BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is a chronic lipid-driven inflammatory disease, largely influenced by hemodynamics. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)-mediated inflammation plays an important role in atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the mechanism of the generation of NETs under different shear stress and subsequent damage to endothelial cells. We sought to identify a novel mechanical signal provokes NETs generation and to investigate its potential role in atherosclerosis. METHODS ApoE−/− mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce atherosclerosis. The model of lower shear stress (LSS) with a partial ligation of the left carotid artery was established to assess the role of LSS in NETs generation and atherosclerotic lesions development. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of LSS promoting NETs generation and injuring endothelial cells was deciphered in neutrophil-like human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells in parallel-plate flow chamber. RESULTS We found that LSS correlated spatially with both NETs and atherosclerosis, while inhibition of NETosis could significantly reduce plaque formation in ApoE−/− mice. In vitro, LSS could promote NETs generation directly through down-regulation of Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel. downexpression of Piezol could activate neutrophils and promote NETosis in static. Conversely, Yoda1-evoked activation of Piezo1 attenuated LSS-induced NETosis. Mechanistically, the downexpression of Piezo1 resulted in decreased Ca2+ influx and increased histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), which increase reactive oxygen species levels, then led to NETosis. LSS-induced NETs generation promoted the apoptosis and adherence of endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS LSS directly promotes NETosis through piezo1-HDAC2 axis in atherosclerosis progression. This study uncovers the essential role of Piezo1-mediated mechanical signaling in NETs generation and plaque formation, which provides a promising therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis. Graphic Abstract Proposed mechanism for lower shear stress LSS exacerbating atherosclerosis. LSS stimuli decrease Piezo1 expression in the neutrophils, resulting in decreased intracellular Ca2+ concentration, as well as the higher expression level of HDAC2, which could activate oxidative stress and promote intracellular reactive oxygen species formation, and ultimately lead to NETs generation. NETs could aggravate endothelial cells injury and exasperate atherosclerosis. Highlights ■ Lower shear stress (LSS) promotes Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation, which is critical for lipid deposits and plaque formation in Atherosclerosis. ■ Atherosclerotic plaque formation was significantly reduced in the aorta of high fat diet fed ApoE−/− mice intraperitoneal injected with NETs inhibitor, GSK484, especially in the lower shear stress regions. ■ Piezo1 is a key molecule in the process of neutrophils sense lower shear stress. ■ lower shear stress inhibits the activation of Piezo1 and promotes NETosis through piezo1-HDAC2 axis. ■ LSS-induced NETs promote the apoptosis and adhesion of endothelial cells.


This article studies on energy saving experience of the traditional houses of farmhouse forest in Western Sichuan, sums up farmhouse forest in Western Sichuan and its traditional residential building energy saving experience, and recommends appropriate energy-saving improvements. To using experience and measures that can be referenced in the construction of new countryside in Sichuan, create traditional characteristics of low carbon and energy-saving new rural houses.


The former Commonwealth Minister for Education, Dr Brendan Nelson, instigated this review. It was completed and published in 2005. Minister Nelson accepted its recommendations very positively and proposed a national summit to discuss how the recommendations might be implemented. Forward motion was arrested when at the beginning of 2006 Dr Nelson became Minister for Defence and a new Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, was appointed. In due course, Minister Bishop proceeded with the summit, now rebadged as a workshop, and it took place in Melbourne at the end of August 2006. A report was prepared for the Minister and she approved publication at the beginning of March this year. At the same time, she provided $300,000 to mount a campaign to lift the status of school music education, in line with one of the recommendations of the Review and the Report. That campaign is now in progress and concludes for this year at the end of August. It is hoped that it might be an annual event. At the time of writing (the beginning of March), there have been no other substantial commitments to the recommendations excepting a commitment of funds for a curriculum review and teacher awards, both positive moves but not yet the hoped for investment in teachers and schools. The recommendations of the Review were received well by the music education sector. The Report of the workshop therefore, did not dispute the recommendations but rather, proposed how they might be implemented. In the session, we will summarise the recommendations. Generally, I think it is agreed that the most important are for an upgrading of primary school music education. It is here that the inadequacies are greatest, and if they can be addressed, many of the problems at secondary level might be expected to be solved. Most importantly, in this speaker's opinion, was the recommendation that all primary school children should have access to a specialist music teacher. However, there was also a recommendation for the upgrading of generalist classroom teachers' musical and music pedagogy skills so that the skills taught by the specialists can be reinforced in the normal life of the classroom. The problems with school music education have not been so much with its design as with its actual provision. That remains the issue in the implementation of the recommendations. The difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that the review is from the Commonwealth but it can only be implemented fully with the cooperation of the states. The session should discuss the advocacy that can be brought to bear by delegates to this conference as well as others, so that we do not look back on this as yet another lost opportunity.


Fluctuation dynamos are generic to turbulent astrophysical systems. The only analytical model of the fluctuation dynamo, due to Kazantsev, assumes the velocity to be delta-correlated in time. This assumption breaks down for any realistic turbulent flow. We generalize the analytic model of fluctuation dynamos to include the effects of a finite correlation time, ${\it\tau}$ , using renewing flows. The generalized evolution equation for the longitudinal correlation function $M_{L}$ leads to the standard Kazantsev equation in the ${\it\tau}\rightarrow 0$ limit, and extends it to the next order in ${\it\tau}$ . We find that this evolution equation also involves third and fourth spatial derivatives of $M_{L}$ , indicating that the evolution for finite- ${\it\tau}$ will be non-local in general. In the perturbative case of small- ${\it\tau}$ (or small Strouhal number), it can be recast using the Landau–Lifschitz approach, to one with at most second derivatives of $M_{L}$ . Using both a scaling solution and the WKBJ approximation, we show that the dynamo growth rate is reduced when the correlation time is finite. Interestingly, to leading order in ${\it\tau}$ , we show that the magnetic power spectrum preserves the Kazantsev form, $M(k)\propto k^{3/2}$ , in the large- $k$ limit, independent of ${\it\tau}$ .


Treatment of 2-(5-methyl-2-furyl)tetrahydroindenyllithium with ZrCl4 gave bis[2-(5-methyl-2-furyl)tetrahydroindenyl]zirconium dichloride (8). Dynamic 1H NMR spectroscopy revealed a Cp-furyl rotational barrier of ΔG≠Arrot (148 K) = 6.8 ± 0.4 kcal mol−1. The x-ray crystal structure analysis of 8 showed the presence of a rac-like metallocene conformation in which the furyl rings are oriented coplanar with the Cp moiety of the tetrahydroindenyl ligand systems, but the two furyl rings are oriented differently: one has the oxygen atom oriented toward the open front side, whereas the other has the furyl oxygen pointing toward the narrow back side of the bent metallocene wedge. The 8–MAO Ziegler–Natta catalyst system produces an atactic polypropylene oil. Copyright© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The following research was conducted on 2015 Tambillo, Ecuador, precisely in the foothills of Pasochoa volcano. In the study, the company Natural Vitality participated in a three-day workshop of educational experience and leadership with the goal of improving the communication, leadership and work environment of the company. In the workshop, participants were exposed to different challenges and outdoors recreational activities seeking to leverage their strengths and virtues, for personal and professional development in the future. In fact, making someone move from their comfort zone and exposed to adverse situations where many times they can fail is the core of experiential learning and the exact bearing someone should take to learn, grow and offset their weaknesses. The workshop results were favorable, increasing the productivity of the company Natural Vitality under the standards of leadership, communication and teamwork. The research was conducted with the aim to form and develop the company Kingue adventure school: a company that seeks to increase the productivity of people through experiential outdoors education. Kingue will offer business workshops, adventure expeditions in mountaineering, biking, hiking, climbing and kayaking and education classes will be held for people looking to be self-sustaining in wilderness areas.


A method for the synthesis of deuterium-labelled tryptophan and its enzymatic conversion to indole-3-pyruvic acid ((2H5)IPYA) using amino acid oxidase is described. (2H5)IPYA can be used as an internal standard for the quantitation of IPYA by mass spectrometry in plant extracts and for estimating the breakdown of IPYA to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) during sample extraction and purification. When used in conjunction with (2H2) IAA, (2H5) IPYA should allow more accurate quantitation of IAA in plant extracts.


Oxidation and silicidation have been found to enhance phosphorus diffusion and incorporation in 4H-SiC. Depth profiling by secondary ion mass spectrometry showed significant concentration of phosphorus in the order of 1018–1019 cm−3 in the near-surface region of 4H-SiC in both oxidation and silicidation-assisted phosphorus-diffused samples. However, silicidation was remarkably more effective than oxidation in promoting phosphorus diffusion, producing comparable phosphorus concentration at even greater depth at a temperature of only 900 °C. Specific contact resistance values of the phosphorus-doped samples confirmed feasibility of this method in ohmic contact fabrication on SiC.


The study presents the second stage of the project related to the development of the Data Base and Information Retrieval System (IRS) for the bibliography of the Bulgarian books from the National Revival period (1801–1878). After the observation of the existing printed bibliographies of this period, which differ in structure, quantity and content, the project team is embarking on the final steps to finishing the editing of the bibliography entries. The paper will focus on exact steps for constructing the interface and structure of the IRS and importing the Data Base information into the system. Some technical and historical aspects and details of this procedure will be presented. The purpose of the final product is to make a radical transformation in the methods whereby the Bulgarian national bibliography is presented and taught. The project team work is related to different topics such as Academic Research Studies and Library and Resource Management in the field of Bibliography and Book History. The project Digitalization of the Repertoire of Books from the Bulgarian Revival (1801–1878) is funded by The Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF).


This paper explores issues of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Net Zero change in financial firms, with reference to top teams, employees, customers, citizens, and other stakeholders. It proposes a holistic approach to managing these problems of change, of reducing harm to people and environment, and contributing to social sustainability. Changes in financial firms and financial markets to become CSR and Net Zero oriented are being driven by major external change. There are increased demands to reduce harm to individuals, teams, and the environment, and to maintain social sustainability. The change pressures combine with problematic internal firm and external network predispositions. These exacerbate barriers to change and contribute to CSR and Net Zero problems. The paper uses a conceptual framework or "Behavioral theory of the financial firm" (BTTF) to think holistically about these problems and their impact on humans, their social systems, and physical systems. The BTFF is a basis for management and stakeholders to promote change based on credible organizational practices and prevention of exploitation of human capital and social conditions. These support social sustainability and occupational health and safety, or the ability of current and future generations to create healthy, living, and liveable communities in financial firms, and amongst external stakeholders. This holistic narrative and metaphor approach is a means for individuals and teams in the firm and externally to answer the question, "What is going on here?" when responding to uncertainty. The contribution of the paper focuses on firms, practitioners, and academics by closing knowledge and values gaps in fields of practice and academia. This has potential "to make a difference" in; researching, learning, thinking, and believing about desirable actions and responses to problems and harms, and to demands for Net Zero and CSR oriented change in financial firms and wider systems.


Contribution: This paper contributes to the literature by confirming the existence, in gender and socio-economic diversified higher educational environments, of differential evaluation ratings given by students to their teachers. Background: Women and low socio-economic classes have historically been under-represented, both as students and teachers. Various policies and measures are being put in place internationally to raise their standing, equity, and success as they progress in their careers. To be effective, the after effects of these policies must be investigated and understood. Research Questions: This paper addressed the question of whether gender and socio-economic differences, in both teachers and students, affect students' opinion of their teachers in higher education, across a number of disciplines. Methodology: The research analyzed the differentials in students' ratings of their teachers in five disciplines in the field of education. Data was drawn from student responses to the surveys conducted in a large Indian university at the end of each course unit. The survey questions elicit their perceptions of teaching quality in the disciplines of civil engineering, electrical engineering, computer science engineering, mathematics, humanities and social sciences. This paper analyzes 112 919 and 16 354 complete sets of student ratings, to study the gender and socio-economic diversity based effects respectively. Statistical multivariate and univariate general linear models were used to derive the relevant results and graphs. Findings: The study reveals the existence of socio-economic status bias, gender-typical behavior, gender-atypical behavior, and same-gender and cross-gender biases; these resulted in differential ratings in the disciplines examined.


The author believe that the putting forward of quality educationhows that the reform of Chinese education has been necessarily transferred tothe reform of quality education and become our priority task and a direction inthe future work. The function of physical education in quality education andhow to improve it have been analyzed theoretically in this study.


The utility model relates to a sinter cooler waste heat utilization system of a front-mounted superheater. The sinter cooler waste heat utilization system comprises a circulation system formed by a sinter cooler, a waste heat boiler and a circulation fan, wherein an air outlet located in a fan cover of the sinter cooler is further connected with the superheater, and connected with the waste heat boiler through a pipe, and the temperature of the air outlet is higher than 365 DEG C. According to the sinter cooler waste heat utilization system, the superheater is arranged above the sinter cooler, the superheated steam temperature is increased, the halting frequency of a steam turbine generator unit is decreased or halting is avoided, and the waste heat power generation efficiency is improved.


With the availability of a vast number of chemicals and drugs, acute poisoning is a common medical emergency in any country. The exact incidence of this problem in our country remains uncertain but it is estimated that about 10-15 million cases of poisoning are reported every year, of which, more than 50,000 die. The objective of this article is to familiarize the physicians about various steps required in the effective management of patients with acute poisoning.


Cameras are common imaging elements in optical measurement systems. A different approach to imaging utilizes only a single pixel sensor and is nevertheless capable of producing two-dimensional images: In computational ghost imaging (CGI) a projector illuminates the object with a known set of patterns and a single photodiode records the resulting radiation powers. These are passed on to a reconstruction algorithm. Such setups can be advantageous where classical camera systems might fail or be too expensive, but cannot currently compete with them in high speed imaging applications. Although the idea is not new, it represents a very different and rarely used paradigm compared to conventional approaches to two- and three-dimensional imaging. Three-dimensional reconstruction through CGI can be achieved through well-known techniques such as photogrammetric stereo reconstruction. Theoretical work has shown that for an actual setup having a single projector and two photodiodes arranged in a parallax is not sufficient. Instead, two projectors and a single photodiode in combination with a computer are necessary for the production of two images suitable for stereo reconstruction. Two characteristics of a CGI setup should play an important role in its technical implementation. These are the type of projected patterns and the sensor dynamic range. A two-dimensional simulation showed that the type of patterns, the sensor's dynamic range and also the dynamic range of the projector are crucial design aspects. A threedimensional photometric simulation of the setup was designed. It adds a proof of concept to CGI with backscattered light and showed that it can be used for stereo reconstruction. Experiments in the future shall reveal more details about the technical implementation. In this submission we present the introduced novel 3D sensor approach and the most significant details of the simulation results.


A close study of the book of Exodus generates complex theological reflections regarding issues of agency. How shall the interpreter understand the relationship between God's actions in the Exodus stories and the actions of human and nonhuman agents? Some commentators speak very little of such issues; others will speak often of God's working in and through such non-divine agents, albeit in different ways. Such differences among commentators seem to be rooted primarily in their differing theological perspectives. This chapter claims that God works in both history and creation in and through agents. God does work directly, but always through means/agents, ranging from human words and deeds to nonhuman activities. It begins with two literary observations and then cites several different examples in the treatment of agency issues among Exodus commentators. It presents four examples, using primarily comments about the stories of the plagues and the sea crossing. Keywords: Exodus; Exodus commentators; God; plagues; Red Sea story


While the proximal causes of drought in the Sahel and northeast Africa are known to be due to failure of seasonal rains, possibly linked with long-range climatic changes (Tanaka et al., 1975; Winstanley, 1973; Kelley, 1975; Lamb, 1977), the more persistent problem of human adaptation and survival in increasingly man-made environments during natural disasters is only gradually being appreciated. In recent years emphasis has been placed on man's activities as the major cause of rangeland degradation and famines. It is becoming increasingly clear that drought and famine do not always reflect cause-effect relationships and that the two may coexist independently and often become linked only through politico-economic conditions (Wisner, 1977; Lofchie, 1975; Ball, 1976; Franke and Chasin, 1980: 5; Grossman, 1981; Grove, 1979). In Ethiopia the famine in highland areas in 1972-74 was closely linked to the prerevolution feudal regime (Fitzgerald, 1980; Hussein, 1976; Koehn, 1979; Shepherd, 1975). In the lowlands Bondestam (1974), Cohen (1977) and Flood (1976) associated famine with recent encroachment of pastures by irrigation schemes and with reduced river flooding caused by construction of Koka Dam. However, interaction of physico-environmental and politico-economic factors resulting in the 1972-73 drought and famine and the adaptive responses of the pastoralists in the Awash Valley remain to be studied in depth. The objective of this paper is to examine these relationships among the 130,000 Afar and the 16,000 Kereyu, Arsi and Jile Oromo, the four pastoralist groups traditionally inhabiting the Awash floodplains. The ongoing irrigation development in the Awash Valley with World Bank assistance and the recurrence of drought since 1973 ("Ethiopia", 1981; Kloos, 1977: 215) make this a timely study. The floodplain ecosystem, although for centuries providing much-needed grazing resources during the dry season, has been relatively neglected in the study of human ecology in Africa (Scudder, 1980: 383). Field work was carried out in 1972/73, 1975/76 and 1982. This was part of disease ecology studies of schistosomiasis and other parasitic infections, irrigation development and migration patterns in the Awash Valley and surrounding highlands (Kloos and Lemma, 1974; Kloos, 1977; Kloos et al., 1981; Kloos, in press) and of a cholera vaccination program in the lower Awash Valley.


From the perspective of the development and application of modern educational technology,this article puts forward the idea that curriculum reform will be based on educational technology platform for different levels of exploration in order to achieve organic integration.of analog electronic technology curriculum and modern educational techniques.


A user movement tendency notion is introduced to characterize user moving behavior. An algorithm is developed for user movement tendency prediction. Based on the predicted user movement tendency, a connection admission tree (CAC) scheme which explores individual user mobility information is proposed. Simulation results show the proposed CAC scheme achieves better performance in terms of handoff dropping rate and resource utilization.


Toddlers are a group of individuals who are vulnerable to nutrition. Nutritional problems can have a serious impact on the quality of human resources. Nutritional problems are growth failure in early life, one of which is stunting. The prevalence of stunting under five in Indonesia in 2005-2017 was 36.4%. Stunting toddlers in the future will have difficulty in achieving optimal physical and cognitive development. One of the factors that influence the incidence of stunting in baita is environmental sanitation. This study aims to determine the effect of environmental sanitation on the incidence of stunting. This research is a quantitative research, descriptive analytic research type with a cross sectional approach. The sampling technique is purposive sampling. The sample in this study were mothers who had toddlers in the hiterland area of Batam City which had 96 toddlers who were adjusted to the inclusion criteria. Data analysis using chi square. The result of this research is that there is an effect of environmental sanitation on the incidence of stunting in children under five (P value 0.009). Conclusion unhealthy environmental sanitation can affect the incidence of stunting in toddlers. There needs to be cooperation with various related parties to provide health education and improve environmental sanitation, especially in remote areas


Outlines a post‐modern approach to international and global development conceived during a visit to Ghana in the autumn of 1992. First offers a critique of modern development′s techno‐bureaucratic, unsustainable over‐consumption ethos and its accompanying practices of Western expert imperialism. With the conception of post‐modern de‐velopment, intervelopment, infuses the ailing sustainable development paradigm with an affirmative radical humanist and relationally interconnected manifesto. Envisages a new synthesis between sustainable development and the practice of intervelopment: global interbeing – a way of experiencing an emancipated, harmonious, economically equitable, and culturally diverse world. Discusses the impact of intervelopment and global interbeing on the life and work of organization and international development practitioners.


A University of Iowa pep band under the direction of Carl Paarman' l A~ of Davenporta musically-balanced organization from the ranks of Prof. Charles B. Righter's marching bandwill climb into a truck this morning and lead an Iowa student delegation to meet the return ing Hawkeyes. Rewarded for His Feature Writing German Commentator Warns Turkey, Greece to 'Play Ball' Reports Indicate Nazi!! Intensify Attempt To Knock Out London ------------.


Ecological bioassays using higher plants were included in a test battery because vegetation is the dominant biological component of terrestrial ecosystem, and they could reflect the toxicity of hazardous chemicals in soils, therefore providing an alternative method for the evaluation of toxic effects such as adverse effects of a bioavailable fraction of pollutants in a complex soil matrix. It is well known that a reduction in toxicity of a complex mixture could not be measured by parent compound disappearance. In addition, bioassays could compensate expenses of chemical analyze and its difficulties in detecting the total amount of bioavailable toxicants due to the lower concentration, lower solubility or insolubility in chemical extracting. \;Seed germination test adopted in the OECD guideline suggested two indexes as the endpoints (seed germination and root elongation). The main advantage of the seed germination test as an additional endpoint is the possibility of giving a more fast and cost\|effective results based on them, which can be very useful for several applications including identification of phytotoxicity threshold of target pollutants, evaluating contaminated soils and bioremediation sites. Available reports are most based on the early growth stage as the endpoint with recommended species for toxicity test by the US EPA and OECD and ISO to evaluate the toxicity of the toxicants, only a few concerned with seed germination test using root elongation as the endpoint. Since toxicity can be specific to plant species, it is thus important to use a variety of species from different families for each evaluation. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organic chlorides are two groups of priority pollutants listed in US EPA and were well known to be toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic to a wide range of organisms, whereas less is known of the phytotoxicity threshold of these pollutants. The sensitivity of plants to the PAHs and organic chlorides and tolerance responses of different plant species to them was unknown.\;Individual and combined responses of phenanthrene, pyrene, 1,2,4\|trichlorobenzene and the extent of combined toxicity effects were compared by determination of the inhibition rates of phenanthrene, pyrene and 1,2,4\|trichlorobenzene on higher plants (wheat, Chinese cabbages and tomatoes) and toxic effects of combined pollution of these chemicals in the meadow brown soils. The root elongation was used as endpoint. Results indicated that there was a significant liner or logarithmic relationship between the concentration of phenanthrene, pyrene and 1,2,4\|trichlorobenzene and the inhibition rates of root elongation of plants ( p =0 05). Inhibition strength of three chemicals on plant elongation was in the sequence: 1,2,4\|trichlorobenzenephenanthrenepyrene, which was closely related with the water solubility of the chemicals tested. Wheat was the most sensible plant to the organic pollutants. There was a synergism of phenanthrene, pyrene and 1,2,4\|trichlorobenzene in the tested soil\|plant system.


Abstract Thalassemia, once a rarity in the United States, is increasingly encountered in clinical practice due to shifts in immigration. Early carrier screening in at-risk populations can help clinicians implement genetic counseling and prevent new cases. Chronic transfusions are the mainstay of therapy for patients with severe thalassemia (beta thalassemia major), and are used intermittently in individuals with milder forms of thalassemia (Hb H/H Constant Spring disease and beta thalassemia intermedia). Iron overload is a major source of morbidity and mortality in individuals with transfusion and non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia, necessitating iron chelation therapy. Iron overload contributes to increased risk of cirrhosis, heart failure, and endocrinopathies, while ineffective erythropoiesis and hemolysis contribute to multiple complications, including splenomegaly, extramedullary hematopoiesis, pulmonary hypertension, and thrombosis. An understanding of the importance of carrier screening, complications, monitoring, and management strategies, coupled with collaboration with a hematologist with thalassemia expertise, is essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality in patients with thalassemia. Key Messages Thalassemia is becoming more prevalent in the United States due to immigration of people from affected regions, with an approximately 7.5% increase over the last five decades. Newborn screening, antenatal screening, prenatal diagnosis, and counseling are key to early diagnosis and prevention of thalassemia. Chronic transfusions are the mainstay of therapy for patients with severe thalassemia and milder forms of thalassemia in some cases, but can lead to iron overload, which has numerous clinical consequences. Iron overload can be effectively monitored by blood tests and magnetic resonance imaging, and be managed with iron chelation to reduce adverse effects on target organs and improve survival.


Solid State relay based single phase power quality disturbance generator is proposed in this paper. Digital control system based on microcontroller 89C51 is implemented to control the duration of power quality disturbances. Voltage sag, swell and interruption are generated. Dimmerstat is used to change the voltage levels and so to control the intensity of disturbances. Design of proposed generator is discussed. Simple design and use of easily available components makes this generator economic. It is highly suitable in power quality laboratory for experimental work. Students working on voltage sag/swell compensation and monitoring of power quality events can use this generator. Proposed generator is used as an application for PC based real time power quality monitoring system. Monitoring system is designed in LabVIEW. For fetching the real time signal, voltage sensor and data acquisition system are used. Results of real time detection of disturbances and classification of disturbances into momentary, temporary, instantaneous and under voltage or over voltage are done by monitoring system and presented in this paper.


FVC at1yearhadno difference insurvival (p=0.75), butbothshowedenhanced survival compared with patients with a ^10%reduction inFVCwith1yearof treatment(p<0.001). Patients with an improved or unchanged Dsbat1yearalsohadno difference in survival (p=0.21) butagain, bothshowedenhanced survival compared withpatients with^20%decrease inDsbwith1yearoftreatment(p<0.001). Changes in gasexchange after 1yearoftreatmentdidnotcorre¬ late withsurvival inthethree groups. There was a trend forlonger survival inimproved patients com¬ pared withthose withworsening gasexchange, butthe pvalue was notsignificant at0.17. We conclude that changes intheFVCandDsbafter 1yearoftreatment are strongly predictive ofduration ofsurvival in patients withIPF. (CHEST 1995; 108:305-310)


We used a multifractal approach to characterize scale by scale, the remotely sensed visible and thermal-infrared volcanic field, at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, USA. Our results show that (1) the observed fields exhibit a scaling behavior over a resolution range of ~ 2.5 m to 6 km, (2) they show a strong multifractality, (3) the multifractal parameters α, C1 and H are sensitive to volcanic structural classes such as vent cones, lava ponds and active to inactive lava flows, (4) vegetation area and volcanic gas plumes have a strong effect on the multifractal estimates, and (5) vegetation and cloud-free images show statistical characteristics due to topography related albedo in the visible and predominantly solar heating in the thermal infrared wavelengths.


Keziere discusses Corsaut's photographs in relation to painting, technology and the irreproducibility of art, tracing the development of the artist's work and her approach to color polaroid photograms. Biographical notes.


The Cuban cicada fauna is determined. Herrera infuscata Sanborn sp. n. is described from the Isle of Youth and represents the first member of the subfamily Cicadettinae in Cuba. Diceroprocta obscurior Davis stat. n. is elevated to species rank. A total of 12 species, five genera, four tribes, and two subfamilies comprise the Cuban cicada fauna. A key to the cicadas of Cuba is provided.


The Philippine Sea is divided into three major basins (Figure 1), each with different times of formation and being elongated in shape in a north-south direction. From west to east, they are the West Philippine Basin, the Shikoku and Parece-Vela Basins, and the Mariana Trough. The West Philippine Basin is believed to be the oldest and the Mariana Trough the youngest (and still actively forming) basin. Various hypotheses have been advanced for the origin of the West Philippine Basin (i.e., Karig, 1971; Uyeda and Ben-Avraham, 1972; Louden, 1976; Erlandson et al., 1976; Watts et al., 1977). In most of these, crustal formation by sea-floor spreading in the Eocene or earlier time is postulated. Although the results of DSDP Legs 31 (Karig, Ingle, et al., 1975) and 59 (Kroenke, Scott et al., 1980) indicate younger basement ages (early Oligocene or older, Leg 31; middle Oligocene, Leg 59), the scientific party of Leg 59 still appear to favor the Eocene spreading on the basis of evidence for the existence of a later hiatus. From the direction of the magnetic lineations, the spreading in this basin is believed to be in the west-northwest-east-southeast direction. In contrast, the younger basins to the east are believed to have spread in an approximately east-west direction, parallel with the ridges that separate them. The Shikoku and Parece-Vela Basins opened in the late Oligocene to middle Miocene time (Watts and Weissel, 1975; Kobayashi and Isezaki, 1976; Mrozowski and Hayes, 1979; Klein, Kobayashi, et al., 1980; Kroenke, Scott, et al., 1980), and then spreading opened the Mariana Trough at a later time and has continued to the present. Karig (1971) hypothesized that these basins were formed during two episodes of spreading, a process associated with the subduction of the Pacific plate. He further suggested that the onset of the spreading of the Mariana Trough took place during the late Pliocene (~3 m.y. ago), and therefore, the average extensional rate has been about 8 cm/y. An analysis of magnetic lineations in the central portion of the Mariana Trough (Bibee et al., 1980) reveals some correlation of spreading-type anomalies, and suggests an extensional rate of 3 cm/y, (equivalent to a symmetric half-rate of 1.5 cm/y.). If this rate is extrapolated for the entire width of the Mariana Trough, it would suggest that opening began in the latest Miocene or very early Pliocene (~ 5


Scintigraphic evaluation of mucociliary clearance (MC) is in consideration of some guidelines (choice of a suitable inhalator and standardization of inhalation procedure) simply practicable. Using a standardized median aerosol with a diameter of approximately 8 μm a dynamic investigation over 60 min is sufficient. Depending on the medical problem MC can be calculated globally or regionally. Indications for the investigation of MC are primary ciliary dyskinesia, persistent cough of unknown origin as well as a possible regional disturbance of MC. Disturbances of MC occur before changes in spirometric pulmonary function tests. Therefore scintigraphic evalution of MC is suited to early diagnosis of changes in mucociliary removal rates.


Alder pollen grains constitute the important allergen sources in this respect in the Northern Hemisphere. The aim of the study was to investigate the concentration of alder (Alnus spp.) in Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Cracow, Drawsko Pomorskie, Lublin, Olsztyn, Opole, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora in 2018. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Burkard and Lanzoni pollen samplers). Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) was estimated as the annual sum of daily average pollen concentrations. The pollen season of alder in all Polish stations began on the 11th and 13th March and the high concentration persisted until the first days of April. The highest, record airborne concentration of 1068 pollen grains/m3 was noted in Lublin on the 13th March. The peak values of seasonal pollen count occurred between of 11th March and 4th April in all cities. In 2018 pollen concentration of alder was one of the lowest in all analysed cities.


Delta modulation (DM) is a classical technique that is generally applied to compress audio signals with a negligible amount of computation. Recently, it has been demonstrated that a similar approach can be applied to provide a moderate degree of compression, and at the same time maintain favorable coding fidelity, in compressing digital Fresnel holograms. The downside of this method is that it is necessary to determine an optimal step size for each of the source holograms through a trial and error process. In this paper we attempt to overcome this problem with adaptive delta modulation (ADM). Being different from the classical DM, the step size in ADM is automatically adjusted according to the intensity variation of the hologram. Experimental evaluation reveals that our proposed method is capable of attaining a compression ratio of 32 times without the need of determining the step size for each hologram. Hence, the proposed technique is useful for any holographic video system where holograms are needed to refresh at video rate. In addition, the proposed technique maintains favorable fidelity on the reconstructed images, and the complexity of both the encoding and decoding process is so small that they can be regarded as near computation-free operations.


The performance of California kiwifruit packed using solid liners, perforated liners, and micro-perforated liners on the rate of initial cooling time, water loss, and quality attributes after shipping was evaluated under controlled laboratory and commercial conditions. Controlled cooling tests using a portable cooling tunnel indicated an important cooling time reduction (reaching 7/8 cooling time) without affecting quality when perforated liners were used instead of solid ones. The use of these vented box liners will result in direct energy savings to packinghouses proportional to the reduction in cooling times. Also, shorter cooling times will allow scheduling operations for the off-peak utility periods. Fruit quality attributes such as fruit firmness, soluble solids, and titratable acidity were not affected by any of the box liner treatments. Kiwifruit weight loss depended on the box liner vented area (V.A.) and storage temperature. After 18 weeks at 0C kiwifruit packed in the solid (0% V.A.), perforated (0.6% V.A.) and micro-perforated (1.2% V.A.) box liners had water losses of 0.7, 2.4 and 5.2%, respectively. Fruit shrivel was only observed on fruit packaged in the micro-perforated liners when water loss exceeded 4.0% in relation to the harvest fresh weight. In one of the two seasons, pitting incidence was measured on fruit from the microperforated box liner treatment.


A v a n za ti-m a p e r se gu ir virtute e co no sc e n z a-Semiclassical methods in 2D QFT: spectra and finite–size effects Thesis submitted for the degree of " Doctor Philosophiae " Candidate: Supervisor: Abstract In this thesis, we describe some recent results obtained in the analysis of two–dimensional quantum field theories by means of semiclassical techniques. These achievements represent a natural development of the non–perturbative studies performed in the past years for conformally invariant and integrable theories, which have lead to analytical predictions for several measurable quantities in the universality classes of statistical systems. Here we propose a semiclassical method to control analytically the spectrum and the finite–size effects in both integrable and non–integrable theories. The techniques used are appropriate generalization of the ones introduced in seminal works during the Seventies by Dashen, Hasllacher and Neveu and by Goldstone and Jackiw. Their approaches, which do not require integrability and therefore can be applied to a large class of system, are best suited to deal with those quantum field theories characterized by a non–linear interaction potential with different degenerate minima. In fact, these systems display kink excitations which generally have a large mass in the small coupling regime. Under these circumstances, although the results obtained are based on a small coupling assumption, they are nevertheless non-perturbative, since the kink backgrounds around which the semiclas-sical expansion is performed are non-perturbative too.


An introduction to the history and methodology of Syro-Palestinian archaeology. These essays in honor of Joseph A Callaway, one of the fathers of Biblical Archaeology, whose rigorous methodology laid the foundations of a Near Eastern archaeology concerned with more than merely supporting Biblical stories.


The article considers the nature and peculiarities of implementation of the organized recruitment of industrial enterprises of Donetsk region in the post-war years. The official end of the war formally ended legally practice labor mobilization as a method of workforce acquisition . It served the basis for the transition to the system of the organizational set through voluntary conclusion of individual agreements with enterprises, known since pre-war times. Under these conditions increased the value of the mass-raising, propaganda work. However, the shortage of workers at a strategically important enterprises of Donbass and enormous opportunities of the administrative-command system contributed to the preservation methods of strict administration. Serious problems that emerged in the organizational set were – failure to plan, high turnover of recruited through poor living conditions, poor work organization and roughness from direct management. In 40-es of the twentieth century, the organizational set only worked to replenish the labor force of the region. In the early 50-es, with the gradual saturation of the workforce of the industrial objects were created Stalin and Voroshilovgrad oblast recruitment office, which began to perform tasks on the organizational set for enterprises of the Urals and the Far East. Some hope in their implementation depended on the category of the amnestied people. At the same time there was a shift away from labour law of wartime.


Objective To observe the difference of influences on angiogenesis between Mahuang(Herba Ephedrae) and Wuweizi(Fructus Schisandrae) in rats with pulmonary fibrosis,and discuss the mechanism.Methods Wistar rats of SPF level(n=90) were chosen and divided randomly into the sham-operation group,model group,hydrocortisone group,Mahuang group,Wuweizi group and combined group of Mahuang and Wuweizi(combined group).The model of pulmonary fibrosis was established by using tracheal instillation of bleomycin A5(7 mg/kg).The sham-operation group was given normal saline solution intragastrically(6 mL/kg) for 28 days.Mahuang decoction or Wuweizi decoction were concentrated to the decoction with 1 g original medicinal in 1 mL.The Mahuang group was given Mahuang decoction intragastrically(5 g/kg) for 28 days,Wuweizi group was given Wuweizi decoction intragastrically(2.5 g/kg) for 28 days,combined group was given intragastrically Mahuang decoction(5 g/kg) for 7 days and then Wuweizi decoction(2.5 g/kg) until 28th days,and hydrocortisone group was injected intramuscularly hydrocortisone(20 mg/kg) for 28 days.The samples were collected on the 7th and 28th day.The content changes of endothelin-1(ET-1) and 6-Keto-PGF1a were detected by using radioimmunoassay,and pulmonary microvessel density(MVD) was observed by applying immunohistochemistry.Results On the 7th day,the plasma content of ET-1 increased in the model group compared with the sham-operation group(P0.05),and the content of 6-Keto-PGF1a increased too but had no significance compared with the sham-operation group.On the 28th day,the plasma content of ET-1 decreased significantly in the combined group and hydrocortisone group compared with the model group(P0.05).The content of 6-Keto-PGF1a increased in all medicinal groups on the 28th day than those on the 7th day.MVD in the model group was higher than that in the sham-operation group and all medicinal groups(P0.05),and the Mahuang group showed higher inhibitory effect in the angiogenesis of pulmonary arteriola than the Wuweizi group and combined group.Conclusion Mahuang has an active effect in the relief of lung coefficients in rats with pulmonary fibrosis.The combined use of Mahuang and Wuweizi has an inhibitory effect on the lesion of pulmonary arteriola.


The objective of the present work was to check the best medium and conditions for in vitro germination of pollen of Surinam cherry ( Eugenia uniflora ). Possibility of storage in freezer was also studied. The pollen was collected from flowers at balloon stage and immediately after anthesis in two populations of this species at Embrapa Clima Temperado Research Center, Pelotas, of state Rio Grande do Sul , Brazil. The tested media were the standard (10% sugar, plus 1% agar dissolved in distilled water), and the addition of two H 3 BO 3 concentrations (0.65 mM and 1.3 mM) to this medium. Incubation temperatures of 20, 25 and 30oC were tested. The best germination percentage was achieved after five hours incubating at 25°C. Boron did not influence the pollen germination of Surinam cherry. The pollen lost viability after 105 days of storage in freezer.


Sleep has great effect on physical health and quality of life. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is used in studying sleep process and recently, time–frequency transforms are increasingly utilised in EEG signal analysis. This study proposes an efficient method for sleep stages classification based on a time–frequency transform, namely Stockwell transform. In the introduced method, at first, the Stockwell transform is used to map each 30 s epoch of EEG signal into the time–frequency domains, which results in a complex-valued matrix. Then, the frequency domain is divided into different non-overlapping segments, leading to several matrices. After that, entropy features are extracted from the obtained matrices. In order to determine the sleep stage of each epoch, the computed features are applied to classifier. Support vector machine, weighted K-nearest neighbour, and ensemble bagged tree classifiers are considered. The Pz–Oz and Fpz–Cz channels of EEG signal from Sleep-EDF data set and C3–A2 channel from ISRUC-Sleep data set are used in this research. The results indicate that the proposed method outperforms the recently introduced methods.


By thermally treating a commercial cellulose in ethylene glycol, celluloses of controlled low degree of polymerization, DPr = 1000 to 70, can be derived. Two general behaviors are observed in the range studied. At first, the depolymerization reaction is predominant down to a DP equal to 130. Beyond this level, the depolymerization process leads to extensive solubilization of the cellulose. The treated celluloses have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction, FTIR, TGA, elemental analysis and enzymatic hydrolysis. No chemical change of the cellulose could explain the two different behaviors. A physical modification in the form of depolymerization and destructuration is suspected.

En traitant, a haute temperature, une cellulose commerciale dans l'ethylene glycol, on peut obtenir des celluloses de faibles degres de polymerisation: DPr = 1000 a 70. Dans le domaine etudie, on observe deux types de comportement. Tout d'abord, jusqu'a un DP egal a 130, la reaction de depolymerisation predomine; ensuite, en deca de cette valeur, le processus de depolymerisation entraine une importante solubilisation de la cellulose. Les celluloses traitees ont ete analysees par diffraction des rayons-X, FTIR, ATG, analyse elementaire et hydrolyse enzymatique. La difference des comportements ne s'explique pas par un changement chimique de la cellulose. Il pourrait y avoir une modification physique sous la forme d'une depolymerisation et d'une destructuration.


Received Jan 24, 2021 Revised Mar 23, 2021 Accepted Mar 29, 2021 The large-scale distribution of camera networks in the traffic area resulted in the increasing popularity of video surveillance systems. As pedestrian detection and tracking are the critical monitoring targets in traffic surveillance, many studies focus on pedestrian detection algorithms across cameras. This paper addressed the effect of using the age estimation based on deep convolution neural network (CNN) as a convenience for pedestrian monitoring who is crossing at intersections. Two popular deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) pre-trained models have been used in this work, which have recently achieved the best performance in facial features extraction tasks: VGG-Face and ResNet-50. We combined these two models to increase the efficiency of the proposed system. We ran our experiments to evaluate the system based on the VGGFace2 dataset consisting of 3.31 million face images. From the experimental results, we observed a gap in the detection performances between those age groups: children from (00-10) years and elderly with 55 years and more. Moreover, it noted that the proposed pedestrian age estimation model performance is high, also a good result can be obtained by using the model for new purpose.


The activity of the family and of the individual entreprises often benefits from the assistance of the members of the family. In general, it takes the form of a purely free help. But this situation will gradually end. Here are the principal reasons: fight against disguised work; moonlighting, fight against the work of children; fight against unfair competition and social dumping; fight for the financing of the social security by means of wage taxes.


Abstract A key is proposed for identifying the hairs of Italian Insectivora, Rodentia and Lagomorpha to the genera and species level using microscope analysis. The criteria used are: general morphology, scale cuticular pattern, cortex structure, medulla type, and shape in cross‐section. A new method of cross‐sectioning hair is illustrated.


A patient who received a patient‐activated pacemaker system for termination of paroxysmal, drug‐resistant, ventricular tachycardia is described. During the pre‐implant invasive electrophysiological (EP) study and the three post‐implant non‐invasive EP studies, tachycardias were easily and reproducibly terminated by two stimuli using the interval scanning mode. On the fourth day post‐implant, this pacing mode no longer terminated tachycardia at rest. A new pacing mode using more stimuli was then found to terminate the tachycardia reproducibly under various Physiological conditions. This case report demonstrates a spontaneous change in the tachycardia terminating window and the usefulness of versatility in antitachycardia pacemaker systems.


Transition to Pb-free has necessitated the requirement for study on the reliability of mixed assemblies. Mixed assemblies are bound to be used during the transition period and beyond the deadline as well. Processing and reliability issues with Pb-free manufacturing have forced the exemption of certain product categories from the legislations banning the use of lead. Hence, the use of mixed assemblies in electronics manufacturing is inevitable, wherein some assemblies will continue to use traditional eutectic Sn-Pb solder paste while others will use Pb-free solder paste. Beyond the deadline the assemblies that have been exempted from the lead-ban will continue to use the eutectic Sn/Pb paste while their component manufacturers may not be able to provide Sn/Pb components, the manufacturing lines will be either forced to completely shift to lead free or use lead-free components with Sn/Pb paste. The complete transition to lead-free may not be possible also due to temperature limitations of the device.So the industry is forced to use backward-compatible assemblies, whose reliability also needs to be established.


Objective:To study the relation of chest X-ray imaging and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) and lung cancer.Methods: Total of 265 cases with lung cancer were selected as case group and 550 cases without cancer as control group.The chest X-ray imaging of all cases were analy sed.Results: The chest X-ray imaging of cases with lung cancer showed that patients with the history of COPD such as chronic bronchitis,emphysema,pulmonary fibrosis,sililosis pneumoconiosis were significantly higher than control group(P0.05).Patients with the history of COPD had a higher risk of lung cancer.Conclusion: Patients with the history of COPD have a higher risk of lung cancer.


For many years, there was no effective treatment for severe chronic neutropenia. Patients were simply prescribed antibiotics, when they developed fever and infections. Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) dramatically changed this situation, when it became available for clinical studies in 1986. Soon thereafter evidence from small trials suggested that G-CSF was useful for treatment of cyclic, congenital, and idiopathic neutropenia. A randomized controlled trial then established that daily subcutaneous G-CSF, given in doses to achieve a blood neutrophil count of approximately 2.0 3 10/L, could reduce the occurrence of fever, mouth ulcers, infections, and antibiotic use in these patients [1]. Although this trial proved the efficacy of G-CSF therapy as a preventive therapy for severe chronic neutropenia, it did not provide precise guidelines for the best ways to care for these patients. In this issue of the Journal, Fioredda et al. [2] report consensus guidelines for therapy and follow-up of children with congenital and acquired neutropenia. The report is based on a careful review of the literature and grading the evidence in 59 reports by an expert panel of Italian hematologists. The evidence in these reports was scored by the experts on a scale of 1–9. Statements receiving a mean score that was greater than 7 were regarded as appropriate/necessary clinical practices. Statements about treatment are referenced, and the level of evidence and the level and strength of the consensus are also provided. The panel is to be commended for the careful way they conducted and presented these guidelines. Since 1994, another group, the Advisory Board for the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry (SCNIR or Registry), has also engaged in developing treatment recommendations and guidelines for these patients [3–7]. The Registry's efforts are based on data from patients enrolled in the original Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials and prospectively collected data from a much larger group of patients enrolled subsequently in the Registry. The board meets annually and communicates regularly about individual patients. Annually, the board reviews new and cumulative clinical observations, by diagnostic category, by specific/genetic diagnosis, and by geographic origin. It also discusses adverse events, reviews, and revises treatment recommendations, and periodically published reports from this longitudinal, observational study. The Italian report includes the reports and observations of the SCNIR and largely confirms its recommendations. This is important, because the SCNIR was originally sponsored by Amgen, a US manufacturer of G-CSF, and the physicians directing the SCNIR have a potential conflict of interest in making recommendations regarding this agent. By contrast, the expert panel for this report does not have this conflict, but it reached the same conclusions regarding G-CSF therapy based on its review of evidence. This report provides recommendations about several controversial issues that differ somewhat from the recommendations and statements for the SCNIR. For example, for patients with glycogen storage disease, the report does not mention the problem of severe splenomegaly, when these patients receive G-CSF therapy; the SCNIR advises physicians of this concern and advises using the lowest possible G-CSF dose to minimize this problem. The report advises that Shwachman–Diamond syndrome may be at greater risk of leukemic transformation and therefore advises ''on-demand'' G-CSF. The recommendation is not referenced, and the relationship of G-CSF treatment and the risk of leukemic transformation are not known. The SCNIR recommends continuous G-CSF for patients with severe neutropenia and recurrent fever and infections, regardless of the type of neutropenia. The report is also limited to children, but approximately half of the patients now in the SCNIR are now of adult age. The SCNIR makes recommendations for the continuum of ages, including both children and adults. Table 2 provides expert recommendations about the frequency of biochemical parameters and abdominal ultrasound; the SCNIR has not evaluated or made recommendations about these tests. Overall, however, these are minor points, and these guidelines are very useful for improving the care of patients with these rare hematological diseases.


Library of a university has a rich literature, and plays an important role in the education. By the analysis of freshmen reading psychology and reading needs, the service countermeasures are proposed, which are the construction of library materials, improving information level, reading guidance and reading communication of the students, in order to fully tap the function of the university library, and meet the reading needs of freshmen.


Traditional electromigration life testing is a time-consuming and often painful process, consuming many expensive samples and weeks of valuable time to collect enough data for a statistically significant conclusion. Annoying, to say the least, this often causes real problems in process development when cycle times of new products can often be measured in months. Therefore, there has been a strong incentive to search for alternatives.


Glioma patients frequently suffer from cognitive dysfunction potentially caused by tumor invasion or treatment effects. We hypothesized that cognitive functioning in pretreated glioma patients critically depends on the maintained structural connectivity of multiple brain networks. PATIENTS AND

 The study included 121 pretreated glioma patients (median age, 52 years; median ECOG score, 1; CNS WHO grade, 3 or 4) who had biopsy or resection plus chemoradiation as first-line therapy. Cognitive performance was assessed by ten tests in five main cognitive domains after a median time of 14 months (range, 1-214 months) after treatment initiation. Hybrid amino acid PET/MRI using the tracer O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine, a network-based cortical parcellation, and advanced tractography tools were used to generate whole-brain fiber count-weighted connectivity matrices. These matrices were applied to a machine learning-based model to identify predictive fiber connections, essential cortical nodes, and the networks underlying cognitive performance in the evaluated domains.

 Compared to healthy controls (n=121), the cognitive scores were significantly lower in nine cognitive tests. For each test, a subset of connections between nodes (median number, 254; range, 32-542) was identified whose fiber count sum was related to the actual scores in a linear model (median R2, 0.37; range, 0.16-0.44). Leave-one-out cross-validation confirmed the model's generalizability in 7 of 10 tests (median correlation coefficient for predicted vs. observed scores, 0.47; range, 0.39-0.57). Critically involved cortical regions (≥ 10 adjacent predictive edges) included predominantly left-sided cortical nodes of the visual, somatomotor, dorsal/ventral attention, and default mode networks. Highly critical nodes (≥ 15-20 edges) included the default-mode network's left temporal and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex.

 These results suggest that the cognitive performance of pretreated glioma patients is strongly related to structural connectivity between multiple brain networks and depends on the integrity of known network hubs also involved in other neurological disorders.


We investigate the memory of surface polariton (SP) via the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of quantum emitters doped at the interface between a dielectric and a metamaterial. We show that, due to the strong mode confinement provided by the interface, the EIT effect can be largely enhanced; furthermore, the storage and retrieval of the SP can be realized by switching off and on of a control laser field; additionally, the efficiency and fidelity of the SP memory can be improved much by using a weak microwave field. The results reported here are helpful not only for enhancing the understanding of SP property but also for promising applications in quantum information processing and transmission.


As a linear dimensionality reduction method, nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) has been widely used in many fields, such as machine learning and data mining. However, there are still two major drawbacks for NMF: (a) NMF can only perform semantic factorization in Euclidean space, and it fails to discover the intrinsic geometrical structure of high-dimensional data distribution. (b) NMF suffers from noisy data, which are commonly encountered in real-world applications. To address these issues, in this paper, we present a new robust structure preserving nonnegative matrix factorization (RSPNMF) framework. In RSPNMF, a local affinity graph and a distant repulsion graph are constructed to encode the geometrical information, and noisy data influence is alleviated by characterizing the data reconstruction term of NMF with -norm instead of -norm. With incorporation of the local and distant structure preservation regularization term into the robust NMF framework, our algorithm can discover a low-dimensional embedding subspace with the nature of structure preservation. RSPNMF is formulated as an optimization problem and solved by an effective iterative multiplicative update algorithm. Experimental results on some facial image datasets clustering show significant performance improvement of RSPNMF in comparison with the state-of-the-art algorithms.


In recent years computerised analysis methods have been developed for the determination of the distribution of adsorption energies on the surfaces of powders and precipitates from highly accurate experimental adsorption isotherms. An apparatus for the measurement of such isotherms has been constructed at Port Sunlight, and the iterative analysis method HILDA of House and Jaycock has been applied to the investigation of surface modifications of silica. The samples studied, Gasil I and TK800, are IUPAC surface-area standards and are available from the National Physical Laboratory. Results are given for a series of krypton isotherms, and the technique has been extended by the use of the nitrogen gas probe in the low-pressure range p/p0≈ 10–8–10–3, enabling the detection of the very high-energy regions of the surface. The high-energy heterogeneity analysis approach is shown to be sensitive to the surface changes of Gasil I induced by heat treatment in the range 423–1170 K, and yields distinctive surface-energy distribution functions for the xerogel and Aerosil silica types.


Background: In the FAIRLANE trial (NCT02301988) in early TNBC, adding the oral AKT inhibitor IPAT to neoadjuvant PAC led to numerical increases in rates of pathologic complete response (pCR; primary endpoint) and complete response by MRI in unselected patients, with a numerically greater treatment effect in patients with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered tumors [Oliveira et al., Ann Oncol 2019]. The IMpassion130 trial established the efficacy of first-line atezolizumab + nab-PAC in patients with PD-L1-positive advanced TNBC [Schmid et al., NEJM 2018]. Preliminary phase 1b results showed promising activity with a triplet combination of IPAT, atezolizumab, and taxane as first-line therapy for advanced TNBC across PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN and PD-L1 biomarker subgroups [Schmid et al., AACR 2019]. Using samples from the FAIRLANE trial, PD-L1 expression was characterized to evaluate relationships between IPAT treatment effect and expression of PD-L1 and biomarkers relevant to IPAT. Methods: Pretreatment tumor samples were evaluated for genomic alterations using the FoundationOne® assay (Foundation Medicine). Pretreatment PD-L1 status was determined using the SP142 immunohistochemistry assay (VENTANA Medical Systems), with PD-L1 positivity defined as PD-L1 expression on ≥1% of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were quantified using the Salgado method [Salgado et al., Ann Oncol 2015]. Gene expression was measured by RNA sequencing. Results: Samples were evaluable for genomic alterations in 144 patients, TILs in 135 patients, gene expression in 111 patients, and PD-L1 expression in 99 patients. The prevalence of PD-L1 positivity was 39%, consistent with the reported prevalence in IMpassion130. Compared with PD-L1-negative tumor samples, PD-L1-positive tumor samples showed significantly higher levels of TILs (mean 37% vs 24%; p=0.004) and significantly higher expression of the genes encoding for PD-L1 (CD274: geometric mean 10.5 vs 3.9 counts per million; p Citation Format: Matthew J Wongchenko, Mafalda Oliveira, Cristina Saura, Paolo Nuciforo, Isabel Calvo, Jay Andersen, Jose L Passos Coelho, Miguel Gil Gil, Begona Bermejo, Debra A Patt, Eva Ciruelos, Zhen Shi, Na Xu, Patricia Villagrasa, Aruna Mani, Steven J Isakoff. Expression of PD-L1 is independent of PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and is not associated with response to ipatasertib (IPAT) plus paclitaxel (PAC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-10-23.


Neighborhood selection is one of the most important link in low-dimensional representations of high-dimensional data sets. Also, a good distance measure among the data points is where the shoe pinches. In this paper, we use the cam weighted distance to find a more flexible neighborhood of a data point in a newly-created space of r-isomap algorithm. It is a major advantage of r-isomap to optimize the process of intrinsic structure of the local information in a data set. Short-circuit edges are reduced in a certain extent because of the relative transformation space which is constructed in r-isomap. Furthermore, we can get a well performance on both orientation and scale adaptive side, because we utilize the cam weighted distance to search the neighborhood of a data point. It has been proved that this distance measure is more efficient than the Euclidean distance. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed method can give better results on dimension reduction than r-isomap, Weighted Locally Linear Embedding (WLLE) and some other approaches on the data sets which have obvious classifications. Especially robust to data sets with noise.


Wet cleaning processes produce concentrates of higher moisture content than the commercial coals. The moisture content of coke-oven charge prepared in Ukrainian washeries is relatively high (9 to 10% after drying and 10 to 12% without drying). For normal coke-oven performance, the charge should contain no more than 7% moisture. Since the fine coal concentrate makes up more than half the entire charge (ca. 55%), the overall moisture content can best be lowered by improving its dewatering conditions. One promising procedure is the separate dewatering of fine concentrate and coarse slurry. In order to improve coal cleaning techniques by separately dewatering the fine concentrate and coarse slurry (13 to 1 mm size fraction), one must select the correct type of centrifuge and develop optimum dewatering conditions. Many coking plant washeries are currently equipped with type NVSh-1000 (VShP-92) centrifuges of the worm discharge type, but they have been found to have certain operating fauigh adsorption capacity) are generally met by brown coal low-temperature ompared with predictions using the hourly computer program. The concept of a lumped thermal network for predicting heat losses from in-ground heat storage tanks, developed earlier in the project, has beethe cased-hole log data from various companies andmore » additional comparison factors were calculated for the cased-hole log data. These comparison factors allow for some quantification of these uncalibrated log data.« less


We address the problem of finding the optimal policy of a constrained Markov decision process (CMDP) using a gradient descent-based algorithm. Previous results have shown that a primal-dual approach can achieve an $\mathcal{O}(1/\sqrt{T})$ global convergence rate for both the optimality gap and the constraint violation. We propose a new algorithm called policy mirror descent-primal dual (PMD-PD) algorithm that can provably achieve a faster $\mathcal{O}(\log(T)/T)$ convergence rate for both the optimality gap and the constraint violation. For the primal (policy) update, the PMD-PD algorithm utilizes a modified value function and performs natural policy gradient steps, which is equivalent to a mirror descent step with appropriate regularization. For the dual update, the PMD-PD algorithm uses modified Lagrange multipliers to ensure a faster convergence rate. We also present two extensions of this approach to the settings with zero constraint violation and sample-based estimation. Experimental results demonstrate the faster convergence rate and the better performance of the PMD-PD algorithm compared with existing policy gradient-based algorithms.


Saigle, Dubljevic, and Racine (2018) claim that Libet-style experiments are insufficient to challenge that agents have free will. They support this with evidence from experimental psychology that the folk concept of freedom is consistent with monism, that our minds are identical to our brains. However, recent literature suggests that evidence from experimental psychology is less than determinate in this regard, and that folk intuitions are too unrefined as to provide guidance on metaphysical issues like monism. In light of this, it is worthwhile to examine the authors' insufficiency claim under the assumption that monism is false and dualism true (our minds are not identical to our brains). We conclude that, were dualism true, then Libetstyle experiments would tell us no more about freedom and moral responsibility than what the authors initially claimed, thus further bolstering their point that Libet-style experiments are ill-suited to speak to the free will of agents. In what follows we first discuss some of the reasons to be skeptical of using folk intuitions to make claims about the nature of freedom and moral responsibility. We then draw from the work of E. J. Lowe to demonstrate that Libet-style experiments would likely give the same results regardless of the truth of monism or dualism.


Made in the mid-1990s this film imagines China capable of a more open discussion of homosexuality, here taking place within a political framework that is certainly not democratic, but in which the flow of power is not unidirectional: the ideas and practices of the powerful might transform through the love of those upon whom they exercise power. Two major themes interact: homosexuality (both morally despicable and a mental disorder) and sadomasochism (potentially transformative of subjectivities and social relations). Taking up a key medical humanities theme, the film challenges the moral condemnation and pathologising of 'other' sexual/gender practices. In its focus on the negotiation and contestation of the flows of power between a policeman and the gay man he arrests, on the latter's transvestism and femininity, the film speaks to a Foucauldian political struggle, in which power is not concentrated in, or deployed coercively by, one party alone. Running water, ever-present as an aural and visual trope, represents [sexual] power as diffuse, fluid and constitutive of subjects and subjectivities, enabling subversion and transformation of power relations. It reminds us of the ancient Daoist observation that flowing water wears down stone.


Oligodendrocyte myelination is essential for the proper function of the mammalian central nervous system. The generation of myelinating oligodendrocytes is regulated by complex but coordinated signals during CNS development. Recent discoveries of critical transcriptional regulators for oligodendrocyte differentiation and axonal signals for myelin sheath production have significantly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing oligodendrocyte myelinogenesis. This review highlights current perspectives on the origin of oligodendrocytes and the intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelinogenesis. Potential implications of myelin in health and disease are also explored. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


I construct a state space model with unawareness following Aumann (1976). Dekel, Lipman and Rustichini (1998a) show that standard state space models are incapable of representing unawareness. The model circumvents the impossibility result by endowing the agent with a subjective state space that differs from the full state space when he has the unawareness problem. Information is modeled as a pair, consisting of both factual information and awareness information. The model preserves the central properties of the standard information partition model.


In this paper, the effect of anhydrite on the cement-based self-leveling mortar performance was studied. The construction operation of mortar and its mechanical property testing were based on the standard JC/T 981-2005. The results showed that the anhydrite played a significant role on the performance of compressive strength and flexural strength. Furthermore, the best performance of dimensional change rate, abrasion resistance and adhesive strength was obtained with 8% anhydrite content. This study has guiding significance for the construction and application of cement-based self-leveling mortar.


The normed spaces over the fields with non-archimedean valuation were established by A. F. Monna [1. In this paper, we shall consider the quasi-normed spaces over the fields with non-archimedean valuation. Let K be a complete field with a non-archimedean valuation !!. We shall fix this field K throughout this paper. 1. General properties. Definition 1.1. Let E be a linear space over a field K. An application ]1 x ]] of x is called a non-archimedean (n.a.) quasi-norm with the power r if it satisfies the following axioms: 1. [Ix[I--0 if and only if x--O. 2. []x+y]l_max(][x[[, liY][)for all x, yeE. 3. ]]x]]--]]][x]] for eg and xE, (r real O<r<). Let llx][ be a n.a. quasi-norm with the power r and let d(x, y) =l[x--y[[, xE, yeE then d is the distance on E. A linear topological space which is defined by the distance d is called a n.a. quasi-normed space with the power r. Definition 1.2. Let E be a n.a. quasi-normed space with the power r and if E is complete with the distance d, E will be called a n.a. (QN) space with the power r. We can prove the usual properties of quasi-normed spaces in n.a. quasi-normed spaces by the same ways [2-4 and [5. Therefore we have the following theorems. Theorem 1.1. Let E be a n.a. (QN) space with the power r and N a closed subspace, then the quotient space E/N is a n.a. (QN) space with the power r. Theorem 1.2. If E is a n.a. quasi-normed space with the power r then the space may be regarded as a dense subspace of a n.a. (QN)


Several parameters have been used to correlate fatigue crack growth rates under mixed-mode conditions such as equivalent stress intensity factors, equivalent strain intensity factors, strain energy density, and the J-integral. Fatigue cracks can also deflect in new directions and branch into multiple cracks under mixed-mode loading conditions. References 2 and 3 discuss these complex fatigue crack growth issues in detail.


A rapid and efficient assay to determine melanin biosynthesis inhibition of Magnaporthe grisea, a causal agent of the rice blast, by chemicals was developed. Wells in 24-well plates were loaded with spore suspension of the fungus and three known melanin biosynthesis inhibitors of KC10017, tricyclazole, and carpropamid. Subsequent color changes of mycelia and culture media in the wells were observed 7 days after incubation. The wells treated with KC10017 (an inhibitor of polyketide synthesis step and/or pentaketide cyclization step) became colorless, whereas tricyclazole (an inhibitor of 1, 3, 8-trihydroxynaphthalene reductase) or carpropamid (an inhibitor of scytalone dehydratase)-treated wells exhibited red color. They did not show any inhibitory effect on fungal growth. The inhibition of reaction steps prior to 1, 3, 6, 8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene formation was easily determined by colorless medium and mycelia. However, it was impossible to distinguish between inhibition of reduction steps and inhibition of dehydration steps by colors of the cultures. It was accomplished through HPLC analysis of the melanin biosynthesis-involving pentaketide metabolites accumulated by the inhibitors. Through screening of a number of synthetic chemicals using the in vitro assay, we could find a novel chemical group of melanin biosynthesis inhibitor.


In the era of New Generation Networks (NWGN) many emerging and future enable technologies accomplish the requirements of ubiquitous communication networks. Mobile wireless sensor network (mWSN) is one of the rising and emerging technologies for various application of NWGN, the enormous concerns of these networks are data gathering with energy efficiency. Routing protocol act as middleware, which is responsible to enhance the network performance with less energy consumption. In this paper we propose, analyze and validate mobile data collector (MDC) based LEACH routing protocol for environmental application which is based on multi-hop routing strategy. MDC based LEACH routing protocol utilizes self-organized sensor nodes with distributed cluster formation technique, randomly selection of cluster heads to equally balance the energy consumption among the sensor nodes and finally forward the data to base station by the support of MDC. Moreover, our approach shows the significant improvement in terms of energy consumption of sensor nodes, enhance network lifetime and data gathering at base station are outperform when compared with LEACH protocol.

 Key words: Mobile wireless sensor networks, wireless sensor networks, network protocol, cluster based routing, data gathering technique.


This article has as objective to evaluate the potentiality of the V of Gowin as a strategy of metacognitive mediation in high school education, with the purpose of improving the processes related to the preparation, development and evaluation of the practical works of the chemistry laboratory. The theoretical support makes reference to the concepts: metacognition and experience of the interceded learning. The qualitative methodological approach, focused on the Educational Etnography and the Simple Study of Cases, allowed the recollection of information for three academic moments taking into account the participating observation techniques, in-depth interview and raised-voice thoughts. For the data analysis, the work followed the steps of the Continuous Comparative Method. Among the conclusions, it remarks that the use of the V of Gowin aids the gesticulation and self-regulation of reflexive thinking before, during and after the experimental activities.


The verification of Java programs is a difficult task, especially with components like the Security Manager which modify the semantic of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). To model this invasive behaviour the Security Manager can be implemented as an aspect component, using AspectJ. In this paper we describe a framework for static verification of Java programs containing AspectJ advices specified with Pipa and we instanciate it over a case study, the Security Manager. The framework is built around a weakest precondition calculus over Java bytecode using guarded commands. It has an advice weaving semantic which is correct against AspectJ advice weaving semantic.


Describes a process for converting a heavy hydrocarbon feed having an initial boiling point of at least 300 ° C comprising the steps of: a) a step hydroconversion of at least a portion of said load; b) the effluent from separation step from step a) to obtain a light liquid fraction and a heavy liquid fraction; c) at least two steps in series deasphalting at least a portion of the heavy liquid fraction from step b) to separate at least one fraction asphalt, at least one heavy deasphalted oil fraction, called heavy DAO and at least one oil fraction called light DAO light deasphalted, at least one of said steps of deasphalting being carried out using a mixture of at least one polar solvent and at least one non-polar solvent, said steps being deasphalting implemented in subcritical conditions of the mixture of solvents used; d) a step of recycling at least a portion of said heavy deasphalted oil DAO heavy cutting said end of step c) upstream of step a) hydroconversion and / or at the inlet of step b) separation.


With the increase in the levels of on-chip integration, the number of functional units integrated onto a single chip is rapidly increasing and as a result, the logic delays are decreasing due to faster transistors. At the same time, the local interconnect delays improve because the physical size of the circuit blocks decrease and the local interconnect spans shorter distances. On the other hand, the global interconnect delay increases with the technology scaling. Multiple design criteria are considered during the interconnect design process, such as delay, power, bandwidth and noise. Performance of any VLSI circuit depends on the bandwidth, as it decreases with the increase in the length of interconnects. Depending on the frequency range of operation, on-chip interconnect can be modelled as lumped and/or distributed RC line for low frequency and as a distributed RLC segments for high frequency. At even higher frequency, of the order of above 10GHz, the shunt conductance needs to be considered for accurate interconnect modelling. In this paper, on-chip interconnect has been modelled as distributed RLCG transmission lines, based on which a crosstalk aware bandwidth estimation method has been proposed in the transform domain in the presence of both inductive as well as capacitive coupling. First, the amount of crosstalk noise that would be induced on the victim line due to the transiting aggressor line has been analytically derived and then from the crosstalk noise voltage, a closed form expression for bandwidth has been proposed for distributed RLCG VLSI interconnects. The calculated bandwidth has been compared with the results obtained from that of SPICE simulation. The simulation shows that the proposed model could result an average error of as low as 15% when compared to the SPICE simulation.


In this review, we describe salient features of a few of the newer entities recognized in the fifth edition of World Health Organization (WHO) classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumors. While most of these have been offshoots of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation profiling of CNS tumors with distinct profiling such as desmoplastic myxoid tumor (DMT) of the pineal region, SMARCB1-mutant, these also demonstrate subtle, distinct morphological features, which should be carefully searched for to diagnose them.


Network mobility management has become a popular topic in networking research due to its ability to mitigate mobile IPv6 problems. However the standard network mobility management does not support multicast traffic. Hence in this paper, we introduce context transfer and multicast fast reroute, to enable multicast in the standard network mobility management. This implementation enables multicast in network mobility management with high handover performance support. This paper evaluates handover performance for multicast enabled network mobility management using network simulator called NS3. NS3 is a network simulator that implements virtual network prototype. By using the virtual network entities provided by the NS3, the proposed network mobility management architecture is simulated and its activity is analyzed. The parameters used are referred to real network implementation.


We demonstrate the synergistic catalysis of a silica-supported diaminopalladium complex and a tertiary amine (SiO2/diamine/Pd/NEt2) as well as synthetic scope of the Tsuji–Trost reaction of 1,3-dicarbonyls, phenols, and carboxylic acids with allyl carbonate and acetates. The synergistic catalysis of SiO2/diamine/Pd/NEt2 exhibited wide applicability and high activity for the Tsuji–Trost reaction. For example, the reaction of ethyl 3-oxobutanate with allyl methyl carbonate afforded the allylated product in >99% yield at 70 °C for 5 h. The yield of allylated products was 26% for SiO2/diamine/Pd, without immobilization of the tertiary amine group. In the reaction of 1.0 mmol of ethyl 3-oxobutanate using 0.60 μmol of Pd in SiO2/diamine/Pd/NEt2, the turnover number (TON) of Pd reached up to 1070 within 24 h. Phenols with electron-withdrawing groups, such as nitro and chloro groups, on the para position resulted in high product yields. The SiO2/diamine/Pd/NEt2 catalyst was reusable at least 4 times without appreciable loss of its activity and selectivity in the reaction of p-chlorophenol.


Conceptual change is a popular, contemporary conception of meaningful learning. Conceptual change describes changes in conceptual frameworks (mental models or personal theories) that learners construct to comprehend phenomena. Different theories of conceptual change describe the reorganization of conceptual frameworks that results from different forms of activity. We argue that learners' conceptual frameworks (mental models or personal theories) resulting from conceptual change are most acutely affected by model-based reasoning. Model-based reasoning is engaged and fostered by learner construction of qualitative and quantitative models of the content or phenomena they are studying using technology-based modelling tools. Model building is a powerful strategy for engaging, supporting, and assessing conceptual change in learners because these models scaffold and externalize internal, mental models by providing multiple formalisms for representing conceptual understanding and change. We demonstrate the processes and products of building models of domain content, problems, systems, experiences, and thinking processes using different technology-based modelling tools. Each tool provides alternative representational formalisms that enable learners to qualitatively and quantitatively model their conceptual frameworks.


An interchangeable lens (second interchangeable lens) is disclosed which allows a protruding amount from a mount reference surface of the interchangeable lens to be increased. The second interchangeable lens has a protruding portion protruding from a mount reference surface toward an image plane, has a larger protruding amount than the first interchangeable lens and has the same flange back as the first interchangeable lens. The first camera prevents mounting of the second interchangeable lens by the protruding portion of the second interchangeable lens contacting the first wall portion. The second camera includes a second wall portion provided at a position retreated from the protruding portion. The second camera includes a rotatable mirror member, and the rotation center of the mirror member is positioned on the opposite side of a finder optical system with respect to a plane including an in-plane direction of the mirror member.


Recently, the requirements of the international standards to the system of the enterprise management dramatically increased. The purpose is to specify the essence, concept, goals, and the tasks of the international standards, and the field of study is the system of the international norms. The international standartization allows using the scientific-technical potential of the developed countries, promotes the mutual exchange of the scientific-technical information, accelerates the technological advancement of the countries participating in the work of the international organizations as well


To study the amount of fluorine emission from the combustion of the steam coal (mainly Permo-Carboniferous coal) from the North China Plate and Northwest China, the fluorine contents of the coal, the fly ash and the cinder in high-temperature power stations as well as mid-low temperature power stations have been analyzed. This note provides a rough estimate of the total annual amount of fluorine emission as well as emission ratio from steam coal combustion in China. Our results show that by combustion of 1 t of Permo-Carboniferous coal (containing roughly 100 g fluorine), high-temperature power stations emit roughly 90 g fluorine into the atmosphere. The fluorine emission ratio of coal combustion in high-temperature power stations is about 96% and that in mid-low temperature power stations is about 78%. A total of 800 million tons of coal is burnt in China every year, and the coal comes mainly from Permo-Carboniferous deposite in the North China Plate and Northwest China coal mines. Taking the average fluorine content of the coal used at a low value of 100 mg/kg, the total annual fluorine emission from steam coal combustion into the atmosphere is estimated to be 66398 t.


In this paper, we propose a deep reinforcement learning(DRL) algorithm which combines Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) with expert demonstrations and supervised loss for decision making for autonomous driving. Training DRL agent with supervised learning is adopted to accelerate the exploration process and increase the stability. A supervised loss function is introduced in the algorithm to update the actor networks. In addition, reward construction is combined to make the training process more stable and efficient. The proposed algorithm is applied to a popular autonomous driving simulator called TORCS. The experimental results show that the training efficiency and stability are improved by utilizing our algorithm in autonomous driving.


During the last few years, the discussion about when and how to use diagnostic biopsies in renal tumors, has gained more attention throughout the urologic community. In fact, in 2015, the European Association of Urology (EAU) put this question up in a plenary session at their annual congress. The question, however, is not a new one. In the first volume of the Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology, von Schreeb was the first author of two papers discussing different aspects of diagnostic puncture in regard to renal tumors [1,2]. Even though von Schreed et al. used cytology based on the methods described by Franz en et al. [3], they concluded with a close correlation between the cytological specimens and final histopathology [1]. They also, based on their materials, concluded with a low risk of metastatic spread by a diagnostic puncture [1,2]. For many years, the role of renal tumor biopsy was limited, and this was actually stated as a fact in the EAU guidelines as late as in 2009. The reasons for this were plural, including disagreement on how to perform the biopsies and on the diagnostic yield of the procedure. However, with the increase in diagnosis of smaller tumors in older age groups and the introduction of ablative treatments and active surveillance for renal tumors, the interest for diagnostic biopsies was vitalized. In 2012, Volpe et al. [4] published a comprehensive review on the rationale for renal tumor biopsies. The authors conclude that renal tumor biopsies in specialized centers have a good diagnostic yield. A literature review from 2008 showed that the positive and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of malignancy were 97.5% and 82%, respectively. The overall sensitivity and specificity was 92.5 and 89.7%, respectively [5]. Regarding correct grading of the tumors, the results for biopsies are poorer, with an accuracy about 70% [4]. Finally, both the morbidity of the procedure and the risk of tumor cell seeding is low [4]. In the latest EAU guideline on RCC, the emerging role of renal biopsies is evident. There are now several graded recommendations for when and how to perform such [6].


Background Although norepinephrine induces cardiac hypertrophy by activating protein kinase A and C through β- and α 1 -adrenoceptors, respectively, protein kinase A has been reported to inhibit cell growth in many other cell types. Methods and Results To elucidate the molecular mechanism of norepinephrine-induced hypertrophic responses, we examined the effects of protein kinase A and protein kinase C on the activities of raf -1 kinase and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and on protein synthesis rates using cultured cardiomyocytes of neonatal rats. Norepinephrine-induced activation of MAP kinases was partially inhibited by either an α 1 -adrenoceptor blocker (prazosin) or a β-adrenoceptor blocker (propranolol) and was completely abolished by both blockers. Both a β-adrenoceptor agonist, isoproterenol, and an α 1 -adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine, increased the activities of raf -1 kinase and MAP kinases and phenylalanine incorporation into proteins. Furthermore, isoproterenol and phenylephrine synergistically activated these kinases and protein synthesis. Similar synergistic activation of MAP kinases was observed when other protein kinase A–activating agents such as forskolin, dibutyryl cAMP, and isobutylmethylxanthine were used with a protein kinase C–activating agent at the same time. Chelation of extracellular Ca 2+ completely abolished isoproterenol- and phenylephrine-evoked MAP kinase activation. Conclusions Norepinephrine activates the raf -1 kinase/MAP kinase cascade through both α 1 - and β-adrenergic stimulation, and signaling pathways from the two receptors synergistically induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.


The effects of uniform suction and injection on the linear stability theory of laminar natural convection boundary layer flow along a vertical porous flat plate which is maintained at a constant temperature are studied. The nonsimilar boundary layer equations for the basic steady flow have been solved numerically employing a very efficient finite difference scheme in combination with an iterative method for solving the resulting ordinary differential equations. The temporal neutral stability theory for wavelike disturbances of Tollmien-Schlichting type are then presented for the velocity and temperature functions. The corresponding eigenvalue problem for the disturbance amplitude functions is also solved numerically using a very accurate method. Results are presented graphically for both the basic and disturbance velocity and temperature profiles for some values of the modified local Grashof number G and suction or injection parameter X. The Prandtl number Pr is taken to be 0.73 (air) throughout this paper.