Evidence is provided that reductive acetogenesis can be stimulated in ruminal samples during short-term (24-h) incubations when methanogenesis is inhibited selectively. While addition of the reductive acetogen Peptostreptococcus productus ATCC 35244 alone had no significant influence on CH4 and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production in ruminal samples, the addition of this strain together with 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BES) (final concentration, 0.01 or 0.03 mM) resulted in stimulation of acetic acid production and H2 consumption. Since acetate production exceeded amounts that could be attributed to reductive acetogenesis, as measured by H2 consumption, it was found that P. productus also fermented C6 units (glucose and fructose) heterotrophically to mainly acetate (> 99% of the total VFA). Using 14CH3COOH, we concluded that addition of BES and BES plus P. productus did not alter the consumption of acetate in ruminal samples. The addition of P. productus to BES-treated ruminal samples caused supplemental inhibition of CH4 production and stimulation of VFA production, representing a possible energy gain of about 13 to 15%.


Pneumocystis carinii (Pc) is an important opportunistic pathogen of immune compromised hosts, and is known to infect various animals. The present study observed the infection status of 6 mammals and 3 strains of albino rats with Pc after suppression of their immunity. Methyl-prednisolone was injected once a week and tetracycline was supplied with water for 5 to 21 weeks. Hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats and pigs were negative by impression smear, and only the rats were found infected by Pc. All of the three strains of rats, Sprague-Dawley(SD), Wistar(W) and Fisher(F), were infected by Pc but W rats showed heavier degree of infection in earlier period than F or SD rats. The present findings suggest that W rat is the best among the animals used in the present study for production of Pc.


Lipid droplets (LDs) are emerging cellular organelles that are of crucial importance in cell biology and human diseases. In this study, we present our screen of ∼4,700 Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants for abnormalities in the number and morphology of LDs; we identify 17 fld (few LDs) and 116 mld (many LDs) mutants. One of the fld mutants (fld1) is caused by the deletion of YLR404W, a previously uncharacterized open reading frame. Cells lacking FLD1 contain strikingly enlarged (supersized) LDs, and LDs from fld1Δ cells demonstrate significantly enhanced fusion activities both in vivo and in vitro. Interestingly, the expression of human seipin, whose mutant forms are associated with Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy and motoneuron disorders, rescues LD-associated defects in fld1Δ cells. Lipid profiling reveals alterations in acyl chain compositions of major phospholipids in fld1Δ cells. These results suggest that an evolutionally conserved function of seipin in phospholipid metabolism and LD formation may be functionally important in human adipogenesis.


Several efforts have been made for the replacement of noble metal palladium in cross-coupling reactions, maintaining high efficiency of the target transformation. In several cases it is possible to perform the chemistry of palladium with related metals, and their activity was supported with mechanistic studies. Moreover, the complete exclusion of palladium is also in focus. Very recently it was demonstrated that special amine organocatalysts could catalyse Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. Here we show that in this recent transformation homeopathic palladium impurities and trace phosphorous species originated from the conditions used for the organocatalyst synthesis are responsible for the catalytic effect instead of the amine species. This finding confirms the power of palladium in cross-coupling and draw the attention of impurity effect in this field of chemical research. In this article, we represent general guidelines for elucidating the real catalyst of reactions.


Clostridioides difficile is a significant cause of diarrhea in hospitals and the community. This bacterial pathogen is transmitted through the ingestion of endospores, which are challenging to eliminate due to intrinsic resistance to a variety of chemical disinfection agents. The well-characterized laboratory strain CD630 displays low virulence, has not caused outbreaks, and is highly susceptible to disinfectants. Nonetheless, a closely related strain termed NAPCR1 caused outbreaks in Costa Rica and later became endemic in many hospitals from this country. This strain causes disease through unusual mechanisms and is genotypically distinct from CD630. Consequently, its epidemic potential could be influenced by as yet unknown spore phenotypes, such as increased resistance to disinfectants. Objective: To determine whether the NAPCR1 strain is more resistant to a conventional and highly effective C. difficile sporicidal agent than strain CD630 and to identify potential explanatory mechanisms at the genomic level. Methods: We used an in vitro dilution-neutralization method to calculate the sporicidal activity of sodium dichloroisocyanurate (DCC) against purified spores from three subtypes of NAPCR1 isolates (LIBA-2945, LIBA-5761, and LIBA-6276), CD630, and a representative of the highly virulent and epidemic NAP1 strain (LIBA-5758). This phenotypic characterization was complemented with a genomics-steered search of polymorphisms in 15 spore- or sporulation-related genes. Results: Whereas DCC at a final concentration of 0.1 % (w/v) eradicated CD630 endospores with high efficacy (log10 reduction factor (LFR) ≥ 5), it only partially inactivated NAPCR1 (average LFR range: = 1.77-3.37) and NAP1 endospores (average LRF = 3.58). As hypothesized, the three NAPCR1 subtypes tested were more resistant to DCC than strain CD630 (ANOVA, P < 0.05), with LIBA-5761 showing the highest level of DCC resistance overall (ANOVA, P < 0.05). All three NAPCR1 isolates showed large deletions in bclA1. Besides, isolates LIBA-5761 and LIBA-6276 had deletions in bclA2. Conclusions: Our in vitro tests revealed a differential resistance of spores from the C. difficile NAPCR1 strain to DCC. They highlight the importance of continuously evaluating the efficacy of deployed disinfection agents against circulating strains and hint to a potential role of structural proteins from the exosporium in resistance to disinfectants in C. difficile.


Transparency is a long-discussed term in journalism. It has been conceptualized as an evolving professional value, a political issue, and a regulatory challenge. In the disinformed digital age, became a rescue criterion to rebuild a credible relationship with the public based on trustworthiness. Transparency urges for holistic approaches, due to its inherent instability and variability across media systems; political, economic, and regulatory frameworks; and editorial cultures. This article analyses media transparency from a local perspective, departing from the launching of the Platform of Transparency by the Portuguese Media Authority (ERC). The Portuguese case stands in a European space deprived of international standards to assess media transparency, even if the concept is broadly discursively constructed as a key element of media pluralism. An increasingly fragmented media landscape degrades ethical standards based on shared values and favors the des activation of transparency as a disruptive transforming professional practice. The benevolent Portuguese initiative may provide political legitimacy to a narrowed version of media transparency, confined to issues of accountability and assumptions of political independence. Will the prevailing "fortress newsroom" (Smith, 2005; Meier 2009) survive to a transparent account department?


We extend Kamien and Tauman's (1986) analysis of the value of a patent. We find that an inventor can always design a fixed fee plus royalty contract such that his revenue is equal to the profit a monopoly endowed with the innovation could make on the market. This implies that the social value of a patent can be strictly negative whenever the patented innovation is of bad quality. We also explain why a principal can have an interest in using performance-based contracts although the principal and the agents are risk-neutral, information is symmetric, and agents' actions are verifiable.


We present new estimates of AGN accretion and star formation (SF) luminosity in galaxies obtained for the local 12 μm sample of Seyfert galaxies (12MGS), by performing a detailed broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) decomposition including the emission of stars, dust heated by SF and a possible AGN dusty torus. Thanks to the availability of data from the X-rays to the sub-millimetre, we constrain and test the contribution of the stellar, AGN and SF components to the SEDs. The availability of Spitzer-InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) low-resolution mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectra is crucial to constrain the dusty torus component at its peak wavelengths. The results of SED fitting are also tested against the available information in other bands: the reconstructed AGN bolometric luminosity is compared to those derived from X-rays and from the high excitation IR lines tracing AGN activity like [Ne V] and [O IV]. The IR luminosity due to SF and the intrinsic AGN bolometric luminosity are shown to be strongly related to the IR line luminosity. Variations of these relations with different AGN fractions are investigated, showing that the relation dispersions are mainly due to different AGN relative contribution within the galaxy. Extrapolating these local relations between line and SF or AGN luminosities to higher redshifts, by means of recent Herschel galaxy evolution results, we then obtain mid- and far-IR line luminosity functions useful to estimate how many star-forming galaxies and AGN we expect to detect in the different lines at different redshifts and luminosities with future IR facilities (e.g. JWST, SPICA).


Between 1985 and the present, curriculum developers, educators and Elders in Nunavut have been working towards reconceptualization of curriculum to better meet the strengths and needs of Inuit students and to reflect, preserve, and revitalize Inuit worldview, language, and culture. This article outlines the development of the 1989 curriculum framework Piniaqtavut, the 1996 framework Inuuqatigiit: The Curriculum from the Inuit Perspective, and the 2007 foundation document Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Education Framework for Nunavut Curriculum. It goes on to describe the cross-curricular principles and philosophies of education in Nunavut, and identify the most important contributing factors in this system-wide curriculum change process. The intent is both to describe the approach taken in Nunavut, as well as to inform comparable work in other Indigenous contexts. CHANGEMENT DES PROGRAMMES AU NUNAVUT: VERS L'INUIT


The dextral strike-slip New Madrid North Fault (NMNF) is interpreted by others to have ruptured during the 23 January 1812, M 7.8 earthquake. Although widespread liquefaction was associated with this earthquake and is evident today, the NMNF's surface trace remains enigmatic. Our surficial geologic mapping in southeast Missouri identifies two prominent northeast-trending, 3- to 3.5-km-long lineaments (North and South Farrenburg lineaments) traversing Sikeston Ridge. The lineaments are expressed by apparent right-laterally deflected paleodrainages, scarplets, swales, linear troughs, and tonal contrasts in late Pleistocene deposits. Northeast-trending contemporary microseismicity and previously inferred NMNF locations align partly with the lineaments. Borehole data show a linear change in thickness (5 m) of post-Tertiary alluvium trending N30°–35°E for 35 km across both Sikeston Ridge and a Holocene fluvial surface east of the ridge. This thickness change coincides with microseismicity, apparent right-laterally separated isopachs, aeromagnetic anomalies, and the North and South Farrenburg lineaments. Our interpretation of S -wave seismic-reflection profiles acquired across the North Farrenburg lineament also suggests warped and faulted Quaternary deposits.

Four trenches excavated across the North Farrenburg lineament exposed late Pleistocene interbedded clay, silt, and sand. The trenches also exposed linear liquefaction vents that trend N20°E to N55°E, near-vertical faults striking N30°E and N42°E, and a possibly warped Pleistocene paleochannel. Vented sand extends upward nearly to the ground surface, suggesting that the vents were produced during the 1811–1812 earthquakes. Oriented sediment samples collected from the fault zones and vents and analyzed with an SEM identified fractured sand grains across the faults, suggesting that the displacement exposed in the trenches may be of primary tectonic origin. Similar sediment samples collected from undeformed sand and from the sand vents show no evidence of grain fracturing and reduction. We hypothesize that the geomorphic, geologic, seismic reflection, trench, and microtextural data strongly suggest that the North Farrenburg lineament, as well as the South Farrenburg lineament, may be the surface expression of an underlying tectonic fault.


Quenched molecular dynamics (QMD) was used to simulate low-energy conformers of the tripeptide mimics Ac¿cyclo-Met¿NHiPr, where the 2.3-methanomethionine is the cis-derivative (2R,3S)-cyclo-Met and the trans-derivative (2R,3R)-cyclo-Met. Variations of the favored omicron, upsilon values. and differences between the simulated preferred conformations for the two structures, were rationalized and discussed. Physical data for the cis-derivative (NMR, CD and FT-IR) gave no conclusive evidence for any preferred conformation. However for the trans-derivative, Ac¿(2R,3R)-cyclo-Met¿NHiPr, the physical data suggests that a conformer with partial helical structure is favored. This work provides details of how the rigidly constrained side chain and cyclopropane of 2,3-methanoamino acids can be used to manipulate phi, psi values in a logical fashion.


The influence of nitrogen impurity on the stabilization of 3C-SiC polytype has been studied during vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) growth on 6H-SiC(0001) seed with Si-Ge melt. By changing the partial pressure of N2 during growth, it was found that the proportion of 3C-SiC inside the grown material increases with N2 partial pressure. 6H inclusions are only found for high purity (low N2 content) conditions. The possible interactions proposed to explain this effect are divided in two effects: i) lattice parameter modification and ii) surface induced lateral enlargement variation. A combination of both effects is suspected.


In this work, we prepared a series of new conjugated polyselenophenes that, in the 3,4-positions of the selenophene ring, have oxygen or sulfur substituents bridged by a phenylene moiety. Such substitution of a conjugated backbone produces a skeleton that has only planar units, does not have stereo centers, and offers the potential to structurally modify the polymer without impairing its conjugation. The reported polyselenophenes exhibit significantly different properties as a function of the heteroatom. The selenophene backbone combined with a phenylene periphery creates the rare combination of a low-band gap, low HOMO energy level, and a flat skeleton, which is desired for many optoelectronic applications. The properties of the phenylene-bridged polyselenophenes were compared with those of their polythiophene analogs. The polyselenophenes obtained in this work have a lower band gap and higher planarity than polythiophenes and their monomers electropolymerize more easily. Theoretical studies support the experimental findings about rigidity and band gap changes.


Psychology students' perceptions of the correspondence between approaches to learning and academic outcome were mapped and compared with actual influence. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. Preliminary results suggest a successive homogenization of student activities related to coursework. The perception of applying more "efficient" ways of dealing with coursework, corresponding better to examination demands, was identified as an important driver. Although the development towards perceived efficacy could be described as students successively adopting higher levels of surface approaches to learning, students in general judged such approaches as resulting in poorer examination grades, compared to deep approaches. However, surface approaches to learning were negatively correlated to examination grades, but to a lesser extent than students thought, while deep approaches turned out to be less influential. Strategic approaches to learning stood out as having the most positive impact on course grades, both as judged by the students and in actual fact.


Plants and animals differ in the sequence context of the methylated sites in DNA. Plants exhibit cytosine methylation in CG, CHG, and CHH sites, whereas CG methylation is the only form present in mammals (with an exception of the early embryonic development). This fact must be taken into account in the design of primers for bisulfite-based genomic sequencing because CHG and CHH sites can remain unmodified. Surprisingly, no user-friendly primer design program is publicly available that could be used to design primers in plants and to simultaneously check the properties of primers such as the potential for primer-dimer formation. For studies concentrating on particular DNA loci, the correct design of primers is crucial. The program, called BisPrimer, includes 2 different subprograms for the primer design, the first one for mammals and the second one for angiosperm plants. Each subprogram is divided into 2 variants. The first variant serves to design primers that preferentially bind to the bisulfite-modified primer-binding sites (C to U conversion). This type of primer preferentially amplifies the bisulfite-converted DNA strands. This feature can help to avoid problems connected with an incomplete bisulfite modification that can sometimes occur for technical reasons. The second variant is intended for the analysis of samples that are supposed to consist of a mixture of DNA molecules that have different levels of cytosine methylation (e.g., pollen DNA). In this case, the aim is to minimize the selection in favor of either less methylated or more methylated molecules.


Qualitative approaches have been increasingly used to explore ethnic differences in teenage sexual behavior, and methodological issues of conducting such research often remain unaddressed. This article discusses issues related to sampling, rapport, language, and ethnical considerations arising while undertaking research on attitudes toward teenage sexual behavior held by Chinese British families. It highlights the value of using snowball sampling, the importance of establishing rapport, and some advantages of matching the ethnic background between researcher and participants. The researcher's gender and social and cultural backgrounds affect research processes and findings, and this itself merits further reflection.


Pakistan is such a unique Islamic state which has great significance in regard of the application of Islamic Ideology and observance of human rights. The Muslims are in majority in this state of extraordinary political and geo-starategic importance whereas the Christians, the Hindus, the Sikh, the Buddhist, the Bahais and the Parsees are some of the remarkable religious minorities living here. These religious minorities are a symbol of the socio-religious diversity of Pakistan. In this prospect, the protection of the rights of the religious minorities is extremely necessary. The worship places of these minorities exist almost all over Pakistan. It is a matter of great satisfaction that Islam lays great emphasis on the sanctity of these worship places. Moreover, the Muslims have been taking extraordinary steps to protect these places. They have always been encouraging to build and promote such places. Even after having such a glorious background, the entire world generally and Pakistan especially is facing the gigantic dangers of socio-religious prejudices and intolerance. In this scenario, the worship places of the religious minorities are facing serious threats like terror attacks and disgrace. It is necessary to have an impartial analysis of the Islamic teachings, the attitude of the Muslim rulers and the contemporary challenges regarded to the security and development of these places. A comprehensive understanding and a lasting solution of these challenges should be sorted for a peaceful co-existence in Pakistan. This research article has been presented to comprehend different aspects of the protection of the worship places of the religious minorities of Pakistan.


Liver lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene expression show similar developmental patterns. Both mRNAs are abundantly expressed in neonatal rat liver and gradually disappear upon ageing. Treatment with fibric acid derivatives, such as fenofibrate, not only delays the developmental extinction of the LPL gene, but also increases LPL mRNA levels in neonatal rat liver. Similarly, the developmental extinction of the AFP gene in the liver is clearly delayed after fenofibrate. In adult rat liver, fibric acid derivatives transcriptionally reinduce a mRNA with similar size as LPL, but no effect on AFP mRNA was detected. Sequence comparison of clones isolated from a fenofibrate-induced cDNA library demonstrates that the fenofibrate-(re)induced mRNA in adult rat liver is encoding for LPL. The induction of LPL after fenofibrate is tissue-specific, since heart and adipose tissue LPL mRNA levels remain unchanged. In conclusion, fibric acid derivatives modulate developmental expression patterns in rat liver, and may selectively reinduce the expression of extinct genes in adult rat liver.


Performance measurement is to determine how well the business activities undertaken to achieve its strategic objectives. Company's strategic planning should include a structured approach to monitoring and measurement company. The aim of the company in general is to optimize profit (profit) companies with a way to increase sales and reduce costs to a minimum
This research is studying khasus at company PT. Cowell Development Tbk Tangerang with "Financial Performance Analysis Using the Balanced Scorecard Approach". The purpose of this research is to megetahui financial performance of PT. Cowell Development Tbk Tangerang using the balanced scorecard approach. A hypothesis proposed in this study is the performance of firms PT. Cowell Development Page healthy
The analysis used in this study is the balanced scorecard approach includes four perspectives: financial perspective, customer, internal business processes, and learning and growth. The benchmark for determining that the performance of the company is healthy or not by using time series method is to compare how the data have been obtained during the period 2006 to 2009. The result of calculation with the analysis of balanced scorecard, all performance measurement indicators show a healthy company performance, but the business process perspective is not healthy, because the company in meeting the capacity to meet manufacturing has not been able to reach the maximum, so the results are not in accordance with what is expected by the company.
Based on these conclusions, the authors may imply to some interested parties, namely, should the management company is able to keep it company, namely menghematan efficiency and production costs by controlling production costs, the company made a breakthrough innovation that is different from other property companies, and pay attention to the quality of buildings, environmental quality, transport stream, and ensure the comfort of occupants of housing, pihal investors can invest their shares in PT. Cowell Development Tbk Tangerang without a doubt on whether the property business to invest in short and long term investment.


We present a model of similarity-based retrieval that attempts to capture three seemingly contradictory psychological phenomena: (a) structural commonalities are weighed more heavily than surface commonalities in similarity judgments for items in working memory; (b) in retrieval, superficial similarity is more important than structural similarity; and yet (c) purely structural (analogical) remindings e sometimes experienced. Our model, MAC/FAC, explains these phenomena in terms of a two-stage process. The first stage uses a computationally cheap, non-structural matcher to filter candidate long-term memory items. It uses content vectors, a redundant encoding of structured representations whose dot product estimates how well the corresponding structural representations will match. The second stage uses SME (structure-mapping engine) to compute structural matches on the handful of items found by the first stage. We show the utility of the MAC/FAC model through a series of computational experiments: (a) We demonstrate that MAC/FAC can model patterns of access found in psychological data; (b) we argue via sensitivity analyses that these simulation results rely on the theory; and (c) we compare the performance of MAC/FAC with ARCS, an alternate model of similarity-based retrieval, and demonstrate that MAC/FAC explains the data better than ARCS. Finally, we discuss limitations and possible extensions of the model, relationships with other recent retrieval models, and place MAC/FAC in the context of other recent work on the nature of similarity.


The combination of β2-adrenoceptor agonists (β2-agonists) with inhaled steroids has become the standard treatment for mild to moderate asthma. Theophylline has also been combined successfully with inhaled steroids. However, the possible interaction between theophylline and β2-agonists, with regard to their anti-inflammatory effects, has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro interaction between theophylline and salbutamol on cytokine generation from human monocytes and compare it with a similar interaction between dexamethasone and salbutamol. Purified monocytes from normal donors were pretreated with the drugs (alone or in combination) and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide for 24 h. Released tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and their corresponding mRNA expressions, were determined and analyzed. Salbutamol (≥ 0.1 μM) significantly inhibited the release of TNF-α, but also significantly enhanced that of IL-6. In contrast, theophylline (50 μM) and dexamethasone (0.1 μM) strongly inhibited the generation of both cytokines. It is noteworthy that when the drugs were used in combination the effects of theophylline and salbutamol were additive in inhibiting TNF-α release, but theophylline blocked the IL-6-enhancing effect of salbutamol. A similar effect was seen when dexamethasone was combined with salbutamol. These results show that β2-agonists have opposing effects on the generation of TNF-α and IL-6, but that when they were combined with clinically relevant concentrations of theophylline, theophylline, like dexamethasone, was capable of augmenting the anti-inflammatory effects of the β2-agonists while at the same time preventing their proinflammatory effect. Thus, theophylline may have a potentially useful steroid-sparing effect.


This research guide provides links to databases focused on statistical data content, sources of statistical data on the internet and beyond, and search results via links in selected databases for statistical content in the sources indexed by these databas


This short report captures the week-by-week reflections of a group of family physicians who joined the clinical and operational management teams tasked with providing the in-patient service of an 862-bed COVID-19 field hospital. The 'Hospital of Hope' at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) was established as an intermediate care facility specifically to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town metropole. In an extraordinary feat of engineering, the conference centre floor was transformed within a matter of weeks into wards with piped oxygen at each bed. Whilst the emergency medicine specialists took the lead in designing and commissioning the facility, the medical management and staff were drawn mostly from family physicians. This report is a short reflection on the experience of the first 4 weeks of managing patients in this repurposed space. Our insights evolved during various formal and informal learning conversations as the in-patient service became more organised over time. We hope that these insights, as well as the process of reaching them, will assist other colleagues in serving their communities during this difficult moment in history; moreover, it may reflect a renewed appreciation for team-based interdisciplinary efforts in achieving person-centred care.


The problem of fuzzy-based direct adaptive tracking control is considered for a class of pure-feedback stochastic nonlinear systems. During the controller design, fuzzy logic systems are used to approximate the packaged unknown nonlinearities, and then a novel direct adaptive controller is constructed via backstepping technique. It is shown that the proposed controller guarantees that all the signals in the closed-loop system are bounded in probability and the tracking error eventually converges to a small neighborhood around the origin in the sense of mean quartic value. The main advantages lie in that the proposed controller structure is simpler and only one adaptive parameter needs to be updated online. Simulation results are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Pneumatic hammering may be used to assist with pipe installation and/or removal of stuck pipe during horizontal directional drilling and straight bore crossing operations. Pipe stresses induced during hammering are often poorly understood or undocumented.
 To gain a better understanding of the induced stresses, elastic wave analyses were performed to simulate stress waves which travel from the struck end of the pipe and back via reflection from the other end. Due to the nature of the reflections, even compressive hammering (e.g., for pullback assist) results in tensile stress waves (and potential fatigue damage), which sometimes goes unrecognized.
 To predict the damage accumulation at planar circumferential flaws (e.g., girth weld defects) from repeated hammering, flaw growth analyses were performed via Paris Law fracture mechanics formulations. An initial flaw based on NDE detection limits was grown to the maximum permitted by API 1104 weld quality requirements. This assumes that the hammered pipe will be used within the pipeline construction assembly and must therefore meet initial inspection requirements for screening of in-situ welds.
 For this study, different combinations of pipe diameter, wall thickness, pneumatic hammer model, input energy and soil type were investigated to discover trends and determine limits on hammering force and hammering hours. Allowable hours for a particular set of parameters are provided, along with recommendations concerning monitoring of hammering operations, constructability considerations, and future work to refine the methodology presented herein.


The impacts of bank restructuring on the Indonesian macro economy, and its various sectors, especially the agricultural industries, are assessed and analyzed using an Indonesian Forecasting Model. The model is more detailed sector-wise than existing Indonesian CGE models and incorporates flexibility to capture alternative assumptions regarding land and investment behavior. The impacts are assessed under several alternative settings including various scenarios on capital augmenting technical change and rate of return to capital on all industries. The failure of bank restructuring will have a bad impact on the Indonesian macroeconomic performance. It will reduce the GDP from both income side and expenditure side. The impact become worst if it will reduce the efficiency of using capital in all sector. The high effort of internal and external banking system should be done to make a successful of bank restructuring. The successful of bank restructuring will increase the output bigger than the failed of bank restructuring or will minimize the negative percentage change. Paddy is one example have a positive percentage change. The government policy is still needed to encourage banking sector to give a soft loan to the agricultural sector.


Software education is spreading all over the world; programming education is being implemented in elementary schools in each country using block-programming language. The block programming language provides a novice environment for easy access, but lacks understanding and teaching all the concepts of programming. There seems to be a need for primary education using text-based programming language for elementary school students. However, the difficulties encountered by learners in typing grammars and commands in textual programming languages could not be completely ruled out. This study aims to investigate the difficulties of learners based on grammatical errors frequently encountered in elementary school students. As a result, the most frequent errors in elementary school students in Python programming were errors caused by missing parentheses, followed by incorrect operator use, assignment of variable values that did not fit the data type, incorrect control statement composition, missing quotes Respectively. This study implies that it provided the improved direction of programming education by identifying the difficulties of learners and presenting practical examples and guidance plans and finding appropriate teaching strategies for text type programming education.


Abstract. Aerosol and cloud properties over southern China during the 10-year period 2006–2015 are analysed based on observations from passive and active satellite sensors and emission data. The results show a decrease in aerosol optical depth over the study area by about 20 % on average, accompanied by an increase in liquid cloud cover and cloud liquid water path (LWP) by 5 % and 13 %, respectively. Analysis of aerosol types and emissions suggests that the main driver for their reduction is a decrease in biomass burning aerosols. These changes occurred mainly in late autumn and early winter months and coincided with changes in cloud properties. For the latter, possible explanatory mechanisms were examined, including changes in circulation patterns and aerosol-cloud interactions. Further analysis of changes in aerosol vertical profiles demonstrates a consistency of the observed aerosol and cloud changes with the aerosol semi-direct effect, which depends on their relative heights. Based on this mechanism, fewer absorbing aerosols in the cloud layer would lead to an overall decrease in evaporation of cloud droplets, thus increasing cloud LWP and cover.


The objective of a preprosthetic orthodontic treatment is to position the teeth in such a way that a treatment with (fixed) dental
prostheses is made possible or simplified or to affect the result of this treatment positively. For deep bite cases with agenesis
and/or early loss of teeth, a treatment with either fixed dental prostheses is usually indicated after correction of anterior deep
bite. This helps to achieve sufficient clearance for fabrication of fixed prosthesis. This is a case report of an 18-year-old female
patient referred for preprosthetic orthodontic treatment. She had Class I malocclusion with deep bite and congenitally missing
mandibular central incisors (Figure 1). Bonding of both arches was done with 022 MBT bracket systems. In this case intrusion
of maxillary anterior teeth was achieved with mini screw implants (1.2 × 6 mm) placed between lateral incisors and canines
bilaterally for 7 months.
Open niti coil spring on 19 × 25 SS was placed to restore the space for the missing incisors in lower arch Case was debonded
once sufficient clearance was achieved for the fabrication of prosthesis. Total treatment time was 12 months (Figures 2 and 3).
Correction of deep bite with 5 mm of true intrusion was achieved and the FPD was bonded successfully.


This research aims to examine the effect of giving Bauveria Bassiana (K) extract to the pest of soy plant Glycine max, (L) Merr, which include Spodoptera lidura, Bemisia tabacci, and Nezara viridulla. The research was conducted in Gampong Jawa Village, Langsa Kota Sub-dsitrict, Kota Langsa. It was carried out from March until September 2016 at the elevation of 3,4 m above sea level and soil pH was 6. Factorial Randomized Blocked Design was used for the research experiment, testing the hypothesis that concentration, application regime and combination of both factors affect the growth of the pests. Four levels of Bauveria Bassiana (K) concentrations and four levels of application frequency were used during the experiment. The parameter observed were pest population, pest mortality, outbreak prevalence and the percentage of bean deffect. The research shows that all the three source of variations (concentration, frequency and combination of both concentration and frequency) significantly affect the growth of Glycine max (L) Merr pest. Research also suggested that the optimal concentration to be applied to Glycine Max, (L) Merr is 32,5 ml/l  water and the concentrate must be given once in every week.


Barrier cuts and 2-separation cuts are two familiar types of tight cuts in matching covered graphs, see Lovász ([6], 1987). We refer to these two types of tight cuts as ELP-cuts. A fundamental result of matching theory, due to Edmonds, Lovász, and Pulleyblank ([5], 1982) states that if a matching covered graph has a nontrivial tight cut, then it also has a nontrivial ELP-cut. Their proof of this result was based on linear programming techniques. An easier and purely graph theoretical proof was given by Szigeti ([8], 2002). This note is inspired by Szigeti's paper. Using properties of barriers in matchable graphs, which we call Dulmage-Mendelsohn barriers, we give an alternative proof of the Edmonds-Lovász-Pulleyblank (ELP) Theorem. We conjecture that, given any tight cut C in a matching covered graph that is not an ELP-cut, there exists a nontrivial ELP-cut D in that graph which does not cross C. Here we give a short proof of the validity of this conjecture for bicritical graphs and also for matching covered graphs with at most two bricks.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a maturity model for academic leadership teams to benchmark their ability to deliver a culture of continuous improvement through the use of Lean Six Sigma. Teams will also be able to use this model to develop strategic action plans to improve the culture of continuous improvement within their institution. In addition, this paper explains the journey the authors have taken in creating this model by using a mixture of literature review, questionnaires and case studies to build the model and the use of test cases to refine and improve the model.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a structured approach, focussing first on assessing the state of UK Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation and the, through the use of the case study method, the authors have designed a maturity model based on the classic capability maturity matrix approach. The final model has then been tested to refine the model into an improved version.

Findings
Key findings from interviewing the academic institutions that make up this paper highlight the current best practice in the UK and how far they still have to travel to become truly continuous improving organisations.

Research limitations/implications
This paper is limited to only focussing on UK institutions in the design and development of the maturity model. Future research should benchmark UK institutions more formally with international universities from North America and the Far East.

Practical implications
This paper present a final maturity model which can be used by academic leadership teams to both map their maturity at delivering continuous improvement projects and to act as an action plan to move the culture towards a quality-based, continuously improving institution.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first such model to be produced focussing on the leadership and sustainability of deploying LSS in academic institutions.


Two years after the sensational expedition that planted the Russian flag on the North Pole, and a year after the peak in world oil prices, international attention to Arctic geopolitics has visibly dissipated. Russia, however, continues to prioritize the Arctic, which is mentioned several times in its May 2009 National Security Strategy. It is also the main focus of an ambitious document on the "Fundamentals of State Policy in the Arctic to 2020," issued in September 2008. All that is needed is a legal claim to add vast underwater territories to Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Arctic Ocean, a document that was to be submitted to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2008, but is still not ready.


Recent work suggests that strong emission line, star-forming galaxies (SFGs) may be significant Lyman continuum leakers. We combine archival Hubble Space Telescope broadband ultraviolet and optical imaging (F275W and F606W, respectively) with emission line catalogs derived from WFC3 IR G141 grism spectroscopy to search for escaping Lyman continuum (LyC) emission from homogeneously selected z ∼ 2.5 SFGs. We detect no escaping Lyman continuum from SFGs selected on [O ii] nebular emission (N = 208) and, within a narrow redshift range, on [O iii]/[O ii]. We measure 1σ upper limits to the LyC escape fraction relative to the non-ionizing UV continuum from [O ii] emitters, fesc ≲ 5.6%, and strong [O iii]/[O ii] > 5 ELGs, fesc ≲ 14.0%. Our observations are not deep enough to detect fesc ∼ 10% typical of low-redshift Lyman continuum emitters. However, we find that this population represents a small fraction of the star-forming galaxy population at z ∼ 2. Thus, unless the number of extreme emission line galaxies grows substantially to z ≳ 6, such galaxies may be insufficient for reionization. Deeper survey data in the rest-frame ionizing UV will be necessary to determine whether strong line ratios could be useful for pre-selecting LyC leakers at high redshift.


The ability to visualize cell infiltration in experimental auto-immune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a well-known animal model for multiple sclerosis in humans, was investigated using a clinical 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a custom-built, high-strength gradient coil insert, a 3-D fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) imaging sequence and a superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast agent. An "active labeling" approach was used with SPIO administered intravenously during inflammation in EAE. Our results show that small, discrete regions of signal void corresponding to iron accumulation in EAE brain can be detected using FIESTA at 1.5 T. This work provides early evidence that cellular abnormalities that are the basis of diseases can be probed using cellular MRI and supports our earlier work which indicates that tracking of iron-labeled cells will be possible using clinical MR scanners.


Describes a contribution to a data-reduction process to be used with long-term EEGs. Since typical long-term EECs recorded from depth electrodes are extended over several days, while epilepsy may be characterized by occasional transients, data reduction is an important consideration for the electroencephalographer. The electroencephalographer detects epileptic activity by visual inspection of the EEG, which is a time-consuming procedure for records that are days long. The result obtained with the authors' proposed algorithm is the selection of segments of EEG where a transient is detected; then these segments are reviewed by an expert. The authors' primary objective is to minimize the visual inspection process, presenting to the clinician only selected segments of the EEG. Throughout this article, no distinction is made among the wide variety of epileptiform transients. The only objective of the algorithm is to separate background activity from epileptiform activity.


Abstract In 1616, the Nuremberg goldsmith Christoph Jamnitzer completed a commission for one patrician, Ernst Haller von Hallerstein, that served as a gift to another, Jacob Stark von Reckenhoff. In depicting at the cup's stem the image of the ancient wrestler Milo of Croton carrying a bull, Jamnitzer alluded to an emblem decorating the city hall to pun on the associations with strength in the recipient's last name. The iconography of the vessel thus bound the owner of the object to the virtues promoted in the building of governance at the same time that it demonstrated the goldsmith's virtuosic balancing of weight. The cup thus makes visible the material and metaphorical links between the skills of the goldsmith's craft and the ethics and politics of the free imperial city.


【iFLASH System is new structural floor system which consists of sandwich panels filled with nano-composite. The nano-composite has low specific gravity and high bonding strength with steel plates. The bonding strength is one of important factors for structural performance of iFLASH System and it can further be improved by surface preparation such as blast metal cleaning. However, using none blast steel plates is recommended since surface preparation generates additional fabrication time and cost. In this study, a bonding strength test and bending experiment were conducted to check feasibility of applying none blast steel plates to iFLASH System. Moreover, stress in bonding plane between steel plates and nano-composite was analytically evaluated by finite element method. Consequently, flexural capacity of the specimen was 11% higher than theoretically calibrated value and its flexural behavior was structurally efficient without defect of bonding.】


The routine monitoring of livestock and poultry products is the monitoring work carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture in order to grasp the quality and safety of national livestock and poultry products, and the sampling work is the first part of routine monitoring. This paper analyzes various factors during the implementation of sampling work such as preparatory work, sampling tools, sampling process, pretreatment, packaging, transfer, storage conditions and sample delivery. Carrying out the effective quality control can help to ensure the impartiality of the test results so as to provide reliable scientific basis for the department to study regulatory measures.


BACKGROUND Although several reports have described a possible association between DNA repair genes and pancreatic cancer (PC) in smokers, this association has not been fully evaluated in an Asian population. We assessed the impact of genetic polymorphisms in the base excision repair (BER) pathway on PC risk among Japanese. METHODS This case-control study compared the frequency of 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of BER genes, namely rs1052133 in OGG1, rs1799782 and rs25487 in XRCC1, rs1130409 in APE1, and rs1136410 in PARP1. SNPs were investigated using the TaqMan assay in 185 PC cases and 1465 controls. Associations of PC risk with genetic polymorphisms and gene-environment interaction were examined with an unconditional logistic regression model. Exposure to risk factors was assessed from the results of a self-administered questionnaire. We also performed haplotype-based analysis. RESULTS We observed that the minor allele of rs25487 in XRCC1 was significantly associated with PC risk in the per-allele model (odds ratio = 1.29, CI = 1.01-1.65; trend P = 0.043). Haplotype analysis of XRCC1 also showed a statistically significant association with PC risk. No statistically significant interaction between XRCC1 polymorphisms and smoking status was seen. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that XRCC1 polymorphisms affect PC risk in Japanese.


The reward-allocation problem for production systems in delayed-payoff situations is formalized in a conceptual model in which the environment of the system is a finite automaton. The environment state and the state of the system's local memory determine which productions are in the current conflict set. Productions are selected from the conflict set with probabilities proportional to their activations. Each selected production updates the local memory and furnishes the next input symbol to the environment. A reward scheme examines the payoff that is output by the environment and adjusts the activations in an attempt to increase average payoff per unit time. A reward scheme is safe if it is generally biased towards improvement. The notion of reward scheme safety is formalized, an asymptotically safe reward scheme is exhibited, and its safety is demonstrated. The demonstration is an analog of the proof of Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection.


We compared osteoporosis case-finding, evaluation and treatment in groups of Older Men and Older Women with age alone as a significant risk for fracture and Older Men with Higher Risk (older men additionally having previous hip fracture, corticosteroid use or androgen deprivation therapy). We studied 13,704 older men and women (≥70 years old) receiving care at a Veterans Affairs medical center from January 2000 to August 2010 whose 10-year hip fracture risk was assessed by limited FRAX score. The main outcome measures were the proportion of patients who had bone mineral density (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA]) and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH D) measurements performed, and calcium/vitamin D or bisphosphonates prescribed. The proportion of men with a 10-year hip fracture risk ≥3% with age alone as a risk was 48% and 88% in men aged 75–79 and ≥80 years, respectively. Compared with Older Women, fewer Older Men underwent DXA (12% vs 63%, respectively) and 25-OH D measurements (18% vs 39%), and fewer received calcium/vitamin D (20% vs 63%) and bisphosphonate (5% vs 44%) prescriptions. In Older Men with Higher Risk category, the proportion of men with 10-year hip fracture risk ≥3% ranged from 69% to 95%. Despite a higher risk and expectation that this group would have greater case detection and screening, few Older Men with Higher risk underwent DXA screening (27%–36%) and 25-OH D measurements (23%–28%), and received fewer calcium/vitamin D (40%–50%) and bisphosphonate (13%–24%) prescriptions. Considering the known morbidity and mortality, our findings underscore the need for improved evaluation and management of osteoporosis in older men at high risk for fracture.


Functional theory proposes that attitudes may serve a variety of purposes for individuals. This study aimed to determine whether stigmatized attitudes toward HIV/AIDS serve the same function for all (consensus function) or serve different functions for different individuals (divergence function) by assessing various aspects of HIV/AIDS stigma using a sample of 236 adults aged 20 to 65 years from the Iranian community living in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Respondents were classified as evaluatives or expressives based on their responses to attitude function inventory scale. HIV/AIDS-related attitudes in the study group were found to have more of an expressive (58.5%) than an evaluative function (32.2%). Multiple regression analyses revealed that various aspects of HIV/AIDS stigma were functionally divergent within the study group and could serve evaluative and expressive function. The study's findings suggest that different messages should be presented to different audiences depending on whether the stigma performs an expressive or evaluative function.


An analysis of surgical treatment of 102 patients with complicated pyloroduodenal ulcers has shown that vast infiltration and scary alterations in the ulcer area, its penetration, stenosis as well as the presence of tension of gastroduodenal anastomosis are risk factors for performing resection of the stomach after Billroth-1. In order to eliminate these factors the author used a technically correct elimination of the deformity of the duodenum. The additional application of extraorganic traction sutures and intraoperative dystopia of the duodenum allowed to complete the operation of resection of the stomach in most patients by putting a direct gastroduodenal anastomosis. In 29.4% of cases it was not possible to eliminate the risk factors in question by the well-known methods. So, the patients underwent resection of the stomach by Billroth-II method.


The effect of propofol and thiopentone on cerebral (CBF), myocardial (MBF), muscular, and arterial hepatic blood flow was assessed with radiolabelled microspheres in 12 chronically instrumented dogs, six given propofol and six thiopentone. Tissue blood flows were measured in the awake animal, after 30 min of normoxic anaesthesia (room air), and after 30 min of hypoxic anaesthesia using a mixture of 10% O2 and 3% CO2 in nitrogen. The decrease in CBF from awake to normoxic anaesthesia was similar with propofol and thiopentone (propofol: 77 +/- 8 to 38 +/- 3 ml min-1 100 g-1, P < 0.01; thiopentone: 66 +/- 3 to 33 +/- 2 ml min-1 100 g-1, P < 0.01). During hypoxia, CBF rose moderately in the two groups (respectively +19% and +28%, P < 0.05). The MBF increased in propofol and thiopentone groups after 30 min of anaesthesia with air (propofol: 97 +/- 23 to 137 +/- 15 ml min-1 100 g-1; thiopentone: 82 +/- 7 to 141 +/- 10 ml min-1 100 g-1) and increased still more during hypoxia. The increase in MBF was related to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. The quadriceps blood flow decreased during anaesthesia in normoxia and in hypoxia. The diaphragmatic blood flow increased with thiopentone under hypoxia. The hepatic arterial blood flow was unchanged. It is concluded that the effects of propofol on regional blood flows are very similar to those of thiopentone.


This study attempts to examine the empirical relationship between trade and total factor productivity (TFP) in the agricultural sector using both cross -sectiona, (across nine agricultural commodities), and time -series analysis. The Error Correction Model of ordinary least square (OLS) results from the cross -sectional analysis confirm that export shares and capital formation were found to be positive and significant; whereas, import shares and real exchange rate were found to be related negatively. However, the net effect of export and import shares had a positive effect. This implies that trade liberalisation causes productivity gains. Moreover, the time -series analysis goes in the same direction as the cross -sectional results, showing that there is a robust relationship among TFP, degree of openness, and capital formation. Whereas, debt was found to be inversely related, this implies that agricultural industries / farmers lack debt management skills.


This report describes a new animal model of postprandial hyperinsulinemia (PPH) in adult miniature swine that consume a diet simulating that of affluent Western societies. Two progressive levels of PPH were induced experimentally by injecting subcutaneously low and high doses of purified porcine insulin without causing acute detrimental clinical effects or significant biological effects on total serum cholesterol, sodium and potassium concentrations, mean arterial blood pressure, or heart rate. Physiologic postprandial increments in total serum triglyceride concentrations were inhibited by experimentally-induced PPH. With this model, the in vivo effects of homologous PPH can be studied in a dose-responsive manner. Areas of potential research use of this model include study of the chronic effects of PPH on lipoprotein metabolism, the development of atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus, and the association with regional body fat distribution and metabolism.


Circadian rhythms coordinate the responses of organisms to their daily fluctuating environments, by establishing a temporal program of gene expression. This schedules aspects of metabolism, physiology, development and behaviour according to the time of day. Circadian regulation in plants is extremely pervasive, and is important because it underpins both productivity and seasonal reproduction. Circadian regulation extends to the control of environmental responses through a regulatory process known as circadian gating. Circadian gating is the process whereby the circadian clock regulates the response to an environmental cue, such that the magnitude of response to an identical cue varies according to the time of day of the cue. Here, we show that there is genome-wide circadian gating of responses to cold temperatures in plants. By using bread wheat as an experimental model, we establish that circadian gating is crucial to the programs of gene expression that underlie the environmental responses of a crop of major socioeconomic importance. Furthermore, we identify that circadian gating of cold temperature responses are distributed unevenly across the three wheat subgenomes, which might reflect the geographical origins of the ancestors of modern wheat. One-sentence summary There is genome-wide circadian gating of a response to low temperatures in a crop of major socioeconomic importance.


This paper proposes a new compression algorithm supporting IPv6 mobility in wireless communications, called the IPv6 header compression algorithm. The idea of the algorithm is to provide an effective compression rate to support the mobility and the spectral efficiency required in wireless networks. The data link layer and the physical layer based on the OSI model are thus considered. To support the mobility it is assumed that any change of other fields in an IPv6 header except care-of-address disconnects the call. The address assignment method and LZW coding delivers significant compression of the long IPv6 header for the initial connection. After the initial communication, the algorithm provides compression through comparator coding and LZW coding. The algorithm's performance is evaluated using both analytic techniques and computer simulation.


AbstractDespite many research efforts that have focused on the multimode resource-constrained project scheduling problem (MRCPSP), very little success has been achieved in solving the problem for large-scale projects. In this paper a new hybrid optimization method is presented to achieve an advancement in optimal planning and scheduling of large-scale construction projects with multiple duration/resource execution modes and resource constraints. The proposed method consists of a novel heuristic and unique genetic optimization algorithm. The heuristic is designed to achieve schedules with efficient resource utilizations through dynamic selection of modes. A genetic optimization algorithm is integrated to the proposed optimization method to further improve the quality of the solutions obtained in the heuristic phase. The computational experiment results reveal that the new hybrid method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods and achieves high-quality solutions in significantly less computation time, espec...


This contribution explores changes in the way that educational researchers engage with policy‐makers in England. The traditional relationship between research and policy was linear, with funders supporting the efforts of researchers, who carried out research and then disseminated it to those responsible for shaping and implementing policy. This model of 'knowledge transfer' is fast being supplemented and sometimes replaced by one of 'knowledge exchange' as policy‐makers participate in new forms of research. 'Knowledge exchange' consists of collaborative problem‐solving between researchers and decision‐makers that happens through linkage and exchange. This contribution uses one large‐scale English study to illustrate the new relationship between research and policy. The Effective Pre‐school and Primary Education (EPPE) project is a longitudinal study of the effects of pre‐ and primary school on the academic and social development of more than 3,000 children in England. The study's findings have been used as part of the 'evidence base' for UK policy on universal pre‐school provision as well as targeted services in disadvantaged communities, for example, Sure Start and Children's Centres. From the earliest days of the study researchers worked in partnership with policy‐makers. Although the overall design was agreed at contract‐stage, major modifications to sampling, assessments, and analyses were made as the study progressed. The researcher/policy‐maker engagement continued throughout the study and consisted of sustained interaction, shared decision‐making and mutual respect. Supportive organisational structures allowed two‐way exchange and decision‐making. Although the researchers were responsible for scientific integrity in all phases, there was shared ownership of the findings with regular and collaborative review and amendment to suit emerging policy needs. The EPPE project was one of the first in the UK to work interactively with Government partners in the shaping of both 'research' and 'policy' outputs. This partnership enabled the research to have a significant impact on UK policy. The contribution concludes with discussion of how the Furlong and Oancea 'quality assessment framework' can be applied to research based on policy partnerships.


Microfluidic chips, lab-on-a-chip devices that have channels transporting liquids instead of wires carrying electrons, have attracted considerable attention recently from the bio-medical industry because of their application in testing assay and large-scale chemical reaction automation. These chips promise dramatic reduction in the cost of large-scale reactions and bio-chemical sensors. Just like in traditional chip design, there is an acute need for automation tools that can assist with design, testing and verification of microfluidics chips. We propose a design methodology and tool to design microfluidic chips based on SMT solvers. The design of these chips is expressed using the language of partial differential equations (PDEs) and non-linear multi-variate polynomials over the reals. We convert such designs into SMT2 format through appropriate approximations, and invoke Z3 and dReal solver on them. Through our experiments we show that using SMT solvers is a not only a viable strategy to address the microfluidics design problem, but likely will be key component of any future development environment. In addition to analysis of Microfluidic Chip design, we discuss the new area of Microhydraulics; a new technology being developed for the purposes of macking dynamic molds and dies for manufacturing. By contrast, Microhydraulics is more concerned on creating designs that will satisfy the dynamic requirements of manufacturers, as opposed to microfludics which is more concerned about the chemical reactions taking place in a chip. We develop the background of the technology as well as the models required for SMT solvers such as Z3 and dReal to solve them.


The c-kit proto-oncogene encodes a 145- to 160-Kd transmembrane tyrosine kinase, which is a member of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor family and is allelic with the murine white spotting locus (W). W mutations affect several aspects of hematopoiesis, most notably erythroid progenitors and mast cells. A monoclonal antibody, YB5.B8, had been raised against the leukemic blasts of a patient with M1-type acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and it precipitates a 150-Kd cell surface glycoprotein from leukemic cells. The YB5.B8 epitope is expressed on mast cells, on up to 3% of normal mononuclear bone marrow cells, and it identifies a sub-group of AML patients with a poor prognosis. In view of similarities noted between the cell surface antigen identified by YB5.B8 and the c-kit protein product, we performed experiments to determine whether they are identical. c-kit RNA expression in the cell lines HEL (human erythroleukemia) and A172 (glioblastoma) was shown to parallel the expression of the YB5.B8 epitope in these lines as measured by flow cytometry. Immunoprecipitation analysis with anti-kit serum and YB5.B8 antibody indicated that the two antibodies identified proteins of identical size in HEL (155 Kd) and A172 (145 Kd) cells, and sequential immunoprecipitations with the kit and the YB5.B8 antibodies demonstrated that the two antibodies recognize the same molecule. The proteins identified by both the anti-kit and YB5.B8 antibodies displayed in vitro autophosphorylation activity in immune complex kinase assays. In addition, YB5.B8 was able to inhibit the binding of the kit ligand to HEL cells. These studies provide evidence that the YB5.B8 antigen and the c-kit protein product are identical and raise certain hypotheses regarding the role of c-kit in AML.


The 'Wellbeing Budget' presented to the New Zealand Parliament in 2019 was widely described as a world-first. This article explores the possibility of a distinctive Australasian contribution to our understanding of wellbeing economics in public policy. The introduction section presents an analytical wellbeing framework showing how human actions draw on services provided by the country's capital stocks to create and sustain personal and communal wellbeing. The second section chronicles some landmark policy initiatives in Australia and New Zealand for understanding and monitoring wellbeing, culminating in the Wellbeing Budget. The third section highlights four areas for further development: (1) the role of family wellbeing in intergenerational wellbeing, (2) the role of cultural capital in providing foundations for future wellbeing, (3) the role of Indigenous worldviews in enriching understandings of wellbeing and (4) the role of market enterprise in expanding capabilities for wellbeing. These are all areas where Australasian researchers have demonstrated expertise. JEL Codes: I31, I38, B54


OBJECT
The rate of infection following shunt procedures is unacceptably high. The authors have hypothesized that the key to reducing the shunt infection rate is in reducing bacteria in the operating field and wound. This hypothesis has been tested in a prospective nonrandomized controlled manner.

METHODS
Data obtained in all patients undergoing shunt insertions or revisions for hydrocephalus performed between October 1, 2003, and June 12, 2009, were reviewed. Starting in August 2006, we began routinely irrigating the operating field and wound with saline solution from a syringe. Prior to this, we had not used any irrigation techniques, providing an adequate control group (Group A) for the effect of the irrigation technique. Prior to November 2007, we used saline containing amikacin for irrigation (Group B). After that date, we used saline only for irrigation (Group C).

RESULTS
A total of 150 shunt procedures were performed in 79 girls and 71 boys during the study period. The mean age of all patients was 44.0 +/- 59.1 months. Groups A, B, and C comprised 61, 40, and 49 shunt procedures, respectively. There was no statistical difference in age among the 3 groups. Nine infections occurred within 90 days in the postoperative period. The overall infection rate was 6.0%. Eight infections occurred before introducing the irrigation procedure (infection rate 13.1%). One infection was noted after introducing irrigation (Group B [0.0%] + Group C [2.0%]; combined B and C infection rate = 1.1%). There was a statistical difference in the infection rate between Group A and Groups B and C combined (p = 0.003), Groups A and B (p = 0.021), and Groups A and C (p = 0.035). In contrast, no statistical difference was observed between Groups B and C (p > 0.99). Six of the 9 infections were due to staphylococcal species.

CONCLUSIONS
An irrigation technique used to reduce bacteria in the operating field and wound is effective for preventing shunt infection. Irrigation alone, and not antibiotics, contributed to the prophylaxis of shunt infection.


The authors analyze 884 Internet-based restaurant menus from inside and outside San Jose, California, which they collected before and after the city implemented a 25% minimum wage increase in 2013. Their findings suggest that nearly all of the cost increase was passed through to consumers, as prices rose 1.45% on average. Minimum wage price elasticities averaged 0.058 for all restaurants and ranged from 0.044 to 0.109, depending on the type of restaurant. The authors' estimate of payroll cost increases net of turnover savings is consistent with these findings. Equally important, border effects for restaurants are smaller than is often conjectured. Price differences among restaurants that are one-half mile from either side of the policy border are not competed away, indicating that restaurant demand is spatially inelastic. These results imply that citywide minimum wage policies need not result in substantive negative employment effects nor shifts of economic activity to nearby areas.


In this paper, a finite element code especially for micro-magnetostrictive actuators was developed. Two significant characteristics of the presented finite element code are: (1) the magnetostrictive hysteresis phenomenon is effectively taken into account; (2) intrinsic geometric feature of typical thin film structures of large length to thickness ratio, which makes it very difficult to construct finite element mesh in the region of the thin film, is considered reasonably in modeling micro-magneostrictive actuators. For verification purpose, magnetostrictive thin films were fabricated and tested in the form of a cantilevered actuator. The Tb-Fe film and Sm-Fe film are sputtered on the Si and Polyimide substrates individually. The magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of the sputtered magnetostrictive films are measured. The measured magnetostrictive coefficients are compared with the numerically calculated ones.


Single-phase double atoms filling skutterudite compounds were synthesized by using melting reaction method. The effects of double atoms filling on the structure and lattice thermal conductivity of skutterudite compounds were investigated. The results of Rietveld refinement indicate that CamCenFexCo4-xSb12 compounds possess skutterudite structure and the Sb-icosahedron voids have been partially filled with filling atoms. With the same filling fraction, the lattice thermal conductivity of CamCenFexCo4-xSb12 is smaller than that of CamFexCo4-xSb12 and CenFexCo4-xSb12, furthermore, when the total filling fraction (m+n) is about 0.3 and respective filling fraction of Ca and Ce are approximately equal, the lattice thermal conductivity is the least.


Water is the largest single component of the human body. It is obtained from food and beverage consumption and by metabolic production in the body. This study investigated water consumption in adults living in the UK. 40 males and 40 females (mean±SD age 34±13 years, body mass 72±19 kg, height 169±10 cm, body mass index 25±6 kg/m2, mean arterial blood pressure 97±13 mm Hg) completed a three consecutive day dietary record for 1 weekend and 2 week days. Every item consumed (food and drinks), the eating occasion (meal or snack), time, food preparation method, brand of product, location of consumption and details of any people with them were recorded. Females tended to consume more water than males (2402±827 ml/day, 2056±911 ml/day respectively p=0.079). More water was consumed via nonwater beverages than food and plain water (p=0.000): for females this was 1013±552 ml, 556±220 ml and 833±683 ml and for males were 924±637 ml, 567±248 ml and 565±574 ml, respectively. This is equivalent to 27±11% of total daily water intake from food, 45±20% from nonwater beverages and 28±21% from plain water. There was no difference in total water intake on weekend days compared to week days for females 2488±1041 ml, 2446±831 ml and 2272±921 ml (p=0.892) or for males 2132±1353 ml, 2101±1295 ml and 1934±876 ml (p=0.869). There was no difference in total water intake among females and males relative to weekend days and week day 1 and week day 2 (p=0.191), (p=0.160) and (p=0.097). The mean amount of water consumed per person per day in UK population was 2229±882 ml with 1668±766 ml being obtained from beverages. This is similar to previous research1 which found that the total beverage consumption in Britain in 2000/2001 was 1988 ml/day for males and 1585 ml/day for females.


Critical Small Schools: Beyond Privatisation in New York City Urban Educational Reform features the most current empirical research about the successes and challenges of the small schools movement and the implications of such for urban public educational policy. Situated in a climate of hierarchical reform, many of the principles of the original small schools movement--which are rooted in community participation, innovative pedagogies and assessment, and equity and social justice--have become obscured by an educational agenda that emphasises topdown mandates and standards-based reform. With the increased popularity and the rapid proliferation of small schools, the emphasis on 'size only' has resulted in a bifurcation of the small schools movement; on one end are the small schools which have embraced the democratic, participatory, and self-governing nature of the original movement, while on the other end are schools that have simply reduced their size without rethinking school structures and practices. This book distinguishes the small schools featured and researched in this volume from schools that are simply small and labels them "critical small schools." By documenting the practices that take place in various critical small schools in New York City, we show how these schools have narrowed the achievement gap and increased graduation and college acceptance rates. Although smallness is an essential feature in the design of these schools, it is certainly not the only one and this volume illuminates the other elements that contribute to these schools' successes and shortcomings. Critical Small Schools also challenges the recent emphasis on charter schools as a panacea for urban educational reform. By featuring research about the inner workings of public schools, this volume challenges this new direction that steers successful school development away from public education. Moreover, as every site is fraught with some tension, Critical Small Schools not only offers glimpses into intellectually vibrant and democratic learning communities, but also acknowledges that these concepts are not static and necessitate continual reflection and renewal. At this pivotal moment in educational reform, this volume provides keen insight into the challenges and possibilities of the small schools movement, and is indispensable for anyone interested in comprehensive public school reform.


Wild rodents involved in a plague epizootic were trapped on a bimonthly schedule at 15 trap sites distributed throughout the San Bruno Mountain plague pocket located in northern San Mateo County, California. The percentage of positive sera obtained from Microtus californicus varied from zero in two sites in which Y. pestis had not been recovered from rodent flea or tissue pools to as high as 90% to 97% positives in Microtus trapped in four sites in which Y. pestis was recovered. Analysis of the data available indicates that the rate of seropositive rodents, Peromyscus maniculutus and Microtus californicus, is correlated with gross numbers of fleas found per trapline.


Plant virus movement is the process of the spread of virus genetic material from the initially infected cells to the rest of the plant. There are several distinct stages including intracellular movement from sites of virus replication to plasmodesmata (PD) (plant-specific intercellular nanopores), cell-to-cell trafficking through PD and long-distance movement between organs through the phloem (the specialized vascular system used by plants for the transport of assimilates and macromolecules). Transport is mediated by virus-encoded 'movement' proteins. Several different types of movement proteins can be distinguished, which share properties such as nucleic acid binding, targeting and dilation of PD, and intercellular movement. These functions can be distributed amongst several movement proteins. Some movement proteins form a hollow tubule through PD which allows the passage of virus particles, but for the majority of viruses, the precise mechanism of transport through PD is still unknown.

Key Concepts:

Plant viruses need to overcome the barrier of the cell wall to spread from the initially infected cells to the rest of the plant.

Local cell-to-cell movement occurs through PD which are plant-specific membrane-lined nanopores that connect adjoining cells.

Long-distance movement between plant organs occurs through the phloem, one of the two components of the plant's vasculature.

Viral cell-to-cell movement constitutes an extreme population bottleneck and needs to stay ahead of plant defence signals trafficking through the same channels.

Movement is mediated by one or several virus-encoded movement proteins, which facilitate transport of virus genomes or virus particles between cells.

The transported form of the viral genome is usually either a virus particle that can be modified, or a nonvirion ribonucleoprotein complex containing RNA and movement proteins. Local and long-distance movement forms can be different.

Two different movement mechanisms are observed: insertion of a MP-comprised tubule into PD that forms a conduit for virus particles, or tubule-less movement by an unknown mechanism.

Mechanisms contributing to PD dilation may include breakdown of the polysaccharide callose in the surrounding cell wall and severing of actin filaments.

Viruses use elements of the cell's cytoskeleton and/or endomembrane system to get from replication sites to PD, or replication and movement can be spatially linked at PD.

Nuclear host factors are required for long-distance movement of some viruses.

Keywords:

movement proteins;
systemic infection;
ribonucleoprotein particles;
RNA binding;
triple gene block;
tubules


Over the years, researchers have proposed various approaches to JPEG forgery detection and localization. In most cases, experimental evaluation was limited to JPEG quality levels that are multiples of 5 or 10. Each study used a different dataset, making it difficult to directly compare the reported results. The goal of this work is to perform a unified, large-scale and fine-grained evaluation of the most popular state-of-the-art detectors. The obtained results allow to compare the detectors with respect to various criteria, and shed more light on the compression configurations where reliable tampering localization can be expected.


by Denise Jenkins Basic information we need before we leave this earth. Paul is writing to Gentiles in this dispensation. We are saved by believing Jesus Death, burial, and resurrection + NOTHING if we truly believe Him!! This book is about salvation!! Without that we have nothing. Hell is real, but people don't like to talk about it. Instead, so many souls go to eternal damnation because they refuse to acknowledge and love the one who created us, and then saved us! It happens so many times each day. With all their sin debt already paid, people are walking into Hell. If Jesus wanted us to pay our own sin debt, then He would not have gone to the cross and done it for us! He suffered a beating beyond description as a man! He was nailed to that Roman cross. None of us are good enough to do it. He paid it all. Believe Him! We have only until our last breath to make that decision. Once we stop breathing, the default place people go is Hell! Unless you have believed and trusted in Jesus Christ who has already paid it all. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 vs 1-4 among many other places in God's word explains this. The law was given by God to Moses for the Jews to follow in the days of the law. Paul was given grace by the resurrected Jesus Christ to give to us in this age. Belief plus nothing equals salvation. Take the free gift He has suffered so much for us to have. It's not about rules after the cross, but about His love for the people, He created. When you know and believe how much He suffered to pay your own sin debt. it will change you. What could matter more than our eternal destiny? Nothing could. If you start seeking God with all your heart, strength and mind, he will reveal Himself to you. He wants every person to be saved, but people will not listen. They are like I was for almost 50 years. They are letting the temporary things of this world take precedence over everything. I have righteousness only because Jesus imputed His to me. None of it is my doing. It's all His. He does it all after we believe Him! Jesus is the wisdom of God. He is in complete control of it all, so why not look to Him and find out what we need so desperately to know? Don't listen to your pastor unless you check out what the bible says. It is not that hard to understand once you have that Holy Spirit in you. That happens when we believe the gospel. Deceivers are everywhere. In churches and bible studies too. They don't even know they are being deceived as they deceive others. If they insist you tithe or get baptized or join a church or anything else for salvation, then run! Salvation is a free gift given to us from God who sacrificed His own Son to save us. If you work and follow Jesus then you will have a better life here and rewards in heaven. You will make God happy, but only if you are saved. If you are not saved, then you are God's enemy. You are either with Him or against Him. There is no in between. Once you start understanding God's word to us it is exciting. It will bring you peace and you will have no fear of dying. Death is horrible if you are going to hell. There will be fire and darkness and worms and pain. Its all in the bible. You can find me on Facebook if you choose to. I would love to hear from you. If you don't think any of this is in your bible then just send me a message on Facebook and I will show you where it is. Please get a King James Version of the Bible. It is so much better. I have seen so many important words left out of some of the other interpretations. We are saved by the blood of Jesus and yet they leave that word out in some verses. Without blood, there is no forgiveness. Not our sinful blood, but Jesus sinless blood. He is the only one who could have saved us and He did. There is salvation in no other name. Jesus Christ is the power of God. His pain and humiliation and separation from God to pay our sin debt was real and it was so much more then we can even imagine. I love Him so far above anything because He has loved me and saved me.


The United States is experiencing a systemic teacher shortage (Sutcher et al., 2016). This trend is not new to the field of special education, which has been experiencing teacher shortages for decades (Boe, 2006; McLeskey & Billingsley, 2008; U.S. Department of Education, 2020). To address these critical shortages of teachers in the field, states have created Alternative Routes to Licensure (ARL) options, which are commonly seen as nontraditional approaches to gaining teaching credentials. Although the disruptive practice of ARL is already in place, the evidence to support its effectiveness is not. This paper explores the experiences of junior faculty members working as agents of change by disrupting one special education department's ARL program. Emphasis is given to the system supports in place to change the ARL and existing systemic barriers to these changes at the department, college and university levels. Additionally, structures which aided or hindered completing programmatic work from the perspective of the untenured faculty members are also discussed.


Money is a cultural construction, leukemia is not. In which category does phenomenal consciousness fit? The issue is clarified by a distinction between what cultural phenomena causally influence and what culture constitutes. Culture affects phenomenal consciousness but it is ridiculous to suppose that culture constitutes it, even in part.


A new portfolio risk measure that is the uncertainty of portfolio fuzzy return is introduced in this paper. Beyond the well-known Sharpe ratio (i.e., the reward-to-variability ratio) in modern portfolio theory, we initiate the so-called fuzzy Sharpe ratio in the fuzzy modeling context. In addition to the introduction of the new risk measure, we also put forward the reward-to-uncertainty ratio to assess the portfolio performance in fuzzy modeling. Corresponding to two approaches based on TM and TW fuzzy arithmetic, two portfolio optimization models are formulated in which the uncertainty of portfolio fuzzy returns is minimized, while the fuzzy Sharpe ratio is maximized. These models are solved by the fuzzy approach or by the genetic algorithm (GA). Solutions of the two proposed models are shown to be dominant in terms of portfolio return uncertainty compared with those of the conventional mean-variance optimization (MVO) model used prevalently in the financial literature. In terms of portfolio performance evaluated by the fuzzy Sharpe ratio and the reward-to-uncertainty ratio, the model using TW fuzzy arithmetic results in higher performance portfolios than those obtained by both the MVO and the fuzzy model, which employs TM fuzzy arithmetic. We also find that using the fuzzy approach for solving multiobjective problems appears to achieve more optimal solutions than using GA, although GA can offer a series of well-diversified portfolio solutions diagrammed in a Pareto frontier.


TThe research hereby aims to reveal the specific features of logopedic intervention in terms of using some adapted software applications as well as to highlight a sheer reality of our century: a meaningful combination of the traditional therapeutic methods with hi-tech informatic equipment during the logopedic therapy can remarkably stimulate children into performing a stable activity, which consequently would lead to rewarding therapeutic progress.
 It is presumed that, in terms of using some software applications adapted to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy for students with mental disabilities, some notable improvements would be registered in their evolution.
It is also presumable that, by using an application with a symbols processor within the dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy for students with mental disabilities, some notable improvements would be registered in their aware reading of the texts.
 The present research has been made by a sample lot of 46 subjects (11 girls and 35 boys) with mental disabilities diagnosis and chronological age ranging from 10 to 12 years.
Methods of data collection: Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices Test; proof set for assessing the language psychological age (Alice Descoudress); proof set for assessing the dyslexic and dysgraphic impairments.
Subsequently to dyslexic and dysgraphic impairments noted to the students with mental disabilities within the lot, we advanced on the application-oriented part of the research. All students were involved in the ongoing activity pertaining to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy, in compliance with their medical diagnosis and and their intellectual development level.
 The therapeutic activity designed for the experimental lot was also undergoing by implementing the same methodology as in the case of the control lot, while for accomplishing the set objectives, SymWriter educational software was extensively used, in order to prompt its efficiency during the targeted activity.
 The period of time when Widgit applications were used along the activities related to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy was set for three months. At the end of the established period, the whole lot was again assessed by proof set means, thus to be enabled to mark the evolution of the students with mental disabilities.
 On examining the results of both the initial and final assessments for the control lot as well as for the experimental lot, we were finally led to the conclusion that, if using some software applications adapted to dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy, together with proceeding to some application assissted by a symbols processor, the progress in correcting the dyslexic-dysgraphic impairments were strikingly remarkable and meanwhile, notable progress was recorded in terms of aware reading of the texts.


In field experiments designed to induce dense phytoplankton crops by phosphate and nitrate additions to enclosures in a bed of Potamogeton filiformis in Loch Fitty, the anticipated phytoplankton were not produced. Bioassays showed that phytoplankton were limited by phosphorus and nitrogen. No evidence for an allelopathic effect was found. Macrophyte uptake was responsible for removing 36% of the nitrate added, and the sediment responsible for a part of the phosphate uptake. Some phytoplankton uptake was inferred from the increased zooplankton numbers in enclosures receiving phosphate and nitrate. Nutrient additions had no effect on macrophyte standing crop, as predicted, because the sediment provided an adequate nutrient supply. With decay of macrophytes and nutrient release, phytoplahkton increased in certain enclosures, but not others, probably as a result of large increases in zooplankton numbers and hence grazing pressure. The filamentous alga Rhizoclonium became abundant at the end of the season in enclosures receiving phosphate and nitrate, but did not appear to harm the macrophytes. Epiphytes were only visibly obvious in one enclosure. Failure to produce dense phytoplankton crops in the field led to a laboratory study of the effects of phytoplankton-induced carbon competition on macrophytes. Phytoplankton species were shown to have a smaller total resistance to CO2 fixation than macrophytes and hence greater photosynthetic rates under most CO2 concentrations. The boundary layer was the largest component of the total resistance in macrophytes, suggesting that the thin leaves of many macrophytes were a response to this rather than an aid to diffusion. The linear leaves of other species could be adaptations to reduce the boundary layer thickness. A pH-drift technique confirmed that the best phytoplankton species were more efficient at carbon removal than any macrophyte shoots. The macrophytes were even less efficient when the whole plant was considered. The carbon compensation point was shown to rise under the low light conditions that would be found under a dense phytoplankton crop. Macrophytes showed seasonal changes in carbon extractive ability, but the range was less than published data for phytoplankton from a lake, probably because the latter consists of a series of populations, which are closely adapted to the prevailing conditions. Different leaf types of heterophyllous macrophytes had different CO2 compensation points and one leaf type could use HCO3. A growth experiment confirmed that carbon competition with phytoplankton could have a detrimental effect on macrophytes.


Context
Little is known about the frequency of key mutations in thyroid cancer metastases and its relationship with the primary tumor genotype.

Objectives
To evaluate the frequency of TERT promoter (TERTp), BRAF, and NRAS mutations in metastatic thyroid carcinomas, analyzing primary thyroid tumors, lymph node metastases (LNMs), and distant metastases.

Design and Patients
Mutation analysis was performed in 437 tissue samples from 204 patients, mainly with papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs; n = 180), including 196 LNMs and 56 distant metastases. All the distant metastases included corresponded to radioiodine-refractory metastatic tissue.

Results
We found the following mutation frequency in primary PTCs, LNMs, and distant metastases, respectively: TERTp: 12.9%, 10.5%, and 52.4%; BRAF: 44.6%, 41.7%, and 23.8%; and NRAS: 1.2%, 1.3%, and 14.3%. There was a significant concordance between the primary tumor genotype and the corresponding LNM for all the genes, in particular BRAF-mutated PTC. The overall concordance between primary tumors and respective distant metastases was low. In the group of patients with PTCs, we found a high frequency of TERTp mutations and a low frequency of BRAF mutations in distant metastases, in comparison with the paired primary tumors. When present in distant metastases, BRAF mutations frequently coexisted with TERTp mutations.

Conclusions
When the genotype of primary tumors is compared with the genotype of LNMs, the concordance is high for all the genes studied. On the other hand, distant metastases show an enrichment in TERTp mutations and a decrease in BRAF mutations. TERTp mutations may play a role in distant metastases.


This thesis presents a specialization of the integral equation (IE) method for the analysis of three-dimensional metallic and dielectric structures embedded in laterally unbounded (open) layered media. The method remains basically spatial but makes use of extensive analytical treatment of the vertical dependence of the problem in the 2D Fourier-transformed domain. The analytical treatment restricts somewhat the class of structures that can be analyzed. Still, the field of applicability remains very large, and includes most printed circuit and integrated circuit structures. The method is developed in full numerical detail, from first principles down to the properties of new Green's functions and the computation of particular types of convolution integrals. We show how the memory and time complexity are considerably reduced when compared to the requirements of the analysis of general 3D structures. With the newly developed tool, it is possible to deal with some peculiar characteristics of microwave and millimeter-wave circuits and antennas. Most noteworthy among these is the presence of thick metallizations (either electrically, or relative to circuit features). A novel full-wave analysis of arbitrarily shaped apertures in thick metallic screens is presented. This is compared to other methods, both full-wave and approximate, and demonstrated to offer excellent accuracy. Comparison with measured data, obtained from specially constructed prototypes, further validates the new technique. A second application is to the analysis of airbridges in coplanar waveguide (CPW) and slotline (SL) circuits. Comparison of measured and simulated data validates again our technique and provides valuable information about the behavior of CPW-fed slot loop antennas. Among the more specific applications, particular attention is devoted to the analysis and design of submillimeter-wave integrated dielectric lens feeds. These were object of study in the frame of a European Space Agency project, Integrated Front-End Receivers (IFER), which our Laboratory carried out in cooperation with a team at University of Toronto. The analysis method developed in this work encompasses and extends all previous work done at our Laboratory (LEMA) related with the analysis of this kind of feed. Together with the advanced 3D ray-tracing code developed at University of Toronto, it is possible to gain a high degree of insight into the behavior of these integrated receivers.


Background With the large and diverse type of biological data, bioinformatic solutions are being more complex and computationally intensive. New specialized data skills need to be acquired by researchers in order to follow this development. Workflow Management Systems rise as an efficient way to automate tasks through abstract models in order to assist users during their problem solving tasks. However, current solutions could have several problems in reusing the developed models for given tasks. The large amount of heterogenous data and the lack of knowledge in using bioinformatics tools could mislead the users during their analyses. To tackle this issue, we propose an ontology-based workflow-mining framework generating semantic models of bioinformatic best practices in order to assist scientists. To this end, concrete workflows are extracted from scientific articles and then mined using a rich domain ontology. Results In this study, we explore the specific topics of phylogenetic analyses. We annotated more than 300 recent articles using different ontological concepts and relations. Relative supports (frequencies) of discovered workflow components in texts show interesting results of relevant resources currently used in the different phylogenetic analysis steps. Mining concrete workflows from texts lead us to discover abstract but relevant patterns of the best combinations of tools, parameters and input data for specific phylogenetic problems. Conclusions Extracted patterns would make workflows more intuitive and easy to be reused in similar situations. This could provide a stepping-stone into the identification of best practices and pave the road to a recommender system.


Purpose – This paper presents a comparison of aircraft design concepts to identify the superior propulsion system model among turbo-hydraulic, turbo-electric and classic jet propulsion with respect to Direct Operating Costs (DOC), environmental impact and fuel burn. Approach – A simple aircraft model was designed based on the Top-Level Aircraft Requirements of Airbus A320 passenger aircraft, and novel engine concepts were integrated to establish new models. Numerous types of propulsion system configurations were created by varying the type of gas turbine engine and number of propulsors. Findings – After an elaborate comparison of the aforementioned concepts, the all turbohydraulic propulsion system is found to be superior to the all turbo-electric propulsion system. A new propulsion system concept was developed by combining the thrust of a turbofan engine and utilizing the power produced by the turbo-hydraulic propulsion system that is delivered via propellers. The new partial turbo-hydraulic propulsion concept in which 20% of the total cruise power is coming from the (hydraulic driven) propellers is even more efficient than an all turbo-hydraulic concept in terms of DOC, environmental impact and fuel burn. Research Limitations – The aircraft were modelled with a spreadsheet based on handbook methods and relevant statistics. The investigation was done only for one type of reference aircraft and one route. A detailed analysis with a greater number of reference aircraft and types of routes could lead to other results. Practical Implications – With the provided spreadsheet, the DOC and environmental impact can be approximated for any commercial reference aircraft combined with the aforementioned propulsion system concepts. Social Implications – Based on the results of this thesis, the public will be able to discuss the demerits of otherwise highly lauded electric propulsion concepts. Value – To evaluate the viability of the hydraulic propulsion systems for passenger aircraft using simple mass models and aircraft design concept.