The current trends for next generation turbofan engines are towards shorter nacelles and increased distances between the fan and the outlet guide vanes. This leads to an overall reduction in lined surface areas as well as an increase in the relative importance of the interstage liner, which is the liner placed between the rotor blades and the stator vanes. The interstage is different in that the liner is subject to a mean flow with a strong swirl component and shear. This project will contribute to understanding and predicting the effect of the swirl on liner attenuation and consists of 4 steps: To model an eigenvalue problem that includes sheared and swirling mean flows and acoustic absorption, to develop a code based on this eigenvalue problem and to validate it, to compare results from this code with experimental results and to carry out a parametric study to evaluate how the swirling flow afects liner attenuation and optimum impedance. Two models were developed. The first one considers a ducted sheared mean flow and is based on the Pridmore-Brown equation and the second one takes into consideration a mean flow with swirl and shear and is based on the Linearized Euler Equations. For both cases an eigenvalue problem was obtained by applying the normal mode analysis to the governing equations together with the impedance boundary condition. Both models were discretized using a Finite Difference Method. The codes were exhaustively validated against predicted values obtained by other methods for uniform, sheared and swirling mean flows and hard-walled and lined ducts. The swirling mean flow, when present, is a combination of rigid body and vortex swirl. A cross-validation between the Finite difference code based on the Linearized Euler Equation and the JM66 code from Rolls-Royce was carried out for a more realistic case. Axial wavenumbers and pressure and velocity eigenvectors obtained with the JM66 code were compared with the current predictions. A comparison has been conducted of predictions from the current Finite Difference code with measured data at a single frequency for a range of spinning mode numbers. Qualitative agreement is obtained for the measured Power Transmission loss (TL) but the low Mach numbers and modest TL levels meant that the effect of swirl was small nad it was difficult to validate the accuracy at the Finite Difference code specifically for the swirl case. Finally, a parametric study was undertaken for hard-walled and lined ducts for realistic interstage conditions to evaluate the effect sound propagation in swirling flows. This confirmed that the effect of swirl is higher for radial modes near cut-off and tends to vanish for higher radial mode orders. The swirl strongly changes the modal content. When swirl is included, the modal distribution for positive and negative azimuthal mode orders is no longer symmetrical. The higher the swirling flow magnitude, the more the modal content is shifted to negative circumferential mode orders. Co-rotating modes become more cut-on and contra-rotating modes become more cut-off. When acoustic absorptive liners are considered, the swirl changes the liner optimum resistance and reactance and affects the optimum insertion loss. The optimum resistance becomes considerably higher and the change in optimal liner reactance is not as pronounced. The swirling flow also reduces attenuation; the insertion loss is lower when swirl is considered. As a conclusion, swirling flow should be considered when designing liners.


Abstract:Taking the interactions between Jesuit missionaries and Iñupiat communities as its focus, this article interrogates the complexity of conversion in the Alaskan territory on Seward Peninsula. The Jesuits viewed their evangelizing efforts as a corrective of Native "superstitions" and, simultaneously, Native communities of the Seward Peninsula brought Christianity alongside of, rather than in lieu of, Iñupiat religious practice. Particular focus is given to the Jesuit missionary Bellarmine Lafortune and the King Island community, just off the Seward Peninsula. Though he considered the pre-contact Iñupiat to be superstitious, Lafortune did not ascribe to a definition of conversion that required a full break with previous cultural traditions. This allowed for more fluidity in that space of conversion, and just as Iñupiat men and women converted to Catholicism, elements of Catholicism could be converted and made Iñupiat. After providing background information about the Jesuit mission to the Peninsula, the article considers Iñupiat cultures (mainly of King Island) and how the Jesuits attempted to evangelize these communities. The continued emphasis on dance and reciprocity in the King Island community demonstrates how Catholicism lived alongside indigenous cultures.


he Diabetes REduction Assessment with ramipril and rosiglitazone Medication (DREAM) study reported in September 2006. This international, multicentre, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, 2-by-2 factorial prospective three-year study examined the effect of rosiglitazone (8 mg/day) and/or ramipril (15 mg/day) to prevent progression to type 2 diabetes in 5,269 adults with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or both. The primary end point (incidence of diabetes or death) was reduced by 60% on rosiglitazone (11.6% on rosiglitazone vs. 26.0% on placebo, p<0.0001), and more subjects regained normoglycaemia on rosiglitazone (50.5%) than placebo (30.3%, p<0.0001). Ramipril did not alter the incidence of diabetes or death (18.1% on ramipril vs. 19.5% on placebo) but more subjects regained normoglycaemia on ramipril (42.5%) than placebo (38.2%, p=0.001). There were no apparent interactions between ramipril and rosiglitazone. Although overall cardiovascular event rates were not ...


Curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric, has been used for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes and its complications. Curcumin has been shown to exert pleiotropic effects by modulating different signaling molecules, including transcription factors, chemokines, cytokines, and adipokines. Disturbed regulation of adipokines, which include adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and visfatin, are implicated in the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Here, we review the findings of in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies on the modulating effects that curcumin treatment exerts on adipokines. Additionally, we examine the potential beneficial effects of the activity of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its comorbidities. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4170–4182, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In this note we consider several goodness-of-fit tests for model specification in non- parametric regression models which are based on kernel methods. In order to circumvent the problem of choosing a bandwidth for the corresponding test statistic we propose to consider the statistics as stochastic processes indexed with bandwidths proportional to the asymptotically optimal bandwidth for the estimation of the regression function. We prove weak convergence of these processes to centered Gaussian processes and suggest to use functionals of these processes as test statistics for the problem of model specification. A bootstrap test is proposed to obtain a good approximation of the nominal level. The results are illustrated by means of a simulation study and the new test is compared with some of the currently available procedures.


Does the introduction of corporate transparency and disclosure rules in emerging economies affect compliance, and therefore earnings quality and firm performance? We explore these questions for an important emerging economy, Russia, using a natural experiment, the 2002 introduction of Russian corporate governance code. We exploit the exogenous variation in voluntary disclosure and find a significant increase in corporate disclosure among the domestic Russian firms over the period 2003–2007 when firms gradually adopted some but not all disclosure rules. The immediate effect of the introduction was a drop in reported earnings. Market valuation, however, only improved for domestic firms after 2007, when all domestic firms had complied. However, cross-listed firms, which were already satisfying international standards, remained largely unaffected. Though average compliance by domestic firms was only 53%, average firm value of treated domestic firms, relative to cross-listed ones, went up by about 10%. Results are robust, confirm external validity and offer important policy implications for other emerging/ transition economies.


Crop rotation is an effective tactic for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) management. In the North Central region of the USA, corn is almost exclusively used as a nonhost rotation crop with soybean. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of crops common to or having potential use in the North Central region as rotation crops for managing SCN. Sixteen potential rotation crops and SCN-resistant and susceptible soybeans were grown along with six fallow controls in three commercial field sites near Waseca, Lamberton, and Morris, MN, in 2001, and SCN-susceptible soybean was grown on all plots in 2002. Nematode populations at planting, midseason, and harvest were measured both years; soybean yield was measured in 2002. There was large variability in SCN populations and soybean yields at the three sites. Nevertheless, significant treatment effects were detected at all sites. While all of the rotation crops lowered SCN populations compared with SCN-susceptible soybean, there were only subtle differences among the individual rotation crops and among different groups of the crops. Leguminous nonhosts or poor hosts were best in reducing SCN population density. Corn, the most common rotation crop in Minnesota, was among the least effective in reducing nematode populations. There was an undetectable yield benefit from SCN management, although differences in yield were observed among the rotation crop treatments-probably due to agronomic factors. The data suggest that a single year of rotation of soybean with any of these crops before planting a susceptible soybean may not be sufficient in managing SCN.


Abstract. The hydrology of Upper Indus basin is not recognized well due to the intricacies in the climate and geography, and the scarcity of data above 5000 m a.s.l where most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow. The main objective of this study is to measure the contributions of different components of runoff in Upper Indus basin. To achieve this goal, the Modified positive degree day model (MPDDM) was used to simulate the runoff and investigate its components in two catchments of Upper Indus basin, Hunza and Gilgit River basins. These two catchments were selected because of their different glacier coverage, contrasting area distribution at high altitudes and significant impact on the Upper Indus River flow. The components of runoff like snow-ice melt and rainfall-base flow were identified by the model. The simulation results show that the MPDDM shows a good agreement between observed and modeled runoff of these two catchments and the effects of snow and ice are mainly reliant on the catchment characteristics and the glaciated area. For Gilgit River basin, the largest contributor to runoff is rain-base flow, whereas large contribution of snow-ice melt observed in Hunza River basin due to its large fraction of glaciated area. This research will not only contribute to the better understanding of the impacts of climate change on the hydrological response in the Upper Indus, but will also provide guidance for the development of hydropower potential and water resources assessment in these catchments.


Although opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common drugs used in persistent pain treatment; they have shown many side effects. The development of new analgesics endowed with mu opioid receptor/delta opioid receptor (MOR/DOR) activity represents a promising alternative to MOR-selective compounds. Moreover, new mechanisms, such as sigma-1 receptor (σ1R) antagonism, could be an opioid adjuvant strategy. The in vitro σ1R and σ2R profiles of previous synthesized MOR/DOR agonists (−)-2R/S-LP2 (1), (−)-2R-LP2 (2), and (−)-2S-LP2 (3) were assayed. To investigate the pivotal role of N-normetazocine stereochemistry, we also synthesized the (+)-2R/S-LP2 (7), (+)-2R-LP2 (8), and (+)-2S-LP2 (9) compounds. (−)-2R/S-LP2 (1), (−)-2R-LP2 (2), and (−)-2S-LP2 (3) compounds have Ki values for σ1R ranging between 112.72 and 182.81 nM, showing a multitarget opioid/σ1R profile. Instead, (+)-2R/S-LP2 (7), (+)-2R-LP2 (8), and (+)-2S-LP2 (9) isomers displayed a nanomolar affinity for σ1R, with significative selectivity vs. σ2R and opioid receptors. All isomers were evaluated using an in vivo formalin test. (−)-2S-LP2, at 0.7 mg/kg i.p., showed a significative and naloxone-reversed analgesic effect. The σ1R selective compound (+)-2R/S-LP2 (7), at 5.0 mg/kg i.p., decreased the second phase of the formalin test, showing an antagonist σ1R profile. The multitarget or single target profile of assayed N-normetazocine derivatives could represent a promising pharmacological strategy to enhance opioid potency and/or increase the safety margin.


TiO2 thin film containing SrFe12O19 powders on the surface of 316L stainless steel and NiTi alloy was prepared through sol-gel method and micro-magnetic field was established by the magnetization process applied on the coating. The coating film was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the surface morphology of the coating was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). This blood compatibility thin film was evaluated by dynamic cruor time of blood test.The results show that dynamic cruor time of blood is prolonged by the micro-magnetic field of the thin film, indicating improved blood compatibility.


The earliest medical schools were established to supplement apprenticeship, the only route to practice available in colonial Canada. By 1885, eight medical schools were trying to accommodate the volume of new scientific information flowing from Europe. In 1910, when Flexner evaluated the schools against the Johns Hopkins model, some were woefully deficient, but by 1928 all had achieved Class A rating. The 1921 discovery of insulin in Toronto gave impetus to scientific research and, possibly, influenced the formation and funding of the National Research Council in 1934. Clinical specialization expanded, leading in 1929 to the establishment of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to accredit training and certify graduates. The Association of Canadian Medical Colleges was formed at a meeting of deans to discuss a federal offer of funding and to accelerate the graduation of physicians for the war effort.


Modern data sets in many applications no longer comprise samples of real vectors in a real vector space but samples of much more complex structures which may be represented as points in a space with certain underlying geometric structure, namely a manifold. Manifold learning is an emerging field for learning the underlying structure. The study of manifold learning can be split into two main branches, namely dimension reduction and manifold fitting. With the aim of interacting statistics and geometry, we tackle the problem of manifold fitting in the ambient space. Inspired by the relation between the eigenvalues of the Laplace-Beltrami operator and the geometry of a manifold, we aim to find a small set of points that preserve the geometry of the underlying manifold. Based on this relationship, we extend the idea of subsampling to noisy datasets in high dimensional space and utilize the Moving Least Squares (MLS) approach to approximate the underlying manifold. We analyze the two core steps in our proposed method theoretically and also provide the bounds for the MLS approach. Our simulation results and real data analysis demonstrate the superiority of our method in estimating the underlying manifold from noisy data.


Purpose. This study predicts medical care expenditures over 10 years for Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) under alternative health risk factor scenarios for the UPRR workforce. Design. This paper describes the development of an economic forecasting model to predict medical care expenditures assuming four different scenarios of population risk. The variables used to predict medical care expenditures are employee demographics and health risk profiles. Setting. UPRR is a transportation company with more than 56,000 employees in 25 states west and south of the Mississippi River. Subjects. Employees of UPRR. Measures. Intermediate outcomes included health risk measures related to exercise patterns, body weight, eating habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, total cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, stress, and depression. Major outcome measures included projected total annual payments by UPRR for medical care services for the decade following 1998. Results. The UPRR work force is projected to grow by 500 employees per year over the 10-year study period. The average age is expected to increase from 44 to 48 years. Without further health promotion intervention, 7 of the 11 risk factors assessed would likely worsen among UPRR's workforce. Medical care cost increases are projected to range from $22.2 million to $99.6 million in constant 1998 dollars over the next decade, depending on the effectiveness of risk factor modification programs. With an expected health promotion budget averaging $1.9 million annually over 10 years, health risks must decline at least 0.09 % per year for the program to pay for itself. Conclusions. Estimating various risk and cost scenarios can facilitate program planning and produce an economic justification for worksite health programs.


Extraction of high-quality DNA from field specimen requires collection under liquid nitrogen which is not readily available in resource constrained laboratories in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A method of extracting DNA from silica gel preserved common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) leaves is presented. Our method which does not involve the use of phenol, chloroform or isoamyl alcohol also obviates the need for low temperature incubation during the DNA extraction steps and the grinding of desiccated leaf tissue in liquid nitrogen. It relies on inactivating proteins using SDS and proteinase K and precipitation of polysaccharides using a high salt solution. DNA is further purified by exploiting its insolubility in aqueous media. We were able to extract high quality pure DNA (mean concentration 2.98 ± 0.84 μg/g of leaf tissue) with mean A260/280 of 2.1 ± 0.1 and A260/230 of 2.4 ± 0.15. The DNA was also found to be amenable to amplification using molecular marker types routinely used in molecular biology laboratories like random amplified polymorphic (RAPD) markers, inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers, sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Our findings show that it is possible to obtain high quality DNA from leaf tissue preserved in silica gel. Our method will be invaluable to resource constrained laboratories especially in LMICs that cannot afford to buy or access liquid nitrogen in order to extract high quality DNA and to research groups undertaking field surveys that require several days or weeks off station without laboratory freezers to maintain the integrity of the tissues which is crucial for obtaining high quality DNA.


Aiming at providing a theoretical basis for the 1000-MW giant fully air-cooled hydrogenerator, which is being studied and developed currently, this paper established a coupling calculation model of 3-D fluid and temperature field based on the actual structure and size of a 250-MW fully air-cooled fanless hydrogenerator. Fluid dynamics control equations, and corresponding boundary conditions in the solved region were given. The additional losses from electromagnetic field calculation were applied to the coupling model as heat sources. Using a computational fluid dynamics approach, the flow distribution of cooling air and the temperature distribution of rotor structures were obtained. It focused on the axial and radial variation rules of the flow condition of cooling air between adjacent poles. Meanwhile, it conducted a detailed research study on the variation rule of the heat-transfer coefficients of pole shoes and damping bars. Temperature calculated value of exciting windings was coincident well with the measured value. The calculated error between the two values meets the engineering requirement, thus verifying both applicability and accuracy of the solution method this paper presents.


We examine the use of high frequency features in high resolution images to increase texture classification accuracy when used in combination with lower frequency features. We used Gabor features derived from sections of 4032 2688 images. A neural network classifier was used to determine the classification performance of lower and high frequency features when used separately and then in combination. Feature shuffling and Principal Component Analysis was applied to determine both the role of each feature in the classification and to extract a smaller reduced feature set involving both lower and high frequency features.


We investigated biquadratic exchange coupling strength in sputtered uniaxial antiferromagnetic Co/Ru/Co trilayers, which can be tuned by applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the sample surface during deposition. The perpendicular field induces a columnar grain structure that results in a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for single Co layers. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is detected by combined magnetization and Brillouin light scattering measurements. In trilayers, increasing the perpendicular field during deposition results in a monotonic increase of the biquadratic exchange coupling strength, so these samples provide an experimental realization of the effect of variable biquadratic coupling strength on magnetic hysteresis behavior. The hard-axis remanence is a direct measure of biquadratic exchange coupling strength, which we demonstrated both by experiment and by a Stoner-Wohlfarth model that includes the relevant magnetic parameters.


The suggestion by Fersht [(1974) Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. B 187, 397-407] that enzymes that provide maximal rates of catalysis should be characterized by values of Ks, the dissociation constant of the enzyme-substrate complex, greater than 10 times the value of the ambient substrate concentration has been examined. 2. For such enzymes, Ks is not relevant, and attention is best focused on the relative numerical values of k(cat). (in units of s(-1) and the substrate molarity. It is necessary only that the former be about 10(10)-10(11) times the latter to ensure that the rate of product formation be diffusion-limited and thus maximal.


PURPOSE To detect the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced gastric precancerous lesions leading to cancer formation, and to evaluate the possibility of non-invasive screening of dyspeptic patients to identify those having high risk of gastric cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS 178 consecutive H. pylori-positive dyspeptic patients after assessment of serum pepsinogen-1 (PG-1) and gastrin-17 (G-17) levels by enzyme immunoassay were examined with endoscopy and histology. The serologic and morphologic results were compared with estimating the sensitivity, specificity and prognostic values of the tests. RESULTS There was statistically significant reverse dependence between the presence and severity of stomach mucosal atrophy (in antrum or corpus) and the proper serologic markers of stomach functional activity (G-17 or PG-1). On the other hand, the presence and the degree of intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and gastric cancer did not correspond to the serum levels of G-17 or PG-1. The serologic method was quite sensitive in the diagnosis of non-atrophic and severe antral and corpus gastritis. Also, it was characterized by the high positive and negative prognostic values. Additionally, we have established the obvious advantage of the chromoendoscopy method in the diagnosis of intestinal metaplasia in the stomach epithelium. CONCLUSIONS The assays of serum G-17 and PG-1 levels can be offered as the screening tool for atrophic gastritis. The positive serologic results require further chromoendoscopic examination with mucosal biopsy to disclose the probable progression of atrophic process with development of intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia or gastric cancer.


Plants bearing extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) often have traits typical of pioneer species, and may be expected to proliferate in disturbed habitats. However, a negative effect of disturbance on visitation by attendant ants could prevent EFN‐bearing plants from acting as disturbance winners. Here, we address the effects of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on the abundance of EFN‐bearing plants and their interactions with attendant ants in Caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil. We recorded the abundance of EFN‐bearing plants, proportion of plants visited by ants and composition of ant attendant species at 24 sites varying in levels of disturbance. EFN‐bearing plants as a whole did not behave as a disturbance winner group. The responses of the 13 species to increasing disturbance were highly variable, with three species declining in abundance (loser species). The richness of ant species attending EFNs did not vary with disturbance, but species composition did. The overall proportion of EFN‐bearing plants attended by ants per 5‐min period was not affected by disturbance. However, for the three loser species, attendance decreased from about 50 percent with low and moderate disturbance to half that with very high disturbance. We hypothesize that disturbed sites are more stressful for loser species compared with other EFN‐bearing plants, with physiological stress resulting in lower production of EFN secretions and reduced attraction of ants. This would make such species double losers, with physiological stress at disturbed sites not only directly influencing their performance but also indirectly affecting it through the disruption of a key mutualism.


This paper applies the stereotype change theory to help bridge a major literature gap on co-branding partner selection: why both identical and highly different brand pairs often fail. We argue that, given that a primary goal of establishing a co-branding alliance is to positively revise consumers' beliefs about important attributes of the allying brands, the case of no belief-revision can lead to a failure of the alliance. We show that both an identical and a highly incongruent partnership in terms of attribute-level difference can fail due to the lack of belief-revision. We report that a moderately incongruent brand pair is a promising decision on co-branding partner selection. In doing so, our research contributes to the explanation of why the two "extreme" types of co-branding alliances may fail from the perspective of consumer evaluation. For brand managers, we offer a normative guideline for co-branding partner selection.


Summary. Common salt fortified with ascorbic acid or iron compounds became discoloured on storage, the reaction being accelerated by heat and humidity. Soluble iron compounds such as FeSO4 caused discoloration more readily than insoluble compounds such as ferric orthophosphate (FePO4). Fortification with both ascorbic acid and iron led to more rapid discoloration than fortification with either alone. Colour developed more rapidly in coarse salt than in refined commercial salt, while chemical NaCk developed a faint discoloration only under very hot and humid conditions. Discoloration was inhibited if starch was mixed with the salt: coarse salt mixed with 2.5% starch, 1.25% ascorbic acid and 0.1% iron as FePOI retained an acceptable appearance during storage under subtropical conditions (Durban) for more than I yr. A double isotope red cell utilization method was employed to assess the absorption of iron from maize porridge and from a standard rice meal cooked with fortified salt. The absorption of both the intrinsic food iron and the iron in the fortified salt was increased threefold if the salt contained 50 mg ascorbic acid as well as FePO4. The amount of iron absorbed was similar whether the salt contained 50 mg ascorbic acid and 4 mg iron as FePO4 or 50 mg ascorbic acid and 4 mg iron as FeSO4. It was concluded that crude common salt could be fortified with 0.1% iron as FePO, and 1.25% ascorbic acid and stored under all but the most extreme tropical conditions, provided that 2.5% starch was added to prevent the development of discoloration, and that such fortification would significantly improve the iron nutrition in countries where the staple food is rice or maize.


1. Ethacrynic acid reduces renal vascular resistance of the isolated dog kidney. 2. Ethacrynic acid induced natriuresis can occur despite stabilization of renal blood flow, but augmentation of blood flow increases the natriuretic response. 3. Vasodilatation and natriuresis after ethacrynic acid administration occurred together in time and were not separable. The onset and peak natriuretic and vasodilator responses frequently coincided in time. 4. Ethacrynic acid induced vasodilatation could be inhibited by loss of body fluid. The rise in resistance could be avoided by adequate volume replacement and by prevention of volume depletion.


Abstract GPT-3 made the mainstream media headlines this year, generating far more interest than we'd normally expect of a technical advance in NLP. People are fascinated by its ability to produce apparently novel text that reads as if it was written by a human. But what kind of practical applications can we expect to see, and can they be trusted?


We consider sensor self-deployment problem, constructing FOCUSED coverage (F-coverage) around a Point of Interest (POI), with novel evaluation metric, coverage radius. We propose to deploy sensors in polygon layers over a locally computable equilateral triangle tessellation (TT) for optimal F-coverage formation, and introduce two types of deployment polygon, H-polygon and C-polygon. We propose two strictly localized solution algorithms, Greedy Advance (GA), and Greedy-Rotation-Greedy (GRG). The two algorithms drive sensors to move along the TT graph to surround POI. In GA, nodes greedily proceed as close to POI as they can; in GRG, when their greedy advance is blocked, nodes rotate around POI along locally computed H- or C-polygon to a vertex where greedy advance can resume. We prove that they both yield a connected network with maximized hole-free area coverage. To our knowledge, they are the first localized sensor self-deployment algorithms that provide such coverage guarantee. We further analyze their coverage radius property. Our study shows that GRG guarantees optimal or near optimal coverage radius. Through extensive simulation we as well evaluate their performance on convergence time, energy consumption, and node collision.


Civilian jailer (CJ) recruits may not complete fitness testing within their hiring process. As certain job tasks in custody/jail facilities can be physically demanding (e.g., inmate restraint), better health and fitness should help a recruit graduate from a CJ academy and be prepared for the occupation. This study investigated the health and fitness characteristics of CJ recruits entering academy training, detailed between-sex differences, and categorized recruits relative to population norms. Retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 89 CJ recruits (48 males, 41 females) across three academy classes from one law enforcement agency. The following were measured before academy: resting heart rate (RHR); blood pressure (BP); height, body mass, and body mass index (BMI); waist circumference; sit-and-reach; grip strength; 60-s pushups; and YMCA step test recovery heart rate (HR). Independent samples t-tests derived any between-sex differences. Recruit data were compared to categorical population norms. The results indicated that male recruits were taller, heavier, had greater grip strength, and completed more push-ups than female recruits (p < 0.001). Approximately 53% of recruits were overweight or obese according to BMI, ~63% had an RHR below average-to-very poor, and ~75% had elevated BP or hypertension. Most recruits had good-to-excellent flexibility (sit-and-reach; ~66%) and muscular endurance (push-ups; ~85%). However, ~70% of recruits had fair-to-poor grip strength, and ~79% had poor-to-very poor aerobic fitness measured by step test recovery HR. Aerobic conditioning and strength training should be a focus of CJ recruits during academy. Furthermore, better aerobic fitness should benefit job performance and lessen cardiovascular disease risk.


The present investigation is an attempt to study the Self-Concept and Psychological Well Being among the working mothers and home makers of children aged around 5 to 13 years, with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The sample consisted of 50 upper middle class mothers of children with ADHD, out of which 25 mothers were home-makers and the rest 25 mothers were working drawn from different organisations.  Their age ranged between 25 and 50, belonging to the Chennai city.  The Psychological Well Being Scale by Harold Dupy (1984) and Self-Concept scale by Mukta Rani Rastogi (1979) were assessed on the sample.  The obtained data was subjected to t test and results revealed that Working mothers have higher Positive Self Concept and less on Negative Self Concept than the Home makers and not much of a difference on their Psychological Well being.


Advice on courteousness and politeness in technical communication is in short supply, yet this is needed when developers communicate with other people. When discussing technical problems, aim to encourage rather than complain, focusing on technology issues rather than the people behind them. Every email should tackle one topic and that topic should be the subject line. Quote email discussions with care, taking into account differences in personality, language, and culture. Avoid wasting your colleagues' time by doing your homework before communicating with them. Take time to learn and adopt your organization's specific practices. When talking to higher-ups, be sincere, avoid technical jargon, and appreciate their priorities and constraints.


Background: Human resources for health (HRH) contribute to health system strengthening, universal health coverage, and improved health outcomes. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) play an important HRH role. An intervention was undertaken to improve HRH policies and management with a focus on the human element for wider impact on institutional and workforce capacity.  Methods: Using purposive sampling of health workers in Kenya's five regions, the evaluation included semi-structured interviews, workplace observations, and in-depth interviews. We examined perceptions of workplace status, situations, and processes before and after the intervention to assess changes over time.   Results: HRH managers perceived large improvements in their offices, recruitment, promotion, availability of job descriptions and manuals, and appropriate payment of salaries. Perception scores started as low as 3.5 and reached as high as 9.4, with average differences ranging from 2.8 to 5.4 points. Health workers confirmed these changes as manifested by improvements in the proportion acknowledging increases in incentives and safety regulations (27% to 63.6% and 66.7%, respectively) between the time periods. Clients also perceived progress, such as more courteous workers (from 80% to 96%).  Conclusions: CHAK's adoption and dissemination of standard HRH policies and procedures improved its institutional capacity, HRH culture, and management practices. The positive long-term effects of such changes on the workforce and service delivery require confirmation through further research. Â


The markets for organic products are emerging as an alternative to health conscious consumers in the world. On the other hand, different scholars and organisations have promoted models of sustainable agriculture to improve on the consumption of organic products. For example the "Save and Grow" model promoted by Food and Agriculture organisation (FAO). However, the purchase of organic vegetables among urban households, remains at minimum levels. Moreover, few studies have attempted to evaluate the factors that affect perception of sustainable agriculture models for organic vegetables among urban households. Furthermore, the specific impact of perception of "Save and Grow" model on the WTP has not been widely evaluated by researchers. Therefore, we evaluated the determinants of adopting "Save and Grow model" for organic vegetables among consumers in Nairobi. Secondly, we also assessed the impact of "Save and Grow" on WTP for organic vegetables among consumers in Nairobi. The survey collected data from 308 consumers in Nairobi, Kenya. We selected the consumers based on a systematic random sampling approach. This involved sampling every 5th consumer at the exit of the retail outlets. We used a pretested questionnaire to collect data at exit points of the main organic outlets in Nairobi.The questionnaire contained questions on the consumers' socioeconomic characteristics. Moreover, the consumers were asked about there willingness to pay for organic vegetables. Subsequently, we analysed the data using a propensity score matching. The results suggest a significant relationship between perception of "Save and Grow model" and the following socioeconomic characteristics: health, gender, employment status, education level,price and labeling. Moreover, the "Save and Grow" had a significant impact on WTP for organic vegetables among consumers. We concluded that sustainable agriculture intervention is an avenue for transitioning from conventional to organic products. Marketers of organic products can focus on this avenue in promotion of their products in the urban markets. Policy should focus on up-scaling the "Grow and Save"model which may accelerate on embracing of organic products in the urban centres.


Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a common, dominantly inherited, muscle disease with a distinctive clinical presentation and a wide spectrum of disease severity. In greater than 95% of individuals with FSHD, the genetic defect is a loss of a critical number of D4Z4 macrosatellite repeats on chromosome 4q35. However, D4Z4 contractions are only pathogenic on specific, permissive chromosomal backgrounds. Recent evidence demonstrates that this permissive background facilitates the stable transcription of DUX4, a retrogene sequence within D4Z4 that codes for a double homeodomain protein of unknown function. These findings implicate DUX4 in the pathophysiology of FSHD and for the first time, offer a target for therapeutic development in FSHD.

Key Concepts:

Epigenetic modifications can lead to gene derepression.

FSHD results from reactivation of a retrogene.

Keywords:

FSHD;
facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy;
muscular dystrophy;
chromosome 4;
myostatin;
DUX4


Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in both history and stardom within Popular Music Studies. Yet one of the major sites for the production of commercial popular muisc since the 1960s – the UK – still lacks a comprehensive social history of its contribution to this artform. In particular the history of early UK rock and roll and its attendant stardom has been somewhat neglected. This article uses Richard Peterson's production of culture thesis as a means by which to explore both early UK rock and roll stardom and the thesis itself.


DC-DC-converters are used in many different applications. Specifying the switching frequency is the most important parameter to calculate component costs and required space. Especially automotive applications of small brushed- or brushless dc-motors and the increasing number of DC-DC-converters have high requirements on the structual space (low box volume). This is of particular importance for automotive converters for the new 48 V board net. Multiplying the frequency by two will reduce the size of the power inductor by half at a given specification for output-voltage ripple. Smaller power inductors result in reduced losses due to smaller series resistance and parasitic capacitance. Furthermore a larger switching frequency decreases the size of the DC link capacitors. The circuit will get more idealized. However, as the switching losses increase with frequency, a DC-DC-converter can only benefit from these advantages if the switching behavior can be improved. This paper presents an optimization method to increase switching slope and switching frequency of a 3.6 kW 3-phase step-up converter by separating the design and layout process into two parts. The first part is the power stage which carries the load current. It contains the power inductance and the drain-source-channel of the power MOSFETs. The second part is the driver circuit which contains the driver ICs, the gate resistor and the gate input impedance. While the switching slope was measured to be improved by 50 % , the switching time decreased by 20 %. Hence, the switching frequency of the step-up converter could be increased from 100 kHz to 200 kHz without loss increase. By mounting the driver ICs in a piggyback configuration in close proximity to the power stage, the parasitics could be further reduced significantly and 500 kHz switching frequency could be achieved with 97.5 % efficiency.


OBJECTIVES: To explore the roles of household language, foreign-born status, and citizenship on disparities in dental care, and oral health status among Asians in the U.S.
METHODS: Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018, the author applied weighted nested logistic regression to describe the effects of household language, foreign-born status, and citizenship on dentist visits and self-rated oral health. Weighted negative binomial regression was used to explore the effects of immigrant status on the number of missing teeth. Socioeconomic status and demographic characteristics were controlled for.
RESULTS: Asians who do not speak English at home present 1.428 times higher likelihood of irregular dentist visits, and 1.487 times higher self-rated fair/poor oral health. Respondents with no citizenship are more likely (OR=1.752) to present irregular dentist visits. Foreign-born Asians present more missing teeth (OR=1.361) than their U.S.-born counterparts.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that Asians are often regarded as "model minorities" and/or "successful immigrants", those with lower immigrant statuses illustrated higher risk for irregular dentist visits and disadvantaged oral health status.


One of the highly important cares in intensive care units (ICUs) for keeping the airway and improving ventilation and oxygenation is suctioning. This must be done in a way so that, it can have the fewest effects or complications for the patient, in addition to the mentioned advantages. The goal of the present study is comparison of the two standard and routine suctioning methods on vital signs and arterial blood oxygen saturation and sedation level of the patients hospitalized in ICUs. The present quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2012 on 80 patients under mechanical ventilation hospitalized in ICUs of Zahedan City. The patients were selected purposively and were randomly divided into two groups. In the first group, suctioning was done with the standard method recommended by American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and in the second group, it was conducted based on routine nursing cares. The data was collected by means of Richmond scale and bedside patient monitoring, before and in the minutes 1, 5, 10, 15 after suctioning. The results showed that suctioning, in the routine method used, leads to more agitation among the patients and this agitation continued until the minute 10 after suctioning and there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in minutes 1 and 5 (p=0.000, p=0.000). The vital signs in both groups had increased after suctioning and these changes were more in the second group but in most of the times there was no significant difference between the two groups. Also, the level of arterial blood oxygen saturation after suctioning had increased in both groups but in group 1 these changes were more and in the minutes 5, 10, 15 after suctioning there was a higher significant difference than before suctioning (p=0.001 A˜ÂŒp=0.000 A˜ÂŒp=0.000); yet in the second group no significant difference was observed in any one of the times (p>0.05). The results of the present study showed that suctioning in the standard method brings about less agitation for the patients. It brings about fewer changes in vital signs and also leads to the increase of arterial blood oxygen saturation. Thus, it should be contained in the work program of the nurses with adequate training.


The stomach of the rhesus monkey empties liquids in a fashion that varies with the character of the solutions. Physiological saline empties exponentially. Glucose solutions empty biphasically--rapidly for the first minutes, then slowly and proportionately to glucose concentration to deliver glucose calories through the pylorus at a regulated rate (0.4 kcal/min). This prolonged and regulated second phase of gastric emptying depends on intestinal inhibition of the stomach. Cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone released by food in the intestine, is an inhibitor of gastric emptying. In vitro receptor autoradiography demonstrates CCK receptors to be clustered on the circular muscle of the pylorus. Exogenous CCK, in doses that inhibit gastric emptying, will reduce food intake only if combined with an infusion of saline in the stomach. These observations indicate how gastric distension can be a means for provoking satiety. The variably sustained distension produced by the stomach's slow, calorically regulated emptying could prolong intermeal intervals and thus permit high-calorie meals to inhibit further caloric intake over time. CCK, by directly inhibiting gastric emptying during a meal, could promote gastric distension and so restrict the duration and size of individual meals.


Chronic diarrhea is a very common disease which affects the quality of life of our patients. It is one of the major diseases for which patients are referred to gastrointestinal clinics. Irritable bowel syndrome, infectious diarrhea and abdominal tuberculosis due to unhygienic conditions in our part of the world and inflammatory bowel disease are the major causes of chronic diarrhea in young patients. We are reporting a young female patient who presented with chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and bleeding per rectum mimicking ulcerative colitis for last many months but on colonoscopy examination an impacted foreign body was found in the sigmoid colon which was the culprit. Surgical retrieval of the foreign body resolved the symptoms.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of interpersonal synchronization of stepping on stride interval dynamics during over-ground walking. Twenty-seven footswitch instrumented subjects walked under three conditions: independent (SOLO), alongside a partner (PAIRED), and side by side with intentional synchronization (FORCED). A subset of subjects also synchronized stepping to a metronome (MET). Stride time power spectral density and detrended fluctuation analysis revealed that the rate of autocorrelation decay in stride time was similar for both the SOLO and PAIRED conditions, but was significantly reduced during the FORCED and MET conditions (p=0.03 & 0.002). Stride time variability was also significantly increased for the FORCED and MET conditions (p<0.001). These data suggest that forced synchronization of stepping results in altered stride interval dynamics, likely through increased active control by the CNS. Passive side by side stepping, where synchronization is subconscious, does not appreciably alter stepping in this manner.


Within the standard IEEE C37.118 applications and proposed hardware structure of a phasor measurement unit (PMU) are described. This paper presents the concept of the system for measuring and transferring synchrophasors from a theoretical aspect. Synchrophasor algorithms are developed in MATLAB/Simulink for the purpose of easier verification and hardware deployment on today's market available and affordable real time development kits. Analysis of the synchrophasor measurement process is performed gradually. Firstly, by defining the synchrophasor based on three-phase to αβ-transformation and then introducing a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) based on synchrophasor estimation algorithm. Later, accompanying adverse effects resulting from its application are analyzed by means of simulation. To increase accuracy and improve estimation algorithm interpolated discrete Fourier transform (IpDFT) with and without windowing technique is used. To further optimize algorithm performance convolution sum in recursive form has been implemented instead of classical DFT approach. This study was carried out in order to validate described measurement system for the monitoring of transients during island operation of a local power electric system. Finally, simulation and experimental results including error analysis are also presented.


In this paper, we present a theoretical model that, implementing the pioneering work of Burda (1995), based on the Real Option Theory, investigates the roots of the migration dynamics. In the model the decision to migrate of each individual depends not only on the wage differential, but also on a U-shaped benefit function of a community of homogeneous ethnic individuals, modelled according to the "theory of clubs". The theoretical results are able to give an explanation to the observable "jumps" in the migration flows and to describe how the trigger for entry can change depending on the dimension of the district. The analysis of the results also sheds light on the dynamics of the districts' development: some possible rigidities in the adjustment of the district dimension, as regards the optimal levels, could magnify the hysteresis process.


Background: Compelling evidence indicates that central nervous insulin enhances learning and memory and in particular benefits hippocampus-dependent (i.e., declarative) memory. Intranasal administration of insulin provides an effective way of delivering the compound to the central nervous system, bypassing the blood-brain barrier and avoiding systemic side effects. Methods: Here we review a series of recent studies on the effects of intranasally administered insulin on memory functions in humans. In accordance with the beneficial effects of intravenously administered insulin on hippocampus-dependent declarative memory observed in hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies, intranasal insulin administration similarly improves this type of memory, but in the absence of adverse peripheral side effects. Result andConclusion: Considering that cerebrospinal fluid insulin levels are reduced in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, these results may be of considerable relevance for future clinical applications of insulin in the treatment of memory disorders.


developed abdominal pain. Two days later he passed a melaena stool and was admitted to hospital. On admission his haemoglobin level had fallen to 8 5 g'dl and his prothrombin time was greater than 3 min. Extensive generalised haemorrhage into the tissues was revealed by the later appearance of Cullen's sign and bruising on the legs. Despite blood transfusion and correction of the prothrombin time with vitamin K he survived the haemorrhage only to succumb to intractable cardiac failure three weeks later. Permission for postmortem examination was not obtained.


This Hydrokinetic energy system is the process of extracting energy from rivers, canals and others sources to generate small scale electrical energy for decentralized usage. This study investigates the application of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in Geographical Information System (GIS) environment to evaluate the theoretical hydrokinetic energy potentials of selected Rivers (Asa, Awun and Oyun) all in Asa watershed, Kwara state, Nigeria. SWAT was interfaced with an open source GIS system to predict the flow and other hydrological parameters of the sub-basins. The model was calibrated and validated using observed stream flow data. Calibrated flow results were used in conjunction with other parameters to compute the theoretical hydrokinetic energy potentials of the Rivers. Results showed a good correlation between the observed flow and the simulated flow, indicated by ash Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) and R2 of 0.76 and 0.85, respectively for calibration period, and NSE and R2 of 0.70 and 0.74, respectively for the validation period. Also, it was observed that highest potential of 154.82 MW was obtained along River Awun while the lowest potential of 41.63 MW was obtained along River Asa. The energy potentials obtained could be harnessed and deployed to the communities around the watershed for their energy needs.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is thought to be the most common neurodegenerative disease with movement disorder. The key motor symptoms are rigidity, tremor, akinesis/hypokinesia/bradykinesia, and postural instability. However, in our day-to-day clinical practice we tend to see several other symptoms which may be motor or non-motor. Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are quite common and debilitating. The pathological hallmarks of PD are loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNPc) and accumulation of unfolded or misfolded alpha-synuclein. Diagnosis of PD is difficult in the pre-motor stage. Late diagnosis renders a substantial loss of dopaminergic neurons in SNPc and spread of disease in other parts of the brain. This may manifest as either full blown symptoms requiring multiple medications or may even lead to life threatening condition due to lack of early diagnostic tools and techniques. Biomarkers are required to diagnose PD at a very early stage when prevention is possible. Hence, we see a lot of interest among researchers involved in finding a biomarker specific to the disease. Biomarkers may be clinical, image based, genetic, and biochemical. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum markers which may correlate with disease pathophysiology are of great significance. One such molecule which recently gained a lot of attention is neuron-specific enolase (NSE). The main aim of this paper is to highlight the role of NSE in predicting neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation ultimately reflecting damage of brain cells in PD.


1. The concentration of glucose 1,6-bisphosphate, a potent regulator of muscle glucose metabolism, was examined in embryonic muscle cells in culture. 2. The concentration in fused myotubes was twice that in unfused myoblasts. 3. The effect of various hormones and agonists on the glucose 1,6-bisphosphate concentration in both pre- and post-fusion muscle cells was examined. In pre-fusion cells no effect of adrenaline or cyclic AMP was observed, but stimulation by vasopressin, adrenaline + propranolol, ionophore A23187 and dibutyryl cyclic GMP significantly decreased glucose 1,6-bisphosphate. In post-fusion cells similar effects were observed, except that stimulation by adrenaline and by dibutyryl cyclic AMP significantly increased metabolite concentration. 4. All effects increased with time (over a 1 h period), except for that of vasopressin, which was transient. 5. The changes in glucose 1,6-bisphosphate concentration were accompanied by changes in the fructose 1,6-bisphosphate/fructose 6-phosphate ratio, implying an effect on phosphofructokinase activity.


Rotation invariant multiview face detection (MVFD) aims to detect faces with arbitrary rotation-in-plane (RIP) and rotation-off-plane (ROP) angles in still images or video sequences. MVFD is crucial as the first step in automatic face processing for general applications since face images are seldom upright and frontal unless they are taken cooperatively. In this paper, we propose a series of innovative methods to construct a high-performance rotation invariant multiview face detector, including the width-first-search (WFS) tree detector structure, the vector boosting algorithm for learning vector-output strong classifiers, the domain-partition-based weak learning method, the sparse feature in granular space, and the heuristic search for sparse feature selection. As a result of that, our multiview face detector achieves low computational complexity, broad detection scope, and high detection accuracy on both standard testing sets and real-life images


In this study, combined method using pre and post oral proficiency tests, observation, and focus group interviews were used to examine the effectiveness of using flipped classroom model on English speaking performance. The study population consists of 27 undergraduate students who were attending the course of Advanced Communication Skills, in the academic year of 2018. A purposeful sampling technique, specifically quasi-experimental procedure was employed in this study. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data showed that the application of FCM was an effective approach in the EFL speaking classroom. The results of paired-sample t-test indicated that there was a significant difference between pre and post oral proficiency tests t (26) = -14.83, p<0.001. Moreover, it was found that students' involvement and willingness to participate in the English conversational tasks and their level of commitment and English speaking performance have increased gradually. In light of the findings, the study recommended encouraging teachers to employ modern technologies in their teaching strategies, particularly FCM.


This paper presents the design of an energy management programmable logic controller (PLC) control program for a solar powered ultra-capacitor and battery powered streetlight system. A PLC is used to control the flow of energy between an ultra-capacitor bank and a deep-cycle battery bank for a solar powered streetlight system. The purposes are to increase the efficiency of the complete solar powered system and to prolong the lifetime of the battery bank, since deep-cycle batteries normally used in solar electrical systems, generally have low efficiencies, have a limited amount of charging and discharging cycles, have long charging times and are temperature sensitive. The designed operational diagram as well as a functional block diagram of PLC control program is presented. The results of five different scenarios pertaining to the functionality and use of the energy between the ultra-capacitor bank and deep-cycle battery bank are presented in this paper.


Data augmentation is a key element of deep learning pipelines, as it informs the network during training about transformations of the input data that keep the label unchanged. Manually finding adequate augmentation methods and parameters for a given pipeline is however rapidly cumbersome. In particular, while intuition can guide this decision for images, the design and choice of augmentation policies remains unclear for more complex types of data, such as neuroscience signals. Besides, class-dependent augmentation strategies have been surprisingly unexplored in the literature, although it is quite intuitive: changing the color of a car image does not change the object class to be predicted, but doing the same to the picture of an orange does. This paper investigates gradient-based automatic data augmentation algorithms amenable to class-wise policies with exponentially larger search spaces. Motivated by supervised learning applications using EEG signals for which good augmentation policies are mostly unknown, we propose a new differentiable relaxation of the problem. In the class-agnostic setting, results show that our new relaxation leads to optimal performance with faster training than competing gradient-based methods, while also outperforming gradient-free methods in the class-wise setting. This work proposes also novel differentiable augmentation operations relevant for sleep stage classification.


Poor classification trends of Hispanic individuals have been shown when using the statistical software Fordisc 3.1 (FD3), which is commonly used by practitioners to estimate ancestry for unidentified skeletal cases (Jantz & Ousley 2005; Ousley & Jantz 2012). Similarities in craniometric dimensions were identified between Asian and Hispanic groups when performing discriminant function and canonical variate analysis using FD3 (Dudzik & Jantz 2016; Jantz & Ousley 2005). Hispanic cases were shown to often classify as Asian and showed a particularly close relationship with Japanese individuals, as illustrated by small Mahalanobis distances. This study further explores these misclassification trend findings by comparing craniometric analyses with geometric morphometric approaches to better identify morphological overlap between Asian and Hispanic populations. Geometric morphometric analyses have become increasingly useful for studies of cranial shape, and inter-landmark distances have been shown to more accurately estimate population affinity than standard cranial measurements (Spradley & Jantz 2016). Based on this evidence, a more detailed analysis of the morphological similarities between Asian and Hispanic craniometrics is warranted using geometric morphometric approaches. Data sets used include coordinate data of a subset of the Hispanic sample included in FD3 as well as individuals from Japan, Thailand, Korea, and China. Results show that variation among samples can be better identified to describe which dimensions of the cranium exhibit the most overlap across populations. Specifically, comparisons between the Asian and Hispanic data showed that the position of landmarks mainly representing dimensions of the neurocranium are useful for accurately predicting group membership.


Advanced Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are remarkable in generating in- telligible audio from a random latent vector. In this paper, we examine the task of recovering the latent vector of both synthesized and real audio. We propose an auto- encoder inspired technique to train a deep residual neural network architecture to project audio synthesized by WaveGAN into the corresponding latent space with near identical reconstruction performance. To accommodate for the lack of an original latent vector for real audio, we optimize the residual network on a multi-level feature loss between the real audio samples and the reconstructed audio of the predicted latent vectors. In the case of synthesized audio, the Mean Squared Error (MSE) between the ground truth and recovered latent vector is minimized as well. We further investigated the audio reconstruction performance when several gradient optimization steps are applied to the predicted latent vector. Through our auto-encoder inspired method of training on real and synthesized audio, we are able to predict a latent vector that corresponds to a reasonable reconstruction of real audio. After training, we investigated the latent representations of real and synthesized audio files. Our analysis revealed distinct latent representational patterns for real and synthesized audio which can be used for deepfake audio detection. Even though we evaluated our method on WaveGAN, our proposed method is universal and can be applied to any other GANs.


Abstract The NOS3-786 T/C polymorphism (rs2070744) is a candidate to explain individual variations in sports related phenotypes. We determined the genotype and allele frequency of NOS3-786 T/C in a group of 60 male professional elite soccer players. Their results were compared with those of 100 world-class endurance athletes, 53 elite power athletes, and 100 sedentary, healthy men (controls) of the same Caucasian (Spanish) origin. There were significant differences in genotype frequencies between soccer players, controls, endurance and power elite athletes (all P≤0.02). These results were confirmed when we analysed allelic frequencies (all P<0.01). The likelihood of having the C allele was higher in soccer players compared with (i) controls [odds ratio (OR), 2.165, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.362–3.441], (ii) endurance athletes (OR: 1.879, 95%CI: 1.184–2.984), and (iii) power athletes (OR: 4.032, 95%CI: 2.307–7.047). In conclusion, the -786C allele is associated with the status of being an elite soccer player, compared with non-athletic controls and also with elite endurance and power athletes. More research is needed in other groups of elite soccer players in order to replicate the results of the present study.


Properties of forest floor humus are attributable to both mineral soil properties and vegetation covering the soil. Some tree species proved their ability to produce litter-fall rich in nutrients. This is particularly important on mountain naturally acidic sites that experienced air-pollution load in 1980s. Our study was conducted on such a site in the Jizera Mts., Czech Republic. There were sampled both forest floor and soil under European beech canopy (transect point B00), 10 m from beech crown's margin (B10) and under spruce canopy situated 20 m from beeches (B20). Forest floor samples were taken using a metal frame 25 cm × 25 cm in order to quantify particular layers. Results showed a forest floor-improving effects of beech group on adjacent spruce stand (B10) such as increased pH, higher K, Ca, Mg and higher base saturation (V) compared to B20 with minimal influence of beech. This trend was not directly reflected in mineral topsoil (Ah) though some differences were also found there. Lower N, P and higher Mg were in B00 and B10. Therefore beech share is likely to influence P pool negatively in mountain forest soil. For more information see Summary at the end of the article. Klíčová slova: nadložní humus; půdní chemismus; meliorace půdy; buk; smrk


Cardiac involvement is a relatively common finding, occurring in up to 14% in cancer patients. However, cardiac extension through the pulmonary veins is a very infrequent finding in this population. Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung is a rare cancer, more likely found in male smokers. We present the case of a female nonsmoker with bilateral sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lungs, and left atrial extension through the pulmonary vein. Atrial fibrillation was one of the initial manifestations.


Bcl11b is a lineage-specific transcription factor expressed in various cell types and its expression is important for development of T cells, neurons and others. On the other hand, Bcl11b is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor and loss of a Bcl11b allele provides susceptibility to mouse thymic lymphoma and human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Although there are many transcription factors affecting both cell differentiation and cancer development, Bcl11b has several unique properties. This review describes phenotypes given by loss of Bcl11b and roles of Bcl11b in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, taking tissue development and lymphomagenesis into consideration.


22-Ketocholesterol binds with high affinity to purified, phospholipid vesicle-reconstituted cytochrome P-450scc. Binding, quantitated using reversal of cholesterol-induced absorbance changes in the Soret region of the enzyme, indicates an affinity 3-5 times greater than that for the normal substrate cholesterol. The ketosteroid cannot be hydroxylated at position 22 and thus acts as a potent inhibitor of cholesterol side-chain cleavage. Steady-state kinetics demonstrate competitive inhibition by this steroid and provide a KI value several-fold lower than the cholesterol Km. On the basis of recently proposed mechanisms for hydroxylation by cytochromes P-450, 22-ketocholesterol may exert its inhibitory effect by acting as a tightly bound analogue that resembles the enzyme-bound cholesterol from which a hydrogen has been abstracted from position 22.


OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the spectral analysis of the heart rate in normotensive subjects and in hypertensive patients with and without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), under basal conditions and after a reduction in left ventricular mass. SUBJECTS AND METHODS In 12 normotensive subjects and 22 hypertensive patients (14 with and eight without LVH), we performed 24 h electrocardiogram Holter monitoring, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and an echocardiographic study. Sequences of 512 R-R intervals, during daytime, afternoon and night-time periods, were taken for an evaluation of spectral analysis (Box-Jenkins method). We then calculated the absolute and percentage power spectral density of the peak centred at 0.10 Hz (low-frequency peak) and at 0.25 Hz (high-frequency peak). RESULTS At baseline, a daytime to night-time decrease in the low-frequency peak was detected in normotensives (P < 0.01) and in hypertensives without LVH (P < 0.01), while no change was observed in hypertensives with LVH. The power spectral density low-frequency peak during the daytime and night-time was significantly greater in hypertensives with LVH than in those without LVH (P < 0.001) and in normotensive subjects (P < 0.001). Fourteen of these patients with LVH were given effective long-term antihypertensive treatment and were studied again 20 days after the treatment had been withdrawn, when blood pressure had increased to pretreatment values. In eight patients showing a reduction in LVH, we found a significant decrease in the power spectral density low-frequency peak and an increase in the high-frequency peak during daytime and night-time in respect to basal conditions, and circadian variations in the spectral indices of heart rate variability were restored. In contrast, in six patients without reversal of LVH, the power spectral density low-frequency peak did not change in respect to basal conditions and remained significantly higher in comparison with the patients with LVH regression. CONCLUSION A reduction in LVH may be associated with restoration of daytime to night-time cardiac autonomic control, as evaluated by a power spectral analysis of the heart rate.


: Atrial fibrillation is an increasing health care problem and the incidence of this arrhythmia is expected to increase substantially in the next two decades. Atrial fibrillation can be seen in patients with structural heart disease as well as those who have a normal heart. A variety of underlying mechanisms can lead to atrial fibrillation, including parasympathetic stimulation causing vagal atrial fibrillation. Complications of atrial fibrillation include congestive heart failure and stroke. Atrial fibrillation is an independent risk factor for increased mortality. In recent years a number of new treatment options have emerged. Anticoagulation decreases the risk of stroke and new antiarrhythmic drugs have been developed which increase the likelihood of conversion to and subsequent maintenance of sinus rhythm. In addition there have been advances in the approach to electrical cardioversion. Radiofrequency ablation therapy is a promising option in the treatment of atrial fibrillation and could be increasingly utilized in the near future. This paper focuses on advances in the therapy of atrial fibrillation, including new pharmacological agents, radiofrequency ablation and electrical cardioversion.


In 1885 Marco Antonio Canini was the first teacher of Spanish at the 'Scuola Superiore di Commercio' of Venice. He was a very well-known Risorgimento politician and a polyglot who taught Spanish for six years until his death in 1891. Between 1891 and 1910 there was no possibility to study Spanish at 'Venice Business School', the first name originally given to Ca' Foscari University. Daniele Riccoboni taught Spanish for three years, long after Canini, even though he had no specialization in the Spanish language or literature. Antonio Ovio took over the courses of Spanish in 1914: Ovio was primarily a teacher of French (but also German) at two high schools in Padua. After Ovio's death in 1919, a Spanish sculptor, Francisco Broch y Llop was appointed as new lecturer. At first, he had come to Italy to get in touch with the Italian artistic milieu but later on he decided to become a teacher of Spanish at several Italian universities (Venice, Bologna and Florence). He was a contentious personality but he served as a teacher of Spanish for over than thirty years.


We studied a random sample of 436 subjects with TOS aged 18 to 60 years, to assess the prevalence of respiratory involvement four years after onset of the syndrome. Clinical evaluation together with chest roentgenograms, electrocardiogram and functional respiratory tests were carried out. Respiratory involvement occurred in 390 (89.4 percent) individuals and was the most common abnormality detected, followed by neurological disorders in 289 (66.3 percent), osteoarticular symptoms in 171 (39.2 percent), psychiatric disorders in 96 (22 percent), hepatic involvement in 91 (20.9 percent), and sclerodermatous sequelae in 89 (20.4 percent). Among patients with respiratory involvement, dyspnea and cough were the most common complaints. Decreased VC was observed in 151 (34.6 percent) patients and reduced transfer factor of CO in 95 (21.8 percent) patients. Airway obstruction and alveolar hypoventilation were observed only in nine (2.1 percent) patients. Six (1.4 percent) patients suffered from pulmonary artery hypertension.


CASE REPORT A 67-year-old heterosexual Chinese male presented with a one-year history of persistent multiple painful well-defined punched-out ulcers around the anus and in the perineum without involvement of anal mucosa (Fig. 1). There was no lymphoadenopathy on the groin. He had been treated as herpes simplex viral infection with topical and oral antiviral agents without improvement. In addition, he was known to have central diabetes insipidus for 14 years and received nasal desmopressin management. Cultures were obtained for viruses, fungi, and acid-fast bacilli, and all were negative. The results of complete blood cell count, differential count, chest and whole body bone X-ray, abdominal sonography, enhanced computed tomography of the brain with thin slice sections of the sella tursica were unremarkable. A biopsy specimen was obtained for histopathologic and electron microscopic analysis (Fig. 2 and 3).


Trichoderma/Hypocrea is a genus of soil-borne or wood-decaying fungi containing members important to mankind as producers of industrial enzymes and biocontrol agents against plant pathogens, but also as opportunistic pathogens of immunocompromised humans. Species identification, while essential in view of the controversial properties of taxa of this genus, has been problematic by traditional methods. Here we will present a critical survey of the various identification methods in use. In addition, we will present an update on the taxonomy and phylogeny of the 88 taxa (which occur as 14 holomorphs, 49 teleomorphs and 25 anamorphs in nature) of Trichoderma/Hypocrea that have been confirmed by a combination of morphological, physiological and genetic approaches.


Unless you are a major power, a nation's geography is one of the most important factors driving military posture and force structure. But the idea that Australia's strategic geography primarily determines the size and shape of its defence force is being discarded in favour of expeditionary forces designed to operate in a subordinate role to allies in distant theatres. As a result the nexus between strategic geography and force structure is now broken. Purchases of expensive military equipment are being made without any clear articulation of strategic necessity. This article argues the case for force structure planning based on the abiding nature of Australia's regional strategic geography, while providing an improved (albeit still limited) expeditionary ability to support our US ally. The consistent application of strategic geography should be an iron discipline for a country with Australia's modest sized defence force and limited resources.


Purpose The purpose of this study was to elicit patients' beliefs about taking their oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) as prescribed to inform the development of sound adherence-enhancing interventions. Methods A qualitative study was performed. Adults with type 2 diabetes who had been taking an OAD for >3 months were solicited to participate in one of six focus groups. Discussions were facilitated using a structured guide designed to gather beliefs related to important constructs of the theory of planned behavior. Four coders using this theory as the theoretical framework analyzed the videotaped discussions. Results Forty-five adults participated. The most frequently mentioned advantages for OAD-taking as prescribed were to avoid long-term complications and to control glycemia. Family members were perceived as positively influential. Carrying the OAD at all times, having the OAD in sight, and having a routine were important facilitating factors. Being away from home, not accepting the disease, and not having confidence in the physician's prescription were major barriers to OAD-taking. Conclusion This study elicited several beliefs regarding OAD-taking behavior. Awareness of these beliefs may help clinicians adjust their interventions in view of their patients' beliefs. Moreover, this knowledge is crucial to the planning, development, and evaluation of interventions that aim to improve medication adherence.


Background: Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) refers to a group of lysosomal storage diseases that causes abnormal metabolism of lipids. One of the genes that play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease is SMPD1. To date, more than hundred diseasecausing mutations have been identified in SMPD1 gene. Due to the large number of mutations in this gene, direct analysis of the mutations is costly and time-consuming. Therefore, indirect linkage analysis using polymorphic markers as an alternative method for molecular diagnosis of the mutations has been recommended. In the present study, allele frequency of rs1542705 genetic marker was analyzed in the Iranian population. The aim was to determine the polymorphic information content (PIC) and the possibility of its application in indirect diagnosing of NPD. Materials and Methods: After bioinformatics analysis of the SMPD1 gene region, rs1542705 marker was selected for genotyping in Isfahan population. In order to calculate the allele and genotype frequency of the marker, molecular tests were done on 113 DNA samples of unrelated healthy individuals by using ARMS-PCR technique. Finally, the information related to the genotype of the individuals was statistically analyzed using Powermarker and Genepop software. Results: The analyses showed that the studied population was in accordance with HardyWeinberg equilibrium. Allele frequency of rs1542705 marker for T and C alleles was 71.24% and 28.76%, respectively, and the heterozygosity of the marker was 43.36%. Also, polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.325. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that rs1542705 marker could be considered as an informative marker for molecular diagnosis of NiemannPick disease using linkage analysis in the studied population.


: This combination has been effectively treated with oral undevit, vitamin B15, Quater's mixture, elenium, and external 2% alcohol solution of salicylic acid, fukorcin, 10% streptocide liniment, lorinden C, ftorocort, cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen, electrocoagulation.


This paper presents a rigorous analytical model for analyzing the effects of local oscillator output imperfections such as phase/amplitude imbalances and phase noise on M -ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) transceiver performance. A closed-form expression of the error vector magnitude (EVM) and an analytic expression of the symbol error rate (SER) are derived considering a single-carrier linear transceiver link with additive white Gaussian noise channel. The proposed analytical model achieves a good agreement with the simulation results based on the Monte Carlo method. The proposed QAM imperfection analysis model provides an efficient means for system and circuit designers to analyze the wireless transceiver performance and specify the transceiver block specifications.


James R. Lawler's elegant introduction deals with Valery's concerns and his influence, and also with critical interpretations of his work. The volume begins with "The Evening with Monsieur Teste" (1896), from the famous "anti-novel" Monsieur Teste, for whose translation Jackson Mathews received the National Book Award in 1974. It includes such notable essays as the "Introduction to the Method of Leonardo da Vinci," "The Crisis of Mind," and "Poetry and Abstract Thought."The importance of Valery's prose poetry has only recently been recognized, and a selection is presented here. There are also ten of his best-known poems in verse, among them "La Jeune Parque" and "Le Cimetiere Marin," with the French texts facing the English translations by David Paul. The anthology closes with two dialogues, one dating from the twenties, the other from 1943; which demonstrate the play of ideas--the intellectual vigor and grace--that are characteristic of Valery's work as a whole."


The Aesthetics of Nostalgia TV explores the aesthetic politics of nostalgia for 1950s and 60s America on contemporary television. Specifically, it looks at how nostalgic TV production design shapes and is shaped by larger historical discourses on gender and technological change, and America's perceived decline as a global power. Alex Bevan argues that the aesthetics of nostalgic TV tell stories of their own about historical decline and progress, and the place of the baby boomer television suburb in American national memory. She contests theories on nostalgia that see it as stagnating, regressive, or a reversion to outdated gender and racial politics, and the technophobic longing for a bygone era; and, instead, argues nostalgia is an important form of historical memory and vehicle for negotiating periods of historical transition. The book addresses how and why the shows construct the boomer era as a placeholder for gender, racial, technological, and declensionist discourses of the present. The book uses Mad Men (AMC, 2007-2015), Ugly Betty (ABC, 2006-2010), Desperate Housewives (ABC, 2004-2012), and film remakes of 1950s and 60s family sitcoms as primary case studies.


Interest in talent identification and the development of professional footballers has markedly increased in the past decade. Research in football has primarily focused on individual development and external factors affecting performance. In other sports, research from a holistic and ecological approach has examined successful environments, suggesting that such environments are not only unique, but also share features. Using a single case study design and a holistic ecological approach, this study investigated the youth department of the Belgium elite club KRC Genk (the Jos Vaessen Talent Academy). Results suggest that this environment, in many regards, is consistent with the shared features found in other successful environments in other sports (such as support of sporting goals by the wider environment and support for long-term development). However, three features were also observed as unique. These were (a) cultural awareness, openness, and sharing of knowledge; (b) the club's ability to accommodate a broad diversity of players in the academy; and (c) an openness toward new ideas and learning on all levels of the organization. Collectively, our results indicate that Genk, in some respects, not only shares features with successful environments in other sports, but also bears unique features.


While based on research which began intensively in 1986 and which will extend over more than two years, this particular article is not a report on that research but an initial attempt to view the contemporary phenomenon of mizuko kuyd upon a wider socio-religious background in modern Japan. Briefly, this phenomenon represents emotional problems encountered by large numbers of Japanese women following an abortion experience, and ef forts by Buddhism and other reli^ous groups in Japan to respond to these problems. Once the field research has been completed,1 we shall be^n to for mulate in some detail our own understanding of the diverse ingredients within this phenomenon. The primary research is of several kinds. It includes extensive interviews with temple priests and with women who have experienced the loss of a child. We have also distributed over three thousand questionnaires to worshipers who have participated in memorial services (kuyd) for aborted and/or stillborn children (mizuko). Beyond thi^ we have access to data being col lected on mizuko kuyd by sociologists at a major Japanese national university, and to more than twelve hundred questionnaires completed by women at an important temple in Kyoto. Finally, we have collected sizable amounts of published materials in Japanese which deal directly with abortion and mizuko kuyd,or which seek to relate these to wider social and religious issues of both a contemporary and historical nature. In part because it will take longer to digest these materials, this present essay will not refer to them directly.


Sacking fault energy (SFE) is the key role in solving this problem of getting high strength and expected ductility simultaneously. This work adds Al as the procedure of decreasing SFE in Cu face-centered cubic. It is an economic and effective method to counterpart Cold-rolling at liquid nitrogen temperature to get high density deformation twin and ultrafine-grains size. After undergoing tensile and X-ray diffraction tests, Cu-4.5 wt.% Al plays the best performance on both strength and ductility. Thus there exist the optimal SFE of Cu-Al alloys which get both high strength and expected ductility simultaneously.


As if hospitals didn't already have enough concerns about the FDA's changes to its existing bar-code rules for drugs, health systems also have to worry about a first-time FDA regulation mandating a unique device identifier (UDI) system for medical devices. Hospitals that want to take advantage of devices that are likely to be marked with GS1-compatible bar codes will have to upgrade their software systems, a task that could be complicated and costly. GS1 is the international standards group that also prescribes product identification (ID) numbers for drugs.

Yet a number of major benefits of a national UDI program will probably balance out these shortcomings. Advantages include more timely and less costly recalls, better hospital safety records for implanted devices, and the ability to transmit more patient data into electronic medical records (EMRs), thereby allowing hospitals to meet the definition of "meaningful use."

The upcoming proposed rule for a UDI system, which is similar to a couple of recent FDA initiatives related to the tracking of drug packages, stems from the FDA Amendments Act (FDAAA), which Congress passed in 2007. Under the FDAAA, the FDA requires manufacturers to mark (or identify) their devices; however, the agency has moved very slowly in prescribing UDIs. In September 2011, the FDA held a 2-day workshop, at which Jeff Shuren, Director of Devices and Radiological Health, said, "I recognize that many of you have been waiting for this regulation for a long time; so have we."

Jay Crowley, Senior Advisor for Patient Safety, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, followed up by saying: "The UDI proposed regulation is close to coming out."

Since then: nothing.

Before that September meeting, the FDA had sent a proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is responsible for approving all new proposed rules. The UDI rule is probably politically sensitive; in its regulatory agenda, the FDA rates it as "economically significant."

Some proponents of the UDI plan suggest that medical device manufacturers might have pressed the Obama administration to water down the proposed rule, but a spokesperson for AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association), the medical device manufacturer's organization, denied this.

Hospital executives see many benefits resulting from implementation of the UDI system.

"UDI is essential to maximizing the value of electronic health records," says Christopher M. Dadlez, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn. Referring to the 5 years of FDA workshops that centered around the UDI since the FDAAA was passed, Mr. Dadlez emphasized, "The time to act is now. UDI is too important to patient safety to delay any longer."

In February 2012, a coalition of health care trade associations wrote to Jeff Zients, Acting Director of the OMB. The letter stated:

The great potential for UDIs to increase safety and lower costs for the American health care system means that widespread adoption is sorely needed now. Prompt action is also important because hospitals and physicians are in the process of implementing electronic health records as part of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

One month later, on March 15, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill, the Ensuring Safe Medical Devices for Patients Act, which would give the FDA the tools it needs to improve oversight of medical devices. The bill requires the FDA to publish a final rule establishing a UDI program by the end of 2012. Blair Childs, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Premier, Inc., located in Charlotte, N.C., says:

Enabling health care providers to track medical devices electronically in the supply chain will improve the speed and accuracy of product recalls, as well as adverse event reporting. In addition to these important safety benefits, automating the now manual process of tracking of medical devices is projected to save the health care industry approximately $16 billion each year from greatly improved efficiencies.

Premier is a performance-improvement alliance consisting of more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals and more than 81,000 other health care organizations.

Although some medical device manufacturers currently place bar codes on medical devices, many manufacturers use a proprietary number on a given device. Distributors use their own number, group-purchasing organizations use another number, and so on. As a result, a hospital at the end of the distribution line has no way of communicating with the device manufacturer because of the variety of device numbering systems used.

A few manufacturers, such as Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), in Franklin Lakes, N.J., print a Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) within a linear bar code on the device, the outer packaging, or the case in which it is sold—sometimes on all three. Thus, the GTIN can differ at each packaging level. The GTIN is a data formula prescribed by GS1, the standards group.

BD also prints a second linear bar code on all cases and, in some instances, on shelf packs containing the lot number, expiration date, and other production information. The GTIN becomes the primary product identifier on purchase orders, invoices, and other electronic data interchange transactions and allows the hospital to communicate electronically with BD. This communication would not be possible without the GTIN. Other manufacturers are also printing GTINs on their devices. The final rule from the FDA, after the OMB loosens its grip, may well require the printing of a GTIN.

Alex Zimmerman, Director of Integrated Business Solutions for Resource Optimization & Innovation (ROi), Mercy Health System's supply chain division in St. Louis, says about 50% of the medical and surgical products arriving at Mercy have GTINs. Mercy owns 31 hospitals in four states. Mercy and BD have synchronized their software systems so that the two partners can send data back and forth using GTINs to identify specific products.

"We no longer have to make phone calls back and forth for business transactions," explains Dennis Black, Director of e-Business at BD. "But the electronic data integration does take some heavy lifting."


Opinions differ among economists as to how effective statistical analyses using time series data can be in identifying factors affecting demand and in measuring their influences. Although this presentation may not materially modify these opinions, it should at least succeed in making even the most skeptical aware of some of the problems involved in analyses employing time series data. It is not the purpose of this paper to make a survey or review of previous demand studies. Instead, it concentrates on certain methodological approaches and what implications they may have in helping the analyst to measure demand. But with the many problems that face the statistical analyst in this task, perhaps good luck is what he needs most. Measurement of demand in the final analysis has no meaning unless it helps us answer some of the practical questions of economic life : Helping farmers to predict the expected price associated with given (or assumed) levels of production and consumer income, helping a Congressman to estimate the expected change in consumption if prices to farmers are raised when all other factors are left unchanged. This article is based upon a paper presented at the National Symposium on Dairy Market Development sponsored by the American Dairy Association in Chicago last November. Although the practical examples draw heavily on the dairy industry, the conclusions generally apply to all agricultural commodities. The author gratefully acknowledges helpful suggestions from Arthur Harlow and Hyman Weingarten.


The oxide scale of TP304H austenitic stainless steel was analyzed with SEM, X-ray, and ESA after being oxidized at 650 °C, 750 °C and 850 °C for different time. The results show that: the initial oxide film consists of needle-like cores. With the heating proceeding, the needle-like cores grow up gathering into granular cores, and then new needle-like cores grow up on former granular cores, and gradually grow into flakes which continue to gather into more granular cores then. As the oxide film becomes thicker, this process is in continuous cycle. The subsequent needle-like or flakey cores form on the basis of previous granular cores. The content of metallic elements is analyzed to find the law of diffusion and oxidation. As the figure shows the Fe of the matrix diffuses outward and the oxidation takes place at the oxide film-gas interface, which means a series of reactions does not occur inside the matrix. Below the temperature of 650 °C, the growth of oxide film is relatively slow, while above this temperature diffusion and displacement of metallic elements and oxide film growth rate accelerates. The oxide film is easy to fall off when reaching to a certain thickness, which means that TP304H stainless steel is not suitable in high-temperature and oxidative environment for long service.


It is important to separate the nonmagnetic metals from shredded automobiles scraps efficiently. The research relates in general to the separation of non-magnetic metals automatically on the basis of the different density of the magnetic fluids in a magnetic field. A water-based magnetic fluid was prepared with a chemical coprecipitation method by using ultrasonic in dispersing process. The magnetic field system was design and simulated by a finite element analysis software package, ANSYS 8.1. Separation tests were performed on the mixtures of aluminum, zinc, copper and lead with various scrap size and shape using the water-based magnetic fluids.


In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to generate multiple virtual views from a video-plus-depth sequence for modern autostereoscopic displays. To synthesize realistic content in the disocclusion regions at the virtual views is the main challenging problem for this task. Spatial coherence and temporal consistency are the two key factors to produce perceptually satisfactory virtual images. The proposed algorithm employs the spatio-temporal consistency constraint to handle the uncertain pixels in the disocclusion regions. On the one hand, regarding the spatial coherence, we incorporate the intensity gradient strength with the depth information to determine the filling priority for inpainting the disocclusion regions, so that the continuity of image structures can be preserved. On the other hand, the temporal consistency is enforced by estimating the intensities in the disocclusion regions across the adjacent frames with an optimization process. We propose an iterative re-weighted framework to jointly consider intensity and depth consistency in the adjacent frames, which not only imposes temporal consistency but also reduces noise disturbance. Finally, for accelerating the multi-view synthesis process, we apply the proposed view synthesis algorithm to generate the intensity and depth maps at the leftmost and rightmost viewpoints, so that the intermediate views are efficiently interpolated through image warping according to the associated depth maps between the two synthesized images and their corresponding symmetric depths. In the experimental validation, we perform quantitative evaluation on synthetic data as well as subjective assessment on real video data with comparison to some representative methods to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm.