Plain computed tomography (CT) of the lumbosacral spine may be a reliable method for diagnosing herniated disk when abundant epidural fat is present. When epidural fat is not sufficient, CT after the administration of nonionic contrast medium (170 mg I/ml) and/or regular metrizamide myelography have been used. Ten patients were studied by CT enhanced with air injected as a negative contrast agent. The findings were correlated with plain and contrast-enhanced (metrizamide) CT as well as conventional myelography. The technique is described and advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed. Air-contrast CT is useful in the evaluation of herniated disk in cases with equivocal findings on plain CT and in patients with a history of allergic reaction to iodinated contrast media.


APPARE is a personal computer-based scanner and software system to aid in automated pavement profile analysis and roughness evaluation. The system was developed for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD) and the Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC). It analyzes the statistical properties of road-pavement profiles and reports their roughness according to indexes such as the international roughness index and the profile index. APPARE can process profilograms and other digitized road profiles. Field evaluation results conducted by LTRC and Districts 03, 04, and 62 of LDOTD on a total of 126.8 km (79.1 mi) of newly constructed pavements are reported. On the basis of these extensive test data and comparison of APPARE with alternatives, LDOTD recently decided to adopt APPARE as its standard profilograph test procedure for quality control and acceptance of newly constructed pavement. Statewide implementation of APPARE is under way, and a new profilograph test procedure, DOTD TR 641, is being developed by the Materials and Testing Section of LDOTD. The implementation was complete by the end of 1995. In addition, LTRC has moved that the blanking-band profile index be abolished and that the international roughness index evaluated by APPARE be used instead as the standard roughness index reported by a profilograph.


Diesel soot or smoke has been regarded as a nuisance pollutant and potential health hazard, especially in congested urban areas where diesel buses operate. Exhaust emissions from a DDAD 6V-71 coach engine and a similarly-powered 1980 GMC RTS-II coach, fitted with a non-catalyzed particulate trap, were characterized over various Federal Test Procedures for heavy-duty engines, including an experimental test cycle for buses. Regeneration was accomplished using an in-line burner in the exhaust to raise the engines' idle exhaust gas temperature from 120 to 700/sup 0/C. Trap testing included approximately 15 hours of engine operation and 100 miles of bus operation. Particulate emissions were reduced by an average of 79 percent and smoke emissions were nil using the trap. The effect of the trap on regulated and other unregulated emissions was generally minimal.


Optical near-field interactions allow energy localization at scales smaller than the diffraction limit of light. They also show intrinsic hierarchical responses, meaning that optical near-fields exhibit different physical behavior at different scales. In this paper, by combining the localized energy dissipation and hierarchy properties, we present an architecture for a novel traceable optical memory that records memory access events to each bit, which is useful in applications such as high-security information transfer. The basic principles are demonstrated by numerical simulations using a metal nanostructure.


We propose for the Effective Topos an alternative construction: a realisability framework composed of two levels of abstraction. This construction simplifies the proof that the Effective Topos is a topos (equipped with natural numbers), which is the main issue that this paper addresses. In this our work can be compared to Frey's monadic tripos-to-topos construction. However, no topos theory or even category theory is here required for the construction of the framework itself, which provides a semantics for higher-order type theories, supporting extensional equalities and the axiom of unique choice.


Tropical forest and swidden agriculture are declining, while commercial
plantation is continuously expanding. However, little is known about the
mechanisms, processes and trends of the tropical
forest-swidden-plantation (FSP) nexus. Global ongoing initiatives
including the UN-REDD Programme, not only have repeatedly emphasized the
significance of conserving forests, reforestation and afforestation, but
re-pushed swidden agriculture to the forefront of a long-standing
international debate of climate changes and biodiversity. Many facets
limit our understanding of swidden agriculture. The lack of geographic
and demographic data and their dynamics across the tropics undoubtedly
further aggravate this situation since the first appeal of eradication
of shifting cultivation by the FAO. Although recent studies have
enriched significantly our knowledge of forest loss and plantation
expansion, previous research has proceeded separately and has yet to be
integrated under the umbrella of sustainable swidden agriculture.
Efforts are needed to investigate the dynamics of the FSP nexus for sake
of a synergetic goal of climate mitigation and poverty alleviation.


BACKGROUND
Eating disorders are a common health problem among adolescents, and females are especially vulnerable to them. There is lack of information on the prevalence of eating disorders in Saudi Arabia. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of eating disorders among female undergraduate university students in Taif city, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS
The study was undertaken in the female section at Taif university from November 1, 2016 to March 30, 2017. Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) was used to determine the prevalence of eating disorders. The questionnaire was distributed among undergraduate students and their anthropometric measurements were assessed after obtaining their consent. The sample included 1200 university students with a median age of 21 years (range 17-33). Nonparametric tests were used to assess relationship between variables. Chi-squared test was used to compare items of the disordered eating attitudes and behaviors between positive and negative EAT respondents.

RESULTS
Using the cutoff score of 20 on EAT-26 test, 35.4% of the students were classified at risk for eating disorders. Medical and obese students achieved the highest significant EAT scores.

CONCLUSION
A high prevalence of eating disorders was found among females at Taif university, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our findings call for prevention of these disorders and we recommend establishing a national screening program among Saudi university female students for early detection and management of these problems.


As part of its commitments to promoting gender justice, Oxfam has started to invest in an approach called 'Transformative Leadership for Women's Rights'. As this is an unfamiliar term for many of our staff and partners, this guide explores what transformative leadership for women's rights means, and how it links to women's rights and gender justice. The guide explores what distinguishes transformative leadership from other forms of leadership, and how change differs from transformation. It also explains why transformative leadership is important for Oxfam, and what we are trying to achieve by promoting it. By exploring what transformative leadership for women's rights means in practice, this guide demonstrates how we can apply it in our programmes and our organizations.


This paper presents an end-to-end high frequency class S power amplifier. A description of the full testbench and some important points on generation of RF outputs from FPGA devices and current mode class D design are given. Experimental measurements are provided for the prototype PA consisting of a signal generator, analog to digital converter, driver circuit, current mode class D switching stage and bandpass filter. Theory and experimentally measured results for this prototype are presented for a multi tone signal centred at 930 MHz and with a total output power of 24.7dBm.


Just in time to prepare for viewing Halley's comet, this 8f/i inch by 11 inch hardcover b o o k comes on the market. With 18 fuO-page illustratk>ns, the book is written in verse, delightful to t h e ear, but cleverly footiK>ted for additk>nal background in scientific and historical informatbn. The large cobrful illustratmns are full of details, t h e kind that interest children and intrigue adults, with Halley's mouse accompanying him to Oxford, to meet King Charles, and even setting out to sea with him. Dkl you know Edmund Halley had the first ship commissioned for scientific research and named the Paramour Pink? Can you see Peter the Great pushing him about in a wheelbarrow? Are you aware he could be consklered a meteorologist, a navigation and ballistics specialist, a dipbmat among arguing scientists, a publisher, and even one of the first insurance actuaries? Young Halley grew \φ gifted and continued to use his giftedness in myriad ways, a veritable example and challenge to the g/c/t student of today. I strongly recommend Mr. Hatky caidHis Comet; it will delight and teach the young and the not-so-young. And it will surely inspire the reader with the life and times of Sir Edmund Halley.


We report on the development, testing, and performance analysis of a bow-tie resonant cavity for terahertz (THz) radiation, injected with a continuous-wave 2.55 THz quantum cascade laser. The bow-tie cavity employs a wire-grid polarizer as input/output coupler and a pair of copper spherical mirrors coated with an unprotected 500 nm thick gold layer. The improvements with respect to previous setups have led to a measured finesse value F = 123, and a quality factor Q = 5.1·105. The resonator performances and the relevant parameters are theoretically predicted and discussed, and a comparison among simulated and experimental spectra is given.


This paper presents a novel acoustic echo canceler for teleconference and speakerphone systems based upon input orthogonalization and spread spectrum communication techniques. The new echo canceler represents a significant departure from traditional methods of removing acoustical echo and solves the open problem of echo cancellation during double-talk transmission. A decorrelation based adaptive filtering algorithm is introduced and its performance studied. A contraction mapping principle is applied to obtain a tight bound on the step size for the convergence of the adaptive algorithm. In conjunction, a direct sequence spread spectrum correlation technique is used to estimate the room impulse response during double-talk. Both components of the echo canceler rely on an innocuous wide-band training signal which is transmitted into the room along with the speech. The new echo canceler was implemented on a TMS320C30 DSP processor and experimental results are presented. The echo canceler was found to give excellent performance for all operating conditions, including during double-talk transmission.


Personality is known to be a key predictor for several aspects of close relationship functioning. Most likely, the influence of this psychological factor is even growing in contemporary societies, where the individual life biography is increasingly the result of personal preferences and less influenced by normative expectations and cultural institutions. In an era of high relationship instability, more and more people engage in a second union. Although it becomes increasingly relevant to study the effects of personality on close relationship functioning in higher order unions, this remained understudied until now. This study examines the impact of personality on partnership trajectories following divorce. First, we construct a typology of eight partnership trajectories, capturing the occurrence, order, and timing of different partnership events (e.g., repartnering, cohabiting, getting married) in the first 7 years after separation. Then, we use multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between personality and the post-separation partnership trajectories, thereby controlling for sociodemographic variables. The analyses are based on data from a large-scale representative survey, the Divorce in Flanders Survey. Results show that personality and sociodemographic factors are both important determinants for explaining post-separation partnership trajectories. Extraversion tends to increase the likelihood and speed of repartnering. Neuroticism lowers the stability in partnerships. Conscientiousness is related with a higher likelihood to remarry. A higher age at separation and the presence of children at home decrease the likelihood to repartner, while education increases this. The present study delivers an important contribution for unraveling part of the complex association between personality and partner relationship dynamics.


Reinertsen AS is developing a bridge crossing concept to cross the Sognefjord in Norway. The concept consist of floating bridge and submerged tunnel. The submerged tunnel is exposed to ship collisions from passing ship traffic. A protective ship collision barrier is used to protect the exposed part of the submerged tunnel. A design of the collision barrier is proposed. The barrier is made in Aluminium. There are some special considerations one must take into account when using aluminium. Aluminium that is heat treated has a reduction in strength, referred to as reduction in heat affected zone. Different alloys react differently to heat treatments. Some have a large reduction in HAZ, while some are not affected at all. Two alloys are used and studied in this thesis. Alloy 5083 with temper O and H12, and allo 6082 with temper T6. A Ramberg-Osgood material description is used to describe the material properties of Aluminium alloys in the Finite element analysis. A failure criteria is used based on design principles found in Eurocode 9. The failure criteria is only depending on yield stress of the alloy, which gives reason to doubt the goodness of the criteria, when strain failure for an aluminium alloy is depending on many other factors. An analysis of a stiffened panel subjected to lateral and axial loading is done. The loading is in the form of a rigid sphere and rigid plate, moving with a constant velocity trough the plate. A comparison between the use of alloy 5083 O and alloy 5083 H12 is carried out. The effect of heat affected zone is also studied. The analysis showed that the impact stresses dominate more than the reduction in the HAZ regarding strain localisation and fracture pattern. There is a reduction in the resistance force capacity because of HAZ, both in axial and lateral direction. A collision analysis of a model of a bow and barrier is carried out. The design of the ship model is based on the cruise ship MS Balmoral. The barrier design is based on local and global strength considerations. The barrier is modelled as a straigth rectangular cylinder, with clamped ends. A collision analysis using LSDYNA is carried out. The analysis consists of sending the bow trough the collision barrier. The analysis showed that the design of the barrier must be strengthened. The bow does receive little damage, and the barrier is to weak to protect the tunnel. A model of the bridge concept is made in USFOS, with the intension to carry out a global collision -response analysis. This was not finished, due to time limitations.


type="main"> The title of this opening chapter in the author's new book on activist investors refers to Carl Icahn's solution to the "agency" problem faced by the shareholders of public companies in motivating corporate managers and boards to maximize firm value. During the 1960s and '70s, U.S. public companies tended to be run in ways designed to increase their size while minimizing their financial risk, with heavy emphasis on corporate diversification. Icahn successfully challenged corporate managers throughout the 1970s and 1980s by buying blocks of shares in companies he believed were undervalued and then demanding board seats and other changes in corporate governance and management. This article describes the evolution of Icahn as an investor. Starting by investing in undervalued, closed-end mutual funds and then shorting shares of the stocks in the underlying portfolio, Icahn was able to get fund managers either to liquidate their funds (giving Icahn an arbitrage profit on his long mutual fund/short underlying stocks position) or take other steps to eliminate the "value gap." After closing the value gaps within the limited universe of closed-end mutual funds, Icahn turned his attention to the shares of companies trading for less than his perception of the value of their assets. As the author goes on to point out, the strategy that Icahn used with such powerful effect can be traced to the influence of the great value investor Benjamin Graham. Graham was a forceful advocate for the use of shareholder activism to bring about change in underperforming—and in that sense undervalued—companies. The first edition of Graham's investing classic, Security Analysis, published in 1934, devoted an entire chapter to the relationship between shareholders and management, which Graham described as "one of the strangest phenomena of American finance."


Drug delivery technology has emerged as an important focus of biotechnological research and commercial enterprise. While much attention is justifiably focused on the design and effectiveness of drug delivery devices, the nature of their interaction with surrounding tissues – their biocompatibility – is crucial. Here we discuss biocompatibility, specifically as it relates to drug delivery systems, which differ from other biomaterial-based devices by possibly containing large quantities of drugs with their own effects on tissues.


Rapid methods for determination of fibrin-monomer complexes and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products were studied and compared in 76 patients with different abnormalities in the hemostatic system (acute thromboses, thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery, disseminated intravascular coagulation, immune thrombovasculitis, etc). The control group consisted of 36 healthy donors. The fibrin-monomer complexes were determined by the paracoagulation tests, the ethanol test (ET) and protamin sulfate tests (PST), whereas fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP) by the staphylococcus adhesion test (SAT) in which use was made of the Newman D2S strain variety obtained by the authors. It is inferred that the ET, PST and SAT are the most suitable for use in clinical medicine, since they are accessible, simple and quick in performance. However, these tests cannot be regarded as similar or interchangeable, since they are used for studying different products of the coagulation and fibrinolytic transformation of fibrinogen.


The Naval Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) is the longest baseline at visible wavelengths interferometer in the world. The astronomical capabilities of such an instrument are being exploited and recent results will be presented. NPOI is also the largest optical telescope belonging to the US Department of Defense with a maximum baseline of 435 meter has a resolution that is approximately 181 times the resolution attainable by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and 118 times the resolution attainable by the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS). It is also the only optical interferometer capable of recombining up to six apertures simultaneously. The NPOI is a sparse aperture and its sensitivity is limited by the size of the unit aperture, currently that size is 0.5 meters. In order to increase the overall sensitivity of the instrument a program was started to manufacture larger, 1.4 meter, ultra-light telescopes. The lightness of the telescopes requirement is due to the fact that telescopes have to be easily transportable in order to reconfigure the array. For this reason a program was started three years ago to investigate the feasibility of manufacturing Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) telescopes, including the optics. Furthermore, since the unit apertures are now much larger than r0 there is a need to compensate the aperture with adaptive optics (AO). Since the need for mobility of the telescopes, compact AO systems, based on Micro-Electro- Mechanical-Systems (MEMS), have been developed. This paper will present the status of our adaptive optics system and some of the results attained so far with it.


Hotels are popular settings in European and American literature. They fire readers' imagination and many of them have a personal relationship to hotels. These institutions are not only alive in the realm of literature but are real existing buildings which have become fixed parts of modern society. Conrad Hilton (1887–1979), founder of the international hotel chain of the same name, was very aware of the glamorous aspects of his field of profession and published his experiences in the autobiography Be My Guest (1957).One copy of the book was placed in each room of the Hilton chain. Due to this Hilton was reaching an enormous audience which inspired other writers to fictionalize Hilton and turn him into a character in their own books. In this paper I will show how Conrad Hilton achieved world-wide fame, partly with the help of his life account. Furthermore, the methods will be explained that he used to present himself as a prototypical American of the Cold War era. I will then focus on two fictional texts, Arthur Hailey's novel Hotel (1965) and the TV-show Mad Men (2007) by Matthew Weiner, which both incorporated Hilton as a character, yet in very different ways. The aim of this article is to show the potential of celebrity autobbiographies to inspire other cultural creations and how authors react very differently to these texts according to their own socio-historical background.


Cybersickness prediction is one of the significant research challenges for real-time cybersickness reduction. Researchers have proposed different approaches for predicting cybersickness from bio-physiological data (e.g., heart rate, breathing rate, electroencephalogram). However, collecting bio-physiological data often requires external sensors, limiting locomotion and 3D-object manipulation during the virtual reality (VR) experience. Limited research has been done to predict cybersickness from the data readily available from the integrated sensors in head-mounted displays (HMDs) (e.g., head-tracking, eye-tracking, motion features), allowing free locomotion and 3D-object manipulation. This research proposes a novel deep fusion network to predict cybersickness severity from heterogeneous data readily available from the integrated HMD sensors. We extracted 1755 stereoscopic videos, eye-tracking, and head-tracking data along with the corresponding self-reported cybersickness severity collected from 30 participants during their VR gameplay. We applied several deep fusion approaches with the heterogeneous data collected from the participants. Our results suggest that cybersickness can be predicted with an accuracy of 87.77% and a root-mean-square error of 0.51 when using only eye-tracking and head-tracking data. We concluded that eye-tracking and head-tracking data are well suited for a standalone cybersickness prediction framework.


The findings of a limited study aimed at examining the basic characteristics of freeway traffic flow at construction zones are presented. The intent is to expand the scope of previous research efforts in this area, which have focused on the determination of point estimates of work zone capacity, under a variety of freeway lane configurations upstream of and in the vicinity of the work area. Field studies conducted in Illinois, encompassing more than 21,000 vehicle observations, were used to examine the entire range of the speed-flow relationship in the open lane of traffic. A normalizing procedure was devised to isolate and quantify the impact of work zone activity descriptors, such as the location of work relative to the traveled lanes, crew size, equipment, and other pertinent parameters, on the observed traffic speed. It was found that the effect of work activity on traffic flow is significant in periods of (a) high approach flow rates, (b) high truck percentages, and (c) intense work activity near the traveled lanes.


which I work, does not justify Prof. McNeil's statement that in practice she is a public health nurse rather than a home health visitor. No one would quarrel with the suggestion that improved training would benefit all of us. Prof. McNeil is dissatisfied with the present training of the health visitor, and states that it does not make her a competent infant dietitian. He adds that most of the chronic dyspepsias of infancy begin in the first month of life from mismanagement of breastand bottlefeeding. Surely he would agree that the responsibility for this early mismanagement must rest with the attendant at the confinement-doctor or midwife. The health visitor starts her visits when the baby is fourteen days old (unless the midwife has asked for her earlier assistance with feeding problems, which unfortunately does not often occur), and where progress is unsatisfactory she must try and effect improvement, and at the same time avoid contradicting advice given by the doctor or midwife. The training in and knowledge of infant feeding of the midwife and the average general practitioner are much less extensive than those of the health visitor. Prof. McNeil states that our obstetrics are good, but in the table he gives, which shows stillbirth and neonatal death rates in 1938, Holland's combined figuire is 46 and England's is 64, so that if he considers the figures for the two countries at all comparable (which may not be justified) there appears to be room for improvement in the English figure. He describes these deaths as " obstetrical deaths," which is a little hard on the obstetrician, because a proportion follow toxaemia in the mother and others result from congenital maldevelopment of the foetus or an extreme degree of prematurity. Before it can logically be assumed that any lag in the fall of infant mortality of England, Wales, and Scotland compared with the fall in other countries is due to," lack of knowledge on the part of nurses and doctors responsible for the welfare of infants after birth," a careful analysis of factors associated with infant mortality must be made. These factors include poverty, ignorance, urbanization, sanitation and housing, overcrowding, climate and changes in temperature, atmospheric pollution, racial constitution of the population, sex ratio of births, birth rate, illegitimacy, ill-health or disease of expectant mothers, nature of feeding, and employment of married women. Only when these are broadly comparable in the countries concerned can a fair comparison of their obstetrics and paediatrics be made. The fact that there is such wide variation in infant mortality in different parts of England and Scotland would almost justify the assumption that education of the preventive health services is not the solution. It is interesting to note that 80% of Dutch babies are born at home. In England and Wales the percentage in 1937 was 66. I am, etc.,


The aim of this article is to predict the failure load in resistance spot welded aluminum 6061-T6 sheets with 2 mm thickness under quasi-static tensile test. Various welding parameters, e.g. welding current, welding time and electrode force are selected to produce welded joints with different quality. The results show that for all the samples in this study only interfacial failure mode was observed in tensile-shear test and no pull-out mode was observed. According to the failure mode, an empirical equation was used for the prediction of failure load based on nugget size and hardness of failure line. Microstructure study has been carried out to investigate microstructural changes in the welded joints. For determination of the minimum hardness, microhardness tests have been carried out to find hardness profiles. The minimum hardness value was observed for a thin layer around the nugget with large and coarse grains. The results show that by using the presented empirical equation, the failure can be predicted with a good agreement only by measuring nugget size.


Adequate development of fundamental motor skills (FMS) is one of the requirements for achieving an active life and for supporting the acquisition of high physical, cognitive and social efficiency in children. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of an exergames-based physical education program for supporting the development of the balance skills developmental levels in a sample of primary school children (experimental group). The program has been defined by choosing games geared to the global enhancement of motor skills abilities. Concurrently, twenty-nine (control group) children were involved in physical education lessons based on free and sports games activities. The current study investigated whether the effects produced by the exergames-based program were gender-related. The experimental protocol showed positive results with significant evidences in terms of effects especially in girls. These results seem to confirm the validity of these technologies for supporting the physical education teachers and extend the current the scientific literature because they describe the effects od that king of program on balance skills in primary school children.


Objective: Upper urinary calculi (UUC) is considered to be a comprehensive disease associated with many risk factors, but the role of physical activity (PA) is undefined. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate this relationship in Asian populations. Materials and Methods: Patients diagnosed with UUC were the subjects of study and those who participated in a health examination in local medical center were included as controls. Information was collected through the same standard questionnaire. A metabolic equivalent score (METs) was measured for each kind of activity. OR of UUC in categories of PA were determined by logistic regression. Results: A total of 1,782 controls and 1,517 cases were enrolled. People who took higher PA (5-9.9, 10-19.9, 20-29.9 and >30 METs/wk) weekly were associated with lower risks of UUC than those took lower PA (<4.9 METs/wk) after adjusting for age, ethnicity, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, water intake, history of gout, history of diabetes mellitus, history of supplemental calcium use and history of hypertension (adjusted OR 0.11, 0.32, 0.24, 0.34; 95% CI 0.08-0.15, 0.23-0.43, 0.15-0.40, 0.22-0.53, respectively; p value <0.001). Conclusions: In our cross-sectional study, PA was associated with UUC.


Cellulase enzymes are widely used in various industries such as detergent industry, bioethanol, animal feed, textile and paper. This research focused on characterization of cellulase produced from Eschericia coli BPPT-CC EgRK2, which is a recombinant that can produce protein enzymes endo- β-1,4-glucanase. Eschericia coli BPPT-CC EgRK2 was cultured in 1 litre liquid medium Luria Bertani. Because the bacteria is intracellular, sonication is needed for cell disruption to get the cellulase enzyme. The enzyme activity was then analyzed by CMC substrate at different concentration. The protein content analysis was carried out using Bradford method; the molecular weight analysis was done using SDS-PAGE; while the enzyme kinetics was plotted using Michaelis-Menten model. Our results showed the highest enzyme activity was 2.403 U/ml and the protein concentration was 5.352 mg/ml. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) and maximum velocity (Vmax) for CMC substrate hydrolysis were 0.07 μmol/ml and 2.49 μmol/ml/sec, respectively. The cellulase molecular weight was 58 kDa using SDS-PAGE with 7.5% stacking gel. The results indicated that Eschericia coli BPPT-CC EgRK2 is a promising renewable source for cellulase production for industrial application.


Radix two algorithms for SRT division and square-rooting are developed. For these schemes, the result digits and the residuals are computed concurrently and the computations in adjacent rows are overlapped. Consequently, their performance should exceed that of the radix 2 SRT methods. VLSI array architectures for implementing the new division and square-rooting methods are also presented.<<ETX>>


Traditionally, protocol engineers have to deal with the design and implementation of complex network services, spending considerable time and effort on creating robust and reliable final source code. Although approaches exist to assist engineers in the development of communication protocols which use several object-oriented frameworks, these do not benefit from new modelling guidelines developed in MDE and UML to exploit automatic code generation from graphical models. This paper introduces a new UML2 profile for communications which guides the construction of software for communications following the client-server architecture. The MDE process is then used to design suitable platform-specific models for the well-known Adaptive Communications Environment (ACE), a high performance C++ toolkit for implementing concurrent and network applications which relies heavily on architectural patterns


Extending the useful life of materials through recycling has proven to be an efficient means of reducing natural resource use and limiting the production of waste. In the case of polymer-based materials, in general, and of packaging materials, in particular, material recovery is complicated by the presence of incompatible polymers, as well as a priori undesirable contaminants such as inorganic inclusions. This article investigated the recycling of multilayer packaging material systems, based on polypropylene and silicon oxide-coated poly(ethylene terephthalate). In particular, the effect of a compatibilization of the blend using maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene on the mechanical properties of the recycled material was examined. Without a compatibilizer, and at low compatibilizer concentrations, the blend exhibits a coarse morphology and is brittle. At a concentration of 5% wt of the compatibilizer, a fine morphology is obtained, and the blend shows excellent ductility. Beyond this concentration, a brittle interphase forms between the blend constituents, with a corresponding decrease in ductility. These results were confirmed by a study of strain-induced crystallization in the blend. Furthermore, the size of the SiOx inclusions, resulting from the fragmentation of the oxide coating during reprocessing, had no detectable influence on the mechanical properties of the recycled blend, providing that their concentration is lower than 2 × 10-3. This study showed that a control of both the microstructure and interface properties considerably improves the mechanical properties of the recycled material, leading to high added-value applications.


Background The poor engagement of men with HIV care is attributed to a number of factors: fear of stigma, masculine representations, concerns related to confidentiality, and the time commitment needed to visit public health clinics. Digital technologies are emerging as an approach to support the engagement of men with care. Objective This study aims to deliver a usable and engaging tablet-based app, called EPIC-HIV 2 (Empowering People through Informed Choices for HIV 2), to support men in making informed decisions about engaging with HIV care in rural KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Methods We employed a mixed methods, iterative, and three-phased design that was guided by self-determination theory (SDT), a person-based approach, and human-computer interaction techniques. We reviewed related literature and conducted secondary analyses of existing data to identify barriers and facilitators to linkage to care and inform content development and design principles and used focus group discussions with members of the community advisory board and general community to evaluate a PowerPoint prototype of the app; used observations and guided questions with a convenience sample of potential users from the intervention community to iteratively test and refine a functioning interactive app; and conducted qualitative interviews and satisfaction surveys with actual users to evaluate acceptability. Results Phase 1 identified supply- and demand-side barriers to linkage to care. Specifically, clinics were feminized spaces unattractive to men with high social costs of attendance. Men did not feel vulnerable to HIV, preferred traditional medicine, and were afraid of the consequences of being HIV positive. Thus, the app needed to allow men to identify the long-term health benefits to themselves and their families of starting antiretroviral therapy early and remaining on it, and these benefits typically outweigh the social costs of attending and being seen at a clinic. SDT led to content design that emphasized long-term benefits but at the same time supported the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and informed decision making. Phase 2 indicated that we needed to use simpler text and more images to help users understand and navigate the app. Phase 3 indicated that the app was acceptable and likely to encourage men to link to care. Conclusions We found that iteratively developing the app with potential users using local narratives ensured that EPIC-HIV 2 is usable, engaging, and acceptable. Although the app encouraged men to link to HIV care, it was insufficient as a stand-alone intervention for men in our sample to exercise their full autonomy to link to HIV care without other factors such as it being convenient to initiate treatment, individual experiences of HIV, and support. Combining tailored digital interventions with other interventions to address a range of barriers to HIV care, especially supply-side barriers, should be considered in the future to close the present linkage gap in the HIV treatment cascade.


The use of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) for fabrication of thermally conductive composites has been explored in the last years. Their elevated thermal conductivity and high mechanical properties make them ideal candidates for reinforcement in polymeric matrices. However, due to their high tendency to agglomerate, a physical or chemical treatment is typically required for their successful incorporation into polymer matrices. Our previous study about the dispersibility of BNNTs allowed determination of good solvents for dispersion. Here, we performed a similar characterization on styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) to determine its solubility parameters. Although these two materials possess different solubility parameters, it was possible to bridge this gap by employing a binary mixture. The solvent casting approach followed by hot pressing was chosen as a suitable method to obtain thermally conductive SBR/BNNT composites. The resulting nanocomposites showed up to 35% of improvement in thermal conductivity and a 235% increase in storage modulus in the frequency sweep, when a BNNT loading of 10 wt% was used. However, the viscoelastic properties in the amplitude sweep showed a negative effect with the increase in BNNT loading. A good balance in thermal conductivity and viscoelastic properties was obtained for the composite at a BNNT loading of 5 wt%.


Continuing the action-packed adventures begun in The Celestine Prophecy and The Tenth Insight, "The Secret of Shambhala" opens with a search for the legendary Tibetan-Buddhist utopia of Shambhala (or Shangri-La), a magical place that not only truly exists, but is destined to be found and understood in our time. Following a child's instructions and led by fascinating synchronicity, we cross the Himalayas and discover a mysterious community set high on a Tibetan mountain range where the spiritual future of mankind is already being lived. Overcoming Chinese interference and the tests of the mysterious Dakini (the otherworldly guardians of Shambhala) we finally discover the secret of this idealistic way of life, and understand how it will now begin to move into the rest of the world.


In this paper, after introducing various Tracking approaches and techniques, we base our work on the physical tracking group management in Distributed Predictive Tracking (DPT) and geographical or regional one in Collaborative Signal Processing (CSP). Chosen as the best energy efficient tracking schemes, each with its own assumptions, we develop a new distributed hybrid tracking group approach by merging both techniques. Our new method consists of controlling the use of both approaches in different tracking steps, highlighting various and complementary advantages in order to merge them and extract an optimal energy efficient, hardware cost and accuracy. This new distributed approach yields the possibility to resolve either CSP problems, such as distributed leadership cell election in tracking detection step by including clustering structure, collaboration problems and whole cell nodes activation, or DPT problems such as border nodes permanent activation and target loss risks in other tracking steps.


between the presence of C pylon gastritis and dvspepsia. 'rhe evidence that gastritis causes dvspeptic symptoms is controversial." Gastric biopsy is essential for diagnosing C pyloi gastritis, but whether it should be performed routinely in all patients with dyspepsia without ulceration is another matter. Should gastritis and the presence of C pylo i in such patients be regarded as causing their symptoms and an indication for treatment with regimens to combat C pylori? Until the answer is available any suggestion for performing routine gastric biopsy in patients with dvspepsia without ulceration should be regarded as premature. 'rheir conclusion that "endoscopy is unhelpful in patients with dvspepsia if endoscopic biopsy specimens are not taken routinelv" is also misleading. As they state, most organic lesions that account for dyspepsia are found at endoscopy. Although biopsy is essential for diagnosing Cpylori gastritis, we believe that routine endoscopic biopsies in patients with dyspepsia without ulceration should be recommended only if patients are being entered into controlled trials.


The SCI Scholars Program is accepting applications for its 10-week industrial internships. The SCI Scholars Summer Internship Program was developed by the American Chemical Society, the Society of Chemical Industry, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers to introduce chemistry and chemical engineering students to careers in the chemical industry. Participants receive a $6,000 to $10,000 stipend and a certificate. An additional $1,000 is provided to support further professional development. Participants also have the opportunity to recognize an influential high school science teacher, who receives a certificate and $1,000. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, college sophomores or juniors, and chemistry or chemical engineering majors and have at least a 3.5 GPA. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 30. For more information, visit www.acs.org/sci.


are exclusively prudential reasons. Kant, one may safely say, would have been surprised, not to say perturbed, to find his contentions deployed as the principal support of this position. His doctrine of autonomy is taken to imply that no consideration can 'bind' an agent who, in the light of his own interests, declines to accept it Kant's sharp distinction between one's interests and 'what reason


To make a SAW radio frequency identification (RFID) tag carry more information, it should consist of several reflectors. It is important to exactly know the related parameters of the tag in selected frequency band, such as propagation loss when it propagates on free surface of a SAW device, transduction coefficient of the IDT (interdigital transducer), and reflection and transmission coefficients of reflectors with different numbers of electrodes, widths of electrodes, or both. In this report, we propose a novel method which can obtain these parameters through experiments and data processing. We develop a new test-device structure with different numbers and widths of electrodes of reflectors fabricated in one device. All related tag parameters can be obtained simultaneously, which can greatly reduce the tag design cost.


The adoption of mobile services is often studied at a generic level and limited research has addressed personalisation service adoption. This paper proposes a framework for assessing the likely success or failure of personalisation mobile services. It was found that enjoyment and usefulness are the most important factors in attracting users to adopt personalisation services. Comparing these findings with those of similar studies in the literature we suggest that predictors of mobile service adoption may vary depending on the type of services. Furthermore, explanations and predictions based on rational and intuitive models of consumer behaviour in the mobile space may be insufficient and inadequate for determining investments in novel mobile services.


Purpose There has been suggestion that a greater "pulmonary vascular reserve" defined by a low pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and a high lung diffusing capacity (DL) allow for a superior aerobic exercise capacity. How pulmonary vascular reserve might affect exercise capacity at moderate altitude is not known. Methods Thirty-eight healthy subjects underwent an exercise stress echocardiography of the pulmonary circulation, combined with measurements of DL for nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) and a cardiopulmonary exercise test at sea level and at an altitude of 2250 m. Results At rest, moderate altitude decreased arterial oxygen content (CaO2) from 19.1 ± 1.6 to 18.4 ± 1.7 mL·dL−1, P < 0.001, and slightly increased PVR, DLNO, and DLCO. Exercise at moderate altitude was associated with decreases in maximum O2 uptake (V˙O2max), from 51 ± 9 to 43 ± 8 mL·kg−1⋅min−1, P < 0.001, and CaO2 to 16.5 ± 1.7 mL·dL−1, P < 0.001, but no different cardiac output, PVR, and pulmonary vascular distensibility. DLNO was inversely correlated to the ventilatory equivalent of CO2 (V˙E/V˙CO2) at sea level and at moderate altitude. Independent determinants of V˙O2max as determined by a multivariable analysis were the slope of mean pulmonary artery pressure–cardiac output relationship, resting stroke volume, and resting DLNO at sea level as well as at moderate altitude. The magnitude of the decrease in V˙O2max at moderate altitude was independently predicted by more pronounced exercise-induced decrease in CaO2 at moderate altitude. Conclusion Aerobic exercise capacity is similarly modulated by pulmonary vascular reserve at moderate altitude and at sea level. Decreased aerobic exercise capacity at moderate altitude is mainly explained by exercise-induced decrease in arterial oxygenation.


The experimental lesion in rat brain was produced by the implantation of cobalt-gelatin rod into right parietalis anterior area. In this area, paroxymal discharges were determined by electroencephalography on the 11th day after the operation. On the 63rd day, paroxyzmal discharges were more severe. Quantitative measurements of proteins were made by microdensitometer in neurons of nucleus lateralis thalami controlateral to the cobalt lesion. On days 11 and 63 after the operation protein concentrations in the neurons were lowered by 35 and 44%, respectively. The size of neurons of the 11th day supassed the control value by 33%; it demonstrated a tendency to normalization by the 63rd day after cobalt lesion.


A numerical model based on the successive order of scattering method has been developed. In this model, the vertical and angular distributions of underwater radiance are computed without using an empirical procedure, by assuming that a water body comprises numerous parallel horizontal layers. The model is validated using the observation data obtained from Lake Pend Oreille and Suruga Bay and for highly scattering water. The model results are in good agreement with the observation data. The model stability is demonstrated by assuming the single-scattering albedo for highly scattering water to be 1.0.


In 1996, Graham Richards published Putting Psychology in its Place: An introduction from a critical historical perspective. Here, I seek to consider what is or should be the 'place' of Psychology in education, more particularly Higher Education, and not just from a historical perspective. This raises issues about several contexts in which Psychology finds itself. In the Higher Education context itself, Psychology continues to be in demand. But what is offered in first degrees is largely dictated by the requirements of the Graduate Basis for Registration of the British Psychological Society. These have been criticised both as not ideal as professional preparation, and as being unsuited to the large majority of students who will not enter the restricted psychological professions. Little attention is paid to more general educational aims. In the context of other disciplines, Psychology (with some exceptions) largely fails to draw on other sources of knowledge about human behaviour, such as History and Anthropology, although there is increasing awareness of the importance of non–Western cultures. In a personal context, standard Psychology degrees include little on personal values and beliefs, or such approaches as Community, Transpersonal, or Positive Psychology. It is suggested that Psychology could and should be of greater value to both intending professionals and others, and ideally should be a component of the education of most if not all students. This is ultimately because the major problems the human race faces are almost all matters of human behaviour, and understanding this is vital to their solution.


1. The activation of proguanil to cycloguanil by human liver microsomes was studied to define the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms involved in this reaction. 2. Apparent Km values for proguanil ranged from 35 microM to 183 microM with microsomes from four human livers. 3. There was a 6.3-fold range of activity with microsomes from seventeen human livers. Rates of proguanil activation correlated significantly with CYP3A activities (benzo[a]pyrene metabolism, caffeine 8-oxidation and omeprazole sulphone formation) and CYP3A immunoreactive content. There was also a highly significant correlation with rates of hydroxyomeprazole formation. Correlations with activities selective for CYP1A2, CYP2C9/10 and CYP2E1, and with immunoreactive CYP1A2 content were not significant. 4. Proguanil activation was inhibited by R,S-mephenytoin, troleandomycin and by inhibitory anti-CYP3A antiserum and anti-CYP2C IgG and was activated by alpha-naphthoflavone. Inhibitors selective for CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP2A6 or CYP2C9/10 had little or no effect on proguanil activation. The extents of inhibition by R,S-mephenytoin, troleandomycin and the two antibodies varied with the immunoreactive CYP3A content of the microsomes used. 5. It is concluded that proguanil activation to cycloguanil by human liver microsomes is mediated both by S-mephenytoin hydroxylase and isoforms of the CYP3A subfamily. This has implications for the use of proguanil as an in vivo probe for the S-mephenytoin poor metaboliser phenotype.


On April 4, 1945, the last Nazi combatants were driven out of Hungary by the Soviet Red Army, marking the end of more than a decade of Hungarian cooperation with Nazi Germany as well as thirteen months of German occupation of Hungary. Behind the Hungarians stood six months of fierce combat, as the front between the Nazi and Soviet behemoths passed through their country from one end to the other. Ahead of the Hungarians stood the daunting task of reconstructing a political, social, and economic order in the face of serious material and moral devastation, social turmoil, and occupation by a traditionally hostile foreign power. The relief and hope felt by many Hungarians at war's end was tempered by an anxiety over just what sort of Hungary might emerge from the recent cataclysm, and at what price. One place where popular hopes and anxieties focussed at this time was the Left end of the political spectrum. At the time of her liberation, Hungary had, for the first time since 1919, a legal Communist Party. With their reputation enhanced by their role in the struggle against fascism, their confidence bolstered by the Soviet occupation of their country, their numbers swelled by a very successful membership recruitment drive, and their hopes raised by the collapse of the old regime and public pressure for serious social, economic, and political reform, the Communists were a force to be reckoned with. Their partisans hoped and their adversaries feared that the Hungarian Communist Party (MKP) would take advantage of the situation by seizing power and installing a Soviet-style dictatorship of the proletariat. The Communists were not alone on the Hungarian Left, however. Alongside them were the Hungarian Social Democrats, whose party could compete with them effectively for support among the Hungarian working class. Just how these two parties would get along was a major question. Would the Communists re-adopt their policy of the 1920s and early 1930s, when they sought to isolate and undermine the Social Democrats by contemptuously branding them as "social fascists" and treating them as their greatest enemy? Or would they adhere to the party line of 1934 to 1944, when they attempted to woo the Social Democratic Party (SDP) into cooperation on a broad front against the common fascist adversary? Would the Communists respect the right of the SDP to exist as an independent Marxist party, or would they seek to dominate it or even absorb it into some sort of Communist-controlled "party of worker's unity?" And what about the Social Democrats? Would they retain the deep-rooted suspicion of the Communists that characterized their party for the past quarter century? Or would the new post-war situation lead them toward genuine cooperation with the MKP in pursuit of common goals in the face of common opponents? This article will examine the issue of Social Democratic cooperation with the Communists in Hungary throughout the course of 1945, examining its context, implications, and consequences. It will endeavor to place the relationship between the two parties into an historical perspective as well as within the context of post-war developments in Hungary. This relationship will be examined in connection with developments within the parties themselves, relations between Hungary's Marxist and non-Marxist parties, and the policies of the Great Powers, namely the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain, towards Hungary. The focus will be on the period from the liberation of Hungary in the early months of 1945 through November 1945, when Hungary held her first post-war elections and named a permanent government in their wake. The relationship that developed during this time, in terms of its motivations, problems, implications, and consequences, set the tone for much of Social-Democratic-Communist interaction through to the Communist destruction of the SDP and establishment of a one-party dictatorship in 1948. There were a number of sources of cooperation between the Communists and Social Democrats in Hungary. …


Harmonic drives can exhibit very nonlinear dynamic behavior. In order to capture this behavior, not only must dynamic models include accurate representations of transmission friction, compliance, and kinematic error, but also important features of harmonic-drive gear-tooth geometry and interaction must be understood. In this investigation, experimental observations were used to guide the development of a model to describe harmonic-drive operation. Unlike less detailed representations, this model was able to replicate many of the features observed in actual harmonic-drive dynamic response. Unfortunately, since model parameters can only be derived from careful analysis of experimental dynamic response, it seems unlikely that any comparably sufficient representation can be constructed with parameter values obtained from catalogs or simple experimental observations.


Limited by low volume energy density, high flammability and wide explosive limit of hydrogen fuel, SOFCs directly adopting hydrogen fuels are being gradually substituted by those using hydrocarbon fuels. Unfortunately, the large molecule of methanol makes it inconvenient to be transported to active sites for efficient anode reactions, and this indeed impedes the electrochemical performance of such hydrocarbon SOFCs. Herein, a new Ni–BaZr0.3Ce0.5Y0.2O3−δ (BZCY) anode substrate, possessing a relatively dense functional layer and large finger-like pores straight to the surfaces, is successfully fabricated using a new phase-inversion combined tape casting technology (PICTC). Fueled with 68% CH3OH–32% N2, the PICTC button cell using BaZr0.3Ce0.5Y0.2O3−δ electrolyte demonstrates a great electrochemical performance with peak power densities of 500 and 330 mW cm−2 measured at 700 and 650 °C, about 40% and 100% higher than those of the traditional cold-pressing cells, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of using liquid hydrocarbon fuels in proton conducting fuel cells (P-SOFCs). In contrast to the general opinion, impedance spectra analysis using distribution of relaxation time (DRT) method suggests that reactions taking place in anode contributed greatly to the total polarization resistances of the fuel cell, which is in good agreement with our observation on the electrochemical performance of the PICTC cell.


The Fox-TV series 24 might have been in production long before its premier just two months after 9/11, but its story line--and that of many other television programs--has since become inextricably embedded in the nation's popular consciousness. This book marks the first comprehensive survey and analysis of War on Terror themes in post-9/11 American television, critiquing those shows that--either blindly or intentionally--supported the Bush administration's security policies. Stacy Takacs focuses on the role of entertainment programming in building a national consensus favouring a War on Terror, taking a close look at programs that comment both directly and allegorically on the post-9/11 world. In show after show, she chillingly illustrates how popular television helped organise public feelings of loss, fear, empathy, and self-love into narratives supportive of a controversial and unprecedented war. Takacs examines a spectrum of program genres--talk shows, reality programs, sitcoms, police procedurals, male melodramas, war narratives--to uncover the recurrent cultural themes that helped convince Americans to invade Afghanistan and Iraq and compromise their own civil liberties. Spanning the past decade of the ongoing conflict, she reviews not only key touchstones of post-9/11 popular culture such as 24, Rescue Me , and Sleeper Cell , but also less remarked-upon but relevant series like JAG, Off to War, Six Feet Under , and Jericho . She also considers voices of dissent that have emerged through satirical offerings like The Daily Show and science fiction series such as Lost and Battlestar Galactica . Takacs dissects how the War on Terror has been broadcast into our living rooms in programs that routinely offer simplistic answers to important questions--Who exactly are we fighting? Why do they hate us?--and she examines the climate of fear and paranoia they've created. Unlike cultural analyses that view the government's courting of Hollywood as a conspiracy to manipulate the masses, her book considers how economic and industry considerations complicate state-media relations throughout the era. Terrorism TV offers fresh insight into how American television directly and indirectly reinforced the Bush administration's security agenda and argues for the continued importance of the medium as a tool of collective identity formation. It is an essential guide to the tele visual landscape of American consciousness in the first decade of the twenty-first century. This book is part of the CultureAmerica series .


To better understand how structural and functional bone properties contribute to the changes in bone biomechanical properties revealed by ultrasound critical angle reflectometry (UCR) analysis, we measured both UCR velocities and histomorphometric properties in bone biopsy specimens from 33 osteoporotic patients before and following intermittent slow‐release sodium fluoride (SRNaF) and continuous calcium citrate administration. Mean skeletal fluoride exposure was 17 months, and mean skeletal fluoride content was 0.203 ± 0.088 SD% bone ash. Intermittent SRNaF and continuous calcium citrate promoted significant increases in trabecular thickness (122 ± 18 SDμm to 131 ± 20, p = 0.020), mineral apposition rate (0.79 ± 0.26 to 1.05 ± 0.40 μm/day, p = 0.014), and a significant decline in eroded surface (3.9 ± 1.6 to 2.8 ± 1.4%, p = 0.002). There were also significant increases in node number (0.193 ± 0.100 to 0.368 ± 0.245, p < 0.01) and node‐to‐node strut length (0.076 ± 0.087 to 0.191 ± 0.173, p < 0.01) relative to total cancellous area. Cortical UCR velocity did not change but cancellous velocity significantly increased by 97 m/s following therapy (p = 0.0005). When compared against the significant changes in bone histomorphometry and connectivity, the sum of both cancellous and cortical ultrasound velocities was significantly correlated with node number/area (R2 = 0.305, p < 0.0001) and node‐to‐node strut length/area (R2 = 0.372, p < 0.0001) and to a lesser extent with mineral apposition rate (R2 = 0.106, p = 0.032). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that 40% of the variance in the sum of the UCR velocities can be accounted for by the variability in these histomorphometric and connectivity parameters. There were no significant correlations between the sum of cortical and cancellous ultrasound velocities and cancellous bone volume (R2 = 0.014, p = 0.533), trabecular thickness (R2 = 0.012, p = 0.47), or bone mineral density (R2 = 0.003, p = 0.80). These observations indicate that velocity measurements with the UCR methodology show an improvement in bone elasticity associated, in part, with an improvement in the rate of bone mineralization and an improvement in bone quality at the structural level as shown by microarchitecture.


Through this project, various numerical simulations were carried out to evaluate flow characteristics on the HyShot vehicle surface for several test points. The test points selected are essentially at the same altitude but are varied in speeds at Mach 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.4. Various adjustments were required for the Gridgen mesh file to output a reasonably accurate representation of the flow field by increasing the unstructured mesh cells. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was then carried out using Metacomp Technologies CFD++ program on the mesh file for the various speeds as mentioned. The entire CFD analysis was run twice to account for a worst-case scenario of maximum heat build up by defining the HyShot surface to be adiabatic, while a best-case scenario was carried out in the second block run by defining the HyShot surface to have a 300 K isothermal wall which simulates initial launch temperature and for heat transfer on the surface to occur in order to dissipate thermal loads. Subsequently, parameters such as shock characteristics, pressure, temperature and drag forces were analysed in detail to explain the simulated flow phenomena. Recommendations were then made for future development of the HyShot vehicle.


A connection between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is indicated by the fact that all Down syndrome individuals develop Alzheimer's disease neuropathology by the 4th decade of life. Previous studies have examined the frequency of aneuploidy and other chromosomal defects in cells from familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) patients, with varying results. To investigate the possibility that a specific type of aneuploidy--trisomy 21 mosaicism--may contribute to Alzheimer's disease, we used quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization to measure the number of trisomy 21 cells in primary fibroblast cultures from AD and unaffected subjects. The 27 AD cultures, including 15 that were derived from individuals carrying FAD mutations in presenilin 1 or 2, exhibited a significant approximately twofold increase in the number of trisomy 21 cells compared to 13 control cultures. A small double-hybridization experiment suggested that the aneuploidy in AD cells was not limited to chromosome 21 but extended at least to chromosome 18 as well. In a parallel study, the endogenous presenilin proteins in fibroblasts were localized to the centrosomes, the nuclear envelope, and its associated interphase kinetochores. Together these results indicate that the presenilin proteins may be involved in mitosis and that FAD mutations in the presenilin genes may predispose to chromosome missegregation (nondisjunction). The data reported here also suggest that trisomy 21 mosaicism may contribute to other forms of AD that are not caused by a presenilin mutation.


In the past 20 years, broiler production has increased in hot climate countries, due to a greater potential for further growth. Thus, there is a necessity to improve thermotolerance of broilers produced in hot climates. Incubation period will become increasingly important in enhancing thermotolerance, because higher temperatures during incubation may lead to an elevation of the thermoregulatory set-point after hatch. Two recent experiments, conducted to determine the effect of high incubation temperature (INCHIGH) from d 10 to 18 on hatching performance and carcass characteristics of broilers, have been compared with broilers from incubated at control temperatures (INCCONT). INCHIGH resulted in a delay in external pipping and hatching times compared with INCCONT. There was no incubation temperature effect on the weights of bursa of fabricius, spleen and lungs, and moisture content of chicks but lowered heart and liver weights. When broilers exposed to daily cyclic high temperature from 21 to 42 d, slaughter weight of broilers from INCCONT reduced while heavier body weight and breast yield were obtained in broilers from INCHIGH. It was concluded that higher incubation temperature from d 10 to 18 for 6 h/d had no effect on chick weights and minimized the negative effect of heat stress on slaughter weight and breast meat yield.


After a decade-long struggle against the ruling monarchy, the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist (CPN-M) finally won the approval of the Nepalese people in their nation's April 2008 elections. The Maoists' victory brought an overwhelming sense of hope to Nepal, but it also amplified the degree of uncertainty in a country with many problems. Though Prachanda, the chairman of CPN-M, officially took over as Prime Minister in August 2008, he has yet to tackle any major issues. In order to succeed, he and his government will need to focus more on the task of securing basic social and economic freedoms for the Nepalese people. If the government does not take quick and decisive action, the Nepalese people may lose patience and discard the government altogether. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dissatisfied with mainstream politics, the Maoists first went underground in 1996, launching a "People's War." A revolt against the monarchy, this campaign hoped to transform the social and economic structure of the country. Ten years later, in 2006, the Maoists solidified their path to power by forming an alliance with mainstream political parties to protest against the dictatorial leadership of King Gyanendra. Massive uprisings ensued, resulting in the king's capitulation and the Maoists' re-entry into mainstream politics. Since then, the Maoists' quick rise to power has drawn mixed responses. While some regard their win in the elections as surprisingly impressive, others feel they manipulated the elections by threatening rural peasants. However, given the presence of international observers during the elections and the lack of evidence that they were rigged, the rest of the world has generally accepted the Maoists' win as legitimate. This endorsement has been followed by massive expectations that the Maoist-led government will drastically change the face of the country through a rapid socio-economic transformation. Many serious social and economic challenges currently face Nepal. Recent economic indicators suggest sustained economic growth of about 3 percent, but the real situation is actually much worse. Due to recent record high food and commodity prices, thousands of rural peasants have difficulty earning enough money to eat two meals per day. Families without a reliable source of income are literally struggling to live. Furthermore, the government is on the verge of declaring an energy crisis in the country. Due to shortages, the Nepalese people currently have access to electricity for only fourteen hours each day, an amount which will likely decrease to eight hours in the next few months. Suffering from all of these problems, the Nepalese people are looking to their new government for solutions. …


Abstract This study investigated a method for characterizing the behaviour of clays in an aqueous medium in the presence of an electric field. The experiments were performed with different clays (kaolinite, smectite, kaolinite-smectite) suspended in deionized water. An apparatus was developed for measuring a continuous electric current under the singular effect of adding sodium silicate to the aqueous suspensions. The results showed that the method allows the differentiation of the investigated clays through their electrophoretic behaviour in an aqueous solution.


This paper explores the behaviour of two rival advocacy coalitions operating within the
European Union's sports policy subsystem. The football business coalition is composed
of a range of economic interests whose deep core beliefs reflect an essentially free market
ethos. Sport, it is claimed, is an economic activity, the commercial potential of which is
eroded by restrictive practices employed by the sports governing bodies. Consequently,
their policy core beliefs reflect a desire for EU law to protect economic stakeholders from
labour market and product market restrictions imposed by the governing bodies. Within
the rival sporting autonomy coalition operate FIFA and UEFA, the global and European
governing bodies of sport. These actors stress the need for decision making autonomy so
that the specificities of sport can be promoted free from legal challenge. Each coalition
possesses the resources to impose costs upon one another and with litigation delivering
uneven and uncertain results for the coalitions, evidence suggests that a negotiated
settlement is favoured by both parties and this is being actively promoted by the
European Commission. This paper examines whether the EC Treaty's provisions on
social dialogue can sustain a lasting agreement between the coalitions and foster a new
era of co-operative relations within the subsystem.


AbstractThis paper presents a method that guides designers in obtaining the desired number of earned points in the "Optimize Energy Performance" credit of the "Energy and Atmosphere" category of LEED version 4 (v4) certification at minimum cost. The model creates different scenarios, identifies the LEED points and costs for each scenario. The energy analysis calculations are performed by Sefaira, the quantities of materials are received from Autodesk Revit, and the cost information comes from the RSMeans Database. A macro in Excel automates the process. An office building was used as a case study to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method. The minimum cost necessary to achieve any number of points in the "Optimize Energy Performance" credit were calculated, such as a minimum cost of $842,500 to obtain 16 points, and $476,684 for 5 points. The primary contributions of this research include (1) the development of a tool that allows designers to pick the most economical alternative for the desire...


A high-quality and low-cost genomic DNA isolation method is needed for use in microbiology laboratories. In this study, we developed a new modified guanidinium isothiocyanate method to isolate DNA from Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus and compared it with 4 other DNA isolation methods. The results show that the modified guanidinium isothiocyanate method developed in our laboratory is simple, fast, and inexpensive and yields DNA whose quality and quantity are similar to that of 2 commercial extraction kits but far better than 2 conventional DNA extraction methods used for comparison.


"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again." --William Cullen Bryant, "The Battle Field" (1839) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The wait was over. On October 25, 1970, on the eve of Muhammad Ali's first professional boxing match in forty-three months, African Americans flooded the streets of Atlanta, anxiously anticipating what Ali called his "day of judgment." They came from all over: Birmingham, Chicago, Detroit, Harlem, Miami, and Philadelphia. Peachtree Street had never been more colorful. Rows of chrome covered cars, gold limos, and purple Cadillacs lined the road. One fan, a slender man smoking a foot-long pipe, wore an ankle-length mink coat matched with a tall mink hat. Another man who washed dishes for a living told a reporter that he had saved for months so he could buy a puce suit and bet one thousand dollars on Ali. Women dressed up like it was New Year's Eve, sporting bouffant Afros, fake eyelashes, and sleek sequined mini skirts. The fight attracted a wide assortment of people, politicians and celebrities, hustlers and gangsters. The biggest names in black America were in town: Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Hank Aaron, Harry Belafonte, Curtis Mayfield, Diana Ross, Coretta Scott King, Whitney Young, Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, and Julian Bond. It was, Sports Illustrated observed, "the most startling assembly of black power and black money ever displayed." (1) That evening, Ali strutted down Atlanta's thoroughfare with a loud, laughing entourage following closely behind. Black fans shouted his name as he passed the corner newsstands, clubs, hotels, theaters, and restaurants. Crowds swarmed him. In Atlanta, nothing else seemed to matter with the champ in town. He owned the city. It was a powerful scene, playwright Jack Richardson wrote, "sheer black, street-corner ebullience out for a Sunday evening promenade. When Ali's fans spilled out onto the streets of Atlanta one knew that there was a new tempo in town that was much more devastating to Old South rhythms than the gospel cadence of a freedom march." (2) His fans last saw him in the ring on March 22,1967, when he knocked out Zora Folley in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden. About a month later in Houston, as the war in Vietnam intensified and draft calls escalated, Ali refused induction into the United States Army on religious grounds, claiming that he objected to wars not declared by Allah. Many Americans already despised him for his membership in the Nation of Islam, a separatist Muslim sect framed by the mainstream media as a subversive cult. Excoriated as an insincere, unpatriotic draft-dodger, Ali polarized the country. Immediately after he refused induction--before he had even been charged with a crime--the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) suspended his boxing license and withdrew his heavyweight championship title for conduct "detrimental to the best interests of boxing." Athletic commissions across the country followed New York's example, leading critics to predict the slow death of boxing. On June 20, 1967, a federal court convicted him of draft evasion and sentenced him to the maximum five-year imprisonment and $10,000 fine. For the next three and a half years, free while his case worked its way through the courts' appeals process, Ali waited to learn his fate. (3) Never before was his widespread support in the black community more evident than when he returned to boxing in Atlanta, a rapidly changing metropolis and the "Black Mecca" of the postwar New South. During the civil rights era, white moderates and black elites envisioned a harmonious city, proudly proclaiming Atlanta as the "City Too Busy to Hate." Atlanta's culture of racial moderation and the influence of Leroy Johnson, a black state senator who wielded significant political power, made Ali's return to boxing possible. For over three years, promoters and politicians in dozens of cities had failed to arrange an Ali match, but Johnson leveraged his unique connections with black and white municipal politicians to secure a boxing license for the former champ. …


In the decade between the Asia Minor debacle of 1922 and the foreign loan default of 1932, the Greek State formed tight links with the international capital market. This thesis examines the foreign loans raised. It investigates: the negotiations involved; the institutional framework through which these loans were provided; how they were used; and how they enhanced foreign tutelage over Greece. Book I explores the loans issued under the auspices of the Legue of Nations. It analyses how the League tackled the Refugee problem and uncovers how the stabilization plan was devised. It demonstrates the manner in which the League, the Bank of England and the British Treasury co-operated as regards Greece; and how these institutions withheld foreign finance (e.g. via embargoes) to force Greece to attain political stability and curb military expenditure. Book I also focuses on the divergent economic philosophy of the Greek authorities vis-a-vis the League and the Bank of England. Moreover, it brings to the surface the underlying antagonism between the International Financial Commission and the League of Nations. In addition, the parameters, other than the world economic crisis, that contributed to the demise of free convertibility in Greece are delineated. Finally, the stabilization experiment of the twenties is placed in a comparative perspective. Book II discusses foreign capital inflow outside 'formal' international control. This category of loans financed the development of infrastructure by foreign firms through 'agency' contracts. The terms and how the projects were carried out is investigated. The momentum attained in public works prior to stabilization and why it was not maintained during the gold exchange standard system is delineated. The growing dependence of the State on Hambros and the intimate relationship this merchant bank enjoyed with Greece's supervisors and the National Bank of Greece is brought into relief. Finally, an important issue analysed throughout the thesis is the internal weakness of the Greek state.


Seeds of Cassia hirsuta Lin. yielded a water soluble polysaccharide as D-galactose and D-mannose in 1 : 4 molar ratio by alkaline hypoiodite method. Reactions of the periodate oxidation is one of the most important in the structure determination of seeds polysaccharide in carbohydrate chemistry. Proposed by oxidation method was done with sodium metaperiodate as oxidant and it was proposed by Scientist Malaprade and Flurry and Lange's method. The mole of periodate consumption and formic acid liberation during periodate oxidation reaction of Cassia hirsuta Lin. Seeds. Polysaccharide was determined volumetrically. Composition and probable polysaccharide structures have also been elucidated with the information obtained from periodate oxidation of Cassia hirsuta Lin. seeds polysaccharide. After complete periodate oxidation reaction, it consumed 1.13 moles of oxidant with simultaneous liberation of 0.23 moles of formic acid per mole of anhydrohexose sugar unit of the polymer chain after 30 hrs. formic acid appear is to be originating from the reducing as well as non-reducing terminal unit of D-galactose and D-mannose are of (1-6)-a-type at non-reducing end while (1-4)-B-type at main polymer chain between D-mannose residues.


This paper presents a bibliography of HVDC transmission technology for 2000. It provides a listing of various journal and conference papers in this area.


Traditions in Transformation: Turning Points in Biblical Faith edited by B. Halpern and J. D. Levenson (Eisenbrauns [1981], $22.50, pp. xiv + 446) is a series of essays presented to F. M. Cross on his sixtieth birthday by a group of his former students. There are fourteen essays together with a portrait and appreciation, a bibliography of Cross's writings and the usual indexes. The preface claims that the volume aims 'to offer the intelligent non-specialist a sense of active participation in the dynamics of contemporary research', but it is difficult to see any significant difference between this and other Festschriften; this is a collection of essays, in length varying from 6 to 76 pages and with comparable variety in depth, on a wide range of OT themes (together with one essay on Qumran eschatology and one on the Book of Revelation). As might be expected, there are frequent appreciative references to the work of Cross himself, and several contributors investigate further some of those topics on which his major work has been done. Among the OT studies particular attention may be drawn to a useful historical survey by C. E.1'Heureux of the 'origins of Yahwism' problem, with four possible 'normative positions' set out. B. Halpern offers a presentation of the establishment of the monarchy in Israel in sociological terms, and argues that 1 Samuel 8 represents an alternative but not necessarily a later or Deuteronomistic viewpoint. W. Janzen explores the theme of the prophet as messenger deliberately withholding some part of his message. Three essays (by J. D. Levenson, R. E. Friedman and R. Polzin) relate to Cross's analysis of the work of the Deuteronomists; Polzin's essay is a summary of part of his argument of his book 'Moses and the Deuteronomist'. This is 'literary criticism' in the modern sense, as is J. S. Ackerman's exposition of the satirical character of Jonah. A very long essay by L. J. Greenspoon suggests a wider frame of reference than has been usual for the development of the idea of resurrection in Israel linking it with the belief in Yahweh as divine warrior. J. D. Purvis


An ensemble Kalman filter is used to assimilate Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2) observations of passive microwave (PMW) brightness temperatures (spectral differences, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta T_b$</tex-math></inline-formula>) into land surface model estimates of snow mass over northwestern high mountain Asia (HMA). Trained support vector machines serve as the observation operator and map the geophysical modeled variables into <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta T_b$</tex-math></inline-formula> space within the assimilation framework. Evaluation of the assimilation routine is carried out through comparison of assimilated snow mass estimates with an <italic>in situ</italic> dataset. The assimilation framework helps improve the land surface model estimates through PMW <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta T_b$</tex-math></inline-formula> assimilation, particularly in terms of decreasing the domain-wide bias. The assimilation framework proved more effective during the (dry) snow accumulation season and decreased the bias and root-mean-square error (RMSE) in snow mass estimates at 76% and 58% of the comparative pixels, respectively. During the snow ablation season, the PMW brightness temperature signal contained less information related to snow mass due to the presence of other concurrent geophysical features that effectively serve as noise during the snow mass update. The utilization of PMW <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta T_b$</tex-math></inline-formula> for accurate snow mass estimation in complex terrain such as HMA is dependent on a multitude of factors for optimal results; however, it does add utility to the land surface model if the relevant pitfalls are taken into consideration prior to the state variable update.


NAVSYS High Gain Advanced GPS Receiver (HAGR) uses a digital beam-steering antenna array to enable up to eight GPS satellites to be tracked, each with up to 10 dBi of additional antenna gain over a conventional receiver solution. This digital, PC-based architecture provides a cost-effective solution for commercial applications where more precise GPS measurements are needed. The additional gain provided on the satellite signals by the HAGR enables sub-meter Pseudo-ranges to be observed directly on the C/A code and also improves the accuracy of the GPS carrier phase and estimates of the satellite signal strength. The directivity of the digital beams created from the antenna array also reduces multipath errors further improving the accuracy of DGPS corrections generated by the HAGR and the navigation and timing solution computed.


Experimental simulation of a V-shaped target for a gas divertor via detached plasma formation is presented using a linear divertor plasma simulator, TPD-Sheet IV. Three geometries of the opposite plate on the V-shaped target were investigated with variation of the contact gas flow rate. The ionization and recombination events are discussed for each target configuration using the collisional-radiative (CR) model. The results expect that a gas divertor with a V-shaped target effectively enhances plasma recycling and detachment.


"The untouchables have no Press. The Congress Press is closed to them and is determined not to give them the slightest publicity. They cannot have their own Press and for obvious reasons. No paper can survive without advertisement revenue. Advertisement revenue can come only from business and in India all business, both high and small is attached to the congress and will not favour any Non-Congress organisation. The staff of the Associated Press in India, which is the main news agency in India, is entirely drawn from the Madras Brahmins—indeed the whole of the Press in India is in their hands—and they, for well-known reasons, are entirely pro-Congress and will not allow any news hostile to the Congress to get publicity. These are reasons behind the control of the Untouchables."


PURPOSE: To explore the possibilities of frameless navigation surgery in patients with posttraumatic defects and deformities of the orbit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to develop frameless navigation technique for surgical treatment of posttraumatic defects and deformities of the orbit, examination and surgery were performed on 21 patients of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine. Multi-slice spiral computed tomography was used for preoperative simulation and intraoperative control. Virtual layer-by-layer reconstruction of missing bone fragments and modeling of anatomical position of dislocated bone fragments in frontal, axial, and sagittal images were performed. Implant position control was done with pointer device of the navigation system. RESULTS: Good functional (disappearance of diplopia in primary position of gaze) and cosmetic results were obtained in all patients. None developed complications in the postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: The use of frameless navigation in surgical treatment of posttraumatic defects and deformities of the orbit allows to obtain good and stable functional and cosmetic results.


A total number of 360 day old male Ross broiler chicks were randomly assigned into eight experimental treatment groups (45 each) to study the effect of incorporated 30% wheat bran (WB) in broiler diets and the possibility to improve the feeding value of WB when supplemented with some feed additives. In Treatment 1 birds received control diet and birds in treatment 2 received the basal wheat bran diet (WBdiet). Birds of treatment 3,4,5,6,7 and 8 received the WB-diet supplemented with 0.01% Xylam (E), E +1% Radish extract (RE), 1% Tomato extract (TE), 1%TE +1%RE, 1% Sodium Sulphate (SS) and 1% SS +1% TE. Results showed that there were insignificant differences in weight gain (WG) and feed conversion (FC) between birds fed control diet and WB-diet in all growth periods. In the finisher period, there were insignificant differences among all treatments in WG and FC. The feed additives used failed to improve performance of WB-diet group under the conditions of this study. The WB-diet without or with additives significantly decreased abdominal fat % compared to the control diet. Addition of TE+RE to WB-diet improved the digestibility of all nutrients. WB-diet alone or with E significantly increased plasma antioxidant capacity while it decreased total plasma cholesterol compared to the control diet. The addition of TE alone or with RE to WB-diet significantly increased the level of plasma calcium. The WB-diet alone or with either E+RE or TE significantly increased globulin level in plasma compared to the control diet. It could be concluded that not only 30% WB can be incorporate into broiler diets without adverse effect on performance but also it have a beneficial effect on plasma antioxidant capacity, phosphorus and globulin.


Spectral induced polarization (SIP) has become an increasingly popular geophysical method for hydrogeological and environmental applications. These applications include for instance the non-intrusive characterization of the textural and interfacial physicochemical properties of bentonites used as permeability barriers in landfills or to store various types of contaminants including radioactive wastes. Bentonites are mainly constituted of smectites, which have very high specific surface areas (SSA) and cation exchange capacities (CEC). Therefore, these minerals have very high electromigration and polarization current densities responsible for very high in phase and quadrature conductivities, respectively. In addition, in diluted water, the diffuse layer of smectites occupies a large fraction of the pore space and may be therefore considered as part of the pore space. In our approach [1], complex electrical conductivities of saturated unconsolidated bentonite and bentonite-sand mixtures are modeled at different salinities (NaCl) of the bulk pore water using a Donnan equilibrium model coupled to the revisited SIP model of Leroy and Revil [2]. Our complex surface conductivity model considers the DC contribution of the diffuse and Stern layers as well as the electrochemical polarization of the Stern layer coating the grains with different sizes. The macroscopic SIP model is based on the differential effective medium theory and considers the complex surface conductivity of the sand and smectite grains and the complex conductivity of the pore space. In our model, the diffuse layer of quartz sands occupies a small fraction of the pore space and is considered therefore as part of the surface of the grains. Our SIP model predicts very well the low frequency (0.1 Hz - kHz) complex electrical conductivities of bentonite and bentonite-sand mixtures, except for very low frequencies (< 0.1 Hz) where membrane polarization may occur (Figure 1). The in phase conductivity of the sample with a high clay content (20 % in volume) increases slowly with salinity because of the very high DC surface conductivity of smectite. The observed large increase of the in phase and quadrature conductivity of the samples with the clay content (1, 20 and 100% in volume) is also predicted by our model. The quadrature conductivity of the samples with a high clay content is fairly independent on the pore fluid salinity because it is strongly connected with the SSA, CEC and Stern layer of smectite (Figure 1). The in phase conductivity of the sample with a low clay content (1% in volume) increases quickly with the salinity because of its low DC surface conductivity. Its quadrature conductivity also increases quickly with salinity because of the formation of the Stern layer at the surface of quartz sand. Nevertheless, our SIP model can't predict the quadrature conductivity spectra observed at very low frequencies (< 10-1 Hz). The missing polarization mechanism may correspond to membrane polarization and there is an effort to be done to incorporate this contribution in a unified model.


Migratory beekeeping, has become an important issue in increasing productivity of colony, but today it has become an important challenge to find staff to load and unload bees. The necessity of carrying bee transportation usually between illusions and at night time, as well as the problem of not finding the workers to work due to bee insertion problems have also brought about. In addition to the transportation of beekeeping between the cities in the migratory beekeeping, it is another factor that increases the operating expenses, even if the colonies are both loaded and unloaded and require separate labor costs. As a consequence, it is difficult to find the workers in the transportation of bees and because of the high cost of labor, the traveling bee is getting away from being economical. The constant increase in fuel prices and the increase in transportation costs are another negative factor that adversely affects migratory beekeeping negatively. Due to these problems of loading and downloading bees, although they are not satisfied with the place where they put a beekeeper, they can not change their place quickly and have to spend the season inefficiently.


Objective To characterize programmed death–ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) positivity for locally aggressive or regionally metastatic cutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (cHNSCC). Study Design Retrospective chart review, followed by immunohistochemical staining of archived tumor specimens. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Subjects and Methods After identification of 101 patients treated surgically for locally advanced or regionally metastatic cHNSCC, archived tissue was stained and graded for PD-L1 expression in addition to TIL presence. Cross-tabulation was performed to examine the association between either of these variables and clinicopathologic features and outcomes. Results A total of 101 patients met inclusion criteria, but archived tissue was available only for 83 (31 primaries, 52 metastases). The majority of primary tumors demonstrated grade 1 PD-L1 staining, while grade 2 staining was more likely for metastases. Neither high- nor low-grade PD-L1 expression correlated with any clinicopathologic variable for primary tumors. However, for metastases, high-grade staining was significantly associated with regional recurrence (15 of 19, P = .02). TILs were present for 65% of primary tumors and 90% of regional metastases but did not correlate with any clinicopathologic variables. Conclusion Diffuse expression of PD-L1 in this study highlights the possibility of using immunotherapy in the form of programmed death 1/PD-L1 blockade to improve treatment for this devastating disease. However, further studies are needed to clarify the significance of PD-L1 expression and TIL positivity for locally advanced or regionally metastatic cHNSCC.


Microneedle arrays fabricated by synchrotron radiation deep X-ray lithography are presented in this work. Two types of plastic microneedle array are introduced; hollow microneedle array and quadruplets-microneedle array. The quadruplets-microneedle array has been designed for substitution of the hollow microneedle array in the case that the external pumping facility is disconnected. With the new design and fabrication technique of our research group, PCT (plain-pattern to cross-section transfer), the crown-shape of the microneedle has been fabricated and utilized as a blood extraction tool. The advantage is, the needle employs capillary force to draw the liquid. However, in the purpose of drug delivery, the fabrication of a hollow microneedle by the same technique is also reported. In this work, an investigation on several designs of X-ray mask pattern was done. The results of 3D shapes have been considered in order to approach higher strength for penetrating through the skin. Although the test of the hollow microneedle for drug deliver has not yet been demonstrated due to the requirement of an external pumping tool, the extraction test of quadruplets-microneedle was illustrated.


Actual substances exhibit a very complicated behavior under mechanical stresses which cannot be described by classical elasticity theory nor by the classical theory of the hydrodynamics of viscous fluids. A general molecular theory describing the behavior of matter under stress is discussed and related to previous investigations and to experimental observations. Particular attention is devoted to rubberlike substances for which the classical theories are definitely inadequate. Experimental results on relaxation and creep of rubbers are interpreted in terms of modern structural concepts. It is found that these substances exhibit three regions of stress‐temperature‐time dependence. At intermediate temperatures there exists a region of relative stability in which the statistical‐thermodynamic theory of rubber elasticity is valid. At elevated temperatures relaxation and creep are caused by chemical changes involving the rupture and formation of primary valence bonds. These chemical changes, which are responsi...


We introduce a Bayesian discrete-time framework for switching-interaction analysis under uncertainty, in which latent interactions, switching pattern and signal states and dynamics are inferred from noisy (and possibly missing) observations of these signals. We propose reasoning over full posterior distribution of these latent variables as a means of combating and characterizing uncertainty. This approach also allows for answering a variety of questions probabilistically, which is suitable for exploratory pattern discovery and post-analysis by human experts. This framework is based on a fully-Bayesian learning of the structure of a switching dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) and utilizes a statespace approach to allow for noisy observations and missing data. It generalizes the autoregressive switching interaction model of Siracusa et al. [1], which does not allow observation noise, and the switching linear dynamic system model of Fox et al. [2], which does not infer interactions among signals. Posterior samples are obtained via a Gibbs sampling procedure, which is particularly efcient in the case of linear Gaussian dynamics and observation models. We demonstrate the utility of our framework on a controlled human-generated data, and climate data.