"Hellow, Soldier" is the second episode in Lino Brocka's Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa (1974). It is set in the slums of post-war Manila and follows a young slum dweller named Gina who lives with her mother, Lucia, as they attempt to work out the knots in their internal and domestic conflict. This paper attempts to illustrate how the shanty reveals the characters' nature through their use of their space, which leads to crafting their identity and their perception of society. The study inquires: how does the shanty reflect the characters' self-identity? How do they shape the space in relation to their perception of society?


In shallow‐water areas the utilization of active sonar is complicated by the fact that in these environments the performance of active sonar systems is degraded by backscatter generated by source signal interaction with channel boundaries. In this paper knowledge about the shallow‐water acoustic channel, namely the normal‐mode structure, is used to design vertical source arrays which minimize source signal boundary interaction. The boundary signal interaction is minimized for many environments by exciting only the first mode. Mode one excitation is accomplished by weighting the array sources by the amplitude and polarity of the mode one eigenfunction. Simulations across the frequency range from 200 to 700 Hz using a two‐way PE backscatter model were conducted. It was shown that a vertical array of sources, containing only 15 elements, can reduce bottom generated backscatter by as much as 15–20 dB.


In his recent and important book, Growing Public, Peter Lindert provides an analysis of public spending on redistributive measures, examining the political economy of policies put in place since the eighteenth century in a wide range of countries. In so doing, he aims to understand the history of social policies, the pace of their development, the variations between countries, and the effects that these measures have had. By shedding new light on the history of this kind of transaction—from financial aid for the poor, to education, to contemporary forms of social security—this book invites debate. As the core of his argument relies on the historical experience of Western Europe since the eighteenth century, one way to check the robustness of Lindert's conclusions is to consider whether they are dependent on the spatial and temporal limits that he imposes. This is what R. Bin Wong and Gilles Postel-Vinay attempt to do in this series of interlinked articles. The former shifts the debate to another geographical terrain, analyzing China's commitment to social spending between the mid-Qing Dynasty and the middle of the 20th century. The latter focuses on the same countries as Lindert, but takes into account both a longer time period and different levels of decision-making. In the final article in the series, Peter Lindert offers a rejoinder to their comments.


In this paper, the problem of fully decentralized data fusion and control for a modular wheeled mobile robot (WMR) is addressed. This is a vehicle system with nonlinear kinematics, distributed multiple sensors, and nonlinear sensor models. The problem is solved by applying fully decentralized estimation and control algorithms based on the extended information filter. This is achieved by deriving a modular, decentralized kinematic model by using plane motion kinematics to obtain the forward and inverse kinematics for a generalized simple wheeled vehicle. This model is then used in the decentralized estimation and control algorithms. WMR estimation and control is this obtained locally using reduced order models with reduced communication requirements, in a scalable network of control nodes. If communication of information between nodes is carried out after every measurement (full rate communication), the estimates and control signals obtained at each node are equivalent to those obtained by a corresponding centralized system. Transputer architecture is used as the basis for hardware and software design as it supports the extensive communication and concurrency requirements that characterize modular and decentralized systems. The advantages of a modular WMR vehicle include scalability, application flexibility low prototyping costs, and high reliability.


The dynamical characteristics of the spontaneous decay of a single excited atom or molecule depend strongly on its position within a photonic crystal (PC) and the relative orientation of its dipole and the electric field there. Measuring its dynamical characteristics of the spontaneous decay in a PC can only obtain the local density of states (DOS) in the PC, but cannot reflect the total DOS in the PC. It is found, theoretically, that using different number density distributions of luminescent molecules within the PC, one can probe the partial information or even all of the total DOS in the PC. In this paper, we separate, for the first time to our knowledge, the total DOS into :two parts, DOS in the scatterer and DOS in the matrix of the Wigner-Seitz unit cell, according to their origin, and demonstrate that a special number density distribution of fluorescent molecules can reflect the total scatterers DOS or total matrix DOS or even both of them, i.e. the total DOS in the PC. This is meaningful in explaining and designing the experiments of prohibiting and enhancing the spontaneous emission of excited molecules.


Increased oxidative stress and intracellular calcium levels and mitochondrial overloading of calcium during ischemic renal injury (IRI) favor mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening and subsequent necrotic cell death. Cyclophilin D (CypD) is an essential component of MPTP, and recent findings implicate its role in necrotic, but not apoptotic, cell death. To evaluate the role of CypD following IRI, we tested the hypothesis that CypD gene ablation protects mice from IRI. Renal function as assessed by plasma levels of both creatinine and blood urea nitrogen was significantly reduced in CypD knockout (CypD(-/-)) mice compared with wild-type mice during the 5-day post-ischemia period. Erythrocyte trapping, tubular cell necrosis, tubular dilatation, and neutrophil infiltration were significantly decreased in CypD(-/-) mice. To define the mechanisms by which CypD deficiency protect the kidneys, an in vitro model of IRI was employed. Inhibition of CypD using cyclosporin A in oxidant-injured cultured proximal tubular cells (PTC) prevented mitochondrial membrane depolarization, reduced LDH release, ATP depletion and necrotic cell death. Similarly, oxidant-injured CypD(-/-) PTC primary cultures were protected from cytotoxicity and necrosis. To conclude, CypD gene ablation offers both functional and morphological protection in mice following IRI by decreasing necrotic cell death possibly via inhibition of MPTP and ATP depletion.


Low-resource organizations worldwide work to improve health, education, infrastructure, and economic opportunity in disadvantaged communities. These organizations must collect data in order to inform service delivery and performance monitoring. In such settings, data collection can be laborious and expensive due to challenges in the physical and digital infrastructure, in capacity and retention of technical staff, and in poor performance incentives. Governments, donors, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) large and small are demanding more accountability and transparency, resulting in increased data collection workloads. Despite continued emphasis and investment, countless data collection efforts continue to experience delayed and low-quality results. Existing tools and capabilities for data collection have not kept pace with increased reporting requirements.
This dissertation addresses data collection in low-resource settings by algorithmically shepherding human attention at three different scales: (1) by redirecting workers' attention at the moment of entry, (2) by reformulating the data collection instrument in its design and use, and (3) by reorganizing the flow and composition of data entry tasks within and between organizations. These three different granularities of intervention map to the three major parts of this dissertation.
First, the Usher system learns probabilistic models from previous form responses, supplementing the lack of expertise and quality control. The models are a principled foundation for data in forms, and are applied at every step of the data collection process: form design, form filling, and answer verification. Simulated experiments demonstrate that Usher can improve data quality and reduce quality-control effort considerably.
Next, a number of dynamic user-interface mechanisms improve accuracy and efficiency during the act of data entry, powered by Usher. Based on a cognitive model, these interface adaptations can be applied as interventions before, during, and after input. An evaluation with professional data entry clerks in rural Uganda reduced error by up to 78%.
Finally, the Shreddr system transforms paper form images into structured data on-demand. Shreddr reformulates data entry work-flows with pipeline and batching optimizations at the organizational level. It combines emergent techniques from computer vision, database systems, and machine learning, with newly-available infrastructure—on-line workers and mobile connectivity—into a hosted data entry web-service. It is a framework for data digitization that can deliver Usher and other optimizations at scale. Shreddr's impact on digitization efficiency and quality is illustrated in a one-million-value case study in Mali.
The main contributions of this dissertation are (1) a probabilistic foundation for data collection, which effectively guides form design, form filling, and value verification; (2) dynamic data entry interface adaptations, which significantly improve data entry accuracy and efficiency; and (3) the design and large-scale evaluation of a hosted-service architecture for data entry.


Through a contents analysis of reporting in Denmark during 2008-2018, this article examines the transformational effect of mandatory NFR as a regulatory strategy. Based on a pilot study, the article contributes to the legal and organisational literature by exploring the under-researched issue of the effect of mandatory NFR as a regulatory strategy to advance responsible business conduct by stimulating organisational transformation. NFR is typically viewed from an informational perspective, concerned with providing investors and other stakeholders with data relevant to their decisions concerning the company, or a transformational perspective, targeting internal learning and focused organisational change. The article provides novel understanding of the dynamics of a transformational approach based on stimulating organisational learning, as well as the effects of shifting to a disclosure orientation following the implementation of the NFRD. Based on the empirical analysis it concludes that the learning objective as well as the manner in which a NFR requirement is communicated in a legislative text or supporting guidelines are significant for the transformational potential and therefore regulatory effects of NFR.


The systems of public administration in the national republics have one significant difference when compared with other types of regional subjects ("oblast" or "kray") in the Russian Federation. These systems have governmental media (state media) founded by public authorities and these media outlets assets are in the ownership of these authorities. It gives a certain originality to both the national republics and Russias administrative practices and mass media functioning. It is common for experts to criticize the national republics public administrations for withdrawal from the libertarian model, but most often, this critical thinking does not clarify the reasons which could have looked "positive" from the libertarian perspective. These reasons are the major factor in making public authorities maintain state media.The paper aims to synthesize the practice of governmental administration of mass media in the national republics and explicate the administration model by considering the example of Buryatia. The authors give their own definition to the concept of "state media"; identify public authorities and mass medias interaction principles as well as institutional specifics of mass medias functioning in the national subjects of Russia. The authors argue that state medias functioning is justified. Being a political institution, state media experience a serious impact of various social factors including political, economic and legal ones. In the process of political management, their interference provides the mass media with a resource potential.The state mass media in Buryatia is founded by its government and operates under the supervision of a special body in the Administration of the Head and the Government of the Republic of Buryatia. In practice, this body is an operator and manager of the mass media industry and it possesses all the resources it needs, including financial, to run the industry. All the state media outlets have been joined into "Buryaad Unen Publishing House", a state autonomous institution. It provides state services via the implementation of particular functions. One of these functions is conducting the state politics and policy that is the consequence of the political forces ratio on the regional and federal levels. The other functions include legitimization of law, publicizing activities of public authorities, and preservation and development of the national language (the Buryat peoples language). The latter state media function is of major importance in the national re publics.The research approach is an environmental sociological analysis studying the influence of various social factors which are making an impact on the choice of government mechanisms for administering state media. For analysis of various aspects of state mass medias transformation into a social subject of policy, the authors combine sociological with institutional and discourse research methods.


The diagnostic modes and results of treatment 7 patients with periappendicular abscess, complicated by the acute short-bowel obstruction are discussed. Age varied from 19 to 76 years. 4 of them were hospitalized with ileus symptoms, the rest 5 developed the obstruction during the hospital stay. 2 patients had an urgent operation, 4 patients were operated after 2-4 days and 1 after 9 days after admission. The correlation between the obstruction symptoms and appendicular inflammation was supposed in 3 patients. The cause of small-bowel obstruction was twist of the intestine loop, matted to the appendicular abscess. The surgery consisted of abscess sanation, appendectomy, small-bowel decompression and extrication. One patients died postoperatively of pulmonary embolism.


The paper deals with a role of inherited factors responsible for the occurrence of malignant tumors. Inherited types of cancer are shown to occur virtually at its sites and averaged 5-15%. Formalized criteria for identifying inherited cancer diseases and their etiological and genetic heterogeneity are presented. A role of genes that genetically predispose to particular forms of cancer is shown, which allows for early (preclinical) diagnosis and prevention of cancer diseases.


Canada's extensive pipeline grid can be traced back to the 1950s when major crude oil and natural gas finds in western Canada led to the construction of large pipeline systems [1]. Some of the currently operating pipelines in Canada have been operating for over 60 years. With the objective of ensuring that pipelines are suitable for continued reliable, safe and environmentally responsible service, the National Energy Board (NEB) issued the Onshore Pipeline Regulations (OPR) in 1999 (OPR-99) mandating pipeline companies to develop and implement Integrity Management Programs (IMPs).The OPR-99 allows pipeline companies to tailor the content of the IMPs to particular circumstances. From a life cycle perspective, the majority of pipeline IMPs involve inspection and testing, data management and interpretation, risk assessment, integrity or engineering assessment and pipeline repairs. Despite the evident benefits of implementing IMPs, conducting pipeline repairs can also trigger environmental concerns and permitting requirements. Developing effective Environmental Protection Plans (EPPs) and obtaining federal and provincial environmental permitting in sensitive areas can be time consuming and costly. If these factors and costs are not incorporated to the planning process they can create subsequent delays and financial burdens. Additionally, implementing environmental management practices throughout the life cycle of IMPs will aid pipeline companies in managing environmental issues systematically and effectively while enhancing environmental stewardship and corporate social responsibility. Including environmental setting considerations, identifying regulatory requirements and conducting stakeholder engagement during the earliest stages and throughout the IMP is essential to ensure the sustainability of the Program. This paper describes an integrated management system which incorporates environmental considerations throughout the overall IMP and a strategic approach to information management.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Physicochemical atomic stereodescriptors (PAS) were implemented that represent the chirality of an atomic chiral center on the basis of empirical physicochemical properties of the ligands. The ligands are ranked according to a specific property, and the chiral center takes an S/R-like descriptor relative to that property. The procedure is performed for a series of properties, yielding a chirality profile. Application of the PAS descriptors to the prediction of enantioselectivity in chemical reactions, from the molecular structures, is illustrated here. The relationship between the molecular structures, represented by the PAS descriptors, and the enantioselectivity was learned by neural networks, decision trees, or random forests. In a first application, a data set was employed with chiral amino alcohols that enantioselectively catalyze the addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde. Prediction of the major enantiomer obtained in the reaction, from the molecular structure of the catalyst, was achieved with accuracy up to 90%. The second application investigated the enantiopreference of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase (PCL) toward primary alcohols. The learned models could make correct predictions about the preferred enantiomer, from the molecular structure of the substrate, in up to 93% of the cases. These included substrates with and without O-atoms bonded to the chiral center. The properties automatically selected to build the models can give indications on the relevant factors guiding the observed chemical behavior.


This paper describes the development and implementation of a system to predict and detect failures in rubber covered steel rolls used in paper mills. This system is based on the analysis of machine vibrations using DSP techniques. The vibration signal is detected by accelerometers placed on the pressure rolls. It was found that simple signal analysis can easily detect and predict the onset of a machine failure.


Abstract In carotid artery disease patients with concomitant significant coronary artery disease (CAD - especially left main diseases – LMCA), the risk of perioperative myocardial infarction and early and late death are increased. Conversely, in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), uncorrected severe carotid disease increases the risk of adverse neurologic events [1]. The optimal management of these co-existing conditions and the timing and sequence of correcting them remain controversial. Over the past 2 decades, staged carotid revascularisation followed by CABG, staged CABG followed by carotid revascularisation, or combined coronary and carotid revascularisation simultaneously in one operative setting have each been advocated. Our patient presented with both carotid and significant LMCA CAD, first we have done carotid intervention followed one week later by LMCA percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).


This chapter offers an overview of psychology's approach to sex differences in emotion, beginning from a discussion of how psychology has approached emotion. The chapter takes a critical, social-constructionist stance on emotion and critiques psychology's essentialist stance. Moreover, it introduces a new direction in psychology in which emotion and gender are studied from a discursive perspective, in which emotion words and concepts can function interactionally. The article considers two examples. In the first, a woman is positioned as emotional and by implication, irrational. The second example investigates how the popular concept of 'emotion work', one that typically constructs women as down-trodden, can in fact be used as a resource for young women to manage their identities in interactions. Indeed it is constructed as something that makes them powerful in relation to the vulnerable males they discuss.


Premembrane (prM) is a viral protein of flavivirus, which is important for the generation of infectious virion and for virus infection to the host. However, the biological properties and function of the prM of Avian Tembusu virus (ATMUV) have scarcely been studied to date. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a powerful tool for functional analysis of viral protein. To produce a mAb against prM protein of ATMUV, the prM gene sequence was amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a (+). The recombinant prM protein was successfully expressed in BL21 (DE3). Using the purified prM as immunogen in mice, three hybridoma cells secreting mAbs against prM protein were obtained. These mAbs showed a strong reaction with ATMUV-infected DF-1 cells and pEGFP-C3-prM transfected 293-T cells in both Western blotting analysis and immunofluorescence assay. The mAbs developed in this study will be useful tools for analysis of the prM protein func...


Natural regeneration of seedlings in mangrove forest is an important part of the secondary succession process. This research aimed to analyze the natural regeneration that occured in degraded areas of Kutai National Park, particularly in Bontang and Sangkima. Data collected was the presence of natural mangrove seedlings and measurement of environmental parameter i.e. soil and sea water. Vegetation inventory was conducted establishing plots placed intentionally (purposive sampling) at rehabilitation plot area of Bontang (0,98 ha) and Sangkima (1,04 ha). Composite soil samples were taken from five points in the plots at two different soil depths: 0-30 cm and 31-61 cm. Water samples of 200 ml were collected from the plots. The results of this study showed that at both locations six species of mangrove seedling were found. Bontang area consist of Acrostichum aureum, Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea, Rhizophora apiculata and also Ceriops tagal species. Meanwhile, in Sangkima area species was identified as: Sonneratia alba, Rhizophora apiculata, and Rhizophora mucronata. Distribution of seedlings mangrove at Bontang area has strong positive correlation with environmental parameter of soil texture (silt and clay), soil chemical (CEC, N, C, Na, Ca), tides, and water chemical (salinity, NO3 and COD). In other hand, seedlings distribution in the Sangkima area have strong positive correlation with environmental parameters of soil texture (sand) and water chemicals (Mg, Al, pH, COD, BOD, DO, and TSS). In order to speed up of the restoration in degraded areas of Kutai National Park mangrove forest, it was need attention to suitability aspects of each species based on the environmental conditions of each site.


Abstract. Global land cover/land use product in multiple periods is pivotal to understand the complex drivers and mechanisms in global climate change, and to forecast future land use trends in sustainable development. GlobeLand30, as the world's first high spatial resolution land cover product (83% accuracy), needs to be continually updated to meet various needs. However, many challenges - such as removing pseudo change to keep consistency of updating - remain unsolved. To deal with high temporal and spatial variability happened within built-up area class and between it and other classes, this paper presents an alternative approach that exploits domain knowledge and object-based change detection technique. The central premise of the approach is that one-class segmentation is first proceeded on both former image and current image. Then, segments of former image are labeled by using corresponding Globeland30 product. Segments of built-up area in current image are finally recognized through correlation which is established based on domain knowledge. Knowledge used in this study mainly includes area index, shape index, perimeter index, spectral similarity, 'from to' types and spatial relation. The proposed method and classification method were tested for their ability for built-up area updating in Shandong area. Results showed that the proposed method proved particularly effective for maintaining consistency of unchanged areas from former product to current one, and more than 80% changes could be identified correctly. The proposed method also provided a practical way for an economic and accurate updating of Globeland30 product.


Much has been written about models, aims and the concept of clinical group supervisional, although few studies are empirical or focus on intensive care. The aim of the study was to illuminate the process and describe, using qualitative content analysis, the content of conversations carried out during the course of clinical group supervision sessions among Registered Nurses (RN) and enrolled nurses (EN) working in an intensive care unit (ICU). During the supervision sessions, ENs talked about their life-world from a caring perspective, while RNs focused on their professional development. Both ENs and RNs regarded the supervision sessions as a space for relief and for sharing emotions and caring experiences, which helped to manage complex nursing care. The findings are viewed in the light of Roach's theoretical framework describing the attributes of professional care as five Cs. Clinical group supervision is interpreted as supportive in developing interpersonal skills and a sensitive nursing practice.


The purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of convolutional neural network for prediction of the next appropriate move in the Go game. The paper contains description of the crucial Go game rules, neural networks theory, description of implemented programs and final evaluation of the trained neural networks. The programs were implemented with programming language C++ using Caffe framework for the initialization and management of predesigned convolutional neural network models. The thesis compares various models and ways of neural networks learning. The outcome of the experiments was poor; nevertheless, the analysis revealed the main root for this, which was insufficient hardware power. Changes were proposed, probably leading to successful neural network, predicting appropriate moves in the Go game. Despite the imperfections, the experiments proved convolutional neural networks are applicable for the next step prediction in the Go game if the training process is performed properly.


Background: Interprofessional education is an important precursor to developing collaborative interprofessional healthcare teams. Both have been studied extensively. Less is known about factors contributing to successful interprofessional research. This study examined the perspectives of members of an interprofessional healthcare research team regarding their involvement as research team members. Methods & Findings: Phase 1: Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with research team members. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Each transcript was analyzed using a comparative contrast approach. Concepts emerging from the data were categorized broadly under the following themes: raison d'etre, key elements of an interprofessional research team, communication, unavoidable logistics, and what is the value? Phase 2: Upon completion of the analysis, a preliminary conceptual framework for conducting interprofessional healthcare research was proposed and presented to the research team. Phase 3: A validation process was undertaken to further define the framework. Conclusions: Key components of the conceptual framework included values (trust, respect for each other, and common interest[s]) and structural prerequisites (expertise in the topic area, funding, team leadership time, associated workload, organized and co-ordinated management, and forums for multi-modal communication).


Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks aim to deplete the network bandwidth and computing resources of targeted victims. Low-rate DDoS attacks exploit protocol features such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) three-way handshake mechanism for connection establishment and the TCP congestion-control induced backoffs to attack at a much lower rate and still effectively bring down the targeted network and computer systems. Most of the statistical and machine/deep learning-based detection methods proposed in the literature require keeping track of packets by flows and have high processing overheads for feature extraction. This paper presents a novel two-stage model that uses Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Random Forest (RF) to detect the presence of attack flows in a group of flows. This model has a very low data processing overhead; it uses only two features and does not require keeping track of packets by flows, making it suitable for continuous monitoring of network traffic and on-the-fly detection. The paper also presents an LSTM Autoencoder to detect individual attack flows with high detection accuracy using only two features. Additionally, the paper presents an analysis of a support vector machine (SVM) model that detects attack flows in slices of network traffic collected for short durations. The low-rate attack dataset used in this study is made available to the research community through GitHub.


This study deals with the investigation of impact of temperature and ultraviolet (UV) radiation on spruce wood (Picea abies(L.) H. Karst.) and fir wood (Abies albaMill.) colour changes. Samples of investigated woods species were loaded by temperatures of 110, 130, and 150°C and UV radiation (with 253.7 nm wavelength and 40 W m-2intensity) during 72, 168, 336 and 672 hours. Colour changes were evaluated in the CIE Lab colour space. Theneural network for prediction of both colour coordinates and total colour difference of spruce and fir wood was trained by data regarding exposure conditions (temperature, UV radiation and time) and by obtained results. Coefficient of determination (R2) of the neural network was above 0.99 for training, validation and testing. Average colour coordinates (±standard deviation) of the spruce and fir wood before exposure were L* = 80.08 ± 3.70,a* = 7.55 ± 2.13, b* = 21.56 ± 1.79, L* = 80.46 ± 1.91, a* = 6.84 ± 0.97, and b* = 18.90 ± 1.26, resp. Total colour differences after thermal loading were in the interval from ΔEab* = 3.76 ± 1.95 (spruce wood at 110°C) to ΔEab* = 45.37±1.46 (fir wood at 150°C). Total colour differences of both wood species exposed by UV radiation were approximately in intervals from ΔEab* = 12 to 13 (after 72 h) up to ΔEab* = 16 to 20 (after 168 to 672 h). Obtained results proven that both temperature and UV radiation have significant impact on the colour changes of the investigated woods.


Identifying susceptibility genes for a common complex disease is complicated by heterogeneity at several levels including allelic, locus, clinical, and population. The latter two can be alleviated by focusing on particular subsets of families that have well-defined disease. For osteoarthritis it was commonly thought that a generalized disease approach was the wisest ascertainment because this would target a systemic disease that had to have a major genetic component. However, this intuitive idea has not yet provided the breakthroughs many expected and it has become apparent that a joint-specific and gender-specific approach may be more fruitful. Large collections of osteoarthritis cohorts have been assembled either as part of prospective studies or more directly. Some of these collections have targeted specific joints, others have not. The latter are, however, amenable to stratification. Many collectors included the acquisition of DNA as a core study aim. A variety of osteoarthritis subsets are therefore available for genetic analysis. Open accessibility is another matter. Although many collections were funded partly or wholly by public or charitable organizations, they can be jealously guarded or have arcane access rights. Open access, with necessary safeguards, is something the osteoarthritis research community should strive for if progress toward susceptibility gene identification is to be swift.


This paper focuses on a classification problem for volatile time series. One of the most popular approaches for time series classification is dynamic time warping and feature-based machine learning architectures. In many previous studies, these algorithms have performed satisfactorily on various datasets. However, most of these methods are not suitable for chaotic time series because the superficial changes in measured values are not essential for chaotic time series. In general, most time series datasets include both chaotic and non-chaotic time series; thus, it is necessary to extract the more essential features of a time series. In this paper, we propose a new approach for volatile time series classification. Our approach generates a novel feature by extracting the structure of the attractor using topological data analysis to represent the transition rules of the time series. As this feature represents the essential property of systems of the time series, our approach is effective for both chaotic and non-chaotic types. We applied a learning architecture inspired by a convolutional neural network to this feature and found that the proposed approach improves performance in a human activity recognition problem by 18.5% compared with conventional approaches.


Received 15 December 2017 Accepted 30 January 2017 Available online 15 March 2018 The quality of machined workpieces, particularly precious metals, is the main goal of every machining process. A suitable cutting fluid can substantially affect the machining outcome. The present study is novel in that it uses nanofluids in the machining process to mitigate the adverse effects of high temperatures and fraction. Graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were synthesized using the modified Hummers method. FTIR, FESEM and XRD tests were used for GO characterization and also for atomic, surface and chemical analyses. The studied workpiece was a bronze shaft, ⌀20 mm. Different nanofluid solutions (0.25 and 0.5 vol%) were applied to reduce the machining loads and increase the workpiece flatness. The results were then compared with those from a base water-oil (90-10 vol%) cutting fluid (Behran, Iran). The NP characterization confirmed the satisfactory quality of the particles. It also showed that the effect of NP on the machining forces is substantial. Accordingly, the largest reduction in the mean machining force was achieved when using the 0.5% nanofluid solution (28.34% less than the base fluid). The surface roughness of the bronze shaft was lower when using the 0.5% nanofluid (0.57 μm) instead of the base fluid (0.668 μm). Finally, it can be concluded that this nanofluid can be an alternative to the base fluids in the machining process.


Sources of variability in cotton fiber quality were studied by a series of experiments carried out over a period of several years. Homozygosity or heterozygosity of the individual plants or of the strain had only a small effect on variability. Environmental fluctuations were a major cause of variability within each variety, inbred line, or doubled haploid studied. Varieties differed in homeostasis, or buffering against environmental fluctuation, and homeostasis was not the same for all properties studied. It is suggested that cotton breeders can minimize the effects of environmental fluctuation on fiber quality, either by breeding and selection for buffering systems effective over a wider range of environments, or by breeding plants with a shorter season, so that they will not require adjustment to the unfavorable environment which lowers fiber quality of bolls developed just before frost.


The objective was to determine the effect of feeding a licorice extract that contains glycyrrhizic acid, which is known to have a liver function-enhancing effect, on embryo production performance after superovulation treatment in Japanese Black cows. Japanese Black breed cows (n=136) that had calved 1 to 4 times and had normal uteri as seen by ultrasonography after at least 40 days from the last calving were used as test animals. Animals in the treatment group (n=90) were continuously fed 20g head−1 d−1 of a licorice extract (Kanzou, Fabric Onishi Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan), with at least 13% glycyrrhizic acid content) once a day, mixed with the formula feed, for 60 to 90 days starting from around the day of calving until ova/embryos were collected. The control group (n=46) received no Kanzou from the day of the last calving until ova/embryo collection. A total of 20 Armour units (AU) of FSH (Antorin R, Kyoritsu Seiyaku Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan) from porcine pituitary was given intramuscularly (IM) twice a day, morning and evening, for 3 consecutive days (decreasing dose schedule: 5 AU×2, 3 AU×2, and 2AU×2) as the superovulation treatment to the cows at 8 to 11 days post-oestrus in both groups. Prostaglandin F2α 25mg and 15mg (IM) were administered in the morning and evening, respectively, on the third day of FSH administration. Artificial insemination was done at 12 and 24h after the start of oestrus, and ova/embryos were collected using a uterine reflux method on Day 7 post-oestrus. The mean numbers of ova/embryos and transferable embryos collected and the mean embryo quality scores (according to the IETS guidelines) in the treatment and control groups were compared by t-test. A chi-squared test was used to compare the proportion of transferable embryos in the 2 groups. There was no significant difference in the mean number of ova/embryos retrieved between the treatment group (21.7±11.8) and the control group (15.8±11.3), although the former tended (P=0.07) to yield more ova/embryos. There was significant difference (P<0.05) in the mean number of transferable embryos collected in the treatment group (13.1±8.3) than in the control group (8.1±5.3). The mean embryo quality score was significantly greater (P<0.01) in the treatment group (1.6±0.4) than in the control group (2.2±0.6). The proportion of transferable embryos in the treatment group (60.3±26.4%) was also significantly higher (P<0.05) than in the control group (51.2±26.0%). In conclusion, feeding a licorice extract to Japanese Black cows for 60 days or longer improves the quality of embryos obtained after superovulation treatment and leads to an increase in the mean number of transferable embryos per cow.


OBJECTIVES
This study analyzes the incidence of multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPN) in patients with testicular cancer (TC), the results are compared with literature findings and assess the rarest subgroup of patients with MPN.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Clinical data of 1870 patients with TC treated or followed up in a single center in the period of 5/1970-12/2018 were collected and analyzed retrospectively in focus of the occurrence of MPN.

RESULTS
The overall incidence of MPN was 150 (8.02 %). There were 89 cases of bilateral TC (59.3 %), of these 8 cases were synchronous (diagnosed within three months period from the primary diagnosis) and 81 metachronous (9 % and 91 % respectively). Non-testicular other primary malignancies (OPM) occurred in 61 cases (40.7 %), of which 59 cases were metachronous (96.7 %) and two cases were synchronous (3.3 %). Metachronous malignancies included mainly prostate cancer (n = 17 patients), kidney cancer (n = 13 patients) and colorectal cancer (n = 12 patients). Synchronous OPM was found in two patients.

CONCLUSION
In our study we registered two cases of synchronous OPM, both histologically clear cell renal cancer. We have analyzed clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies of synchronous OPM, in order to improve its diagnosis and therapy (Fig. 3, Ref. 22).


We present a study on magnetic cataclysmic variables (polars) using the collected data from the literature. These parameters (mass, radius, magnetic field intensity, mass transfer rate, etc.) and the relations between them are important to understand their nature, to explain the observed properties of them and to test the current evolutionary models.


The research is focused on determining mineralogical composition of drilling cuttings by scanning electron microscope as well as imaging the sample surface of high resolution that allows studying the structural characteristics of the site. In addition, a number of other techniques permit obtaining information on chemical composition of sample in near-surface layers. The study in drilling cuttings by means of scanning microscopy has revealed the presence of titanium, iron, zirconium oxides, iron sulphide, barium sulphate. The former is a mineral that concentrates rare-earth elements, presumably monocyte, as well as uranium silicate, etc. The results obtained confirm the data of previous X-ray structural analysis, i.e. the study samples consist of alumosilicate matrix. Apart from silicon and aluminium oxides, the matrix includes such elements as Na, K, Mg. Such a composition corresponds to rock-forming minerals: quartz, albite, microcline, clinochlore, muscovite, anorthoclase.


"Rooted in a documentary tradition, Kakshapati's work has focused on representing social and political transformations in Nepal. As Nepal's newly passed constitution comes into effect, and the country continues to shape a new future, Kakshapati's work captures new demarcations and identities that emerge in the nation-building process. Using the gallery space as an open site of experimentation and creation, Kakshapati will further develop her 'Being Nepali' series through inviting diverse diasporic communities into the space, combining new images with selections from the Nepal Picture Library." -- Publisher's website.


Decision trees have been used for several decades as simple and effective solutions to supervised learning problems. Their success extends to tasks across a variety of areas. Yet, data collected today through web-domains such as on-line advertising presents many new challenges: sheer size, the prevalence of high-arity categorical features, unknown feature-values, "cold starts", sparse training instances, and imbalance in the class labels. We argue that decision trees remain an ideal choice for applications of on-line advertising as they naturally construct higher-order conjunctive features; we then contribute two ideas to improve tree-building accordingly. First, to handle high-arity categorical features, we introduce a method to cluster feature-values based on their output responses. The result is more "data-dense" trees with relatively small branching factors. Second, we employ cross-validation as a principled approach to derive splitting and stopping criteria: thereby we identify splits that generalize well, and also curb overfitting. Evaluated on three distinct probability-estimation tasks in on-line advertising, our method, "CCDT", shows significant improvements in the accuracy of prediction.


Background: Heel ulcers in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are hard to heal. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the difference in amputation-free survival (AFS) between open and endovascular revascularization in patients with DM, PAD, and heel ulcers. Methods: Retrospective comparative study of results of open versus endovascular surgery in patients with DM, PAD, and heel ulcer presented at the multidisciplinary diabetes foot clinic between 1983 and 2013. Results: Patients with heel ulcers were treated with endovascular intervention (n = 97) and open vascular surgery (n = 30). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the AFS was higher in patients undergoing open vascular surgery compared to the endovascular group (P = .009). Multivariate analysis showed that open vascular surgery versus endovascular therapy (hazard ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.9; P = .025) was an independent factor associated with higher AFS. The proportion of patients undergoing endovascular therapy in the former (1983-2000) time period was 47% compared to 89% in the latter (2001-2013) time period (P < .001). Conclusion: The AFS was higher after open than endovascular surgery among patients with DM and PAD with heel ulcer. These results suggest that open vascular surgery should be offered more often as opposed to current practice.


Dr. Anna Julia Cooper was an early, radical educational pioneer who asked why African Americans were perceived as problematic to society and subjected to economic biases (Berry, 2006; May, 2007) Her life spanned the period of the Civil War to the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement ,. Reflecting on the Dred Scott decision of 1850 further solidified Cooper's mindset about dominant, powerful Caucasian men. Cooper's economic views are examined through legislation continuously tolerating African Americans as economic property for profit, the underemployment of African-American women, women as economically oppressed, and the institutionalization of racism in churches and education which contributed to the success of industry.


Ausform finishing process plastically deforms the surface of a steel component, generates compressive residual stresses in the surface layer, and imparts added strength and durability to the component. It integrates heat treatment, roll finishing and hardening of steel components into a single in-line manufacturing operation. The gear steel 20CrMo is introduced to determine various operation parameter of this process. The experiment results shown that ausform finished gears have the advantages of improved surface finish and profile accuracy.


The rational construction of low cost, efficient, and stable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts is important for the commercialization of fuel cells and metal–air batteries. In this article, we report an easy and effective soft-template method to in situ assemble Fe2N nanoparticles on the surface of N-doped graphene-like carbon (NC). The prepared Fe2N nanoparticles were covered by a few carbon layers, which promoted the connection of Fe–NX clusters with graphene to facilitate the formation of Fe–N–C active sites. Fe–NX and NC units were found to respectively fulfill different functionalities, and commonly afford the sample with excellent performance. The electrochemical data show that the Fe2N@NC composite with high-purity and good crystalline displays a synergistic enhanced catalytic activity for ORR, including a positive onset potential (0.084 V), a half-wave potential (−0.036 V) and a high electron transfer number (∼4e−), as compared to 20% Pt/C. Additionally, the existence of carbon shells wrapped around Fe2N nanoparticles can restrain their expansion and dissolution. In addition, the as-prepared catalyst was implemented as an air catalyst for zinc–air batteries and was found to display a comparable open circuit voltage of ca. 1.48 V and a maximum power density of 82.3 mW cm−2. These results demonstrate that the Fe2N@NC catalyst may serve as a good alternative to precious Pt for ORR in practical applications.


This paper introduces a new numerical approach to solving a system of fractional differential equations (FDEs) using the Legendre wavelet operational matrix method (LWOMM). We first formulated the operational matrix of fractional derivatives in some special conditions using some notable characteristics of Legendre wavelets and shifted Legendre polynomials. Then, the system of fractional differential equations was transformed into a system of algebraic equations by using these operational matrices. At the end of this paper, several examples are presented to illustrate the effectivity and correctness of the proposed approach. Comparing the methodology with several recognized methods demonstrates that the advantages of the Legendre wavelet operational matrix method are its accuracy and the understandability of the calculations.


Different types of stratified squamous epithelia—for example, the "orthokeratinized" epidermis, the "parakeratinized" gingiva, and the "nonkeratinized" oral lining mucosal epithelia—are formed by intrinsically distinct keratinocyte subtypes. These subtypes exhibit characteristic patterns of keratin protein expression in vivo and in culture. Keratin 19 is an informative subtype-specific marker because the basal cells of only nonkeratinizing epithelia express K19 in vivo and in culture. Epidermal keratinocytes normally do not express K19, but can be induced to do so in culture by retinoic acid (RA). Keratinocyte subtypes express the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) β at levels roughly correlated with their level of K19 expression in culture and their potential for forming a nonkeratinized epithelium in vivo . We tested the hypothesis that the level of RAR β expressed by a keratinocyte determines its K19 expression and its form of suprabasal differentiation. Normal human epidermal and gingival keratinocytes stably overexpressing either RAR β or RAR α were generated by defective retroviral transduction. Overexpression of either receptor enhanced the RA inducibility of K19 in conventional culture, in that the proportion of the transductants becoming K19 + in response to RA was markedly increased compared with controls. The pattern of differentiation of the epithelium formed in organotypic culture, assessed by basal K19 and suprabasal K1, K4, and filaggrin expression, however, was unaltered by PAR overexpression. Thus, the susceptibility of keratinocytes to regulation of K19 expression by retinoids is conditional, and levels of neither RAR β nor RAR α are limiting to the intrinsic mechanism that specifies alternate differentiation pathways for stratified squamous epithelia.


Adoptive immunotherapy is a potentially curative therapeutic approach for patients with advanced cancer. However, the in vitro expansion of antitumor T cells prior to infusion inevitably incurs differentiation towards effector T cells and impairs persistence following adoptive transfer. Epigenetic profiles regulate gene expression of key transcription factors over the course of immune cell differentiation, proliferation, and function. Using comprehensive screening of chemical probes with defined epigenetic targets, we found that JQ1, an inhibitor of bromodomain and extra-terminal motif (BET) proteins, maintained CD8+ T cells with functional properties of stem cell-like and central memory T cells. Mechanistically, the BET protein BRD4 directly regulated expression of the transcription factor BATF in CD8+ T cells, which was associated with differentiation of T cells into an effector memory phenotype. JQ1-treated T cells showed enhanced persistence and antitumor effects in murine T cell receptor and chimeric antigen receptor gene therapy models. Furthermore, we found that histone acetyltransferase p300 supported the recruitment of BRD4 to the BATF promoter region, and p300 inhibition similarly augmented antitumor effects of the adoptively transferred T cells. These results demonstrate that targeting the BRD4-p300 signaling cascade supports the generation of superior antitumor T cell grafts for adoptive immunotherapy.


The plant Psychotria malayana Jack belongs to the Rubiaceae family and is known in Malaysia as "meroyan sakat/salung". A rapid analytical technique to facilitate the evaluation of the P. malayana leaves' quality has not been well-established yet. This work aimed therefore to develop a validated analytical technique in order to predict the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory action (AGI) of P. malayana leaves, applying a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) fingerprint and utilizing an orthogonal partial least square (OPLS). The dried leaf extracts were prepared by sonication of different ratios of methanol-water solvent (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% v/v) prior to the assessment of alpha-glucosidase inhibition (AGI) and the following infrared spectroscopy. The correlation between the biological activity and the spectral data was evaluated using multivariate data analysis (MVDA). The 100% methanol extract possessed the highest inhibitory activity against the alpha-glucosidase (IC50 2.83 ± 0.32 μg/mL). Different bioactive functional groups, including hydroxyl (O-H), alkenyl (C=C), methylene (C-H), carbonyl (C=O), and secondary amine (N-H) groups, were detected by the multivariate analysis. These functional groups actively induced the alpha-glucosidase inhibition effect. This finding demonstrated the spectrum profile of the FTIR for the natural herb P. malayana Jack, further confirming its medicinal value. The developed validated model can be used to predict the AGI of P. malayana, which will be useful as a tool in the plant's quality control.


This paper investigates an approach for calculating the cyclic J-Integral (〉J) through a new industrial application. A previously proposed method is investigated further with the extension of this technique through a new application of a practical 3D notched component containing a semi-elliptical surface crack. Current methods of calculating the cyclic J-Integral are identified and their limitations discussed. A modified monotonic loading method is adapted to calculate the cyclic Jintegral of this 3D Semi Elliptical Surface Crack under cyclic loading conditions. Both the finite element method (FEM) and the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) are discussed as possible methods of calculating the cyclic J-Integral in this investigation. Different loading conditions including uni-axial tension and out of plane shear are applied, and the relationships between the applied loads and the cyclic J-integral are established. In addition, the variations of the cyclic J-integral along the crack front are investigated. This allows the critical load that can be applied before crack propagation occurs to be determined as well as the identification of the critical crack direction once propagation does occur. These calculations display the applicability of the method to practical examples and illustrate an accurate method of estimating the cyclic J-integral.


This paper studies the stability of a system consisting of a drone with a heavy payload through both linear stability analysis and nonlinear simulations. The stability is studied with respect to two payload parameters: the length of the arm the payload is suspended from and the mass of the payload. Linearizing the drone-payload system around vertical flight results in a linearized system that is marginally stable with five negative, real eigenvalues and seven zero-eigenvalues. The presence of seven zero-eigenvalues makes it difficult to predict the stability of the nonlinear system so nonlinear simulations are completed to understand how the drone-payload system reacts to external disturbances. To directly study the severity of the nonlinear system's instability, the system is subjected to an initial, one-second wind disturbance that induces different initial conditions on the system. The results of the nonlinear simulations indicate that the presence of a suspended payload will always cause the drone-payload system to be unstable. Both an increase in the length of the payload arm and the payload mass will individually increase the deviation of the system from the expected path.


Cases of retinal detachment due to retinopathy of prematurity are presented. 1. There are cases of total retinal detachment without a complete retrolental fibroplasia. 2. Very typical are cases with a dragged disc and mascular ectopy due to preretinal strands in the temporal periphery, the symptoms of an earlier retinopathy of prematurity. By traction these temporal alterations can cause a retinal detachment, the distortion of the retinal vessels can heavily increase after surgical reattachment of the retina. 3. There are cases of juvenile myopes without further signs of a retinopathy of prematurity. A retinal detachment may occur, due to round holes.


In heavily overwconsolidated clays there is a marked peak in the observed relation between shear stress and shear stra.in. As the strain increases, the stress falls from a peak to a much smaller residual stress. Slopes made from such a clay often fail progressively many years after construction. Sliding occurs on a concentrated slip surface, and it is found that the mean resolved shear stress on that surface is markedly less than the peak shear strength. Concepts from fracture mechanics, and in particular the J -integral,. are used to derive con ditions for the propagation of a concentrated shear band of this kind. The results indicate the presence of a strong size effect, which has important implications for the use of models in soil m.echanics. An elastic analysis makes it possible to determine the size of the end zone in which the shear stress on the shear band fa.lls to its residual value. An attempt is made to assess the possible sources of the time-dependence governing propagation speed of the shear band. They include pore-water diffusion to the dilating tip of the ba.nd (which governs the rate at which local strength reductions can occur), viscoelastic deformation of the clay (which allows a. gradual build-up of stra.in concentration at the tip of the band), a.nd the wea.thering break-down of diagenetic bonds.


Tropomyosin (Tm) is a two-stranded α-helical coiled-coil protein with a well established role in regulation of actin cytoskeleton and muscle contraction. It is believed that many Tm functions are enabled by its flexibility whose nature has not been completely understood. We hypothesized that the well conserved non-canonical residue Gly-126 causes local destabilization of Tm. To test this, we substituted Gly-126 in skeletal muscle α-Tm either with an Ala residue, which should stabilize the Tm α-helix, or with an Arg residue, which is expected to stabilize both α-helix and coiled-coil structure of Tm. We have shown that both mutations dramatically reduce the rate of Tm proteolysis by trypsin at Asp-133. Differential scanning calorimetry was used for detailed investigation of thermal unfolding of the Tm mutants, both free in solution and bound to F-actin. It was shown that a significant part of wild type Tm unfolds in a non-cooperative manner at low temperature, and both mutations confer cooperativity to this part of the Tm molecule. The size of the flexible middle part of Tm is estimated to be 60–70 amino acid residues, about a quarter of the Tm molecule. Thus, our results show that flexibility is unevenly distributed in the Tm molecule and achieves the highest extent in its middle part. We conclude that the highly conserved Gly-126, acting in concert with the previously identified non-canonical Asp-137, destabilizes the middle part of Tm, resulting in a more flexible region that is important for Tm function.


Pain medication is one of the responses to the mercy argument that utilitarian
ethicists use for justifying active euthanasia, on the grounds of prevention of
cruelty and appeal to beneficence. The researcher reinforces the significance of
pain medication in meeting this challenge and considers it the most preferred
response among various other responses. It is because of its realism and effectiveness. In exploring the mechanism and considerations related to pain medication, the researcher briefly touches the Catholic ethical position on the issue, a
position that cannot be ignored in the development of contemporary Western
bioethics. The researcher particularly deliberates on the contemporary Islamic
discourse on the issue, furthering the debate in line with the Islamic legal maxims and general guidance from the primary sources of Islamic law and ethics.
The resolution on the issue is sought by synthesizing the views and legal maxims ('al-qaw�'id al-fiqh�yyah) on the issue, which in conclusion provide justification for pain medication by considerably regarding pain as "necessity" and
"pressing need". However, such resolution allows pain medication to the limit
and proportion that removes the pain and prohibits overdosing the patient with
medication that may directly cause the death.


The aim of this paper is to analyze the bidirectional relation between the term structure of interest rates components and macroeconomic factors. Using a factor augmented vector autoregressive model, impulse response functions and forecasting error variance decompositions we find evidence of a bidirectional relation between yield curve factors and the macroeconomic factors, with increased relevance of yield factors over it with increased forecasting horizons. The study was conducted for two Iberian countries using information of public debt interest rates of Spain and Portugal and macroeconomic factors extracted from a set of macroeconomic variables, including indicators of activity, prices and confidence. Results show that the inclusion of confidence and macroeconomic factors in the analysis of the relationship between macroeconomics and interest rate structure is extremely relevant. The results obtained allow us to conclude that there is a strong impact of changes in macroeconomic factors on the term structure of interest rates, as well as a significant impact factor of the term structure, in the future evolution of macroeconomic factors.


New seismicity data on western Venezuela and northeastern Colombia are presented. Teleseismically recorded earthquakes from 1930 through 1970 have been relocated by Joint Hypocenter Determination (JHD) or with source-station adjustments calculated by JHD. Additionally, 540 days of recording have been obtained with local seismographs installed near the Boconó Fault.
 The most intense shallow activity occurred north and south of the Tachira Depression along the eastern flank of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia. The Boconó Fault Zone is seismically active; small shallow shocks were recorded in it by the local stations. Shallow earthquakes also occur in the Cordillera de Mérida away from the Boconó Fault.
 The new hypocenters for the intermediate-depth Bucaramanga earthquakes define a smaller source volume than defined by previously computed hypocenters. A previously inferred southward-dipping seismic zone near Bucaramanga is probably spurious, a consequence of correlation between errors in latitude and errors in depth. If one assumes that these intermediate-depth earthquakes lie on a single lithospheric slab, that slab strikes approximately north and dips to the east.
 The distribution of hypocenters and focal mechanisms support the platetectonic hypothesis that the present tectonics of northwestern Venezuela are a result of eastward motion of the Caribbean plate with respect to the South American plate. The principal interface between these two plates may have changed within the last 5 m.y. from a zone of underthrusting west of the Sierra de Perija to the predominantly right-lateral Boconó Fault Zone.


To ensure the ongoing vitality of a company's product offerings, RD clear understanding of current and potential markets must drive R&D efforts. And efficient, cost-effective manufacturing of new products requires an R&D organization that understands and interacts effectively with the production department. How does a company create an environment in which its R&D organization comprises market-savvy, production-friendly experts in diverse technologies?

With case studies of R&D efforts at Canon and Sony, Sigvald Harryson identifies and illustrates the key mechanisms that these companies use to foster product innovation. His examples show how Canon and Sony use a combination of external and internal networking mechanisms to identify and acquire key technologies and related skills, gain market knowledge, improve the results of internal R&D efforts, and ensure the successful transfer of these results to efficient production processes.

He identifies four key mechanisms underlying successful product innovation at Canon and Sony: strategic training and job rotation for engineers, application-driven R&D, direct transfer of development teams from R&D to production, and extensive networking with external centers of excellence and key suppliers. At Canon, the initial training program for all researchers and engineers begins with three months of work on a production line. Sony's new researchers and development engineers spend one month in production. Both companies also give their new R&D professionals three months of training in sales and marketing.

The emphasis on market-driven research at both companies means that researchers have identified some commercial application for almost every initial research proposal that gains approval. Neither company treats research as a long-term assignment; almost all engineers at both companies eventually move from the labs to production. And rather than viewing this job rotation strategy as a drain on the technological expertise in their labs, both companies rely on strong external networks with key suppliers and university-based researchers as important sources for acquiring new technologies and the competencies needed to support them.


The European Performance of Buildings Directive and the United Kingdom Climate Change Act have resulted in a range of measures aimed at lowering building energy consumption. This framework uses regulatory, market based and other levers to encourage reductions in consumption and associated carbon emissions. Parallel to this is a set of drivers generated by social, economic and broader professional responsibilities. These include reputational pressures, personal and organisation ambitions, economic risks and societal pressures. This study used a mixed methodology to define this combination of influences as the 'contextual pressures'. An initial literature review was combined with a phase of empirical research through participant observation in the early stage development of the CarbonBuzz platform to add practitioner insight to the framework. The role that energy information feedback currently plays in design, construction and management practice was then investigated. Three data collection and analysis phases were carried out: an industry-wide web-based survey; secondary energy consumption data from the CarbonBuzz platform and semi-structured interviews aimed at understanding which pressures have greatest impact on actors' practice. A framework is proposed for the future role that crowd sourced energy information feedback could play in design, construction and management practice. The final phase synthesises the quantitative and qualitative data to identify what a future crowd sourced data platform must offer to meet the aspirations and motivations of actors working within the contextual pressures and the macro-aim of lower carbon emissions. This concludes with suggested alterations required to the contextual pressures to facilitate this. Recommendations are made for adjustments to the framework to increase participation in building evaluation targeted at the specifics of the energy gap and the motivations of industrial actors. Finally, further work is identified to facilitate and evaluate any future changes to the contextual pressures.


By means of two typical kinds of quark energy loss parametrization and the nuclear parton distributions determined only with lepton-nuclear deep inelastic scattering experimental data,a leading order analysis is performed on the proton-induced Drell-Yan differential cross section ratios of tungsten versus deuterium as a function of the quark momentum fraction in the beam proton and target nuclei.It is found that the theoretical results with quark energy loss are in good agreement with the experimental data.The quark energy loss effect produces approximately 3% to 11% suppression on the Drell-Yan differential cross section ratios RW/D in the range 0.05 x2 0.3.The application of nuclear Drell-Yan data with heavy targets is remarkably subject to diffculty in the constraint of the nuclear sea quark distribution.


The objective of the paper is to propose a novel idea to improve initial conditions of seeded region growing (SRG) algorithm. We also propose a conceptual region growing framework to contribute to its progress in medical imaging. Our scheme is based on the simple observation that nature seems random but it repeats itself. Medical images are a kind of natural images and hence they must have a tendency of behaving like fractals. Our non-parametric Polygonal Seed Selection method does not need density estimation as before and shows clear Improvement to handle over segmentation problem. Qualitative results have been demonstrated on Axial Slices of Brain using traditional SRG, K-Means and Watershed segmentation.


Using formaldehyde as a crosslinking reagena novel cross-linked chitosan resin was synthesized by orthogonal. The resin material with good properties of sphericity and acidresistivity can be prepared under the optimal experimental conditions, which are found to be 1:6 for the ratio of chitosan and formaldehyde, 60°C for the temperature, 1 h for the reaction time, 640r/min for the stirring rate and 9 for the pH, and the cross-linking rate under the optimal conditions is 401.86%. SEM shows the surface morphology changes of raw materials and products; IR of the raw materials and products shows that the reaction occurs mainly on the amino and the hydroxyl of chitosan, and TG shows that the crosslinking reaction of chitosan can change its heat resistance.


publicity in recent years," and the implication that "dyslectics," like me, should be considered together with other children with reading backwardness. As I understand it, "dyslexia" can only be identified by a disparate performance in reading (A) as against other intellectual modalities (B)-a low value of a ratio A:B. This is, of course, discernible only if A is low and B is high, so we cannot possibly have any idea of the number of children who have the positive attributes of dyslexia leading to a low value of A if it is not discernible because B is not high enough. The children who are identifiable by present techniques must be a small minority of the real problem, so it is unlikely to be uncommon. The problem deserves special stress not only because of its size but because it is aggravated by arbitrarily imposed social policy. There are many ways of communicating, and the stress on the written word in education and above all in examination has led to a vicious spiral of selection for opportunities for those good at these functions. There is some reason to believe that they will become less relevant, and the deprivation of able dyslectics of opportunity purely on these grounds is surely morally unjustified, and possibly damaging, not only to us but also perhaps to the community if our different attitudes provide another perspective of things. We are not talking about a disease but about a difference. Egalitarian approaches to education are clearly biologically unsound, and the principal problem for the dyslectic. These policies are readily reversible, and the dyslectic's potential may be so great that any implication of disability is obvious nonsense. Still the talk is of "remedial education" when what many of us need is "appropriate education," accentuating and making full use of our strengths. These are the reasons why both the size and the nature of the problem fully justify special consideration, and the publicity so far has been quite inadequate.


The authors define pathogenetics correlations as a acute necrotizing pancreatitis complicated by infection and bacterial translocation. Acute necrotizing pancreatitis infection occurs for gastrointestinal bacterial translocation due to structural and functional modifications of intestinal mucosa. These modifications are results of mucosa ischemic-riperfusion system caused by systemic emodynamic instability in micro- and macro-circulation of splancnic district. Emodynamic systemic instability has a central role in different multiple physiopathologic phenomena (ipovolemic shock; pancreatic shock, SIRS), which is caused by acute pancreatic necrosis and carries to common way established by severe systemics emodinamics modifications; these changes promote growth of adverse events which conduce by means of process previously described to bacterial translocation and infection of acute pancreatic necrosis. Indeed, emodynamic systemic instability of any etiology, can determine for one way bacterial translocation and on the other acute ischemic pancreatitis; both phenomena concur lead to cause beginning of acute necrotizing pancreatitis complicated by infection. The authors confirm that improved knowledge of acute pancreatic necrosis complicated by infection and own pathogenetic correlations with bacterial translocation, allows the realization of therapeutic measures aimed to prophilaxis of infection of acute pancreatic necrosis. Central emodynamic stability regularization of splanchnic perfusion and antibiotic prophilaxis, have a central role in prophilaxis of infection of acute pancreatic necrosis. Antibiotic is given by systemic (imipenem e. v.) and selective decontamination of gastrointestinal tract (SDD). SDD provides for oral antibiotic prophilaxis (PTA protocol) and systemic antibiotic prophilaxis (cefotaxime and gentamicin), in addition to microbiologic and gastrointestinal monitoring. If on the one hand the role of SDD about mortality reduction is not clear, however, on the other it is well recognized capacity of reduction the inter-currents and pulmonary infections. Other Authors think that SDD is insignificant on early mortality, whereas, is a good option to reduce late and overall mortality of acute pancreatic necrosis complicated by infection.


Previous research has shown that top executives often rise to the peak of their organizations after a long-term employment relationship, and that internal promotion to the top is reflected in enhanced baseline salaries. Using data from a representative sample of UK companies, the links between the fixed and variable elements of the Chief Executive Officer's compensation package are examined and whether the appointment has been promoted internally or recruited from outside of the company. From this analysis, it is concluded that the positive impact on basic pay of elevation to the top job from within the company is not present in total compensation or the structure of pay. It also emerges that although tenure does not significantly impact on the structure of pay, it does alter total reward through its impact on the value of options granted: longer company tenure reduces both the award of share options and the total value of the remuneration package; job tenure, on the other hand, raises the executive's reward primarily through its positive impact on baseline salary. Though share ownership reduces the performance sensitivity of earnings, increases in baseline salary are reflected in greater exposure to the use of share options.


Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most important aspects of language learning. There are a number of techniques and technologies which enhance vocabulary learning in the year 2012, e.g. wordlists, flashcards and m-learning. Mobile phones are among those devices which not only meet the expectations of their users for communication, but are also good devices for language learning. Mobile phones can be used anywhere and anytime, and students are free to use them inside or outside the classroom setting. The present study compared the use of two strategies for vocabulary learning (i.e. flashcards and m-learning) among 80 students studying English Literature and Translation at BA level in a non-profit, non-governmental university in the city of Tehran, the capital of Iran. The findings showed that the use of mobile phones for language learning and vocabulary learning would be a better strategy compared to the use of other paramount techniques, such as flashcards.


Recovery from COVID-19 is associated with production of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, but it is uncertain whether these confer immunity. We describe viral RNA shedding duration in hospitalized patients and identify patients with recurrent shedding. We sequenced viruses from two distinct episodes of symptomatic COVID-19 separated by 144 days in a single patient, to conclusively describe reinfection with a new strain harboring the spike variant D614G. With antibody and B cell analytics, we show correlates of adaptive immunity, including a differential response to D614G. Finally, we discuss implications for vaccine programs and begin to define benchmarks for protection against reinfection from SARS-CoV-2.


This study investigates the broadcast/multicast authentication problems in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), particularly sensor nodes broadcast authentication and outside user authentication, and proposes efficient and secure solutions for them. The low cost and immunity from cabling have become motivations for many applications of WSNs, for instance, the forest fire alarm, the intelligent traffic system etc. However, the sensitive nature of communication in these applications makes authentication a compulsory security requirement for them. The conventional security solutions are unfeasible for WSNs due to the unique features of sensor networks. Designing a new security mechanism for WSNs, on the other hand, is a challenging task due to the nature of WSNs. This research proposes a solution to the above mentioned authentication problems in the form of an authentication framework for wireless sensor networks. The proposed framework is comprised of two authentication protocols: one for sensor nodes broadcast authentication and the other for outside user authentication. The latter also facilitates a third type of authentication, i.e., base station to sensor nodes broadcast authentication. These protocols can be applied in WSNs independently tackling individual security problems to achieve different level of security. However, deployed as a unified framework, they ensure a high degree of security with efficiency, providing a single solution to all three authentication problems in WSNs. The performance evaluation results showed that the proposed framework is the most efficient solution when compared to the existing authentication schemes for WSNs, giving a reasonable trade-off between security and efficiency.


The determination of combined-stress endurance requires that tests at single and combined stresses are performed. Such tests are shortened, their planning facilitated and interpretation of the results simplified and made more accurate by computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), the method of combined analysis of the data, based on a geometrical approach to combined stress life. An index is proposed to evaluate material endurance in combined-stress conditions, which can easily be determined by the E-T curves for long times to failure. >


Introduction The HIV and HCV coinfection poses greatest threat to the clinical fraternity for its management because of similar mode of transmission. According to an estimate, nearly two million people infected with HIV are co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) globally. The present study aimed at the development of novel hybrid derivatives of 1,2,4-triazole-thiol hybrids as a inhibitor of HIV and HCV infection. Method The target compounds were developed via nucleophilic reaction with basic amines/thiols. These molecules have been subsequently tested for anti-HIV activity using TZM-bl cell lines along with Luciferase expression profile of the TZM-bl cells after infecting with NL4.3 virus and MTT assay for the cytotoxicity determination. The anti-HCV activity was also determined by capability to obstruct the HCV replicase (HCV NS5B) activity in vitro and HCV replication in a cell culture system carrying replicating HCV subgenomic RNA replicon. The metabolic profiling of the active compound was also carried out to define the formation of metabolites by the oral route. Results Among the tested derivatives, compound 6d found to exhibit 98% of inhibition of HIV with Ki of 245.12 nM against HIV-RT with more than 50% inhibition of HIV replication. Moreover, compound 6e showed significant inhibition of RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity of HCV replicase in vitro with IC507.8 µg/ml. It also showed significant inhibition of HCV replication in culture system which leads to reduction in HCV RNA titre and translation level of viral proteins in concentration-dependent manner. In metabolic analysis, it has been found that, the skeleton of the hybrid compound remained intact during metabolic assay for the longer duration to exert its effect. Conclusion Together with excellent bioactivities against HIV and HCV infection and favourable metabolic profile, the derivatives of triazole-thiol showed promising option to develop newer therapeutics against the HIV and HCV co-infection.


Using two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis, species on the continental shelf and upper slope of Ghana were classified into 6 assemblages. The structure of the assemblages is determined primarily by depth and type of sediment on the seabed. There are clear faunal discontinuities around 30-40, 100 and 200 m depth. The dynamics of the assemblages are influenced by physico-chemical parameters of the water masses, mainly tempera- ture, salinity and dissolved oxygen, which are periodically modified by the seasonal coastal upwelling that occurs in the area. The observed changes in the composition and relative importance of species in the assemblages can be related to increased fishing activity and environmental forcing.


In the last 25 years the UK education of nurses moved from being hospital based to university but now different models of education are being considered such as work based learning and apprenticeship. Work based learning (WBL) model acknowledges the learning that takes place in workplace which is often project or personal development plan centered. The role of the lecturer is to help students identify the learning outcomes for WBL projects and name activities needed to achieve these learning outcomes. The students also propose assessment criteria and the assessment mode. Such student involvement promotes greater understanding of the learning process and encourages responsibility for own education. The use of the apprenticeship model in healthcare is new and will essentially provide opportunities for health care assistants to be released to university for one day a week to learn academic aspects of nursing, whilst working during the rest of the week. For effective provision of the new kind of healthcare professionals the educational leaders must be conversant with the needs of the ever-changing healthcare provision. Furthermore, the leadership of the educational organisations must be strong and flexible in order to survive and adapt to the ever-changing needs of our societies.


Defining distributions of molecule counts produced in the cell can elucidate stochastic dynamics of the underlying biological circuits. For genetic circuits, only a few distributions of messenger RNA and protein counts were reported in literature, so the task is to decide which of these candidate distributions best fit the observed data. In this paper, we present a statistical method to infer distributions of mRNA and protein counts from observed data. The main advantage of this method is that it does not require any prior assumptions or knowledge about underlying chemical reactions. In particular, a given distribution is fitted to the observed copy counts using a histogram with optimized bin sizes in order to reduce the fitting error. The goodness of fit is evaluated by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and chi-square statistical tests to accept or reject the hypothesis that observed molecule counts were generated from given distribution. The distribution fitting also yields the values of distribution parameters, or they can be estimated using the Bayes theorem. These parameters appear to be themselves random processes. The presented statistical framework for analyzing the observed mRNA and protein copy counts is illustrated for a simulated model of lac genetic circuit in Escherichia coli. For reaction rates assumed in the model, the results in literature predict that mRNA and protein counts at steady-state are gamma distributed. Our analysis shows that both mRNA and protein in the lac circuit model can be considered gamma distributed in at least 70% of times from the initial state until steady-state. The shape and scale parameters of observed gamma distributions are also gamma distributed, giving rise to double stochastic processes. More importantly, as shown previously, the distribution parameters are functions of transcription and translation rates, so presented statistical framework can be used to estimate or optimize reaction rates in biochemical systems.


Abstract : The theory of oblate spheriodal wave functions is briefly reviewed and a list of literature references to applications of oblate spheroidal theory is furnished. Formulas useful for the numerical calculation of oblate radial functions of the first and second type, together with their first derivatives, are derived and explained. A step-by-step procedure of computation is then outlined together with an indication of precision obtained and method of checking. Finally a computer-printout tabulation of 72,300 entries comprising radial functions and their derivatives is reproduced. The range of parameters m, l, h, and xi covered in these tables is m = 0 (1) 4, l = m (1) 8, h = 0.1 (0.1) 1 (0.2) 8, and xi = 0.1 (0.1) 0.9. To these are added several special sections. A special section xi = 0 covers all the above ranges of h and l for m = 0 (1) 8. Another section xi = 0 covers the above range of h for m = 0, 1 and l = 9 (1) 18.


The storage for mass data in geo-information system always restricts its development. Solid State storage is an efficient storage method based on semiconductor device, with superior performance and flexible management. Aiming at meeting the storage requirement of remote sensing image and making good use of solid state storage's advantage, the paper studies storage management mode based on Flash parallel structure. According to Flash's architectures, block-organized storage method for remote sensing image is proposed and the mapping mode is shown to link block-organized data to physical address in Flash.


Immunoreactive calcitonin in serum of patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and in extracts of this tumor has been found to exhibit heterogeneity when analysed by gel-chromatography and radioimmunoassay. In this study normal human thyroid tissue was homogenized in buffered saline a neutral ph and a soluble fraction was obtained after ultracentrifugation. Extracts were analysed by gel-filtration before and after treatment with detergents, with denaturing agents and after reduction and alkylation. The stability in vitro of the extracted immunoreactive calcitonin was determined at different temperatures and the changes in heterogeneity analysed by gel-filtration. The results suggest that at least part of the largest form of immunoreactive calcitonin is an artefact of the chromatographic procedure. Moieties with a molecular weight below 12000 Dalton were present and could be identical with prehormones described by others. However, no indication for a sequential degradation releasing calcitonin monomer from larger precursors was found in normal thyroid.


Atmospheric ozone is produced when nitrogen oxides react with volatile organic compounds. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome contains a unique N-terminal fragment in the Spike protein, which allows it to bind to air pollutants in the environment. 'Our approach in this review is to study ozone and its effect on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Article data were collected from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Ozone therapy has antiviral properties, improves blood flow, facilitates the transfer of oxygen in hypoxemic tissues, and reduces blood coagulation phenomena in COVID-19 patients. Ozone has immunomodulatory effects by modulating cytokines (reduction of interleukin-1, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-10), induction of interferon-γ, anti-inflammatory properties by modulating NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3, inhibition of cytokine storm (blocking nuclear factor-κB and stimulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway), stimulates cellular/humoral immunity/phagocytic function and blocks angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. In direct oxygen-ozone injection, oxygen reacts with several biological molecules such as thiol groups in albumin to form ozonoids. Intravenous injection of ozonated saline significantly increases the length of time a person can remain hypoxic. The rectal ozone protocol is rectal ozone insufflation, resulting in clinical improvement in oxygen saturation and biochemical improvement (fibrinogen, D-dimer, urea, ferritin, LDH, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein). In general, many studies have shown the positive effect of ozone therapy as a complementary therapy in the recovery of COVID-19 patients. All the findings indicate that systemic ozone therapy is nontoxic and has no side effects in these patients.


Color quantization is an important operation with many applications in graphics and image processing. Most quantization methods are essentially based on data clustering algorithms one which is the popular kmeans algorithm. A common drawback of many conventional clustering algorithms is the generation of empty clusters (dead units). In this paper, we apply Uchiyama and Arbib's competitive learning algorithm [1] to the problem of color quantization. In contrast to the conventional batch k-means algorithm, this competitive learning algorithm requires no cluster center initialization. In addition, it effectively avoids the dead unit problem by utilizing a simple cluster splitting rule. Experiments on commonly used test images demonstrate that the presented method outperforms various stateof-the-art methods in terms of quantization effectiveness.


Abstract We present a mixed-integer nonlinear optimization model for computing the optimal expansion of an existing tree-shaped district heating network given a number of potential new consumers. To this end, we state a stationary and nonlinear model of all hydraulic and thermal effects in the pipeline network as well as nonlinear models for consumers and the network's depot. For the former, we consider the Euler momentum and the thermal energy equation. The thermal aspects are especially challenging. Here, we develop a novel polynomial approximation that we use in the optimization model. The expansion decisions are modeled by binary variables for which we derive additional valid inequalities that greatly help to solve the highly challenging problem. Finally, we present a case study in which we identify three major aspects that strongly influence investment decisions: the estimated average power demand of potentially new consumers, the distance between the existing network and the new consumers, and thermal losses in the network.


Increasingly, around the world, educators are being expected to draw upon research-based evidence in planning, implementing, and evaluating their activities. Evidence-based strategies comprise clearly specified teaching methods and school-level factors that have been shown in controlled research to be effective in bringing about desired outcomes in a specified population of learners and under what conditions, in this case those with special educational needs/disabilities taught in special schooling, whether it be in separate schools or classrooms or in inclusive classrooms. Educators could, and should, be drawing upon the best available evidence as they plan, implement, and evaluate their teaching of such learners.
 Since around 2010 there has been a growing commitment to evidence-based education. This has been reflected in:
 1. legislation: for example, the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act in the United States, which encourages the use of specific programs and practices that have been rigorously evaluated and defines strong, moderate, and promising levels of evidence for programs and practices;
 2. the creation of centers specializing in gathering and disseminating evidence-based education policies and practices, brokering connections between policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers; and
 3. a growing body of research into effective strategies, both in general and with respect to learners with special educational needs.
 Even so, in most countries there is a significant gap between what researchers have found and the educational policies and practices implemented by professionals. Moreover, some scholars criticize the emphasis on evidence-based education, particularly what they perceive to be the prominence given to quantitative or positivist research in general and to randomized controlled trials in particular.
 In putting evidence-based strategies into action, a five-step model could be employed. This involves identifying local needs, selecting relevant interventions, planning for implementation, implementing, and examining and reflecting on the interventions.


In modern automated manufacturing processes, machinery has become more flexible and automatic but also more susceptible to conditions in different parts like spindles. The main conditions affecting them are focused in the shaft and bearings. To successfully detect and identify each condition, methodologies based on new transforms and sensors are used in controlled environments, in order to recognize the conditions effects in vibration and sound. To detect machining conditions there are two important factors: (1) The feature extraction method and (2) the type of sensor used. In feature extraction methods reviewed, Cepstrum PreWhitening (CPW) is remarkable useful for vibration. Its main feature is suppress the shaft speed waveform of the motor in rotational machine systems and help to detect bearing faults. The main sensor used is the accelerometers to acquire vibration, but recently acoustic emission (AE) acquired from transducers are studied to improve the diagnosis along with accelerometers. In this study, an experimental system was built to acquire vibration and AE signals from faulted bearings and a methodology based on CPW, tested for vibration signals, was applied for both type of signals to compare and enhance results on machining condition monitoring. A methodology proposed using CPW, envelope spectrum, trend removal, compression and RMS limit filters (the last two just for AE) was applied to 9 vibration and 9 AE signals taken from the experimental system with the purpose of diagnosing bearing faults in the inner race (IR), outer race (OR) and rolling element (RE) in low frequencies for both signals and high frequencies in AE. For the 18 analyzed signals, in 5 the identification of fault components were easily made, in 12 signals the fault identification was possible; but there were peaks with similar amplitudes of the fault components and in 1 signal the identification of fault components was unsatisfactory because there was no peak that matches the bearing fault frequencies. The comparison between vibration and AE showed that in 6 from 9 tests, vibration have a better result diagnosing bearing faults than AE, specifically in the IR and RE, for the remaining 3 tests that correspond to OR, AE have a better result than vibration. Finally, the high frequencies in AE revealed that just RE faults had high frequency components in one of the three analyzed tests that can be related to remarkable faults in the ball.


Eight patients with AIDS or ARC received four single doses of 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC). The treatments included 0.5 and 5 mg oral tablets, a 0.5 mg oral solution, and a 0.5 mg intravenous infusion. Blood samples were collected for 4 to 6 h after each dose. Plasma concentrations of ddC were determined by a specific gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) assay. A combination of the low dose and the assay sensitivity of 2 ng/ml limited data treatment and comparison. Mean Cmax of 8.5, 7.6, and 79.0 ng/ml occurred at mean tmax of 1.1, 1.3, and 0.9 h for the 0.5 mg oral solution, the 0.5 mg tablet, and the 5 mg tablet, respectively. A mean clearance of 5.57 ml/min/kg and volume of distribution of 0.64 L/kg were determined from the 0.5 mg intravenous infusion. Half-life values ranged between 0.95 and 2.0 h and appeared to be independent of the dose and route of administration. The bioavailability values calculated for the oral tablets were variable, ranging from 54 to 127%. Single doses of ddC were well tolerated in this population. The results of this pilot study indicate that ddC is rapidly and extensively absorbed when administered as an oral tablet or solution to fasting AIDS or ARC patients. It is also rapidly eliminated with a half-life of 1-2 h. There are no apparent differences in the absorption or elimination of ddC between 0.5 and 5 mg oral doses.