011%, crude fibre 19.5±0.038%, ash 5.0±0.026%, crude lipid 4.25±0.011%, carbohydrate 55.2±0.062 and moisture content of 10.8±0.033%. Sodium (45.49 mg/100 g) and potassium (24.52 mg/100 g) were the most abundant minerals with appreciable amount of vitamin E and beta-carotene. Alkaloid (0.25%), saponin (10%), oxalate (0.015 mg/100 g) and phytate (0.487 mg/100 g) were found in the hull. It was therefore concluded that the findings of M. oleifera seed hull contain nutritive values that may necessitate its usage in alternative feed formulation instead of just remaining an agro waste.

 Key words: Antinutrients, hull, minerals, Moringa oleifera, vitamins.


INTRODUCTION
Innovative smoking cessation approaches that overcome barriers such as traveling to program site or that require the staff and infrastructure for sustaining are likely needed to improve smoking quit rates among American Indian (AI) peoples in the U.S. In this study, qualitative methods identified recommendations from AI peoples to guide alignment of an evidence-based smoking cessation smartphone app (i.e., QuitGuide) to the culture and needs of AI persons.

METHODS
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with AI adults who smoke (n=40) and with public health professionals (n=6). Questions included: "The app asks if something triggered you to slip and lists several options. What options were you expecting to see on this list?" as well as how to make the app more engaging such as "What would make the app more helpful for AI peoples, like you, who want to quit smoking?". Constant comparative techniques were used to develop codes and themes.

RESULTS
Loss, grief, and not accessing traditional tobacco were put forward as smoking triggers to be addressed in the app. Features that help users connect with and learn about AI cultures and promote healing, such as encouraging traditional tobacco use, being in community, embracing Native spirituality, and participating in cultural crafting were recommended. Some noted the need to motivate AI peoples to think about legacy and ability to care for younger generations and Indigenizing the app with Native imagery.

CONCLUSIONS
Themes pointed towards promotion of strengths-based factors, such as healing, cultural connectedness and traditional tobacco use, in the app.

IMPLICATIONS
Results will be used to culturally align a smartphone app for smoking cessation among AI peoples and may be insightful for other tribal, federal, and state public health efforts aimed at advancing health equity for AI peoples.


An influential line of recent work has focused on the generalization properties of unregularized gradient-based learning procedures applied to separable linear classification with exponentially-tailed loss functions. The ability of such methods to generalize well has been attributed to the their implicit bias towards large margin predictors, both asymptotically as well as in finite time. We give an additional unified explanation for this generalization and relate it to two simple properties of the optimization objective, that we refer to as realizability and self-boundedness. We introduce a general setting of unconstrained stochastic convex optimization with these properties, and analyze generalization of gradient methods through the lens of algorithmic stability. In this broader setting, we obtain sharp stability bounds for gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent which apply even for a very large number of gradient steps, and use them to derive general generalization bounds for these algorithms. Finally, as direct applications of the general bounds, we return to the setting of linear classification with separable data and establish several novel test loss and test accuracy bounds for gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent for a variety of loss functions with different tail decay rates. In some of these cases, our bounds significantly improve upon the existing generalization error bounds in the literature.


Soybean is an important food and cash crop in Uganda. Despite the importance of soybean in Uganda's economy, its performance is highly affected by genotype × environment interaction making it difficult to select and recommend new superior soybean genotypes for diverse growing environments. The objectives of this study were to examine the nature of G × E interaction for soybean grain yield, to identify stable and high yielding soybean genotypes with desirable percentage protein and oil content for production in diverse environments and to determine ideal test location for future soybean breeding activities in Uganda. The experiment was conducted at six locations for two consecutive seasons of year 2018 (2018A and 2018B). Twenty-three newly advanced generation soybean lines and two commercial varieties were evaluated in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Combined analysis of variance over locations and seasons was carried out for grain yield, protein and oil (%) content. The results for grain yield showed significant (p 0.05) for all the sources of variation except location. The genotype main effect plus G × E interaction biplot explained 65.74% of the total interaction sum of squares for grain yield and showed that the advanced generation soybean lines BSPS 48A-28; Mak 3N × 1N and NGDT 8.11×3N-2 were high yielding and stable and had other desirable agronomic traits. Nakabango was the most discriminating and representative test location.

 Key words: Soybean, stability, GGE, ideal testing location, mega-environment.


This paper investigates experimentally the complete uniaxial tensile stress-strain relationships of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) and equations for expressing such relationships are obtained. The effects of two variable parameters on the uniaxial tensile behavior are carefully studied which are the silica fume content SF (0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%) as a partial replacement by weight of cement, steel fibers volume fraction Vf (0%, 1%, 2% and 3%). The experimental results showed that the two variables of the present investigation have no significant effect on the shape of the ascending part of the stress-strain curve, while the descending part of the curve is found to be considerably affected by the volume fraction Vf of the steel fibers used. Increasing fibers volume fraction Vf from 0% to 3% not only increases the area under the uniaxial tensile stress-strain curve, but also increases both the maximum uniaxial tensile strength by 238.5% and its corresponding strain by about 4044%. Two nonlinear equations are suggested in this research to model the ascending and descending part of the uniaxial tensile stress-strain relationship which are found suitable to represent the uniaxial tensile behavior of the UHPC mixes.


It was announced overnight that cryptography researchers have found a "vulnerability" in the encryption scheme used in the vast majority of secure online transactions a scheme known as AES-256. Every important electronic transaction you make online is encrypted your banking, your census form, your credit card payments. AES-256 the Advanced Encryption Standard was approved by the US National Institute of Standards in 2002 to be used in all unclassified communications. As well as its almost almost-ubiquitous use in e-commerce, AES-256 is used to secure household WiFi connections, mobile phone connections and a range of other applications.


Previous studies have demonstrated that beta-defensins exhibit chemotactic activity by sharing the chemokine receptor CCR6 with the CC chemokine ligand CCL20/macrophage-inflammatory protein-3alpha (MIP-3alpha). Structural analysis of CCL20/MIP-3alpha revealed that most of the positively charged residues are concentrated at one area of its topological surface, a characteristic considered to be important for the antimicrobial activity of defensins. Here, we report that similar to defensins, CCL20/MIP-3alpha has antimicrobial effects on Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Additionally, by screening a total of 30 human chemokines, we have identified an additional 17 human chemokines, which exhibit antimicrobial activity in vitro. Collectively, about two-thirds of the chemokines investigated so far has the capacity to kill microorganisms in vitro, suggesting that antimicrobial activity may be another host-defense function for certain chemokines. Comparison of the structural characteristics between antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial chemokines suggests that topological formation of a large, positively charged electrostatic patch on the surface of the molecule is likely to be a common structural feature of antimicrobial chemokines.


In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration revealed the first image of the candidate super- massive black hole (SMBH) at the centre of the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 (M87). This event-horizon-scale image shows a ring of glowing plasma with a dark patch at the centre, which is interpreted as the shadow of the black hole. This breakthrough result, which represents a powerful confirmation of Einstein's theory of gravity, or general relativity, was made possible by assembling a global network of radio telescopes operating at millimetre wavelengths that for the first time included the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The addition of ALMA as an anchor station has enabled a giant leap forward by increasing the sensitivity limits of the EHT by an order of magnitude, effectively turning it into an imaging array. The published image demonstrates that it is now possible to directly study the event horizon shadows of SMBHs via electromagnetic radiation, thereby transforming this elusive frontier from a mathematical concept into an astrophysical reality. The expansion of the array over the next few years will include new stations on different continents — and eventually satellites in space. This will provide progressively sharper and higher-fidelity images of SMBH candidates, and potentially even movies of the hot plasma orbiting around SMBHs. These improvements will shed light on the processes of black hole accretion and jet formation on event-horizon scales, thereby enabling more precise tests of general relativity in the truly strong field regime.


SUMMARY Important cardiovascular changes occur during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period. Blood volume and erythrocyte mass increase, physiological anemia occurs and blood pressure decreases. Cardiac flow rate and stroke volume increase. Although healthy pregnant women can tolerate these changes, pregnant women with cardiac disease may get worse and the changes may cause risk for both the women and their fetuses. A valve disease with a favorable outlook before pregnancy may get worse when pregnancy is superimposed and pregnancy may have to be terminated. In such cases pregnancy plays an important part in selection of the type of treatment. Diagnostic methods and treatment alternatives should be appropriate for individual patients. Health professionals should give priority to maternal health rather than fetal health, mothers should be informed about possible risks and treatment alternatives should be discussed with them. Any treatment given to mothers may affect their fetuses and treatment should be selected accordingly. Mothers with a valve disease should undergo a thorough examination, should be informed about the risks of pregnancy and should be referred to tertiary health care centers before pregnancy and thereby they can give birth without problems. Management of valve diseases in pregnancy involves replacement of contraindicated drugs with safe ones, controlling conditions likely to cause cardiac loading, close follow-up and aggressive treatment of conditions aggravating the disease. Echocardiography should be performed to determine pulmonary pressure and all cardiac hemodynamics including the valves and when there are changes in symptoms, the patients should be evaluated in each trimester. Even if pregnancy is tolerated well, infections, anemia, arrhythmia, pulmonary embolus, pain and anxiety may worsen the condition. In these cases aggressive treatment is required. Physicians should know the maternal cardiovascular physiology well, should be equipped with latest relevant knowledge and should adopt a multidisciplinary approach during follow-up and labor.


Existential cosmology consists of a complementarity between subjective and objective aspects of existence – broadly expressed as mind and brain, or self and world. These appear to be irreducible complements because all our access to the world is via subjective consciousness while we also know that, as biological organisms we depend on our organismic integrity for conscious survival. These are in turn reflected in other complementarities in the physical description of the quantum universe, including continuous and discrete wave and particle aspects, the complementation of bosons and fermions manifesting force and radiation on the one hand and matter on the other, and symmetry-broken manifestations of biology, in the forms of ovum and sperm and female and male organisms. Human emergence has likewise been characterized by two complementary descriptions of reality, reflecting practical survival in the natural world on the one hand, which ultimately leads to science and technology, and the existential dilemma of conscious existence on the other, which ultimately leads to the major world religions and their diverse ethnic counterparts.


The Digital Markets Act (DMA) constitutes a crucial part of the European legislative framework addressing the dominance of 'Big Tech'. It intends to foster fairness and competition in Europe's digital platform economy by imposing obligations on 'gatekeepers' to share end-user-related information with business users. Yet, this may involve the processing of personal data subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The obligation to provide access to personal data in a GDPR-compliant manner poses a regulatory and technical challenge and can serve as a justification for gatekeepers to refrain from data sharing. In this research-in-progress paper, we analyze key tensions between the DMA and the GDPR through the paradox perspective. We argue through a task-technology fit approach how privacy-enhancing technologies – particularly anonymization techniques – and portability could help mediate tensions between data sharing and privacy. Our contribution provides theoretical and practical insights to facilitate legal compliance.


Stainless steel 316 L material is commonly used for the production of coronary and peripheral vessel stents. Effective biofunctionalization is a key to improving the performance and safety of the stents after implantation. This paper reports the method for the immobilization of recombinant antibody fragments (scFv) on stainless steel 316 L to facilitate human endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) growth and thus improve cell viability of the implanted stents for cardiovascular applications. The modification of stent surface was conducted in three steps. First the stent surface was coated with titania based coating to increase the density of hydroxyl groups for successful silanization. Then silanization with 3 aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) was performed to provide the surface with amine groups which presence was verified using FTIR, XPS, and fluorescence microscopy. The maximum density of amine groups (4.8*10(-5) mol/cm(2)) on the surface was reached after reaction taking place in ethanol for 1 h at 60 °C and 0.04M APTS. On such prepared surface the glycosylated scFv were subsequently successfully immobilized. The influence of oxidation of scFv glycan moieties and the temperature on scFv coating were investigated. The fluorescence and confocal microscopy study indicated that the densest and most uniformly coated surface with scFv was obtained at 37 °C after oxidation of glycan chain. The results demonstrate that the scFv cannot be efficiently immobilized without prior aminosilanization of the surface. The effect of the chemical modification on the cell viability of EPC line 55.1 (HucPEC-55.1) was performed indicating that the modifications to the 316 L stainless steel are non-toxic to EPCs.


Myth does not remain a fixed substance, but is continuously varied and transformed. This paper explores rewritings of the Iphigenia-Myth by Euripides, Racine, and Goethe using the literary comparatistics concept of mytheme.  Aeschylus's Iphigeneia-Myth, with such mythemes as "female figure" and "human sacrifice," is transformed in Euripides's drama through adding the mytheme "intervention of a god" to the myth of a daughter who sacrifices herself to obey her father and is saved by god.  Racine, to whom the intervention of a god and "the sacrifice of the virtuous princess" seem to be absurd, attempts to solve the problem by introducing to his drama such mythemes as "re-interpretation of oracle" and "alien woman." But there is some doubt about his solution. Should the innocent daughter take upon herself the fault of the father that is actually the fault of a god because of an ambiguous oracle? Couldn't the god and human society do without "guilt by association" and a scapegoat? Moreover, both Euripides's and Racine's versions of Iphigenia at Aulis have a common problem in that no character in either drama can act autonomously and on self-initiative.  Euripides's Iphigenia in Tauris has such mythemes as "female figure," "alien and barbarian," "lie and theft," and "intervention of a god." This drama reveals a problem, however. Iphigenia, who has an internalized hierarchy of values in which the Greek is located above the alien and the man above the woman, takes it upon herself to deceive and steal. Here, the alien is regarded as a barbarian, considered an object of conquest, and subjected to lies and theft by the Greek, whereas the Greek is regarded as an enemy and an object to be sacrificed by the alien.  Goethe assimilates the "re-interpretation of oracle," Racine's mytheme, and makes stealing unnecessary. His Iphigenia has an identity as a Greek and an alien, respects her communicative partner, the alien king, as an envoy of the god and as "the second father," moderates between the two parties through truthful communication, and leads to the bilateral promise of hospitality. Goethe creates the enlightened, autonomous acting figures in the sense of Kantian ethics, succeeds in deconstructing the myth that the Greek is the cultural nation, the alien the barbarian, but he constructs another myth, that the Eternal Feminine saves us.  A rewriting of myth is the attempt of an author to solve, in terms of the spirit of his age, the formal and moral problems that a prior author has left behind. But because this attempt bears other problems, in the views of posterity, it will be an unfinished project. Rewritings of the Iphigeneia-Myth after Goethe will be examined in another paper.


We present CrossLoc3D, a novel 3D place recognition method that solves a large-scale point matching problem in a cross-source setting. Cross-source point cloud data corresponds to point sets captured by depth sensors with different accuracies or from different distances and perspectives. We address the challenges in terms of developing 3D place recognition methods that account for the representation gap between points captured by different sources. Our method handles cross-source data by utilizing multi-grained features and selecting convolution kernel sizes that correspond to most prominent features. Inspired by the diffusion models, our method uses a novel iterative refinement process that gradually shifts the embedding spaces from different sources to a single canonical space for better metric learning. In addition, we present CS-Campus3D, the first 3D aerial-ground cross-source dataset consisting of point cloud data from both aerial and ground LiDAR scans. The point clouds in CS-Campus3D have representation gaps and other features like different views, point densities, and noise patterns. We show that our CrossLoc3D algorithm can achieve an improvement of 4.74% - 15.37% in terms of the top 1 average recall on our CS-Campus3D benchmark and achieves performance comparable to state-of-the-art 3D place recognition method on the Oxford RobotCar. The code and CS-CAMPUS3D benchmark will be available at github.com/rayguan97/crossloc3d.


Emerging evidence implicates that a large fraction of human genome was transcribed but the transcripts known as long non-coding RNA are not translated into proteins. They are contributing in different cellular processes, including cellular proliferation and apoptosis. LncRNAs were found to play critical roles in many diseases and act as key regulators in malignancies. In this study, we investigated the expression and clinical significance of ZEB1AS1 in colorectal cancer. In the present study, 64 samples including 32 samples of colorectal tumor and 32 matched tumor marginal samples were obtained from Iran National Tumor Bank (Tehran, Iran). RNA extraction was performed with Trizol reagent and cDNA was synthesized using MMULV reverse transcriptase enzyme. The expression of ZEB1-AS1 in tumors and marginal tissues was determined by using real time PCR. We found that the expression level of ZEB1-AS1 was much higher in tumor tissues compared to marginal samples. Moreover, in tumor group, ZEB1-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in high-grade tumors in comparison to low-grade ones. Additionally, we observed the expression of ZEB1-AS1 was much higher in lymph node metastatic tumors compared to non-lymph node metastatic ones. Our data showed that the ZEB1-AS1 was dramatically overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues. The results of the study revealed that the expression of ZEB1-AS1 is correlated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion. Based on our findings, we suggested that ZEB1-AS1 might be considered as a tumor marker with potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value for aggressive and metastatic colorectal cancers.


White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important pasture legume that does not normally accumulate fructan as a storage carbohydrate. We have generated transgenic white clover plants that accumulate fructan, by expressing the fructosyltransferase (Ftf) enzyme from the bacterium Streptococcus salivarius under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Fructan accumulated in leaves, petioles, stolons, flowers, and roots of transgenic plants. Levels of fructan up to approximately 2% dry weight were measured in leaves. The fructan was of high molecular mass ( > 5000 kDa), typical of bacterial fructans. Ftf enzyme activity up to 120 nmol min-1 g-1 fresh weight was determined in leaf extracts of the transformed plants, and appeared to be stable throughout leaf development. Most transformed lines appeared normal, flowered and produced seed, but the growth rate of some transformed lines decreased. Photosynthetic carbon assimilation and levels of endogenous carbohydrates (hexoses, sucrose and starch) were not substantially changed in a clonal line with relatively low fructan. However, in a clonal line with relatively high fructan accumulation, plant growth was reduced, leaf photosynthesis was decreased by 60%, and carbohydrate contents were reduced. The results are discussed in the context of manipulating soluble carbohydrate composition in pasture species to improve nutritive quality for grazing animals.


In 2018, high-end supermarket chain Margiotta Food & Wine (Margiotta) employed a robot named Fabio at one of its flagship stores to deliver in-store customer service. Founded in 1956, Margiotta retailed three product lines namely food, wine and 'local and organic' at their seven retail stores in Edinburgh, Scotland. However, within one week of its installation, Fabio was fired because of its inability to adequately deliver quality customer service. The customers developed a lot of resistance in accepting assistance from Fabio for their grocery shopping. The Fabio programmers, the Heriot-Watt University Interaction Lab, believe that a newer version of Fabio would be "crueller and more conniving" in delivering customer service. In the future therefore, Margiotta may very well have to take a decision on deploying a robot again. It would have to carve out strategies to proactively reduce customer resistance towards new version of Fabio, which eventually may ameliorate brand experience for Margiotta customers. In addition, Margiotta's employees were seen to have developed a state of positive emotion (love) towards Fabio. Employees were visibly disappointed when customer service through Fabio was discontinued. Hence, when the next version of Fabio is installed, Margiotta promoters would have to carefully manage employee emotions.


The data about the increasing of radioresistance of cells and organism after the acute, chronic and prolonged irradiation in vivo were presented. The possible mechanisms of adaptation to irradiation connected with selection, stimulation of proliferative activity, forming of protecting system (protected proteins, antioxidant enzymes e.a.), activation of DNA repair and cAMP-, and Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation systems were observed. The conclusion about complex mechanism of radiation adaptation was drawn.


The American economy faces two deep problems: expanding innovation and raising the rate of quality job creation. Both have roots in a neglected problem: the resistance of Legacy economic sectors to innovation. While the U.S. has focused its polices on breakthrough innovations to create new economic frontiers like information technology and biotechnology, most of its economy is locked into Legacy sectors defended by technological/economic/political/social paradigms that block competition from disruptive innovations that could challenge their models. Americans like to build technology "covered wagons " and take them "out west " to open new innovation frontiers; we don't head our wagons "back east " to bring innovation to our Legacy sectors. By failing to do so, the economy misses a major opportunity for innovation, which is the bedrock of U.S. competitiveness and its standard of living. Technological Innovation in Legacy Sectors uses a new, unifying conceptual framework to identify the shared features underlying structural obstacles to innovation in major Legacy sectors: energy, air and auto transport, the electric power grid, buildings, manufacturing, agriculture, health care delivery and higher education, and develops approaches to understand and transform them. It finds both strengths and obstacles to innovation in the national innovation environments - a new concept that combines the innovation system and the broader innovation context - for a group of Asian and European economies. Manufacturing is a major Legacy sector that presents a particular challenge because it is a critical stage in the innovation process. By increasingly offshoring production, the U.S. is offshoring important parts of its innovation capacity. "Innovate here, produce here, " where the U.S. took all the gains of its strong innovation system at every stage, is being replaced by "innovate here, produce there, " which threatens to lead to "produce there, innovate there. " To bring innovation to Legacy sectors, authors William Bonvillian and Charles Weiss recommend that policymakers focus on all stages of innovation from research through implementation. They should fill institutional gaps in the innovation system and take measures to address structural obstacles to needed disruptive innovations. In the specific case of advanced manufacturing, the production ecosystem can be recreated to reverse "jobless innovation " and add manufacturing-led innovation to the U.S.'s still-strong, research-oriented innovation system. Available in OSO:


Abstract The Na-form of the synthetic counterpart of the mineral sitinakite (sitinakite-Na) was studied in situ for the ion exchange systems of Na→Cs and Na→H→Cs using time-resolved Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectral mode analysis was performed based on a comparative study of previous titanium silicate Raman spectroscopy, as well as time-resolved X-ray diffraction studies. The Raman spectrum of sitinakite can be broken down to three main groups of bending and stretching modes, respectively: Ti-O-Ti, Si-O-Ti, and O-Ti-O bends between 200 and 400 cm-1; and Ti-O stretch between 400 and 625 cm-1. During Na-form to H-form ion exchange, rapid red shifts were observed in absolute peak positions, as well as relative changes between peak positions, indicating a symmetry change. TiO6 polyhedral groups distort as hydroxyl groups form on the TiO6 octahedra. Upon Cs exchange into the H-form, a rapid, two-step blue shift was observed for all peak positions, which indicated that the eight membered-ring becomes more circular. Upon Cs exchange into the Na-form, slow changes of peaks in the Raman spectrum indicated up to four discrete polyhedral distortions during ion exchange. The advantage of Raman spectroscopy in this study was the observation of transient polyhedral distortions for the initial swelling of sitinakite while immersed in deionized H2O and during H and Cs ion exchange in the crystal structure. Previous X-ray diffraction studies were not of sufficient resolution to model H2O swelling effects and framework polyhedral distortions during ion exchange, thus Raman spectroscopy offers a complementary tool to measure changes in framework geometry in situ during ion exchange. The results presented here are directly relevant to other ion exchange research on titanium silicates, zirconium silicates, aluminum silicates, and aluminum phosphates. Additionally this work shows the usefulness of in operando experiments, conducted in deliberately variable environments, which can monitor the molecular dynamics of a system, collect information concerning structureresponse mechanisms, and capture the catalytic parameters for the reaction/process


COVID‐19 is a novel infectious disease caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 that emerged in late 2019 and which is now a pandemic. Solid organ transplant recipients are perceived to be at increased risk of severe COVID‐19 due to their chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs) and to their associated conditions. Scarce data are available on the optimized management of ISDs in these patients and on its impact on presentation, clinical course, viral shedding, and outcome. We report here two cases of COVID‐19 in a cohabiting couple of lung transplant recipients for cystic fibrosis, who had different ISDs management and who developed discordant courses of their disease. Our findings suggest that the degree of their immunosuppression might be a reason for their different course and that ISDs might prove partially protective.


AIM
To describe registered nurses' (RNs) ratings of their work-related health problems, sickness presence and sickness absence in community care of older people. To describe RNs' perceptions of time, competence and emotional pressure at work. To describe associations between time, knowledge and emotional pressure with RNs' perceptions of work-related health problems, sickness presence and sickness absence.

BACKGROUND
There is a global nursing shortage. It is a challenge to provide working conditions that enable RNs to deliver quality nursing care.

METHOD
A descriptive design and a structured questionnaire were used. 213 RNs in 60 care homes for older people participated, with a response rate of 62%.

FINDINGS
RNs' reported work-related health problems, such as neck/back disorders, dry skin/dry mucous membranes, muscles/joints disorders, sleep disorders and headache. They had periods of fatigue/unhappiness/sadness because of their work (37%). Most of the RNs felt at times psychologically exhausted after work, with difficulties leaving their thoughts of work behind. RNs stated high sickness presence (68%) and high sickness absence (63%). They perceived high time pressure, adequate competence and emotional pressure at work. There was a weak to moderate correlation between RNs' health problems and time pressure.

DISCUSSION
We cannot afford a greater shortage of RNs in community care of older people. Politicians and employers need to develop a coordinated package of policies that provide a long-term and sustainable solution with healthy workplaces.

CONCLUSION
It is important to prevent RNs' work-related health problems and time pressure at work.


BACKGROUND NK cells are activated by innate cytokines and viral ligands to kill virus-infected cells. These functions are enhanced during secondary immune responses and after vaccination by synergy with effector T cells and virus-specific antibodies. In human Ebola virus infection, clinical outcome is strongly associated with the initial innate cytokine response, but the role of NK cells has not been thoroughly examined. METHODS The novel 2-dose heterologous Adenovirus type 26.ZEBOV (Ad26.ZEBOV) and modified vaccinia Ankara-BN-Filo (MVA-BN-Filo) vaccine regimen is safe and provides specific immunity against Ebola glycoprotein, and is currently in phase 2 and 3 studies. Here, we analyzed NK cell phenotype and function in response to Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo vaccination regimen and in response to in vitro Ebola glycoprotein stimulation of PBMCs isolated before and after vaccination. RESULTS We show enhanced NK cell proliferation and activation after vaccination compared with baseline. Ebola glycoprotein–induced activation of NK cells was dependent on accessory cells and TLR-4–dependent innate cytokine secretion (predominantly from CD14+ monocytes) and enriched within less differentiated NK cell subsets. Optimal NK cell responses were dependent on IL-18 and IL-12, whereas IFN-γ secretion was restricted by high concentrations of IL-10. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates the induction of NK cell effector functions early after Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo vaccination and provides a mechanism for the activation and regulation of NK cells by Ebola glycoprotein. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02313077. FUNDING United Kingdom Medical Research Council Studentship in Vaccine Research, Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, EBOVAC (grant 115861) and Crucell Holland (now Janssen Vaccines and Prevention B.V.), European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).


Symptoms of cough, fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath are common reasons that patients seek medical care, and they can be due to a variety of medical conditions, including lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Only a small proportion of these patients will actually have a bacterial etiology, but many will receive antibiotic treatment because physicians cannot readily determine the etiology at the time of presentation. Current diagnostic methodologies are not sensitive or specific enough to reliably distinguish bacterial from viral or noninfectious etiologies. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a marker of host response. PCT serum levels are elevated in patients with bacterial infection, compared with levels in those with viral infections or other inflammatory pulmonary conditions. Studies have suggested that the determination of PCT levels can identify a subset of patients with LRTI symptoms who can safely avoid antibiotic treatment. As with any new test, clinical trials are necessary to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the test to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance. However, in the absence of standard reference methods for comparison that are reliably sensitive and specific, meeting the regulatory requirements for proof of safety and efficacy is a major challenge. Additional challenges include the choice of study design, the definition and determination of end points, and the justification of statistical analysis.


The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate a systematic analysis of web applications quality for electronic banking.

In the theoretical part we focused on the ISO/IEC 25000 standard, which deals with quality of the product. With help of SQuaRE set of standards we have reviewed the contents of some standards from ISO/IEC 25000 family. At the and we used ISO/IEC 25010 quality model and ISO/IEC 25040 which contains procedure for assessing the product quality. For the assessment of user interface we used Nielsen's principles of planing and evaluation.

The analysis was conduced on three web applications for electronic banking NLB Klik, Abanka Abanet in UniCredit Bank Online b@nka. First we prepared quality criteria and the decision criteria. Then we studied the selected web applications and determined parts of application for analyses. All the results was saved in the tables. For each criterion a table of results was made, which is sub-divided by the banks. Best results were discovered for web application NLB Klik. The results are shown on the graph as well.


ABSTRACT With the popularity of open source software (OSS) as an alternative to proprietary software (PS), proprietary-software firms such as IBM and Microsoft started to embrace this new paradigm during the past decades. We analyze how firms choose the software development strategy between OSS and PS, by constructing a duopoly model in which consumers sequentially purchase software and complementary services in a market that exhibits an indirect network effect. We show that a PS firm may benefit from the presence of an OSS firm, and the software market can be dominated by a single OSS if the indirect network effect is weak and the cost saving effect of OSS is negligible. We also show that the market can support two OSS if the cost saving effect of OSS is sizeable, and two PS if firms can provide fully compatible services to competitor's PS. Building upon the existing works that investigate the competition between PS and OSS, this study improves our understanding of the role of OSS in firm's software development strategy and market equilibrium.


In this paper, we propose a new distinction between expressive and non-expressive particle verbs in German. The basic observation for our proposal is that these two classes behave differently in the domain of particle fronting. In order to explain this difference, we will show that certain particle verbs are extreme degree expressions and that, therefore, a possible contrast across degrees makes fronting acceptable, even when the particle in isolation is non-contrastable. Our claims are supported by a rating study probing German native speakers' intuitions about the likelihood of the occurrence of an utterance, without relying on acceptability judgments. We connect these new findings to other forms of non-information-structural fronting patterns that endow utterances with an emphatic flavor.


Background/Aim. Insulinomas are rare benign tumors in the most cases and the most frequent endocrine tumors of the pancreas. A wide spectrum of clinical manifestations in patients with insulinoma is the reason for difficult recog- nition of the disease with a long period of time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis. Diagnostic pro- cedures include Whipple's triad, 72-hour fast test and topographic assessment. The only currative therapy for patients with insulinoma is operative treatment. Methods. This retrospective study included 42 patients with diagno- sis of insulinoma treated in our institution in a 60-year pe- riod. In all the patients a demographic and clinical data, types of biochemical methods for diagnosis, and diagnos- tic procedures for insulinoma localization were analyzed. Tumor size and localization, surgical procedures, postop- erative complications and outcome were assessed. Re- sults. A study included 42 patients, 29 women and 13 men. The median age at diagnosis was 43 years. Median time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 3 years. The most common clinical symptoms and signs were disturbance of consciousness and abnormal behavior in 73%, confusion and convulsions in 61% of patients. The diagnosis of insulinoma was estimated by Whipple's triad and 72-hour fast test in 14 patients. Determination of insulinoma localization was assessed by angiography in 16 (36%) of the patients, by ultrasound (US) in 3 of 16 (18.8%) patients, by abdominal computed tomography (CT) in 8 of 18 (44.5%) patients, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 2 of 8 (25%) patients. Insulinoma was found in 13 of 13 (100%) patients by arterial stimulation with venous sampling (ASVS) and in 13 of 14 (93%) pa- tients by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Of the 42 patients, 38 (90.5%) underwent operative procedure. Minimal re- section was performed in 28 (73.6%) of the patients (tu- mor enucleation in 27 (71%) and central pancreatectomy in one (2.6%) of the patients), and the major resection was performed in 9 (23.6%) of the operated patients (distal splenopancreatectomy in 8 (21%) and pancreaticoduode- nectomy in one (2.6%) patient). The overall mortality rate in postoperative period was 2.6% (one patient). Conclu- sion. A combination of ASVS and EUS as diagnostic pro- cedures ensures high accuracy for preoperative determina- tion of insulinoma localization. Minimal resection such as enucleation shoud be performed whenever it is possible.


The history and formation of the European legal culture that had been developing and taking shape since the Middle Ages when universalism manifested itself as ius commune and seemed to be a satisfactory solution, has been marked with the appearance of a trend called 'legal humanism' which developed in response to the humanistic Renaissance postulates. While humanism itself pertained to arts and science of the Renaissance period, legal humanism that emerged centuries later, challenged the medieval interpretation of Justinian texts and postulated the rejection of the mos italicus methods described as praemitto, scindo, summo casumque figuro – praelego, casus, commodo, obiicio (Math. Grib. De meth, 3.94-98). The supporters of the new humanistic jurisprudence advocated recognition of Roman law as an element of the research into the Antiquity. As a result, ancient texts underwent a certain 'purification' and were subsequently used for the teaching of Roman law based on subsequent "Glosses and Commentaries". Critical reviews of the fundamental sources of law as well as the first translations of till then unknown Greek texts were also attempted. That all was possible because the jurists of that new era had a much more comprehensible education and linguistic skills and were able to read texts in Greek and finally break away with the medieval impasse Graeca sunt, non leguntur, going beyond the "judicial Bible" of the compilation of Justinian texts only, searching for new and often multi-aspect meanings and a true understanding of the Ancient World. This new approach to Roman law had also changed the attitude to legal studies which ceased to be seen as merely updating the existing laws i.e. serving the practice. Roman law was finally recognised as a historic phenomenon, a product of its times that evolved together with the changing world, and the study of Roman law became an aim and objective of its own. Such an approach quickly found followers in all Western Europe and replaced the exegetic commentaries with a new form – a treaty that compared the theory of law with the existing laws on the basis of its historic context. An author of a legal academic paper was no longer a mere executor and commentator of ius scriptum, but, being a jurist of humanistic views, transformed into a searcher of pure law, an expert of both the Antiquity and the contemporary World. As François Baudouin put it: sine historia caeca est iurisprudentia (De Institutione historiae universae, I, 609).


Traditionally, actuators for hinge motions are constructed from DC motors and reduction gears. This kind of motion actuator is simple to control, but it has a complex mechanical structure, and it is costly, expensive and requires maintenance. In this paper, a low-cost direct-drive motion hinge actuator based on variable reluctance principle has been developed. The variable reluctance actuator has a simple and robust structure, and it is widely used as a low cost switching actuator in many applications. However, it has not gained widespread acceptance as a proportional actuator due to its inherent nonlinear control characteristics. In this paper, the problem is overcome by using a novel control strategy based on a nonlinear lookup table. The paper first describes the design, construction, fabrication and operating principle of the variable reluctance actuator. After the variable reluctance actuator has been fabricated, essential electrical and mechanical characteristics are measured. Then, a novel nonlinear control algorithm for the trajectory tracking of this actuator has been proposed. The proposed algorithm is implemented on a digital signal processor to control the motion of variable reluctance actuator in trajectory profile following mode. Results from the implementation show that the variable reluctance actuator can be controlled with a high degree of speed and accuracy. This makes the actuator ideal for hinge motions of artificial limbs, and as a motion aid for the physically handicapped person.


We derive a closed form formula of SNR penalty induced by polarization dependent loss (PDL) in optically amplified optical fiber dual-polarization systems by employing perturbation analysis based on the reversed channel model. The SNR penalty in dB of each polarization tributary is Gaussian distributed where the mean and standard deviation are determined by the longitudinal distribution profiles of PDL and noise as well as the accumulated PDL value. The simulation verifies the proposed theory under various transmission link configurations.


Background Patients receiving palliative care, who perceive a diminished sense of dignity, often experience greater symptomatic distress, depression and anxiety. The 'Patient Dignity Question' (PDQ) aims to address this challenge and promote patient centred care by asking 'What do I need to know about you as a person to take the best care of you that I can?' An agreed, transcribed summary of the response(s) are placed in medical and nursing notes. As part of an innovative scholarship programme for undergraduate medical trainees, a protocol for evaluating the feasibility of implementing the PDQ has been designed. Aim To evaluate the feasibility of implementing the PDQ within an Academic Palliative Care Unit (APCU) in a University Hospital in North West England. Methods The study uses an exploratory mixed methods design, adapted from existing studies. Suitable participants (in-patients within the APCU; able to provide informed consent) are identified, and consented appropriately by the research team. Feedback questionnaires will assess both patient and staff (HCP) perceptions on the utility and effect of the PDQ. A focus group will explore HCP's perceptions in depth and examine the feasibility of wider implementation of the PDQ. Data on the number of patients approached, agreeing to further information, consented and providing data, will be collected. Results Data will be collected and analysed during early 2017. Quantitative data will be analysed descriptively and examined for trends. Qualitative data will be thematically analysed in accordance with principles outlined by Braun & Clarke 2007. Study data will be ready for presentation at conference. Conclusion There is a developing evidence base on the utility of the PDQ in promoting patient centred care. This student led study, will contribute to the evidence base and provide the groundwork for a future pilot to further assess the efficacy of the PDQ in this environment.


: Rats with adjuvant arthritis were used as an animal model of pathological pain in this experiment and the nociceptive response of neurons in parafascicular nucleus (Pf) were recorded and intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of naloxone and atropine was adopted in order to investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) and to analyze the neurotransmitters involved. The main results were as follows: (1) The nociceptive response of the majority of Pf neurons (29/34) in arthritic rats was significantly inhibited by EA at acupoints of "Zusanli" and "Sanyinjiao"; (2) The inhibitory effect of EA was reversed in 12/13 units by icv injection of naloxone (4 micrograms/10 microliters); (3) The inhibitory effect of EA was also reversed in 11/12 units by icv injection of atropine (5 micrograms/10 microliters) (4) The spontaneous unit discharge of Pf neurons in arthritic rats was increased after icv injection of naloxone or atropine. Experimental results suggest that EA could have an inhibitory effect on the nociceptive response of Pf neurons in arthritic rats, which might be mediated by opioid system and cholinergic system in the brain, and that opioid system and cholinergic system might have a tonic inhibitory effect on the spontaneous unit discharge of Pf neurons in arthritic rats.


Pulmonary hypertension is a contraindication to pregnancy, as there is a very high mortality in the puerperium, when fluid balance is most tenuous. There is a fine line between sufficient fluid to maintain pulmonary perfusion and too much fluid, triggering pulmonary overload. Surgical sterilization is strongly advised in this patient population.


Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of copper films in alkaline slurries was investigated. In the copper CMP, the slurry was made by adding colloidal silica abrasive to de-ionized water.The organic alkali was added to adjust the pH, H2O2 was used as an oxidizer.The effects of varying polishing temperature, polishing pressure, slurry flow rate, organic alkali concentration and oxidizer concentration on removal rate were investigated in order to determine the optimum conditions for those parameters. It is shown the chemical composition of the slurry was 2%~3% oxidizer concentration, 3% organic alkali concentration and proper amount surfactant is reasonable. The solid concentration of the polishing slurry was fixed at 20% by weight. The removal rate of copper could reach 700nm/min and the surface roughness after CMP was 0.49nm.


Abstract In his book Linguistic Justice for Europe and the World, Van Parijs analyses in one of his chapters the brain drain from non-Anglophone to Anglophone countries, which hurts the economic development of the non-Anglophone states. Van Parijs deems it clear that English is a very important factor to explain high-skilled migration. He, therefore, urges the non-Anglophone countries to relax their linguistic territorial constraints and allow English as a communication language in many different sectors, most notably higher education and scientific research. This would remove the incentive for potential expatriate brains to migrate for linguistic reasons. This article takes a closer look at Van Parijs' reasoning and proposed solutions. It is concluded that the assumed connection between English and high-skilled migration cannot be proven empirically for research on this topic is scarcely available. Furthermore, the solutions presented by Van Parijs will produce uncertain results at best. Van Parijs rightfully puts the brain drain problem on the political and research agenda, but much more additional studies are needed to formulate solid solutions.


A multimode fiber-loop ring-down spectroscopy combined with a fiber mode converter for strain measurement is presented. The bending loss theory in multimode fibers is used for the explanation of strain induced ring down cavity loss mechanism, which agrees well with the experimental results. With this technique, strain measurement is achieved in a time domain by measuring the ring-down time. The strain sensing system is demonstrated with good linear response, good stability and high resolution as small as 0.33 muepsiv over a rang of 800 muepsiv.


Many hydrologic applications require reliable estimates of runoff in river basins to face the widespread lack of data, both in time and in space. A regional method for the reconstruction of monthly runoff series is here developed and applied to Sicily (Italy). A simple modeling structure is adopted, consisting of a regression-based rainfall–runoff model with four model parameters, calibrated through a two-step procedure. Monthly runoff estimates are based on precipitation, temperature, and exploiting the autocorrelation with runoff at the previous month. Model parameters are assessed by specific regional equations as a function of easily measurable physical and climate basin descriptors. The first calibration step is aimed at the identification of a set of parameters optimizing model performances at the level of single basin. Such "optimal" sets are used at the second step, part of a regional regression analysis, to establish the regional equations for model parameters assessment as a function of basin attributes. All the gauged watersheds across the region have been analyzed, selecting 53 basins for model calibration and using the other six basins exclusively for validation. Performances, quantitatively evaluated by different statistical indexes, demonstrate relevant model ability in reproducing the observed hydrological time-series at both the monthly and coarser time resolutions. The methodology, which is easily transferable to other arid and semi-arid areas, provides a reliable tool for filling/reconstructing runoff time series at any gauged or ungauged basin of a region.


The oil and gas industry is a major user of high-performance computing, and geoscience computational cycles are dominated by kernels that are relatively few and well defined. This project explores accelerating geoscience applications using FPGA-based hardware, optimizing the algorithm and the hardware to achieve maximum performance. This approach can deliver speedup of 20 to 70 times compared with a conventional HPC node.


During the last few years, numerous journal articles aiming at discerning the impact and possible meanings of social network sites (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter have been published. It is ofte ...


Two Dy(III) polymorphs, [Dy(Clapi)]2·(CH2Cl2)2 (H3Clapi = 2-(2′-hydroxy-5′-chlorophenyl)-1,3-bis[3′-aza-4′-(2′′-hydroxy-5′′-chlorophenyl)prop-4′-en-1′-yl]-1,3-imidazolidine), have been obtained, crystallizing in space groups P21/c (1a) and C2/c (1b), respectively. Both 1a and 1b have an identical eight-coordinated Dy(III) configuration with D4d symmetry; their only difference is the lattice orientation of the solvent molecule CH2Cl2. Alternating current (ac) magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that they exhibit distinct magnetic behaviours. Theoretical calculations indicate that the exchange interactions play a vital role in the magnetic behavior of the polymorphs. This work presents a rational model to explore the magneto-structural relationship in both experimental and theoretical aspects of Dy(III) single-molecule magnets.


Most new product adoption models have focused on single-generation products. Only recently have researchers begun to focus on the importance of analyzing consumers' purchase demands in multigeneration products. This paper proposes a model that incorporates both initial and repeat purchases and allows for leap-frogging behavior for multi-generation technological products. Whereas most new product adoption models are based on aggregate market sales, the proposed model is estimated and validated on individual consumer data. Within a logistical modeling framework, the model combines a purchase incidence (buy/not buy) component and "generation" choice components for each time period. These model components allow for individual heterogeneity. Purchase probabilities for buyers are captured as a function of purchase history, buyer expectations of future generations, and preferences for the currently available options. The proposed model is parsimonious. It requires relatively simple data for estimation. It is empirically tested using individual-level purchase data from an illustrative pilot study in the multigeneration personal computer (PC) market. The model fits and explains individual consumers' actual purchase behaviors reasonably well. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.


Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds usually produced by microbial cells, thus, their biodegradable nature and low toxicity. The capability to lessen surface and interfacial tensions characteristic of these compounds paved the way for their potential to inhibit biofilm formation. Biofilms are complex matrices of microbial cells formed on surfaces which provide microorganisms protection against substances found in the environment, including antimicrobials. In this study, Bacillus spp. isolated from soil samples were screened for their production of biosurfactants through Oil Drop Collapse and Parafilm M assays. Out of 12 isolates, our, GAT-01, GAT-04, GAT-05, and GAT-07, tested positive, and were identified based on their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics as B. pseudomycoides, B. cereus, B. pseudomycoides, and B. mycoides, respectively. GAT-01 was able to yield the highest biofilm inhibition activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 with 43.12%, GAT-04 with 32.42%, GAT-05 with 35.78%, while GAT-07 showed the lowest activity with 26.91%. No antibacterial activities against P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 were observed. Quorum sensing inhibition assay using Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472 also showed negative results for all the biosurfactants. These present the potential of biosurfactants from Bacillus spp. as bioactive substances against biofilm formation through physical interactions.


In the present work, an optical motion-capture system combined with software for 2D clinical gait analysis is utilized to determine spatiotemporal gait parameters such as stride-length, cadence, cycle-time, and speed as well as joint angles. The developed system consists of a video camera with a maximum speed of 90 fps, LED markers, PC and technical computing software, which are developed for tracking markers attached to human body during motion and to calculate kinematics and kinetics parameters of human gait. Gait data of 60 subjects within the age group between 18 to 49 years are measured as part of an effort to develop normal walking database of Indonesian people. In the experiments, the subject is instructed to walk in a specially-arranged measurement area, which is calibrated using the Direct Linear Transformation (DLT) method. Before the measurement, the body posture of each subject is evaluated to ensure normalcy. To validate the system, the obtained gait data is compared to the available normal walking database, and the results obtained by the system show good compatibility.


To ensure quality of service (QoS), network constructors, service providers and operators need to accurately pinpoint existing and potential problems, making test and measurement equipment vital. There are a number of test tools available that address the different testing needs at various stages of the network, such as fiber commissioning. Used to reveal the total loss, optical return loss (ORL) and the fiber length, such tests can be performed either on a single fiber or on a complete network. Additionally, a closer examination of the different elements that make up the link under test may be required. Whether to characterize each component of the link, to pinpoint a potential problem with the fiber or to find a fault on your network, the use of an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) is inevitable—from fiber network commissioning to troubleshooting and maintenance, an OTDR is the tool of choice. This application note explores the fundamental OTDR principles that are key to understanding the specifications of this instrument.


A novel biomass pulverization technology was presented, and its performance is affected by many aspects, which have not been studied and optimized. This paper mainly concerns with a detailed study of the effect of rotor speed. The pulverization tests were conducted in a lab-scale crushing system and the results show: higher rotor speed improves the hit probability between blades and materials, enhancing the impacting and grinding effects. Thus higher rotor speed generates much finer particles. Meanwhile the energy consumption shows increasing trend with increasing rotor speed.


This conceptual paper explores the dynamics and implications of group behaviour for the joint consumption of a service. It conceptualises an approach to balance, influence and manage the creation of a service experience during its different phases of group dynamics. Particular attention will be paid to the connection between the service creation and the changing relationships between the group and the service provider due to the influence of group dynamics. The paper commences with a brief literature review on group dynamics research and highlights the provider's particular challenges in a group experience, then looks into group characteristics and explains the group dynamics and the co-creation process in a joint service experience. It concludes with management implications and a brief summary.


Introduction : Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, especially in Asia and Africa. Objective: Objective of this study was to determine Nepalese people's knowledge about tuberculosis. Methods : The diagnosed cases of tuberculosis was randomly selected, structured questionnaires were used to collect patient knowledge about tuberculosis. Results : This prospective study included 300 diagnosed cases of pulmonary tuberculosis who were attending the DOTS programme of Nepal. Tuberculosis was most commonly found in economically active age group (21-50 years old). The incidence of tuberculosis was found higher in male than female. Regarding the common part of the body affected by TB bacilli 58% correctly said that it is the Lungs. About the mode of transmission of tuberculosis 50% knew that it is transmitted by droplet infections. More then two third of the respondents had knowledge about the clinical symptoms of tuberculosis, among them chronic cough (82%), evening rise of temperature (72%) and blood in the sputum (72%) were the major symptoms described. Only 16.6% of the respondents knew that Tuberculosis is an common opportunistic infection in people infected with HIV/AIDS. 53.3% patients responded correctly that body secretion like sputum contains Tubercle Bacilli and regarding disposal of sputum and other body fluids 30% said that incineration is the proper way of disposal. On prevention of spread of tuberculosis 31.6% said that TB patients should use mask. Conclusion : The study found that majority of the patients had satisfactory knowledge about the signs and symptoms of Tuberculosis but their knowledge about causative agent for Tuberculosis, disposal method for sputum and body fluid and preventive method for tuberculosis was still low. It is recommended that National tuberculosis control authority should design health education programme focusing on causative agents, disposal of sputum and body fluids and prevention of Tuberculosis. The awareness campaign should be targeted to patients, family members, community and health care providers and should be disseminated through the media that will reach the general Public. Such awareness campaign will increase the patient's general awareness about the disease and will help to reduce transmission of disease, prevent drug resistant cases and improve the efficacy of DOTS programme. Keywords : HIV/AIDS; TB; Mycobacterium tuberculosis DOI: 10.3126/saarctb.v6i2.3055 SAARC J. Tuber. Lung Dis. HIV/AIDS 2009 VI (2) 31-37


A free-space communication based on a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser(QCL) is presented. A room-temperature continuous-wave distributed-feedback(DFB) QCL combined with a mid-infrared detector comprise the basic unit of the communication system. Sinusoidal signals at a highest frequency of 40 MHz and modulated video signals with a carrier frequency of 30 MHz were successfully transmitted with this experimental setup.Our research has provided a proof-of-concept demonstration of space optical communication application with QCL.The highest operation frequency of our setup was determined by the circuit-limited modulation bandwidth. A high performance communication system can be obtained with improved modulation circuit system.


FES rowing is a new form of high-intensity, whole body, physical exercise for individuals with spinal cord injury. Preliminary results are presented for RG, co-author and trained paraplegic FES rower. RG has regularly used FES rowing since 2003 and has competed successfully in major international indoor rowing championships. The kinematic analysis reveals a faster stroke rate and shorter stroke length than normal. This is associated with the absence of sagittal trunk motion due to the method of trunk stabilization used in this simple configuration. The temporal pattern of the handle control switch indicates a well-honed motor skill in which the rower is continuously predicting the system dynamics and muscle responses. The control switching points occur with surprisingly high synchronization with the rowing cycle, typically within +/- 30ms. This suggests that the control of FES rowing, once learned, can be performed with minimal cortical load.
Switching for drive begins during recovery, thus the quadriceps are eccentrically active and highly loaded during the early drive phase. Handle forces exceeded 350N and may result in significant joint loading. For example, RG has had a 14.7% increase in BMD associated with FES rowing.


Identifying and accounting for sources of significant, explicit phylogenetic conflicts among data sets is an issue that requires further study. In this paper I explore the usefulness of the known fossil record for assessing the accuracy of conflicting sister taxa hypotheses, and in identifying and accounting for misleading characters (MCs). The alternative I present begins with a parsimony analysis of each available data set. Bootstrap proportions >95% supporting conflicting clades among most parsimonious trees (MPTs) identify instances of "strong" data set incongruence. The accuracy of conflicting sister taxa hypotheses is assessed through a comparison of their temporal gaps (T). Conflicting clades, with a significantly longer than average T, are called into question. As exceptionally long Ts can result from incompleteness and/or biases in the fossil record, it is necessary to differentiate the effect of MCs from the effect of a fragmentary fossil record. For this, the effect that characters supporting questioned conflicting clades have on data set homoplasy is assessed. If resetting these characters to missing values reduces data set homoplasy in a manner that is significantly different from random, then conflicting clades with exceptionally long T must arise from the effect of MCs. If so, new MPTs are calculated for modified data sets and the testing process is repeated until no more well-supported, conflicting clades are found. Finally, data sets are combined and the MPT is calculated. I applied this approach to the phylogeny of the Caninae using morphological and mtDNA data sets. Among the MCs characters identified were some that cannot be accounted for by commonly used a priori weighting schemes. The phylogeny of canids is also briefly discussed. The resulting MPT suggests the colonization of South America by three canid lineages and that the trenchant heel, a trait associated with hypercarnivory and sociality, evolved only once within the Caninae


Solid-state ballasts were placed in fluorescent lamps in various areas of a hospital to determine if these high-frequency systems would adversely affect any hospital operations. The general areas tested included a lobby and an office space. Potentially sensitive areas containing hospital diagnostic and monitoring equipment, including a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning room, an electroencephalograph (EEG) examination room, and a coronary ward were also tested. The measurement techniques are described and the results discussed with respect to the existing radio-frequency interference (RFI) environment and with respect to electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiated and conducted limits specified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).


Abstract. Predicting the next major drought is of paramount interest to water
managers globally. Estimating the onset of groundwater drought is of
particular importance, as groundwater resources are often assumed to be more
resilient when surface water resources begin to fail. A potential source of
long-term forecasting is offered by possible periodic controls on
groundwater level via teleconnections with oscillatory ocean–atmosphere
systems. However, relationships between large-scale climate systems and
regional to local-scale rainfall, evapotranspiration (ET) and groundwater are often complex and
non-linear so that the influence of long-term climate cycles on groundwater
drought remains poorly understood. Furthermore, it is currently unknown
whether the absolute contribution of multi-annual climate variability to
total groundwater storage is significant. This study assesses the extent to
which multi-annual variability in groundwater can be used to indicate the
timing of groundwater droughts in the UK. Continuous wavelet transforms show
how repeating teleconnection-driven 7-year and 16–32-year cycles in the
majority of groundwater sites from all the UK's major aquifers can
systematically control the recurrence of groundwater drought; and we provide
evidence that these periodic modes are driven by teleconnections. Wavelet
reconstructions demonstrate that multi-annual periodicities of the North
Atlantic Oscillation, known to drive North Atlantic meteorology, comprise up
to 40 % of the total groundwater storage variability. Furthermore, the
majority of UK recorded droughts in recent history coincide with a minimum
phase in the 7-year NAO-driven cycles in groundwater level, providing
insight into drought occurrences on a multi-annual timescale. Long-range
groundwater drought forecasts via climate teleconnections present
transformational opportunities to drought prediction and its management
across the North Atlantic region.


The Mercurius building is part of the extensive plant of the Lassie BV foods company at Wormer. It is one of the industrial complexes established along the river Zaan, some 20 kilometers Northwest of Amsterdam, at the end of the last century. For a larger part it is still in use as a production unit, since replacing the plant would be unpayable because of the very big silo it requires. There is one exception: the Mercurius building. It fell into disuse in 1989 and the owners (De Erven de Wed. J. van Nelle, the same as of the famous Van Nelle factories in Rotterdam) asked for a permit for demolition, by this denying its being a listed building. At present the new owner of the company (Douwe Egberts) is likely to get this permission soon and the building is in real danger. Ed schulte explains on the building and reflect on the possibilities for reuse.


Background and Aim Neonatal size, and especially a relative "thinness", is associated with future risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The aim was to explore ethnic differences in neonatal body composition in a multi-ethnic population, and associations with parental anthropometrics and parity. Methods A population-based cohort study of healthy pregnant women living in Oslo, Norway. Maternal data were collected in early pregnancy and neonatal weight, length, circumferences and skin folds after birth. Individual z-scores were calculated (stratified by gender and gestational age) with Western Europeans (WE) as reference. A general linear model was used to assess associations with parental anthropometry and parity. Crude and adjusted mean z-scores for neonates with origin from low- and middle income countries (LAMIC), with WE as reference, is presented. Results 511 healthy, term neonates were included. LAMIC parents (n=282) were shorter than WE (n=229), had similar BMI but more maternal subcutaneous fat. Among the LAMIC neonates abdominal circumference differed the most from WE (mean z-score: –0.57 SD (95% CI:–0.69 to –0.44)) Neonatal skin folds were also smaller in the immigrant group (–0.29 (–0.40 to –0.17). Length, however, was not significantly smaller (–0.21 (–0.35 to –0.07)). The observed ethnic differences were reduced when adjusting for parental body composition, but abdominal circumference remained significantly smaller (–0.37 (–0.53 to –0.21)). Conclusions There were marked differences in neonatal body composition between neonates born by ethnic WE women and women with ethnic origin from LAMIC countries. Abdominal circumference was still smaller after adjustment for parental body composition.


Abstract Rice is a principal source of food for more than half of the world population, and more than 90% of rice worldwide is grown and consumed in Asia. A change in establishment method from manual transplanting of rice seedlings to dry-seeded rice (DSR) has occurred in some countries as growers respond to increased costs or decreased availability of labor or water. However, weeds are a major constraint to DSR production because of the absence of the size differential between the crop and the weeds and the suppressive effect of standing water on weed growth at crop establishment. Herbicides are used to control weeds in DSR, but because of concerns about the evolution of herbicide resistance and a scarcity of new and effective herbicides, there is a need to integrate other weed management strategies with herbicide use. In addition, because of the variability in the growth habit of weeds, any single method of weed control cannot provide effective and season-long control in DSR. Various weed management approaches need to be integrated to achieve effective, sustainable, and long-term weed control in DSR. These approaches may include tillage systems; the use of crop residue; the use of weed-competitive cultivars with high-yield potential; appropriate water depth and duration; appropriate agronomic practices, such as row spacing and seeding rates; manual or mechanical weeding; and appropriate herbicide timing, rotation, and combination. This article aims to provide a logical perspective of what can be done to improve weed management strategies in DSR. Nomenclature: Rice, Oryza sativa L.


A novel multi-output voltage doubler circuit with resonant switching technique is proposed in this paper. The resonant topology in the primary side of the flyback transformer switches the device either at zero voltage or current thus optimizing the switching devices by mitigating the losses. The voltage doubler circuit introduced in the load side increases the voltage by twice the value thereby increasing the load power and density. The proposed Multi-output Isolated Converter removes the need for mutiple SMPS units for a particular application. This reduces the size and weight of the converters considerably leading to a greater payload. This paper aims at optimizing the proposed converter with some design changes. The results obtained from the hardware prototype are given in a comprehensive manner for a 3.5W converter operating at output voltages of 5V and 3.3V at 50 kHz switching frequency. The converter output is regulated with the PI controller designed with SG3523 IC. The effects of load and line regulation for ±20% variations are analyzed in detail.


Pure titanium dioxide (TiO2) adsorbent failed to selectively capture ribonucleosides in biological samples, as reported in previous studies, although it was expected to display a specific recognition of cis-diol compounds by the Lewis acid sites on its surface. However, in this work, our results showed for the first time that hydrous titania (TiO2·nH2O), obtained through hydrolysis of tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) in aqueous solution, exhibited a high affinity for cis-diol-containing ribonucleosides. The adsorption efficiency of A, C and G by TiO2·nH2O can reach about 90% even in a 100% water matrix. On the other hand, the 2′-deoxynucleosides could only be adsorbed in a water–acetonitrile solution with a water content of less than 10%. Subsequently, an in situ-generated TiO2·nH2O-based dispersive micro solid-phase extraction (d-μ-SPE) process was developed and evaluated. The whole d-μ-SPE process takes only about 7 minutes (2 min for extraction and 5 min for centrifugation) and no pre-synthesized or commercial TiO2 powder is required. The hydrous TiO2-based d-μ-SPE with a two-step elution strategy was successfully performed for the extraction and separation of ribonucleosides (A, U) and 2′-deoxynucleosides (2′-dC, 2′-dG) in porcine plasma samples. The proposed TiO2·nH2O-based d-μ-SPE method is effective, simple and rapid, and will have wide application for the selective extraction of cis-diol molecules in environmental and biological samples.


Most current analysis tools for antibody next-generation sequencing data work with primary sequence descriptors, leaving accompanying structural information unharnessed. We have used novel rapid methods to structurally characterize the paratopes of more than 180 million human and mouse B-cell receptor (BCR) repertoire sequences. These structurally annotated paratopes provide unprecedented insights into both the structural predetermination and dynamics of the adaptive immune response. We show that B-cell types can be distinguished based solely on these structural properties. Antigen-unexperienced BCR repertoires use the highest number and diversity of paratope structures and these patterns of naïve repertoire paratope usage are highly conserved across subjects. In contrast, more differentiated B-cells are more personalized in terms of paratope structure usage. Our results establish the paratope structure differences in BCR repertoires and have applications for many fields including immunodiagnostics, phage display library generation, and "humanness" assessment of BCR repertoires from transgenic animals.


Scots pine has been considered a resistant tree species not only to adverse habitats but also to drought for a long time for its pioneering character, enabling it to thrive at significantly nutrient-poor and dry sites where the competitive pressure of other tree species is reduced. It has also some physiological properties adapted for the increased efficiency of water management. However, the increased and cumulated drought stress in Central Europe after 2013, which has accelerated significantly since 2015, showed the limits of the Scots pine´s sustainable prosperity in many sites of its present occurrence. The research analyses 101 studies published in the period from 1975 to 2022, representing basic properties, ecophysiological aspects, health status development, growth and fertility of Scots pine related to drought stress. It also deals with the influence of the tree species mixing effect and silvicultural management on the health status of Scots pine stands. The review aims to provide comprehensive material for understanding the development of Scots pine´s health and growth, as well as optimising its use under ongoing global climate change conditions characterised by an increase in annual air temperatures and by irregular distribution of precipitation, leading to the increasing frequency of drought periods. Methodological recommendations for silviculture in pine forests are also mentioned here.


Automobile manufacturers in the U.S. supply chain exhibit significant differences in their days-of-supply of finished vehicles (average inventory divided by average daily sales rate). For example, from 1995 to 2004, Toyota consistently carried approximately 30 fewer days-of-supply than General Motors. This suggests that Toyota's well documented advantage in manufacturing efficiency, product design and upstream supply chain management extends to their finished-goods inventory in their downstream supply chain from their assembly plants to their dealerships. Our objective in this research is to measure for this industry the effect of several factors on inventory holdings. We find that two factors, the number of dealerships in a manufacturer's distribution network and a manufacturer's production flexibility, explain essentially all of the difference in finished goods inventory between Toyota and three other makes, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.


Summary A Mobile Ad Hoc Network is formed dynamically and self organizes. Every node acts as a sender, a receiver and a router. Due to its mobility, providing QoS is a challenge. IEEE 802.11e provides QoS by allocating differentiated Transmission Opportunity, Arbitrary Inter Frame Space and Contention Window sizes. Though many times QoS is obtained, sometimes priority reversal occurs due to misbehavior of certain nodes in the MANET which reduces the throughput of the high priority traffic significantly thus infringement of QoS. To diagnose this misbehavior of certain nodes, statistical methods are proposed to decide if a node is misbehaving or not at two stages by analyzing the parameters such as Transmission Opportunity and Contention Window sizes. The model is analytically verified using Diagnostic Statistics. The model is implemented using ns2 and the results are compared with the existing model. Result shows that the proposed model is sensitive for small samples and deviations and is able to diagnose 11% more skewed misbehavior and 23% more proportional misbehavior.


: Antiviral potency of an ointment dosage form of interferon (IF) inducer ridostin has been demonstrated in guinea pigs with genital herpes. Early beginning of therapy led to a 72% decrease of the intensity of clinical signs with cure 12-13 days earlier than in the control. Application of ridostin ointment onto the skin of intact animals caused an increase of IF level in the blood and of the phagocytic activity of peritoneal exudation macrophages. Ridostin effect on the total-systems factors of nonspecific defense appears to be one mechanism in the formation of antiviral resistance upon external application of this IF inducer.


There is a danger with digital humanities instruction of falling into the trap of buttonology. By buttonology, we do not mean the study of buttons, nor do we intend the derision of August Strindberg, who, in his story "The Isle of the Blessed," coined the word buttonology to mock scholarly pedantry. Buttonology is, in its simplest terms, software training that surveys different features of an interface in an introductory manner. In a library one-shot, teaching the library discovery system or showing how to perform an advanced search in a database would be buttonology. Knowing how to upload texts into a tool like Voyant does not help researchers think about what texts should be uploaded, how selecting data relates to a research question, or even what constitutes an effective research question. This type of teaching does not encourage critical thinking, yet digital humanities instruction, in our experience, is frequently focused on showing how to use software rather than reflect on the broader context.