Objective—To examine the effects of pulmonary hypertension on left ventricular diastolic function and to relate the findings to possible mechanisms of interdependence between the right and left sides of the heart in ventricular disease. Design—A retrospective and prospective analysis of echocardiographic and Doppler studies. Setting—A tertiary referral centre for both cardiac and pulmonary disease. Patients—29 patients with pulmonary hypertension (12 primary pulmonary hypertension, 10 pulmonary fibrosis, five atrial septal defect (ASD), and two scleroderma) were compared with a control group of 10 patients with an enlarged right ventricle but normal pulmonary artery pressure (six ASD, one after ASD closure, one ASD and pulmonary valvotomy, one tricuspid valve endocarditis and repair, and one pulmonary fibrosis). None had clinical or echocardiographic evidence of intrinsic left ventricular disease. Main Outcome measures—M mode echocardiographic measurements were made of septal thickness, and left and right ventricular internal cavity dimensions. Doppler derived right ventricular to right atrial pressure drop, and time intervals were measured, as were isovolumic relaxation time, and Doppler left ventricular filling characteristics. Results—The peak right ventricular to right atrial pressure gradient was (mean (SD)) 60 (16) mm Hg in pulmonary hypertensive patients, and 18 (5) mm Hg in controls. The time intervals P2 to the end of the tricuspid regurgitation, and P2 to the start of tricuspid flow were both prolonged in patients with pulmonary hypertension compared with controls (115 (60) and 120 (40) ν 40 (15) and 45 (10) ms, p values <0·001). Pulmonary hypertensive patients commonly had a dominant A wave on the transmitral Doppler (23/29); however, all the controls had a dominant E wave. Isovolumic relaxation time of the left ventricle was prolonged in pulmonary hypertensive patients compared with controls, measured as both A2 to mitral valve opening (80 (25) ν 50 (15) ms) and as A2 to the start of mitral flow (105 (30) ν 60 (15) ms, p values <0·001). The delay from mitral valve opening to the start of transmitral flow was longer in patients with pulmonary hypertension (30 (15) ms) compared with controls (10 (10) ms, p < 0·001). At the time of mitral opening there was a right ventricular to right atrial gradient of 12 (10) mm Hg in pulmonary hypertensive patients, but this was negligible in controls (0·4 (0·3) mm Hg, p < 0·001). Conclusions—Prolonged decline of right ventricular tension, the direct result of severe pulmonary hypertension, may appear as prolonged tricuspid regurgitation. It persists until after mitral valve opening on the left side of the heart, where events during isovolumic relaxation are disorganised, and subsequent filling is impaired. These effects are likely to be mediated through the interventricular septum, and this right-left ventricular asynchrony may represent a hitherto unrecognised mode of ventricular interaction.


When E. coli protein synthesis was blocked by chloramphenicol (100 micrograms/ml) or by essential amino acid deprivation, the transcription rates of rplKAJL genes (the ones for L11, L4, L10 and L7/L12 ribosomal proteins) and adjacent rpoBC genes (genes for RNA polymerase beta- and beta'-polypeptides) have been non-coordinately changed. The level of the gene transcription rate was obtained from RNA--DNA hybridization assays with E. coli pulse-labelled RNA and pJC703 or pJC720 plasmid DNA. The transcription of ribosomal protein genes has been found to be uncoupled with translation and controlled by the allelic state of relA gene. Conversely, the effective transcription of proBC gene was relA independent and coupled with translation of the mRNA. Chloramphenicol-induced transcription polarity within rplKAJL-rpoBC chromosome region can be suppressed by 10 micrograms/ml rifampicin.


Recent advances in cancer immunology revealed immune-related properties of cancer cells as novel promising therapeutic targets. The two TNF superfamily members, APRIL (TNFSF13), and BAFF (TNFSF13B), which are type II membrane proteins, released in active forms by proteolytic cleavage and are primarily involved in B-lymphocyte maturation, have also been associated with tumor growth and aggressiveness in several solid tumors, including breast cancer. In the present work we studied the effect of APRIL and BAFF on epithelial to mesenchymal transition, migration, and stemness of breast cancer cells. Our findings show that both molecules increase epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migratory capacity of breast cancer cells, as well as cancer stem cell numbers, by increasing the expression of pluripotency genes such as ALDH1A1, KLF4, and NANOG. These effects are mediated by their common receptor BCMA (TNFRSF17) and the JNK signaling pathway. Interestingly, transcriptional data analysis from breast cancer cells and patients revealed that androgens can increase APRIL transcription and subsequently, in an autocrine/paracrine manner, enhance its pluripotency effect. In conclusion, our data suggest a possible role of APRIL and BAFF in breast cancer disease progression and provide evidence for a new possible mechanism of therapy resistance, that could be particularly relevant in aromatase inhibitors-treated patients, were local androgen is increased.


One of the truisms of current day society is the ubiquity of media. We have witnessed expansion of news coverage focusing on different types of organizations, their activities, their products or services, and not least the behaviorof their representatives and employees. Ranging from political and business organizations to actors within the non-profit sector, non-governmental agencies (NGOs) and public sector organi zations the interest of the media does not leave many areas of our life unexplored. As a result of the expansion of interactive technologies and new media platforms even the smallest of matters can gain global attentiveness and consequences. Against this backdrop, it is natural to question where this development is leading. Does the rise of media herald a change in the governance of organizations?


A case report of Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (GCS) presents with fever and symmetrical monomorphous erythematous papules at face, buttocks and extremities. All lab tests were negative including mycoplasma, measles, herpes simplex and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) were negative except Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) study. Only C-reactive protein (CRP) was positive, a past history of chickenpox infection at 3 weeks of age, we presume that varicella infection may be attributed.


Research in the field of the nursing profession has attained its heights, especially in the developed countries. Most of the research in this field has addressed nursing empowerment, work attitude, and organizational outcomes. This study aims to extend understanding of whether structural and psychological empowerment drive work outcomes. Thus, this study has attempted to develop and customize a scale for primary data collection. Researchers highlighted various steps of questionnaire development, data collection procedure, and establishing reliability and validity at the pilot level. These steps help researchers to ground data collection tools in extant literature. Initial findings from pilot study data are reported. Data for this study was collected through a closed-ended questionnaire by employing a convenience sampling technique from registered nurses from public-private sector hospitals in Hyderabad, Sindh. Cronbach's alpha, mean, and corrected total-item correlation for all items are well above the threshold values. Findings of EFA shown that there are seven factors in the model. The CFA identified that every factor arises as a single factor and loads onto its construct with significant levels of indices.


It is argued that the most interesting advances in EEG signal processing are with methods based on descriptive mathematical models of the process. Formulation of auto-regressive (AR) and mixed autoregressive and moving average (ARMA) models is reviewed for the scalar and the multidimensional cases and extensions to allow time-varying coefficients are pointed out. Data processing with parametric models, DPPM, involves parameter estimation and a large number of algorithms are available. Emphasis is put on those that are simple to apply and require a modest amount of computation. A recursive algorithm by Levinson, Robinson and Durbin is well suited for estimation of the coefficients in the AR model and for tests of model order. It is applicable to both the scalar and multidimensional cases. The ARMA model can be handled by approximation of an AR model or by nonlinear optimization. Recursive estimation with AR and ARMA models is reviewed and the connection with the Kalman filter pointed out. In this way processes with time-varying properties may be handled and a stationarity index is defined. The recursive algorithms can deal with AR or ARMA models in the same way. A reformulation of the algorithm to include sparsely updated parameter estimates significantly speeds up the calculations. It will allow several EEG channels to be handled simultaneously in real time on a modern minicomputer installation. DPPM has been particularly successful in the areas of spectral analysis and detection of short transients such as spikes and sharp waves. Recently some interesting attempts have been made to apply classification algorithms to estimated parameters. A brief review is made of the main results in these areas.


Abstract Herbivorous insects and other small consumers are often specialized both in use of particular host taxa and in use of particular host tissues. Such consumers also often seem to show consistent differences in the rates of evolution of these two dimensions of host use, implying common processes, but this has been little studied. Here we quantify these rates of change in host use evolution in a major radiation of herbivorous insects, the Chrysomeloidea, whose diversity has been attributed to their use of flowering plants. We find a significant difference in the rates of evolutionary change in these two dimensions of host use, with host taxon associations most labile. There are apparently similar differences in rates of host use evolution in other parasite groups, suggesting the generality of this pattern. Divergences in parasite form associated with use of different host tissues may facilitate resource partitioning among successive adaptive radiations on particular host taxa.


How do modal expressions determine which possibilities they invoke? Do they do it the same way across categories? Recent work proposes that modal auxiliaries project the domain of possibilities that they quantify over from an event variable, which can get different values in different syntactic positions (Hacquard 2006, 2009, 2010, see also Kratzer 2013). Based on the behaviour of the Spanish random choice indefinite uno cualquiera, Alonso-Ovalle & Menéndez-Benito (2018) conclude that the same strategy is available for modal indefinites. This paper brings evidence from Chuj, an understudied Mayan language, which supports this conclusion further. The paper focuses on yalnhej DPs, a type of quantifier that makes a non-upper bound existential claim and that contributes a modal component with a flavour that depends on syntactic position.


Legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of a severe, often fatal pneumonic illness known as Legionnaires' disease. The mechanisms by which L. pneumophila attaches to U937 (transformed human-like fibroblasts) were investigated. Experimental parameters for adherence assays were established prior to blocking studies designed to identify microbial adhesins and/or eukaryotic receptors that mediate bacterial attachment to target cells. Results from these studies indicated that a lectin-like component(s) associated with L. pneumophila may be responsible, at least in part, for microbial adherence to these eukaryotic host cells. Erythromycin is the drug of choice for the treatment of clinical legionellosis; however, difficulties with this antibiotic have been reported resulting in the need to seek alternative therapeutic regimens. In these studies, the effect of clinically relevant antibiotics that inhibited bacterial cell wall, protein and DNA synthesis of this pathogen was evaluated in vitro by growth and viability studies as well as morphologically by negative stain, scanning and thin-section electron microscopy. Of those tested, cefotaxime, an antibiotic of limited value in clinical trials, was most effective. The pathogenicity of L. pneumophila was assessed by LD$\sb{50}$ and bacterial growth estimations in the chick embryo animal system in ovo. In addition, histopathological and electron microscopic examination of the cellular and sub-cellular pathology induced in the organs of embryos previously infected with 100 times the yolk sac (YS)LD$\sb{50}$ of L. pneumophila was made as a prelude to chemotherapeutic treatment with a range of clinically putative antimicrobial agents. The promising new quinolone derivative, ciprofloxacin, was most effective in these trials. Results from these studies may be indicative of novel preventative and control measures for the therapy of human Legionnaires' disease.


The nineteenth century sanitary revolution that occurred in Britain and the industrializing world has several
valuable lessons for the similar revolution that is now needed to enable 40% or more of the world's population
to access improved sanitary facilities and services. These include the time needed to bring about significant
change and resulting health improvements; the role of both private and public sectors and individual and
collective action; an understanding of motivation for behaviour change and the necessary expenditure;
emphasis on the excreta-related nature of much disease commonly termed 'water-related'; and consideration
of a range of affordable solutions, from dry technologies to sewers, each being appropriate in the right
socio-economic circumstances. Above all, a new group of sanitary heroes, comparable to Chadwick and
Bazalgette, is needed to give impetus to a 21st century revolution.


Introduction. The use of social media is prevalent among college students, and it is important to understand how social media use may impact students' attitudes and behaviour. Prior studies have shown negative outcomes of social media use, but researchers have not fully discovered or fully understand the processes and implications of these negative effects. This research provides additional scientific knowledge by focussing on mediators of social media use and controlling for key confounding variables. Method. Surveys that captured social media use, various attitudes about academics and life, and personal characteristics were completed by 234 undergraduate students at a large U.S. university. Analysis. We used covariance-based structural equation modelling to analyse the response data. Results. Results indicated that after controlling for self-regulation, social media use was negatively associated with academic self-efficacy and academic performance. Additionally, academic self-efficacy mediated the negative relationship between social media use and satisfaction with life. Conclusion. There are negative relationships between social media use and academic performance, as well as with academic self-efficacy beliefs. Academic self-efficacy beliefs mediate the negative relationship between social media use and satisfaction with life. These relationships are present even when controlling for individuals' levels of self-regulation.


Fission-track dating of zircons from the Alpine fault zone in New Zealand and associated granites and gneisses reveals at least three stages in the development of the present fault zone. Mylonites northwest of the Fraser fault give ages of ca 80 Ma. Zircons from the Fraser Formation, bounded by the Fraser and Alpine faults, give ages of ca 9 Ma. Samples east of the Alpine fault give ages below 5 Ma. These youngest ages result from the currently active uplift of the Alpine schists against the Alpine fault. The 9 ma ages record a rapid uplift of the Fraser Formation owing to the onset of compression across the plate boundary. Mylonites to the west of the mapped Fraser fault that give zircon fission-track ages of ca 80 Ma indicate a third, much earlier phase of fault movement. Structural and other geologic evidence supports these conclusions. The observation that the present plate boundary was located along a preexisting zone of weakness suggests that mylonite zones may merit greater attention as possible sites for initiation of rifting and/or continental transform faults. 26 references.


National evidence suggests that whilst up to 67% patients wish to die in their own home, only 21% of patients actually do so. Recent Leicester City data reviewing emergency admissions and mortality suggests that recognising those patients who are not going to recover is inadequate in both primary and secondary care. Current systems and skills appear to be failing dying patients and their families, with local financial modelling also suggesting significant savings if appropriate care arrangements had been anticipated and implemented. To improve care for this vulnerable patient group, a local enhanced service (LES) was commissioned and an innovative three strand approach developed in conjunction with local providers and experts. Firstly, a clinical template for an Emergency Health Care Plan (EHCP) was created, using unique macros developed collaboratively with palliative care physicians, geriatricians and IT experts. This SystemOne template allows care plans for pre-defined conditions to be completed quickly and efficiently, providing outline plans for core clinical event scenarios which can be used to aid both completion and provide depth and breadth to the EHCP which is generated by the template. Secondly, locality mentors and practice end of life care champions were appointed with a training programme developed with the local Consultants in palliative medicine. Thirdly, extensive evaluation of the impact of the project on both patient and clinician needs, with baseline, peri- and end-point analysis planned and costed from the outset. This abstract seeks to demonstrate the collaborative work behind the template, and the benefits of its use to practising clinicians, as already evidenced by its recent expansion to neighbouring CCGs.


We investigated the mechanisms that contribute to spontaneous regular bursting in adult Purkinje neurons in acutely prepared cerebellar slices. Bursts consisted of 3–20 spikes and showed a stereotypic waveform. Each burst developed with an increase in firing rate and was terminated by a more rapid increase in firing rate and a decrease in spike height. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings showed that each burst ended with a rapid depolarization followed by a hyperpolarization. Dual dendritic and somatic extracellular recordings revealed that each burst was terminated by a dendritic calcium spike. The contributions of T- and P/Q-type calcium current, large (BK) and small (SK) conductance calcium-activated potassium currents, and hyperpolarization-activated (IH) current to bursting were investigated with specific channel blockers. None of the currents, except for P/Q, were required to sustain spontaneous bursting or the stereotypic burst waveform. T-type calcium, BK, and SK channels contributed to interspike and interburst intervals. The effect of T-type calcium channel block was more pronounced after BK channel block and vice versa, indicating that these two currents interact to regulate burst firing. Block of IH current had no effect on bursting. Partial block of P/Q-type calcium channels concurrently eliminated dendritic calcium spikes and caused a switch from regular bursting to tonic firing or irregular bursting. Dendritic calcium spikes persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin, indicating that their initiation did not require somatic sodium spikes. Our results demonstrate an important role for dendritic conductances in burst firing in intact Purkinje neurons.


The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of primary duodenal carcinomas by conventional radiological methods is difficult. Valuable information can be obtained by angiography, since primary duodenal carcinomas, unlike carcinomas of the papilla and pancreas, are characterised by the formation of pathological vessels arising from the duodenal branches of the gastro-duodenal artery. The integrity of the latter is an important differentiating feature. Exact localisation of the tumour is important in pre-operative assessment and diagnosis.


Drawing from my own experiences of the practice-based research degree, this article outlines some of the key principles I consider to be necessary for negotiating a PhD in the specific area of screenwriting, for both the candidate and the supervisor. Referencing my own and others' ideas of the practice-based PhD, the article places the screenwriter at the centre of its investigation, celebrating their role in the interplay between the creative and the critical; between practice and theory; between doing and thinking. It argues that just like the protagonist of a screenplay, the screenwriting PhD should take its candidate on a journey: one that improves not only craft skills, but also an understanding of what it means to write for the screen.


Children with asthma have a four-times higher risk than the general population for invasive pneumococcal infection, according to current data. In addition to the well known spectrum of infection, especially in immunosuppressed children, the immune status of children with asthma offers additional invasive pneumococcal disease susceptibility. In this context, the current recommendations are to immunize children with asthma, regardless of severity, especially if they are treated with large doses of corticosteroids. After the introduction of pneumococcal immunization programs for infants and children, there were observed significant reductions in invasive pneumococcal disease in children with community-acquired or any etiology pneumonia. Future studies are needed to evaluate the benefits of pneumococcal vaccination in children with asthma.


Fritillaria tubiformis Gren. & Godr. is an alpine geophyte endemic to mountain prairies of the Southwestern Alps. To satisfy the need for ex situ propagation of this rare species, a simple and efficient protocol suitable for in vitro plant regeneration was developed. Immature zygotic embryos (IZEs) were employed as explant source of somatic embryos (SEs). In consideration of the low temperature requirement for germination of F. tubiformis, we studied whether cold stratification (30, 60, and 90 days of incubation at 4°C) affected in vitro bulblet regeneration. After one month of culture on MS medium, 30 and 60-day cold stratified IZEs begun to dedifferentiate, in contrast 90-day cold stratified embryos died. Callus proliferation was optimal in the presence of plant growth regulators in the medium. The number of somatic embryos positively correlated with callus, however it was more affected by the length of cold stratification than by the presence of exogenous plant growth regulators in the medium. The maximum number of SEs occurred in 30-day cold stratified zygotic embryos on MS2 medium. Transfer onto a maturation medium supplemented with 4% (w/v) sucrose was essential for the conversion of SEs into bulblets. In the presence of 4.92 μM IBA, bulblets sprouted and rooted and, newly established plants were available for pot cultivation. Greenhouse hardened plants were transferred to open air.


For many years, the vision of smart computing where systems can function and/or manage themselves independently from human intervention has provided numerous theoretical challenges to research communities ranging from intelligent systems and cybernetics to AI communities. These research trends have now been further fuelled by the IBM autonomic computing initiative, where biologically inspired concepts inform the development of systems that can adapt autonomously to their users' requirements and environments. This paper considers the extent to which well-established general systems concepts might be valuable in the design of autonomic systems. The main two approaches considered are Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and Beer's Viable Systems Model (VSM). The paper summarizes the relevant aspects of each approach and demonstrates their potential through the provision of an illustrative case study. Moreover, the paper illustrates how SSM and VSM approaches facilitate autonomic systems engineering by the capture of functional and non-functional application requirements such as lifetime self-management policies and operational tolerances


Purpose of review: Liver disease in CF usually develops before puberty, is often asymptomatic and slowly progressive. Multilobular cirrhosis develops in approximately 5–10% of patients by the age of 18, and is a significant contributor to the morbidity and mortality. No therapy, including ursodeoxycholic acid and CFTR correctors or potentiators, has proven effective to prevent or halt the progression of liver disease towards cirrhosis and portal hypertension. This review provides the current knowledge in the epidemiology of CF liver disease and development of non-invasive tools to assess liver disease severity and progression overtime in order to optimise clinical management and therapeutic options. Recent findings: Liver disease develops during childhood but also later in the lifetime of patients with CF; the incidence of cirrhosis with portal hypertension increases progressively reaching 10% by age 30. Several non-invasive tools to measure liver stiffness as an indirect measure of fibrosis are being investigated, and show promising results for the assessment of early stages of liver fibrosis and disease progression. Summary: Identifying non-invasive biomarkers is fundamental to improving early diagnosis, monitoring disease evolution and measuring treatment effects. A pre-requisite is the use of consistent definitions for CF-LD in clinical trials.


Image inpainting is the process of restoring missing pixels in digital images in a plausible way. A study on image inpainting technique has acquired a significant consideration in various regions, i.e. restoring the damaged and old documents, elimination of unwanted objects, cinematography, retouch applications, etc. Even though, limitations exist in the recovery process due to the establishment of certain artifacts in the restored image areas. To rectify these issues, more and more techniques have been established by different authors. This survey makes a critical analysis of diverse techniques regarding various image inpainting schemes. This paper goes under (i) Analyzing various image inpainting techniques that are contributed in different papers; (ii) Makes the comprehensive study regarding the performance measures and the corresponding maximum achievements in each contribution; (iii) Analytical review concerning the chronological review and various tools exploited in each of the reviewed works. Finally, the survey extends with the determination of various research issues and gaps that might be useful for the researchers to promote improved future works on image inpainting schemes.


Using the hourly precipitation observations from 118 gauge stations and a weather radar in the Greater Beijing Region (GBR) during 2008–2012, we investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of precipitation and discuss the appropriate observational approach for capturing variability of precipitation over this region. In general, the south central and northeastern GBR receives more intense precipitation than other parts. The diurnal cycle of precipitation amount (PA) peaks in the evening and decreases till noon, whereas precipitation intensity (PI) and precipitation frequency (PF) both have two peaks. The stronger peaks of PI and PF occur in the evening whereas the weaker ones appear in the early nighttime and in the afternoon. Remarkable spatial heterogeneity also exists in the diurnal patterns of PA, PI and PF over the GBR. Rainstorms extracted from radar data feature in short duration (11.4 h in average) and highly localized patterns (4.31–20.58/1.85–9.10 km in major/minor radius direction). The estimated diurnal cycles of PA, PI and PF are found to depend on the gauge density in a sensitivity analysis, where a gauge density ratio of 0.6 (corresponding to 30 gauges in total with a representative area of 239.5 km2 per gauge) is identified as adequate to capture the temporal characteristics of precipitation in the plain area of GBR. However, such a gauge density ratio (i.e. 0.6) is incapable for resolving the spatial characteristics of precipitation in GBR. As such, different instruments (e.g. gauge network, weather radar, etc.) and multiple data sources are suggested to be jointly utilized to better capture the characteristics of rainstorms in GBR.


Abstract Firm managers likely have more information than outsiders. If managers strategically conceal information, market uncertainty will increase. We develop a dynamic corporate disclosure model, estimating the model using the management earnings forecasts of US public companies. The model, based on the buildup of reputations by managers over time, matches key facts about forecast dynamics. We find that 80% of firms strategically manage information, that managers have superior information around half of the time, and that firms conceal information about 40% of the time. Concealment increases market uncertainty by just under 8%, a sizable information loss.


ABSTRACT Application of appropriate environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies enables the sustainable development of products and processes. Automotive component manufacturers recognise the potential of applying appropriate strategies for attaining Triple Bottom Line benefits. In this context, three strategies such as eco-efficiency, waste minimisation and material efficiency are being applied to minimise environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of automotive products and its associated processes. A case study of an automotive component manufacturing firm has been exemplified. After conducting the study, the potential environmental impact was reduced by 20% and eco-efficiency was improved by 13%. Further, improvements have been observed in terms of overall resource consumption and material efficiency. The overall power consumption was reduced by 18% and weight of the component was reduced by 11%. The study aimed at improving the sustainable performance of product by incorporating green and environmentally friendlier manufacturing practices. Abbreviations: USEPA: United Nations Environmental Protection Agency; OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; WBCSD: World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Eco-QFD: Environmental Quality Function Deployment; WCED: World Commission on Environment and Development; LCA: Life Cycle Assessment


In this work, rice husk silica (RHS), obtained from rice husk waste, was used as a reinforcing filler for preparing PBAT composites. The RHS surface was modified using a silane coupling agent, i.e. γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS), in order to facilitate interfacial adhesion between PBAT matrix and RHS filler. The contents of MPS were varied between 0.5 - 5.0 % based on weight of RHS. FTIR spectra indicated the appearance of MPS molecules on RHS surface. Untreated RHS and MPS treated RHS were used to produced RHS/PBAT composites containing 30%wt RHS. The results showed that mechanical properties of the PBAT composites can be enhanced by treating RHS surface with 2 %wt MPS.


The possibility of using different lectins for the determination of level of specific antibodies to leukosis virus virus in bovine blood serum whit the help of the surface plasmon resonance was investigated. The modification of transducer surface with lectins provides for immobilisation of glycosilated proteins of leukaemia virus. It allows to make selective determination of antibodies to glicosilated protein, the quantity of which more high in blood serum of ill animals in the comparison with the immunised ones. Moreover, the treatment of surface with FGA-P and PLA lectins increases the sensitivity of immune sensor to the specific antibodies in the comparison with the non-treated one.


The feasibility of a fully integrated RF front-end using an above-IC BAW integration technique is demonstrated for WCDMA applications. The circuit has a voltage gain of 31.3dB, a noise figure of 5.3dB, an in-band IIP3 of -8dBm and IIP2 of 38dBm, with a total power consumption of 36mW. The BAW filter area is 0.45mm/sup 2/ and the total circuit area including the BAW filter is 2.44mm/sup 2/.


Pico hydro power is a renewable energy system which has the potential to provide millions of rural people world-wide with a cheap, sustainable source of electricity. The development of new, cost-reducing approaches, including local manufacture and implementation in developing countries, has increased the accessibility of this technology to large numbers of people. The new approaches are investigated and some of the present constraints to wider adoption of this technology are analysed.


Recently, sparse representation based classifiers (SRC) and collaborative representation based classifiers (CRC) have been shown to give very good performance under controlled scenarios. However, in practical applications, face recognition often encounters variations in illumination, expression, noise and occlusion, which cause severe performance degradation (due to the outliers in testing). In this paper, we present a novel robust face recognition algorithm based on class-wise low-rank constrained collaborative representations. We impose a low-rank constraint on the representation coefficient matrix to discriminate against outliers. The resulting low-rank constrained collaborative representation based classifier (LCRC) jointly minimizes the class-wise reconstruction error and rank of coefficient matrix. Experiments show that LCRC outperforms popular classifiers such as SRC, CRC, SVM, PROCRC on the AR, CMU PIE and LFW databases.


In order to resolve the vehicles safe protection and monitoring tracing question, proposed GPS Vehicle Mobile Information System's overall framework and corresponding function. This article analyzed Information Monitoring Terminal's system components and detailed design. Combined Monitoring System's communication transfer protocol, expounded Vehicle Navigation Control System's components and key technologies. In the end, the article introduced the System's realistic situation. Practical application demonstrated the System was stable, its sensitivity was high, and satisfied design needs.


The College of Nursing is co-operating with the Saskatchewan Department of Public Health to prepare nurse practitioners who will work in four pilot project communities in Saskatchewan. The provincial government is providing financial support for the training program, is giving bursary support to the four candidates and will make funds available to the four communities for a two-year period in order to carry out the project. The Research and Planning Division of the Department of Public Health will evaluate the project to determine whether utilization patterns of those seeking health services have been altered.
 The curriculum for the training project was developed by a committee of faculty members from the College of Nursing and the Department of General Practice of the College of Medicine. The program will take six months and will have a concurrent preceptorship with a physician in general practice. Courses include: (1) Diagnosis: History-Taking, Physical Assessment and Laboratory Procedures; (2) Management and Treatment of Disease Conditions; (3) Counselling and Teaching for Health Maintenance; (4) Ethics, Roles and Relationships.


This thesis implements and develops the voice coding part of the U.S digital cellular mobile telephone system, the Vector-Sum Excited Linear Predictive Coder (VSELP). Given the specification from Electronic Industry Association, a simulation structure is fully established and documentation of the standard is thoroughly discussed, identifying some pitfalls in the standard. The performance of the simulated coder is shown to produce good quality synthetic speech having a typical SNR of around 10 dB, operating at 7950 bits per second. To ensure the correctness of the coder implementation, this thesis also design several methodologies for verifying the self excitation and the codebook excitation searching algorithms. The VSELP coder uses an efficient fixed point covariance lattice algorithm (FLAT) for filter coefficient estimation. The performance of the FLAT algorithm is compared with the Autocorrelation (AUTO) method using three measures. The comparison results show that the FLAT algorithm is superior to the AUTO for Linear Prediction analysis. This thesis explores the strategies of lowering its bit rate of the VSELP making it a candidate for low bit rate application such as mobile satellite communication. Various schemes have been designed to modify the standard VSELP. A modified VSELP coder which operates at 5167 bps giving a quality around 5.7 dB in terms of SNRSEG, is chosen as the best candidate in low bit rate coding comparable to the original version. Further, error sensitivity of each parameter of the modified VSELP is investigated using a simulated satellite channel, showing the LPC coefficient and the frame energy to be the most sensitive parameters. The burst error sensitivity of the modified VSELP coder has also been tested. To control channel errors when transmitting parameters, an interleave error masking mechanism operating without redundant bits is fully developed, migitating the effect of channel errors. The speech quality of the modified VSELP using the interleave error masking scheme shows around 2 dB SNRSEG improvement for the BER being 10^ compared to the speech without error protection


An international forum for exchange of knowledge of power system impacts of wind power has been formed under the IEA Implementing Agreement on Wind Energy. The task " Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Amounts of Wind Power" is analysing existing case studies from different power systems.There are a multitude of studies made and ongoing related to cost of wind integration. However, the results are not easy to compare. This paper summarises the results from 15 case studies.


We argue for a model of document genre that encompasses both linguistic and graphical resources as a means of expression. Two bird books are analysed (1972 and 1996) and a simple framework presented for the description of graphical differentiation of communicative function. The analysis predicts that graphical differentiation in this genre is less in earlier publications. This suggestion is tested on a third bird book (1924) and found to be correct. However, the comparison shows that the genre itself has shifted over time, arguing for a 3-D model in which genre is represented as a shifting and interrelated set of parameters. Given this, analysis across genres and within genres across time is a very similar enterprise. A new project, GeM, has begun research into the appropriate model of genre for representing the generic differentiation of layout.


Poly(aryleneethynylene)-based conjugated polymers have attracted significant interest for the fundamental understanding of aggregation behavior, fluorescence emission and electronic coupling through noncovalent stacking interactions. Herein, we investigated the aggregation-induced red-shift in emission of a recently synthesized conjugated polymer P1 with AIEgen substituents on the side chain, and a similar counterpart P2 with the same backbone was also prepared to study the electronic coupling processes and aggregation behaviors from the photophysical properties. The result from 2D-WAXD indicated that P1 had a sheet-like structure and the smectic phase was observed to present interdigitated molecular packing along the smectic layer. The photoluminescence emission showed a distinct red shift of about 110 nm from 454 nm in THF solution to 564 nm in the solid state, which is due to the rotation of the main chain and the stacking behavior of the side-chain substituents. The poly(aryleneethynylene) derivatives were easy to crystallize because of their high degree of rigid conjugation; herein, the introduction of multi-alkyl tails into the terminal of the side chains improved the rheological properties and made them suitable for fabricating highly-ordered fluorescent patterns with high resolution by nanoimprinting lithography, which would open an avenue to extend the future optoelectronic applications.


Structural analysis of late Cenozoic folds along the western and southern margins of the San Joaquin basin suggests that the folds are related to development of a fold and thrust belt rather than to wrench tectonics. The folds have formed by the processes of fault-bend folding and fault-propagation folding, which commonly occur in fold and thrust belts. Our structural interpretation attributes the seismically active Coalinga and Kettleman Hills North Dome anticlines to fault-bend folding above a thrust fault(s) that steps up from a detachment within the Franciscan Assemblage to a detachment at the base of the Great Valley Group. This thrust does not reach the surface (blind thrust), and its slip is consumed in backthrusting and formation of subsurface folds under the San Joaquin Valley. Movement on the postulated thrust(s) would explain the cause of the May 2, 1983, Coalinga earthquake and the August 15, 1985, Avenal earthquake and would account for the lack of significant surface rupture or shallow subsurface faulting during both earthquakes. Well-documented examples of fault-bend and fault-propagation folding also occur at Wheeler Ridge, in the San Emigdio Mountains, and at Kettleman Hills South Dome. Deformation associated with fold and thrust belts can be extremely complicated. Considerable fault movement can occur without accompanying surface rupture or shallow-level faulting. Conversely, surface rupture can occur that has no direct relationship to fault slip at depth. An example would be flexural-slip folding wherein the slip planes reach the surface but do not root into any significant faults at depth. Consequently, traditional geologic approaches to seismic risk evaluation which rely largely on surface data are subject to numerous pitfalls when applied to fold and thrust belts. Our interpretation of the structural style that developed in central California during the late Cenozoic requires that the strain associated with the transpressive motion between the Pacific and North American plates be resolved into normal and tangential components: thrust faulting and folding normal to the plate boundary and strike-slip faulting parallel to the plate boundary (San Andreas fault). The thrust faults root in a deecollement at the brittle- ductile transition zone above which shortening is associated with folding and thrust faulting and beneath which shortening in the lower crust is accommodated by ductile processes of tectonic thickening or incipient subduction.


Background The definite treatment of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) as the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease is open heart surgery and the operation technique depends on the coronary artery anatomy. We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of various root Aortogram views to detect abnormal coronary artery configuration and course in these patients.Methods In this retrospective study, the reports of coronary anatomy in angiography and operation notes of TOF patients since 2005 to 2017 were evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of the two common root Aortogram views including the left anterior oblique/cranial (LAO/CRA) and left anterior oblique/caudal (LAO/CAU) were determined.Results 451 patients with the median age of 28 months (3-432 months) were included. All patients had LAO/CRA views and 199 patients had both LAO/CRA and LAO/CAU views. The rate of coronary abnormalities reported by surgery was 8%, and abnormal origin of the left anterior descending artery from the right coronary artery was the most common reported anomaly (4.4%). The sensitivity of the LAO/CAU view was 100%, but LAO/CRA view was about 75% in detecting abnormal coronary configuration. Both of them had excellent specificity (~100%). No significant sex difference was seen between different coronary anatomy abnormalities.Conclusion The Caudal root angiogram is an essential view to evaluate coronary artery anatomy in TOF patients and it seems that there is no need for other views like lateral view, but relying on LAO/CRA view alone may lead to significant misdiagnosis of the coronary arteries, crossing the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT).


There is no doubt that we live in fraught times. In the world of museums and cultural heritage protection, we feel it keenly. As symbols and microcosms of respective cultures, museums are thought to reflect society or, at the very least, sections of society or certain historical moments. But the extent to which museums should and do reflect the diversity of people in those societies is the question du jour. Sometimes, it seems as if this question is an internal one—the practical struggle of often underfunded institutions to square the injustices of a past that is encoded into collections with a newfound awareness of visitors, or the theoretical debate about just how multivocal, democratic, and oriented toward social justice a museum can be before it ceases to be a "museum." The consequences of such struggles and debates can often seem far removed from the concerns of ordinary residents, who may only occasionally visit museums or heritage monuments. Our perception of this disregard perhaps calls into question the impact of our work. But in times of crisis, that doubt is removed and the relevance of cultural heritage becomes clear. Crisis often crystallizes what is most important. That is not surprising. In this special section, we explore the sometimes surprising nature of the aftermath.


With the growing availability of large-scale datasets, and the popularization of affordable storage and computational capabilities, the energy consumed by AI is becoming a growing concern. To address this issue, in recent years, studies have focused on demonstrating how AI energy efficiency can be improved by tuning the model training strategy. Nevertheless, how modifications applied to datasets can impact the energy consumption of AI is still an open question.To fill this gap, in this exploratory study, we evaluate if data-centric approaches can be utilized to improve AI energy efficiency. To achieve our goal, we conduct an empirical experiment, executed by considering 6 different AI algorithms, a dataset comprising 5,574 data points, and two dataset modifications (number of data points and number of features).Our results show evidence that, by exclusively conducting modifications on datasets, energy consumption can be drastically reduced (up to 92.16%), often at the cost of a negligible or even absent accuracy decline. As additional introductory results, we demonstrate how, by exclusively changing the algorithm used, energy savings up to two orders of magnitude can be achieved.In conclusion, this exploratory investigation empirically demonstrates the importance of applying data-centric techniques to improve AI energy efficiency. Our results call for a research agenda that focuses on data-centric techniques, to further enable and democratize Green AI.


Modern healthcare is increasingly dependent on good data, and effective information systems, for care delivery, and to develop and evaluate health policy. The context of big data differs in significant ways from traditional types of health data, while the use of big data for epidemiology and public health is becoming more common, the use of these tools for health service planning and health policy making lags behind. A large EU funded project (titled MIDAS) that focuses on merging, analysing and visualising data from heterogeneous sources to support health policy makers work in using and accessing health data across EU countries is underway. This paper briefly describes the key challenges that must be met to access, use and make sense of this big data in healthcare, focusing on legal, governance and ethical issues. Unless these issues are dealt with, the promise of Big Data for health, will never be fulfilled.


Based on the census data the present paper focuses on patterns of rural population growth in the Patiala district [India] during 1951-81. The striking spatial variations in growth rate were associated largely with migration differentials in the study area. Similarly there were wide differentials in the population growth rates between scheduled castes and non-scheduled castes and among different religious communities. The proportion of different castes and communities to the total population changed due to their uneven growth rates. (EXCERPT)


A cell-free preparation of the blue-green alga, Anabaena variabilis, that incorporates 14C-labelled amino acids into protein has been prepared and characterized. The activation of amino acids to amino acid transfer RNAs was characterized, and assembly of these into peptides has been described with respect to cofactor requirements and antibiotic sensitivity. The properties of these systems and the effect of antibiotics on them are similar to those of bacteria. Both natural and synthetic messenger RNA were effective in peptide formation. The kinetics of incorporation of [14C]uracil into RNA has been examined and the stability of labelled RNA from A. variabilis measured by radioactivity loss and by its role in directing peptide synthesis. The half-life of messenger RNA from this organism is approximately 12 min, and as such is comparable to that of bacteria when based upon the mean generation time of the respective organisms.


Abstract The biggest problem with sanitary technology in high-rise buildings is the design of foul water stacks in which high negative pressure and overpressure values must not occur. When pressure exceeds maximum values, water from the trap is ejected, sucked out, or left bubbling in the trap. Measurements by other researchers have shown that when traps lose their function, in addition to the spreading of unpleasant odors, there is also the spreading of various viruses from the sewer and drainage systems. The paper deals with the mathematical analysis and simulation of the pressure resistance of different traps under various boundary conditions, considering the quality of the internal environment. The effect of water evaporation on pressure resistance was also simulated and assessed. The results of the work are clear tables of pressure resistances with a description of their effect on the water level in the trap.


The Knowledge Grid built on top of the peer‐to‐peer (P2P) network has been studied to implement scalable, available and sematic‐based querying. In order to improve the efficiency and scalability of querying, this paper studies the problem of multicasting queries in the Knowledge Grid. An m‐dimensional irregular mesh is a popular overlay topology of P2P networks. We present a set of novel distributed algorithms on top of an m‐dimensional irregular mesh overlay for the short delay and low network resource consumption end‐host multicast services. Our end‐host multicast fully utilizes the advantages of an m‐dimensional mesh to construct a two‐layer architecture. Compared to previous approaches, the novelty and contribution here are: (1) cluster formation that partitions the group members into clusters in the lower layer where cluster consists of a small number of members; (2) cluster core selection that searches a core with the minimum sum of overlay hops to all other cluster members for each cluster; (3) weighted shortest path tree construction that guarantees the minimum number of shortest paths to be occupied by the multicast traffic; (4) distributed multicast routing that directs the multicast messages to be efficiently distributed along the two‐layer multicast architecture in parallel, without a global control; the routing scheme enables the packets to be transmitted to the remote end hosts within short delays through some common shortest paths; and (5) multicast path maintenance that restores the normal communication once the membership alteration appears. Simulation results show that our end‐host multicast can distributively achieve a shorter delay and lower network resource consumption multicast services as compared with some well‐known end‐host multicast systems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A binary matrix has the consecutive ones property if its columns can be ordered in such a way that, in each row, all 1s are consecutive. This classical combinatorial notion has been central in genomic problems such as physical mapping or paleogenomics. In these fields, genomes that cannot be sequenced are represented by a matrix that has the consecutive ones property, but are inferred from an initial matrix that does not have this property due to errors. In this work, we study combinatorial and algorithmic characterizations of matrices that do not have the consecutive ones property. We review existing results and propose new results centered around the notion of minimal conflicting sets.


ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 01 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com In this study, the effect of Vesicular Arbrbusular Mycorrhizae (VAM) on the ex vitro hardening of marigold was investigated. A protocol was generated for ex vitro hardening of in vitro raised plantlets using VAM consortia (Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae and Scutellospora spp.) in different media mixtures, and their effect was observed on plant survival and growth. Highest percent survival (94.00), maximum plant height (39.00 cm), maximum plant spread (30.50 cm), maximum stem diameter (0.97 cm), maximum shoot fresh weight (0.75 g), maximum root fresh weight (0.46 g), maximum leaf length (10.27 cm), maximum root length (28.50 cm) and maximum leaf width (6.82 cm) were observed in treatment comprising of Soil + Vermicompost (3:1) + 20 g VAM consortia, Followed by 92.00% plant survival, 36.75 cm plant height, 29.00 cm plant spread, 0.81 cm stem diameter, 0.58 g shoot fresh weight, 0.45 g root fresh weight, 10.20 cm leaf length, 20.88 cm root length, and 6.76 cm leaf width in treatment comprising Soil + Vermicompost (1:1) + 20 g VAM consortia. While minimum percent survival (72.50%), lowest height (26.00 cm), minimum plant spread (9.50 cm), minimum stem diameter (0.49 cm), minimum shoot fresh weight (0.27 g), minimum root fresh weight (0.14 g), minimum leaf length (8.06 cm), minimum root length (10.27 cm) and minimum leaf width (3.86 cm) were observed in control media comprising of only soil. Followed by 85.00% survival, 29.25 cm plant height, 17.75 cm plant spread, 0.51 cm stem diameter, 0.34 g shoot fresh weight, 0.28g root fresh weight, 8.07 cm leaf length, 14.05 cm root length and 4.08 cm leaf width were observed in media comprising of Soil + FYM (1:1) + 10 g VAM consortia. Highest percent colonization (60.78) was showed in media comprising of Soil + Vermicompost (3:1) + 20 g VAM consortia, followed by 57.65 % in media comprising of Soil + Vermicompost (1:1) + 20 g VAM consortia. While lowest root colonization of 47.28% was found in media comprising of Soil + FYM (1:1) + 10 g VAM consortia followed by 50.37% in media comprising of Soil+ FYM (3:1) +10 g VAM consortia. Control treatment, without any VAM added, showed no root colonization. Hence, it was concluded that the treatment with a mixture of Soil + Vermicompost (3:1) with 20 g VAM consortia showed the best results in various aspects. K e y w o r d s Tagetes erecta L., Doubled haploid line, Ex vitro hardening, VAM Accepted: 10 December 2018 Available Online: 10 January 2019 Article Info Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2019) 8(1): 1393-1403


might have been explained, and some of Vespasian's jests (Chapters XXII. and XXIII.) elucidated, e.g. the pun on the name of Floras. And I could wish Mr. Braithwaite had given us a full list of the Flavian buildings (p. 48) O instead of merely referring us to Weynand's article, and that he would avoid such phrases as Vierkaiserjahr, where plain English is just as expressive. But, apart from unimportant blemishes, the book is extremely sound, and will certainly prove useful. M. P. CHARLESWORTH.


Enzyme immunoassay performed in patients with malignant and benign affections of the lungs determined antibodies (Abs) to glycoprotein isolated from saprophyte microorganism Bacilus megaterium H. In pulmonary tuberculosis and nonspecific pulmonary inflammation the above Abs occurred in patients with fibrous-proliferative changes and associated neoplastic conditions. In lung cancer the Abs were detected in well and moderately differentiated tumors. Nondifferentiated and poorly differentiated variants did not exhibit any rise in Abs to glycoprotein.


ABSTRACT: Because fetal rat lungs have lower baseline levels of both surfactant and antioxidant enzymes than full-term newborn rats, we questioned whether prematurely delivered rats might be more susceptible to O2 toxicity than those born at term. In the present studies, prematurely delivered rats (gestational d 21 of 22) and full-term rat pups were simultaneously put in >95% O2 after birth. Surprisingly, we found that the preterm rats were not more susceptible to O2-induced lung damage and lethality than full-term newborns, but, in fact, the composite percentage of survival was even greater in the preterm pups from 7 to 9 d in hyperoxia and were similar thereafter up to 14 d in high O2. In addition, the preterm rats showed significantly decreased lung wet/dry weight ratios and consistently less severe pathologic evidence of pulmonary edema compared with term rats at 6 and 8 d of O2 exposure. The premature pups demonstrated the capability of inducing pulmonary antioxidant enzyme responses to hyperoxia by 3 d, and had significantly elevated copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities (and lung surfactant contents) at 6 d of O2 exposure compared with the term rats in O2. The rates of lung total O2 consumption and cyanide-resistant O2 consumption at d 6 in hyperoxia were not different for preterm versus term pups. Although the basis for the transiently improved survival and decreased evidence of pulmonary O2 toxicity in the preterm rats is presently unknown, these findings clearly indicate that premature animals of at least one species are equally able to induce protective lung antioxidant enzymes and surfactant responses to hyperoxia as full-term newborn animals.


The polyol synthesis is a popular method of preparing metal nanostructures, yet the mechanism by which metal ions are reduced is poorly understood. Using a spectrophotometric method, we show, for the first time, that heating ethylene glycol (EG) in air results in its oxidation to glycolaldehyde (GA), a reductant capable of reducing most noble metal ions. The dependence of reducing power on temperature for EG can be explained by this temperature-dependent oxidation, and the factors influencing GA production can have a profound impact on the nucleation and growth kinetics. These new findings provide critical insight into how the polyol synthesis can be used to generate metal nanostructures with well-controlled shapes. For example, with the primary reductant identified, it becomes possible to evaluate and understand its explicit role in generating nanostructures of a specific shape to the exclusion of others.


Cytochrome P-45011beta has been solubilized and partially purified from bovine adrenal cortex mitochondria by means of chromatography on Octyl-Sepharose CL-4B or DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. The partially purified P-450 preparations were about 90% pure as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but had a low specific content of P-450 (between 1 and 2 nmol of P-450 per mg of protein). In the presence of purified preparations of adrenodoxin reductase and adrenodoxin, the partially purified P-450 preparations catalyzed NADPH-supported 11beta-hydroxylation of unconjugated and sulfoconjugated deoxycorticosterone. In the reconstituted system the hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone sulfate proceeded at a much higher rate than in intact mitochondria, indicating that in the former case interactions between the hydrophilic substrate and P-450 were facilitated. In the presence of Triton X-100 the partially purified cytochrome P-45011beta had a Stokes radius of 4.5 nm, a sedimentation coefficient of 3.1 S, and a partial specific volume of about 0.85 cm3/g. These results indicate that the cytochrome P-45011beta . Triton X-100 complex had a molecular weight of about 100,000 and that P-45011beta bound about 1.1 g of Triton X-100 per g of protein. The P-45011beta . Triton X-100 complex was catalytically active in hydroxylation reactions supported by NADPH or the hydroxylating agent ortho-nitroiodosobenzene, suggesting that the monomer of cytochrome P-45011beta is the active form of the protein.


The 2016 NDAA authorized changes to the military retirement system transitioning from the legacy High-3 defined benefit annuity to the new Blended Retirement System (BRS). In exchange for a reduced defined benefit annuity, the BRS incorporates automatic and matching contributions to the member's Thrift Savings Plan and a continuation payment offered at 12 years of service. In 2018, service members with less than 12 years of service will make an irrevocable decision between the two retirement systems. This research effort addresses the problem by developing a decision analysis model incorporating up to 27 different input variables. Service members can use the associated Microsoft Excel spreadsheet tool to calculate the expected net present value of each retirement alternative based on their own personal circumstances. We analyze 26 typical career demographic groups to understand how the recommended alternative is impacted by various factors including personal discount rate, expected continuation pay multiplier, and probability of reaching 20 years of service. Each member must make difficult assessments of these variables in order to determine their preferred alternative. We conduct two-variable sensitivity analysis and present the results in third-variable break-even policy charts, providing members with clarity of thought and action as they approach the 2018 opt-in window.


In the early theoretical study of aquatic animal propulsion either the two-dimensional theory or the large aspect-ratio theory has been generally used. Only recently has the unsteady lifting-surface theory with the continuous loading approach been applied to the study of this problem by Chopra & Kambe (1977). Since it is well known that the continuous loading approach is difficult to extend to general configurations, a new quasi-continuous loading method, applicable to general configurations and yet accurate enough for practical applications, is developed in this paper. The method is an extension of the steady version of Lan (1974) and is particularly suitable for predicting the unsteady lead-edge suction during harmonic motion. The method is applied to the calculation of the propulsive efficiency and thrust for some swept and rectangular planforms by varying the phase angles between the pitching and heaving motions. It is found that with the pitching axis passing through the trailing edge of the root chord and the reduced frequency k equal to 0·75 the rectangular planform is quite sensitive in performance to the phase angles and may produce drag instead of thrust. These characteristics are not shared by the swept planforms simulating the lunate tails. In addition, when the pitching leads the heaving motion by 90°, the phase angle for nearly maximum efficiency, the planform inclination caused by pitching contributes to the propulsive thrust over a large portion of the swept planform, while, for the rectangular planform, only drag is produced from the planform normal force at k = 0·75. It is also found that the maximum thrust is not produced with maximum efficiency for all planforms considered. The theory is then applied to the study of dragonfly aerodynamics. It is shown that the aerodynamically interacting tandem wings of the dragonfly can produce high thrust with high efficiency if the pitching is in advance of the flapping and the hindwing leads the forewing with some optimum phase angle. The responsible mechanism allows the hindwing to extract wake energy from the forewing.


The hypothesis has been proposed that the observed N losses from the aboveground parts of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) near maturity might be explained by N redistribution to roots during the late grainfill period. This experiment was designed to test this hypothesis. Plant response to four N levels using a modified Hoagland's solution was studied in gravel culture. Roots and tops were harvested 12 times during the growth cycle and analyzed for N content. Nitrogen uptake patterns for roots and shoots were similar. At about 50 days after jointing (Feeke's Stage = 11.2) both roots and shoots began to lose N, while head N increased from anthesis to maturity. Gains in head N exceeded the amounts lost from the roots and shoots. So, N uptake from the culture solution continued through maturity. The hypothesis that N is redistributed to the roots near maturity in winter wheat was rejected. Roots were actually a source of N for translocation to the grain, as were aboveground stems and leaves.


The presence of part-through cracks with limited length is one of the prevalent defects in the plate structures. Due to the slight effect of this type of damages on the frequency response of the plates, conventional vibration-based damage assessment could be a challenging task. In this study for the first time, a recently developed state-space method which is based on the chaotic excitation is implemented and nonlinear prediction error (NPE) is proposed as a geometrical feature to analyze the chaotic attractor of a centrally cracked plate. For this purpose using line spring method (LSM) a nonlinear multi-degree of freedom model of part through cracked rectangular plate is developed. Tuning of Lorenz type chaotic signal is conducted by crossing of the Lyapunov exponents' spectrums of nonlinear model of the plate and chaotic signal and in the next step by varying the tuning parameter to find a span in which a tangible sensitivity in the NPE could be observable. Damage characteristics such as length, depth and angle of crack are altered and variation of proposed feature is scrutinized. Results show that by implementation of the tuned chaotic signal, tangible sensitivity and also near to monotonic behavior of NPE versus damage intensity are achievable. Finally, the superiority of the proposed method is examined through the comparison with the frequency-based method.


Background: Researchers have shown that adults with aphasia often demonstrate better comprehension for discourse than for single sentences. Investigations have included presenting preceding linguistic context to facilitate comprehension of target sentences in adults with aphasia. Priming paradigms have also been used to investigate sentence and discourse processing in adults with aphasia. In priming studies, significantly faster reaction times to related lexical probes compared to unrelated probes indicate the information activated during processing. However, the possible influence of the lexical probe on participants' comprehension of target sentences is unknown. It has been suggested that linguistic context provides redundant information that may allow the limited processing resources available to adults with aphasia to be adequately distributed to meet task demands; possibly, a related lexical probe, as opposed to other probe types, serves a similar purpose. Aims: The objective of the current study was to examine the influence of related, incorrect, and neutral lexical probes on comprehension of sentence pairs by participants with aphasia and neurologically intact participants (NI). Methods & Procedures: A total of 40 adults (20 presented with aphasia, 20 NI) participated in a cross‐modal task. Stimuli were sentence pairs that required revision of the interpretation of the first sentence for adequate comprehension to occur. Participants listened to sentence pairs and completed a lexical decision task following each sentence pair. Lexical decisions consisted of target words that represented either the intended (revised) interpretation, initial (incorrect) interpretation, a neutral word (unrelated to the sentence pair's meaning), or a nonword. Following each sentence pair, participants answered four yes/no questions pertaining to the respective sentence pair. Outcomes & Results: Results indicated that adults with aphasia and NI participants answered correctly significantly more questions when the lexical probe represented the intended interpretation of the sentence pair as compared to the baseline condition (neutral word). Also, participants missed significantly more questions when the lexical probe represented the initial (incorrect) interpretation as compared to the baseline. Conclusions: Results of the study indicated that the type of probe presented influenced participants' comprehension of the sentence pairs. It is suggested that the presence of the inference revision target probe allowed participants to overcome limitations in working memory capacity or processing resources available to complete the task. Additionally, the initial inference target probe overextended participants' working memory capacity limits or available processing resources; thus, they did not perform as well during this condition.


To solve the problem of the variancy of the wind power when wind farm connect with the power grid, a wind power predicting model of wind farm based on double ANNs is proposed in the paper. Wind velocity and wind direction on wind farm are the key of wind power predicting, and other circumstance conditions such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, are also great influence on it. The observed values of these five circumstance conditions can be treated as a nonlinear time series and be analyzed by the nonlinear time series ANNs model. The wind power predicting model consists of double artificial neural networks. The first is consisted of five artificial neural networks which is used to prediction the circumstance conditions time series, the second is employed to prediction the power of wind farm use predicting value of the five conditions. A series of simulation show that the results of the predicting model is acceptable in engineering application.


The authors recommend the need to control the healthy child who periodically attends the pediatrician's or the general practitioner's office, stressing the importance to practice medicine at a primary level without waiting to produce a diagnosis when the disease has reached a dangerous point or else, when unwanted sequels have been established.


We examine the relation between the galaxy cluster mass M and Sunyaev-Zeldovich ({SZ)} effect signal {DA2} Y500 for a sample of 19 objects for which weak lensing ({WL)} mass measurements obtained from Subaru Telescope data are available in the literature. Hydrostatic X-ray masses are derived from {XMM-Newton} archive data, and the {SZ} effect signal is measured from Planck all-sky survey data. We find an {MWL} - {DA2} Y500 relation that is consistent in slope and normalisation with previous determinations using weak lensing masses; however, there is a normalisation offset with respect to previous measures based on hydrostatic X-ray mass-proxy relations. We verify that our {SZ} effect measurements are in excellent agreement with previous determinations from Planck data. For the present sample, the hydrostatic X-ray masses at R500 are on average {\textasciitilde} 20 percent larger than the corresponding weak lensing masses, which is contrary to expectations. We show that the mass discrepancy is driven by a difference in mass concentration as measured by the two methods and, for the present sample, that the mass discrepancy and difference in mass concentration are especially large for disturbed systems. The mass discrepancy is also linked to the offset in centres used by the X-ray and weak lensing analyses, which again is most important in disturbed systems. We outline several approaches that are needed to help achieve convergence in cluster mass measurement with X-ray and weak lensing observations. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org


Bridie goes to the city to visit her Gramps, but he's not at the bus station to meet her and when she goes to his yard, she discovers the peculiar Crickbone twins have taken it over. Bridie sets out to find her grandfather and comes across the Byzantium Bazaar, an old department store, and is befriended by Miss Firbanks, the eccentric woman who owns it. Eventually Bridie finds her grandfather, and together they set about reclaiming his scrap yard and getting rid of the Crickbones. Told in Stephen Elboz's own inimitable style, "A Store of Secrets" sparkles with originality and energy and introduces the reader to a fantasy full of wonderfully eccentric characters.


Abstract : This is the third of four reports on research designed to obtain basic hydrodynamic information about planing hulls through the use of captive models tests. The information is to be used for the general study of dynamic stability while underway, course keeping, turning and maneuvering, etc. The models tested were of idealized patrol boats having an LBP of 100 ft., a beam of 20 ft., and a displacement of 100 long tons. The models had prismatic hull forms with 10, 20, and 30 degrees of deadrise. The report presents the results of free oscillation tests on two unappended prismatic hulls of 10 and 20 degrees of deadrise. The tests were conducted at a beam loading coefficient of 0.4375, at three speeds Ov = 1.5, 3.0, and 4.0, three trim angles 0, 3, AND 6 DEGREES, and at yaw angles of 0,10, and 15 degrees. Roll extinction records were taken with three different spring stiffnesses, first at rest in air and then underway in water, at each test condition. The roll period and logarithmic decrement were determined from these records and tabulated. The added mass moment of inertia and damping in roll were deduced from these data assuming a linear damped harmonic oscillator. Empirical expressions for the inertia and damping are presented and compared with the data. These expressions are used to predict the rolling characteristics of a prototype 100 ft. boat.


DC:0-3 was the first developmentally based system for diagnosing mental health and developmental disorders in infants and toddlers. Its diagnostic categories reflected the consensus of a multidisciplinary group of experts in early childhood development and mental health. The newly revised DC:0-3R draws on empirical research and clinical practice that have occurred worldwide since 1994. DC:0-3R is designed to help mental health and other professionals. The features include: recognize mental health and developmental challenges in young children; understand how relationships and environmental factors contribute to mental health and developmental disorders; use diagnostic criteria effectively for classification and intervention; and work more effectively with parents and other professionals to develop effective treatment plans. DC:0-3R enhances your ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat mental health problems in the earliest years by identifying and describing disorders not addressed in other classification systems and by pointing the way to effective intervention approaches.


I am convinced that, for every year that has gone by since I wrote "Seven Erroneous Theses," at least one or two additional erroneous theses about Latin America have been advanced. I will not list them here; I leave that to my students. However, there are also many valid theses that I have not yet dealt with and that will be the subject of critical deliberation in the forthcoming years. The magic number "7" felt appropriate to me especially because it recalled—as readers will have guessed—the great Mariátegui's Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality, which we read avidly during my youthful college years. I can say that I am satisfied with my text's publication history. It was first printed in the Mexican newspaper El Día on June 25 and 26, 1965, and was well received. Shortly afterward it appeared as a chapter in anthologies and as an article in several specialized journals both in Mexico and in other Latin American countries. It was soon translated into other languages and has had a long career, continuing to appear in new publications to this day. I have sometimes been asked to reassess or update it. In 1985, 20 years after its first appearance, I gave a lecture on the topic at the Universidad Superior de San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia, and in 1995 I did the same at a sociology congress in Bogotá. I cannot remember if these texts were published. I discovered Latin America as a student at Mexico's Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National School of Anthropology and History—ENAH) in the 1950s. There I became friends with other students and some professors hailing from Latin American countries. They told us about the social and political conflicts in their nations, their need to go into exile, and their desire to take part in the upcoming revolutions. Some actually did so, while others lost their lives trying to. I participated in the 1954 pro-democracy demonstrations following the U.S.orchestrated coup in Guatemala against the democratic government. Several years of fieldwork introduced me to indigenous Mexico, which had also been unknown to me till then. As the saying goes, "Así me nació la conciencia." My first field experience was in the Papaloapan Basin, where I participated in a project of forced displacement of several Mazatec communities organized


Background: The process known as shared decision-making (SDM) helps patients and providers make collaborative health care decisions that consider the available clinical evidence as well as the patient9s values and preferences. Engaging the patient9s participation in their own medical care is also a pillar of the National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care. However, studies have shown a disconnect between provider perception of their ability to engage patients in their own care and patients9 perception that their experiences and preferences are not being considered in the treatment decision-making process. Multiple Myeloma (MM) in particular is a complicated disease to manage with rapidly-evolving data and treatment standards. Treatment guidelines list multiple reasonable treatment options and often do not provide recommendations that are specific for individual patients. Therefore, patient-provider collaboration in treatment decision-making is a particularly important aspect of optimal MM care. This report aims to examine whether continuing medical education (CME) programming can help prepare physicians and other care providers to integrate the latest clinical data as well as the preferences of their patients into the decision-making process. Methods: A CME-certified, video-based educational program was developed and posted on the Clinical Care Options9 website on July 16, 2015. The educational program covered SDM concepts along with review of the clinical data and treatment guidelines critical to make optimal treatment decisions for patients with MM. Program participants were asked a series of 3 questions at the start of the program (baseline) and again after program completion (post-education). Data were collected from July 16, 2015 to December 4, 2015 from the 1253 program participants (64% MDs/NPs/PAs, 7% nurses; Figure 1) The impact of the education was calculated and reported as a Cohen9s d effect using a matched-pair response comparison (n = 85) from the baseline and post-education questions. Results: At baseline, only 24% of program participants indicated that they would consider patient preferences as part of their decision-making process (Table 1). This significantly increased to 69% (45% improvement; P Conclusions: These data strongly suggest that CME programs focused on SDM can help prepare providers to consider patient preferences along with the available clinical data to make treatment decisions most likely to result in outcomes that matter most to their patients. Further randomized studies would be warranted to confirm these results. A full review of the study results and recommendations will be presented. This program was supported by independent educational grants from Celgene Corporation, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. Disclosures Kumar:Skyline: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy; Onyx: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kesios: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Glycomimetics: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Millennium: Consultancy, Research Funding; Array BioPharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Noxxon Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding.


Here we develop an argument in support of sequencing a garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) genome, and outline a plan to accomplish this. This snake is a common, widespread, nonvenomous North American species that has served as a model for diverse studies in evolutionary biology, physiology, genomics, behavior and coevolution. The anole lizard is currently the only genome sequence available for a non-avian reptile. Thus, the garter snake at this time would be the first available snake genome sequence and as such would provide much needed comparative representation of non-avian reptilian genomes, and would also allow critical new insights for vertebrate comparative genomic studies. We outline the major areas of discovery that the availability of the garter snake genome would enable, and describe a plan for whole-genome sequencing.


References http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/360/1462/1975.full.html#related-urls Article cited in: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/360/1462/1975.full.html#ref-list-1 This article cites 27 articles, 9 of which can be accessed free Email alerting service here right-hand corner of the article or click Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the top


In this paper, a quasi real-time wavelet denoising algorithm was used to improve the online denoising effect based on wavelet transform, which is realized on the DSP embedded platform. The simulation and analysis, compared with off-line wavelet algorithm, were discussed. And the platform was designed to fulfil the requirement of quasi real-time wavelet algorithm. With the quasi real-time wavelet algorithm, the platform reduced the noise effectively form sigmaoriginal=1.00000 to sigmadenoised=0.65589. The minimum processing period of the platform is 0.25 ms with 256 points moving data window. The effect was obvious in application of the signal denoising, which is used to measure liquid rate successfully.


Layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) is a recently proposed technique for explaining predictions of complex non-linear classifiers in terms of input variables. In this paper, we apply LRP for the first time to natural language processing (NLP). More precisely, we use it to explain the predictions of a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on a topic categorization task. Our analysis highlights which words are relevant for a specific prediction of the CNN. We compare our technique to standard sensitivity analysis, both qualitatively and quantitatively, using a "word deleting" perturbation experiment, a PCA analysis, and various visualizations. All experiments validate the suitability of LRP for explaining the CNN predictions, which is also in line with results reported in recent image classification studies.


This is a chronology of Shakespeare and his family from 1530 to 1623, collecting key dateable events from the documentary records associated with the subjects in this period. Annotations are provided in extensive detail to explain the issues surrounding the documents used, extablishing their provenances, exploring problematic features, and situating the records relative to one another and the wider cultural background.

One of the primary contributions to the study is a new integrated analysis of the dates of Shakespeare's plays, helping to understand the nature of his creative development. Other prominent findings surround evidence for the date of Shakespeare's birth which has previously eluded attention, and the authorship of the Poetical Essays appended to a work by Robert Chester. Analysis of the implications of Chettle's authorship in a Groatsworth of Wit, and of early modern "game" terminology, further indicate the diversity of subjects covered.

Due to the complex use of multiple layers of documentary evidence, the study has been constructed using methods which focus on the dependencies between information and the balance of probabilities amongst alternative theories. Some of these methods are taken from a blend of creativity. The aim has been to facilitate the endeavour engaged in by Edmond Malone, to have "every obscurity elucidated."


The dynamic magnetoelastic properties of the Fe80Si10B10 amorphous alloy at different stages of the thermal crystallization process were studied by the method of double electromagnetic acoustic transformation. An anomalous increase in the dynamical magnetostriction and ultrasound damping and a decrease of sound velocity were found. According to the Mössbauer spectroscopy data, they are related to the formation of a component of magnetic moments that is perpendicular to the ribbon surface.


Although the vasculogenic potential of circulating and cord blood (CB)‐derived endothelial colony‐forming cells (ECFC) has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo, little is known about the inherent biologic ability of these cells to home to different organs and contribute to tissue‐specific cell populations. Here we used a fetal sheep model of in utero transplantation to investigate and compare the intrinsic ability of human CB‐derived ECFC to migrate to the liver and to the intestine, and to define ECFC's intrinsic ability to integrate and contribute to the cytoarchitecture of these same organs. ECFCs were transplanted by an intraperitoneal or intrahepatic route (IH) into fetal sheep at concentrations ranging from 1.1‐2.6 × 106 cells/fetus. Recipients were evaluated at 85 days posttransplant for donor (human) cells using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. We found that, regardless of the route of injection, and despite the IH delivery of ECFC, the overall liver engraftment was low, but a significant percentage of cells were located in the perivascular regions and retained the expression of hallmark endothelial makers. By contrast, ECFC migrated preferentially to the intestinal crypt region and contributed significantly to the myofibroblast population. Furthermore, ECFC expressing CD133 and CD117 lodged in areas where endogenous cells expressed those same phenotypes. Conclusion: ECFC inherently constitute a potential source of cells for the treatment of intestinal diseases, but strategies to increase the numbers of ECFC persisting within the hepatic parenchyma are needed in order to enhance ECFC therapeutic potential for this organ. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;56:1086–1096)


Caspase-3 is synthesized as a dormant proenzyme and is maintained in an inactive conformation by an Asp-Asp-Asp "safety-catch" regulatory tripeptide contained within a flexible loop near the large-subunit/small-subunit junction. Removal of this "safety catch" results in substantially enhanced autocatalytic maturation as well as increased vulnerability to proteolytic activation by upstream proteases in the apoptotic pathway such as caspase-9 and granzyme B. The safety catch functions through multiple ionic interactions that are disrupted by acidification, which occurs in the cytosol of cells during the early stages of apoptosis. We propose that the caspase-3 safety catch is a key regulatory checkpoint in the apoptotic cascade that regulates terminal events in the caspase cascade by modulating the triggering of caspase-3 activation.


World demand for oil and natural gas are increasing, at the same time as most easy accessible oil are being drained. Therefore, more complex and longer extendedreach wells (ERD) are required by the petroleum industry. The complexity of most wells drilled today, together with many new field developments being economically marginal, increases the demand for reduced drilling costs. Rig rate is normally considered the most significant cost for offshore field developments, and if non-productive time (NPT) can be reduced, the drilling costs will simultaneously be lowered. A significant amount of lost time on drilling rigs are spend cleaning dirty holes and fishing for stuck equipment. If such events can be prevented, the overall drilling costs may be reduced significantly. When tripping in and out of wells, the surface hook load (HKL), representing the pulling force, is monitored at all times. Measured HKL is the total sum of all forces acting on the drillstring: • Dead weight at surface (travelling block etc.) • Buoyant weight of the submerged drillstring • Hydrodynamic viscous forces • Drillstring elasticity • Downhole friction (wall contact, side forces, cuttings, ledges etc.) Abnormal wellbore geometry, and cuttings in the lower side of the well, may cause restrictions when running in or out of hole. Such restrictions may cause abnormal HKL response, and can lead to requirement for mud- and hole cleaning, stuck pipe, or in worse case, lost hole. Pulling operations in six different wells (four without registered downhole restrictions, and two with registered overpulls) have been chosen from Statoil's database. These have been studied in detail, and causes of overpulls have been suggested, based on wellbore profile, shape of overpull signals, and other downhole factors. It was evaluated and concluded that one overpull most likely was caused by cuttings accumulation in the wellbore, due to dedicated inclination angle, and building HKL tendencies. The other overpull was most likely caused by ledges, which was identified by rapid increase of HKL, and correspondence with hard calcite stringers detected while drilling. The goal of present study was to develop a method for mathematical description of the expected HKL signal while pulling, for simplifying detection of abnormalities. This was done by combining existing mathematical models with simplifying assumptions. The models were transferred into several Matlab®-codes, describing HKL signals in vertical wells, and in build-up sections, the latter by applying two different methods for estimating side forces (analytical and discrete). All models applied a mass-spring model for estimation of drillstring stretch, treating stretch as a wave propagating downwards through the drillstring. Input variables were physical downhole properties (known or assumed), and the block position at all times while pulling. Simulations of pulling operations in vertical sections produced generally lower HKL signals than real measured signals. This was caused by assuming too low downhole friction, compared to what is true. The deviations increased as the depth of the well increased, and simulated HKL signals showed tendencies of too much drillstring oscillations. This effect was reduced as the drillstring weight increased. HKL simulations of pulling out of deviated sections provided HKL response quite equal to the true measurements, with 8-14% deviation from the true average HKL value. Drillstring oscillations were not a severe issue in the deviated sections. The main conclusions obtained from the present study are: • Simulations of HKL signals in deviated sections provided acceptable simulations, close to true measurements • Side forces in curved sections were successfully estimated by both models (analytical and discrete) • HKL signals in vertical wells were successfully modelled, but were hampered by too much drillstring oscillations • The mass-spring model should be developed further to better describe drillstring stretch, e.g. by applying a more complex wave equation • More detailed description of parameters affecting downhole friction is required


The majority of major cities in the world city network are capital cities. Between primacy and political specialization there are examples of countries where the capital city and a second city remain as major rival cities in contemporary globalization. In this paper we focus upon situations where the capital city is less important in global economic capacity: Rome and Milan, Berlin and Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Delhi and Mumbai, Islamabad and Karachi. This is an exercise in double comparisons: between cities in each pairing and between the pairings. Despite the massive differences – economic, cultural and political – amongst our chosen pairs of cities we have found communalities relating to the specific circumstance we are investigating. First, there is some evidence that economic centres are more global and less local than their capital cities. Second, more particularly, we have shown that in terms of global economic connections there is a very consistent pattern: economic centres have a much more coherent and telling integration into the world city network.


Verification determines whether two samples belong to the same class or not, and has important applications such as face and fingerprint verification, where thousands or millions of categories are present but each category has scarce labeled examples, presenting two major challenges for existing deep learning models. We propose a deep semi-supervised model named SEmi-supervised VErification Network (SEVEN) to address these challenges. The model consists of two complementary components. The generative component addresses the lack of supervision within each category by learning general salient structures from a large amount of data across categories. The discriminative component exploits the learned general features to mitigate the lack of supervision within categories, and also directs the generative component to find more informative structures of the whole data manifold. The two components are tied together in SEVEN to allow an end-to-end training of the two components. Extensive experiments on four verification tasks demonstrate that SEVEN significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art deep semi-supervised techniques when labeled data are in short supply. Furthermore, SEVEN is competitive with fully supervised baselines trained with a larger amount of labeled data. It indicates the importance of the generative component in SEVEN.


The increase of distributed renewable electricity generators, such as solar cells and wind turbines, requires new energy management systems where real-time measurements and communication between end users, suppliers and utilities are vital. To address this need, we propose a common service architecture that allows houses with renewable energy generation and smart energy devices to plug into a distributed energy management system, integrated with the public power grid. The presented architecture facilitates end-users to optimize their energy consumption, enables power network operators to better balance supply and demand, and creates a platform where new market players (e.g. ESCOs) can easily provide new services. This service architecture has been implemented and is currently evaluated in a field trial with 21 users, of which we present the initial results.


We characterize negative awards. Their pervasiveness in various domains as well as the objectives of their designers and promoters are documented. We discuss the outcomes generated by negative awards and provide some rationales explaining why individuals and organizations may be interested in getting them. Several issues deserve further exploration


The purpose of this study is to research the relation about accounting software (Accurate) and student engagement and student performance. A number of 186 students in accounting class of Maranatha Christian University participated in this research and valid data is 128. Regression Linear and descriptive analysis are used in this research. The results show that the value of R-square is 0.993, it indicates that there is linear correlation between engagement and students' score in practical accounting software (Accurate).


Finite/fixed-time control yields a promising tool to optimize a system's settling time, but lacks the ability to separately define the settling time and the convergence domain (known as practically prescribed-time stability, PPTS). We provide a sufficient condition for PPTS based on a new piecewise exponential function, which decouples the settling time and convergence domain into separately user-defined parameters. We propose an adaptive event-triggered prescribed-time control scheme for nonlinear systems with asymmetric output constraints, using an exponential-type barrier Lyapunov function. We show that this PPTS control scheme can guarantee tracking error convergence performance, while restricting the output state according to the prescribed asymmetric constraints. Compared with traditional finite/fixed-time control, the proposed methodology yields separately user-defined settling time and convergence domain without the prior information on disturbance. Moreover, asymmetric state constraints can be handled in the control structure through bias state transformation, which offers an intuitive analysis technique for general constraint issues. Simulation and experiment results on a heterogeneous teleoperation system demonstrate the merits of the proposed control scheme.