Helicobacter pylori is responsible for gastric cancer in approximately tens of millions of patients. Gastric cancer in Sudan represents one of the top causing death among cancers with about 686 cases per year and a 2.7 % mortality rate. IL-1RN VNTR polymorphism has been reported to increase the risk of gastric cancer.The purpose of this study was to assess the association of the 86 bp VNTR polymorphism of IL- 1RN gene and the susceptibility to H. pylori infection and gastric cancer in the Sudanese population.Genomic DNA was extracted from 114 subjects. Of whom 60 had gastritis and duodenitis, 26 had a peptic ulcer, 16 had gastric cancer and 12 had normal gastroscopy findings. H. pylori infection was investigated by specific 16S rRNA. And IL-1RN VNTR polymorphism at intron 2 was genotyped using the PCR method and direct sequencing for random samples.The positive H. pylori infection rate among participants was 47.37%. There is a lack of a significant difference in IL- 1RN genotype with H. pylori infection (p-value=1.0000). The IL-1 RN L/L genotype was significantly more frequent in a patient with benign disorders (gastritis or duodenitis or peptic ulcer), Odd=6.000 (95% CI =1.750-20.57, P=0.0056). While the heterozygote genotype 2/L was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer with OR = 12.83 (95% CI = 1.261-130.6, P=0.0302).Independently carriage of IL-1RN *2 allele was associated with increased risk of gastric cancer in the Sudanese population. Notwithstanding the relatively small sample size of the study population, our findings show that the host genetic can be a useful tool for identifying high-risk individuals among dyspeptic patients; and also underscore the role played by host genetics in gastric carcinogenesis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Sudan concerning this issue.


Summary With the aim to estimate the sensibility, specificity, predictive values and Mortality Information System (SIM) agreement, in matching to the investigation of maternal death, all the deaths of women aged 10 through 49 years, recorded in 2004 in the SIM as residents in the Municipality of Belem, capital of the State of Para, Brazil, were investigated. The research revealed a 75% of SIM sensitivity regarding detection of those maternal deaths, and that, being impossible to investigate all the deaths of women in childbearing age, the investigation of those deaths classified as presumable and declared, according to the criteria and definitions used in the study, was sufficient to identify all the maternal deaths. Fields 43 and 44 of the death certificate (DO) were well filled out, revealing 91% of concordance to the investigation. This study confirms the need to investigate those deaths aiming to improve the quality of the information on maternal mortality.


The way in which the article is constructed is that one particular assignment is described in outline first, as a case history. This is Part I. Then, in Part II, this assignment is reviewed, with particular reference to the typical consultancy processes at each stage, from the first process of actually getting asked in, to the final withdrawal process.


To understand why EHRs have the trouble they do, you need to understand the concepts of context and metadata. Here's help.


Traditionally, monsoon teleconnections are measured in terms of the strength of a simultaneous linear relationship. Such associative metrics do not quantify precipitation variations through physical parameters directly related to the moisture budget of the atmosphere. In this study, for the first time, we develop a linear model for the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) based on surface pressure over regions surrounding it and sea surface temperature (SST) forcing from tropics and midlatitude. This surface pressure acts as a dynamical link between SST forcing and convective processes over the Indian region, which was missing in previous studies. We also use this novel approach to understand the ISMR prediction skill in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2). We find that the interannual variability of ISMR does not rely solely on tropical processes, but the midlatitude phenomenon also plays a crucial role in modulating it. The model, however, derived most of its variability from the ENSO mode. The understated midlatitude forcing in the model can be attributed to its low prediction skill.


The Game of Life (Life) is one of the most famous cellular automata. The main purpose of this article is to present a network representation of Life as an application of the approach proposed in our previous papers. This network representation has made it possible to investigate Life using a network theory. Some well-known Life patterns are illustrated by using the corresponding clustered networks. The visualization of Life's rest state reveals the underlying tension as a complex network. The typical network parameters show the characteristics of Life as a Wolfram's class IV rule. In particular, the in-degree distribution of the derived network from a Life's rest state shows a scale-free nature, which could be related to the evidence of self-organized criticality.


Matching of occluded objects is a difficult problem. Moreover, the problem is more difficult when scale-invariant matching is needed. A scale invariant representation is essential for this application. In this paper, we propose using the wavelet transform of a boundary to obtain a scale-invariant representation. We use the cubic B-spline as a smoothing function of the wavelet transform since the B-spline is analytically well defined and simple to implement. We implement the fast continuous wavelet transform by using a dyadic wavelet decomposition and dilated B-splines. As a result of using the wavelet transform, we obtain boundaries at various scales while using a small number of data points. The existing scale-space image approaches are not effective for occluded object matching since they use a normalized x-axis and too many data points. We propose a new scale-invariant representation similar to the scale-space image. The representation is generated by locating zero-crossings of the curvature function of boundaries at only the scales where the number of zero-crossings is changing. We scale the x-axis for each scale instead of using the same normalization for all scales. The proposed representation is scale-invariant and appropriate for scale-invariant matching with occlusion.


Ambiguity is in each language, and there is no exception in Englis h. If we can make full use of it in English teaching of vocational colleges,it is possible to combine education with pleasure as well as to stimulate and enhance the students' interest in English learning.


In its stipulantions for the church in its actions against or with the other institutions and societies in society, the order of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) is unique among reformed churches. Two main principles guide these stipulations of the DRC-CO. The first one is that such a society or organization should be based on Christian principles and be able to show it convincingly in practice. The second one is that the well-known principle used in Neo-Calvinistic thought namely that of "souvereignty in its own sfere" should be used to normalize such relations. Nearly the same articles in the same words with regard to the church, society and free societies have remained now for over 50 years in an ever changing church order.


Hepatitis B is caused by infection with pandemic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and has a serious impact on blood safety worldwide. Active immunization is an efficient preventive measure particularly in countries with medium and high HBV prevalence. However, as long as only some countries have started immunization programmes for their younger population and escape mutants occur, stringent donor selection and testing is presently the only approach to reduce the risk of transfusion transmitted HBV infections. Surrogate testing for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) has shown its limitations and has mostly been discontinued especially since sensitivity and specificity of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) tests have been continuously improved. However, there remains a significant risk by donations from freshly infected donors who have not yet developed detectable HBsAg levels and donations by donors with occult infection that are HBsAg‐negative but HBV DNA‐positive. Nucleic acids amplification technology (NAT) has been applied primarily to close the diagnostic window between HBV infection and HBsAg detection and has shown to be effective either in testing donor samples in mini‐pools or by individual donation (ID) testing. It has also been shown that mini‐pool NAT may not be sufficiently sensitive to identify occult chronic carriers who show very low virus concentrations in their plasma. For those chronically infected donors, highly sensitive mini‐pool NAT with specific enrichment procedures and ID NAT may be required. Anti‐HBc testing would be the most sensitive approach resulting in highest yield rates for occult carriers. However, for medium and high prevalence countries, deferral rates would be extremely high with negative effects on the blood supply. Inactivation would be a reasonable alternative but at very high costs and is presently not applicable to all blood components. Future scenarios will most probably be diverse, depending on the prevalence in a given country, its resources and the vaccination status of its population.


The structure and water exchange mechanism of hexahydrated Ti(III), its hydrolysis, and the water exchange mechanism of analogous hydroxo−aqua complexes have been studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Isolated metal−aqua and metal−hydroxo clusters corresponding to the gas-phase (T = 0 K) were used to approximate the model reactions. The structure of [Ti(H2O)6]3+ was found to have Ci symmetry and Ti−O bond lengths of 2.094 A. The water exchange reaction of this complex follows an (almost) limiting A mechanism with an energy of activation of 15.8 kcal mol-1. The hydrolysis of hexahydrated Ti(III) was modeled by an in vacuo proton-transfer process between water molecules of the first and second coordination spheres of [Ti(H2O)6]3+·H2O. This process was found to be activationless and leads to the unusually stable dication:cation pair [Ti(H2O)5(OH)]2+·H3O+, which is lower in energy than the reactant by 4.5 kcal mol-1. Only a weak structural influence, indicated by a slight increase in the...


Problem statement: Optical Packet Switching (OPS) and transmission networks based on Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) have been increasingly deployed in the Internet infrastructure over the last decade in order to meet the huge increasing demand for bandwidth. Several different technologies have been developed for optical packet switching such as space switches, broadcast-and-select, input buffered switches and output buffered switches. These architectures vary based on several parameters such as the way of optical buffering, the placement of optical buffers, the way of solving the external blocking inherited from switching technologies in general and the components used to implement WDM. Approach: This study surveys most of the exiting optical packet switching architectures. A simulation-based comparison of input buffered and output buffered architectures were presented. Results: The performance analysis of the selected two architectures derived using simulation program and compared at different scenarios. We found that the output buffered architectures give better performance than input buffered architectures. Conclusion: The simulation results shows that the-broadcast-and-select architecture is attractive in terms that it has lees number of components compared to other switches.


The melt viscosity of fractionated and unfractionated polyethylenes at low shear rates have been measured in the temperature range 140–280°C. The melt index is not an adequate measure of melt viscosity determined at low shear rate. From melt viscosity and intrinsic viscosity determinations on fractions an estimate of the degree of long-chain branching can be made. From viscosity measurements at several temperatures between 140 and 280°C. values of the apparent activation energy for fractionated and unfractionated polyethylenes were obtained. The activation energy increases from 8 to 13 kcal. as the weight-average molecular weight increases about 20,000 to about 200,000.


The purpose of this critical review of the literature is threefold: (a) to provide an in-depth description of the literature on the psychosocial development of women; (b) to assess the extent to which alternative developmental models for women have emerged; and (c) to critique the soundness of the research and suggest possibilities for future study and practice. Three kinds of studies which address these issues are reviewed: literature in which authors analyzed or conceptualized the psychosocial development of women, empirical investigations of developmental issues with all-female samples, and material which explored possibilities for future research and practice. From this critical review, three major themes emerged: Diverse and non-linear patterns of development characterized by discontinuities and periods of stability and transition are the norm for women; intimacy and identity are key issues throughout women's lives; and importance of relationships and a sense of connectedness to others are central to the overall dvelopmental process. Although these themes are drawn from both the conceptual and empirical work, these observations, due to the nature of the review and the limitations of the empirical studies, are not generalizable to all women.


Ecological city construction plays a major role in achieving a sustainable and healthy city development. To facilitate the deep understanding of ecological city development condition and its construction process, the following studies were carried out in this paper: a comprehensive evaluation index system was firstly established based on DPSIR-TOPSIS model. The paper then went on to examine the spatial distribution status of ecological city construction according to the clustering results of coordination degree. Obstacle parameter analysis was conducted using obstacle degree model to study ecological construction level in 34 ecological cities. The result showed that: the ecological construction condition of a city in central and coastal area stayed at high level; Good coupling coordination degree among the five factors of DPSIR was found in The Pearl River Delta and The Yangtze River Delta; Driving force and Impact systems that highly affect city ecological construction in western and northern area, while ecological construction in cities like Lanzhou and Xining approached to the state of preliminary coordination. In general, ecological city construction in China is showing a constant improvement. However, cities of high-level coordination are still short-numbered.


This study mainly investigates finite-time multi-switching synchronisation of multiple uncertain complex chaotic systems with network transmission mode. Both the unknown parameters and disturbances are considered. By establishing the desired multi-switching rules, the definition of finite-time hybrid synchronisation for multi-systems is first given. Then, sliding mode control approach is used to design the synchronisation controllers, which guarantee that any states of each drive system can synchronise the expected states of every response system in finite time. Simultaneously, the adaptive laws effectively estimate the unknown parameters and the unknown constants of disturbances. Finally, simulation example and analysis display the correctness and effectiveness of all innovations.


that are needed to operationalize the WEF nexus and bring to effect these deep systemic changes. The outcomes of this paper can inform policy makers at local and national level and support the drawing of improved policies and decisions that foster a fair and sustainable allocation of resources, thus accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.


The protests that rocked the streets of Tehran and some other major Iranian cities in 2009, gradually coming to be known collectively as the Green Movement, were triggered after the official announcement of that year's presidential election result. This article will demonstrate how key features of the Green Movement – including the mass participation of youth, women and university students – were rooted in sociopolitical changes that occurred in Iran in the late 1990s and 2000s. The article argues that the Green Movement should be viewed as a reformist movement which sought to implement certain reforms in Iranian society – an agenda also pursued by its leaders – rather than a revolutionary movement seeking to overthrow the Islamic Republic.


Citizens' interaction with governments is an area with unique implications for channel management. Governments need to take the citizens perspective into further consideration in order to be succes ...


Modern tools for visualization of information can be very helpful for data analysis and discovery of patterns in data. The paper describes a framework for documenting of findings using freehand drawings on top of the displays representing data. These drawings or marks become a basis for the annotations of the analyzed information. The marks are used to designate patterns in data and to refer to data elements with interesting characteristics. A model of data visualization is described that allows encoding of marks in terms of the presented information. This brings independence of marks from the specifics of visualizing methods - the marks are adapted according to changes of the way the data is presented. Such representation of marks also gives the possibility for the system to provide the user with information and statistics about the data referred by marks and to initiate visualizations showing the referred data in other perspectives.


Chemists and druggists working in "medical shops" play a significant part in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in resource poor countries. In some settings, chemists and druggists are consulted for first line treatment of STI symptoms more often than hospitals and clinics designed specifically to service such clients. Recent unpublished data from Pokhara, Nepal, suggest that in up to 80% of cases, treatment provided by chemists and druggists was inappropriate or incomplete. We report here on the quality of STI case management among a random sample of chemists and druggists from the 75 medical shops in Pokhara Municipality Area, Nepal. Chemists and druggists working in all Pokhara medical shops, 65% of whom had received previous training in the national STD case management guidelines, based on WHO syndromic algorithms, were trained and motivated to initiate a register of all STI client visits and their treatment. Registry data from January to December 1999 were reviewed. Thirty seven registered medical shops were randomly selected for visits using the simulated client method (SCM) presenting 22 urethral discharge (UD) and 15 vaginal discharge (VD) scenarios. Of the 6374 STI cases (68% female, 32% male), 22% presented with urethral discharge, 31% with vaginal discharge, 21% with genital ulcer disease, and 26% with pelvic inflammatory disease. Seventy per cent of STI shop clients were making their first contact for care, while 14% were coming to buy STI drugs with a prescription from a private clinic and 16% from a government facility. Based on SCM visits, only 24% of shops dispensed the correct medication and dosage for treatment of UD and VD, as specified in the national guidelines. Frequency of dispensing either an overdosage or an incomplete dosage of the correct medication was the same (both 5%). In 43% of cases, chemists and druggists offered treatment that was incompatible with national guidelines, including drugs not meant for UD or VD treatment. Finally, in 22% of cases no medication was dispensed (fig 1). While over 95% of SCM clients were made to feel welcome, given a private consultation, and were asked about their health history, risk counselling was conducted only 57% of the time, partner notification occurred in 43% of cases, and condom use was promoted in only 35% of cases. Seventy per cent of clients visiting medical shops for STI treatment in Pokhara Municipality Area in 1999 were there for first line treatment—findings in agreement with a recent study conducted in Ghana, which found that over 60% of STI clients came to pharmacies without a prescription. Although positive privacy and welcoming practices make medical shops a valuable outlet for STI treatment, only one quarter of chemists and druggists in Pokhara Municipality Area correctly dispensed medication for the treatment of UD or VD. While these data do not permit analysis of whether trained versus untrained providers were better at prescribing practices, it is clear that training efforts need to be expanded and intensified to improve STI control in this region.


Chimowitz MI, Lynn MJ, Howlett-Smith H, et al . Comparison of warfarin and aspirin for symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis. N Engl J Med 2005;352:1305–16.

[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4]

 Q In patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis, how does aspirin compare with warfarin?

Clinical impact ratings GP/FP/Primary care ★★★★★★☆ IM/Ambulatory care ★★★★★★☆ Neurology ★★★★★★★ Cardiology ★★★★★★☆

### ![Graphic][5] Design:

randomised controlled trial (Warfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease [WASID] Trial).

### ![Graphic][6] Allocation:

concealed.*

### ![Graphic][7] Blinding:

blinded (patients and outcome assessors).*

### ![Graphic][8] Follow up period:

mean 1.8 years.

### ![Graphic][9] Setting:

59 sites in North America.

### ![Graphic][10] Patients:

569 patients ⩾40 years of age (mean age 64 y, 61.5% men) with transient ischaemic attack or non-disabling stroke in the previous 90 days caused by 50–99% stenosis of a major intracranial artery and a modified Rankin score ⩽3. Exclusion criteria included tandem 50–99% stenosis of the extracranial carotid artery, non-atherosclerotic stenosis of an intracranial artery, and a cardiac source of embolism.

### ![Graphic][11] Intervention:

aspirin, 1300 mg/day (n = 280), or warfarin, 5 mg/day initial dose, which was adjusted to achieve an international normalised ratio (INR) of 2.0–3.0 (n = 289).

### ![Graphic][12] Outcomes:

primary composite endpoint of ischaemic stroke, brain hemorrhage, and death from vascular causes other than stroke; and adverse events.

### ![Graphic][13] Patient follow up:

98% (intention to treat analysis).

Aspirin and warfarin did not differ for …

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As one of the most critical infrastructures in the nation, the asset utilization efficiency and reliable operation of power system are major concerns for the electric utilities and other stakeholders. The implementation of new smart grid technologies helps offer more flexible operation modes for the power system. Demand side management could improve the adequacy of power systems by regulating energy consumption pattern and shaving the peak load. Novel network topology optimization strategies can promote the utilization efficiency of transmission systems and relieve the transmission congestions by optimizing the network reconfiguration. Both technologies could make contributions to the improvement of power system reliability levels by enabling a better utilization of existing assets. However, traditional reliability evaluation studies incorporating demand response are all based on fixed network topology. So the overall impact of combined demand side management and network reconfiguration has not been studied as of yet. In this paper, multiple demand side management programs and network topology optimization model are integrated in a composite reliability evaluation framework. Case studies are performed on a modified RTS-79 system. The results of case studies verify the effectiveness of the coordination between two technologies in enabling composite power system reliability enhancement.


We report a digitally-driven switching-mode amplifier using GaN devices in Voltage-Mode Class D operation, for use at 465 MHz (the recently designated frequency for LTE Band 31). The amplifier is fabricated as an integrated circuit including output devices and drivers. The output circuit employs two stacked GaN FETs; a bootstrap-drive configuration is used in order to increase the driver-stage efficiency for the uppermost GaN FET. The GaN VMCD amplifier achieves peak power-added efficiency of 66.6%, and an output power of 3.3W. At 6dB power backoff, power-added efficiency of 36.3% is achieved. These power-added efficiency values are the highest for reported GaN VMCD amplifiers at a commercial wireless frequency.


This paper presents the experimental investigation of on-body radio propagation channel utilizing textile monopole antenna at 2.45GHz. The measurement campaign was carried out in the anechoic chamber, considering stationary movement of the human body. The position of the transmitted antenna was flxed on the right of the upper arm of the human body and the received antenna was varied on several difierent potential on-body locations for body-centric wireless communication (BCWC) applications. The investigation was aimed to characterize the re∞ection coe-cient and path loss of on-body radio channel when the antenna was placed in the vicinity of human body. A statistical analysis of path loss was also performed. The results showed that the measured re∞ection coe-cient of four on-body positions experienced an upward frequency shift at a minimum of 0.2% compared to the simulated results due to the body coupling efiect. In the anechoic chamber, the highest path loss was found for right upper arm-left ankle link while the lowest path loss was observed on the right upper arm-right chest link, proving that the closer a received antenna to the transmitted antenna, the better signal reception will be obtained. Based on the measurement results, it could be seen that the lognormal distribution flts very well to the on-body radio channel for narrowband frequency.


The primary trigger for myocardial infarction and stroke is destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. It has been hypothesized that the shear strain, induced in the adventitial layer by the pulsating pressure wave and blood flow, initiates and/or stimulates the development of such a plaque into a rupture-prone, vulnerable plaque. The aim of this paper was to experimentally test and validate methods to estimate longitudinal shear strain in arterial vessel walls and to investigate the feasibility of in vivo application. In simulations and in phantoms rf ultrasound data was used to estimate local longitudinal displacements and shear strain. The estimated shear strains were compared with the applied values. Additionally, rf-based estimates of longitudinal shear strain in the adventitia of the carotid artery wall were obtained in a healthy volunteer. In the simulations and phantom experiments, the estimates of longitudinal displacement and shear strain were linearly related to the applied displacement and shear strain (Spearman's rho = 0.879 − 1.00, p ≪ .05). The shear strain estimates in the in vivo experiments were found to be reproducible and the periodicity corresponded well with the cardiac cycle. Noninvasive ultrasound radiofrequency signals appeared to represent an adequate base for measurement of longitudinal shear strain in the adventitia layer of the carotid artery wall.


In botanical perspective, grassland is a plant community in which the grasses (species of family Poeaceae) play a major part in its floristic composition and, woody species do not exceed 40% of the total land cover. Ecologically, natural grassland is a combination of climate, soil, topography, fire and many biotic factors (Moore, 1964). Nearly 20% of the landscape of the earth is covered by grass-dominated vegetation, which includes numerous communities (Pemadasa, 1990). In Sri Lanka, nearly 12,000 km of the total land area of 65,000 km is under grass-cover (Pemadasa, 1990). The history of using this grassland resource for livestock rearing through traditional means goes back several centuries. The cohesiveness of traditional societies and social groups in livestock rearing led to holistic approaches that resulted in appropriate, environmentally sound and sustainable technologies. Nevertheless, as in many other countries, grassland of Sri Lanka, also have led to deterioration due to mismanagement under the existing socio-economic position in the country. However, there is no doubt of continuing importance of natural grasslands for livestock with environment stability. Therefore, a continuing need should be to maintain a broad spectrum of production and conservation interests in order to ensure the effective and sustainable management of the grassland resource for the future. This paper reviews the general background of the grassland resource of Sri Lanka in a livestock farming perspective through the experiences of local studies carried out by many workers including authors. The paper also discusses the constraints and opportunities, research and development priorities and, areas of focus in policy making for long-term sustainable management of the grassland resource of the country.


Although cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has simplified open heart surgery, it causes adverse effects on the body's systems. This study aims to report the complications related to CPB at the Cardiac Surgery Center of the University Hospital in Dakar (Senegal). This is a retrospective analytical and descriptive study covering a 24 months period (from January 2015 to December 2016). All adult and children patients who underwent open heart surgery using CPB machines were included in this study. 193 patients were eligible during this study's period. Patients' mean age was 23 ± 15 years (range, 2–65), and 52% were female patients. Two complications were observed during CPB. One case of hemolysis and one case of an impossible weaning from CPB. Post-CPB complications were allocated as follows: hematological complications (88.5%) followed by cardiovascular (56%), pleuropulmonary (22.4%), septicemia (4%), renal (3%), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) (2%) and neurologic (1%) complications. The overall hospital mortality was 5%. One (1) patient died intra operatively and nine (9) patients in the intensive care unit. The morbidity and mortality related to CPB in our cardiac surgery center is superimposed to those of the literature.


To enable the quickest possible escape from an impassable singular surface, a rapid singularity-escape steering strategy is proposed. This steering strategy works when encountering an impassable singular surface. This strategy consists of three main steps. The first step is to determine the nearest escapable point, which is always on the edge of the impassable singular surface. The second step is to calculate the torque direction that is required to ensure that the angular momentum rapidly moves toward the nearest escapable point. The third step is to apply a steering law designed to function even on a singular surface. In addition, the gimbal rates calculated using this steering law can produce a torque along the required torque direction with the maximum capability of the single-gimbal control moment gyroscope system to ensure rapid escape from the singular surface. For the proposed steering strategy, only a small amount of data must be stored in advance. Finally, two sets of simulations are presented t...


Patient overviews automatically generated fromelectronic healthcare data have different data needsdepending on their complexity. A literature reviewbased on a broad MEDLINE search found 16 suchover ...


Salix viminalis is a plant widely applied as a source of renewable energy. It is also known as a possible biofilter for extraction of soil and water contaminants. The current study presents preliminary results on heavy metal ion uptake (Cu, Cr, Zn) by living plants of Salix viminalis. In relation, a new concept of further utilization of ion-enriched wood is proposed as raw material for carbon-based catalyst fabrication by heat treatment of metal-impregnated partly dried biomass. Particular attention is paid to the distribution of heavy metal ions along the plant stem, since one intends to exploit natural transport and distribution of metal ions in living plants. The uptake from water solution and subsequent accumulation of ions in plant tissues was investigated regarding the form in which ions were present in water solution. Accumulation rates were higher for ion complexes with EDTA in comparison to aqua complexes.


In this note we comment on a recent publication in this journal by the CERES (NA45) Collaboration. The authors report to have determined an upper limit on the direct photon yield relative to the decay photon yield in S+Au collisions of 14 % and 7 % by two different methods, respectively. We argue that these limits are unsupported by the results and analysis of the CERES data. The systematic error estimates quoted in the CERES analysis are consistently overly optimistic. Using more realistic estimates of the various error contributions and propagating them appropriately we arrive at a direct photon upper limit which at best is 20% of the inclusive photon yield, and most probably is much higher.


Tao Yuanming′s wisdom of life can be seen most clearly in salvation of self mind world under the value of life on the "Nature and Humanity",which is explained from "the image of flying birds and the poetic regression" and "the asymptotic nature under the interest of drinking".However,the most important thing is on methodology.For saving self life of tribulations and impatience,Tao Yuanming began to looking for the solution of mind treatment,that is,the thought of following the natural and being self-satisfied with aesthetic conceptions;the mood localization of freedom,quiet,and peace;the choice of self-plowing and self-financing in lifestyle.All this finally makes Tao Yuanming be a wise man of life.


This chapter of CONΣERV IT deals with the following questions in aquatic conservation: - How do we express the suitability of habitat for different organisms and communities? - How to make spatial planning of conservation networks that takes into account multiple ecological and social criteria? - How to perform an economic analysis of the non-monetized conservation effects? Conservation Los Cayos Reserve short version


and a lower bound is found for determinants whose elements satisfy (2) an ^ nAt — ^ ««, i = 1, 2, • • • , n, j **« where 1 / |\ At = — I max an + max a# 1. 2 \ j*i j*i | / G. B. Price [6], A. Ostrowski [4] and [5], J. L. Brenner [l] and [2], and H. Schneider [7] have given lower and upper bounds for the absolute value of determinants satisfying more general conditions than (1). However, the following theorem, proved in §2, is not implied by any of the above results : Theorem 1. If A = (o") has elements satisfying (l),itis possible to define Lt and Rt such that an = Li + Ri, ,,. Li ̂ X) I o.71 . (i = 1, • • • , w).


Being unique in various environmental functions and ecological effects,wetlands have been playing an extremely important role in keeping the ecological balance of the earth surface,and for this reason it gets great concern.How to acquire the basic information of wetlands rapidly and accurately becomes very crucial.This paper comes up with a method of getting the information of wetlands,which takes the wetlands along-Yantze and lakes in Anqing city as an example,and various transformation techniques like HSV,IHS,LBV,K-T and sample analysis were taken on the TM images of the study area and then building new indexes and spectral relationships.The decision tree model was also established.The method referred to above turned out to be rapid,accurate and objective,and can provide accurate basic data for wetlands research.


The life in a city attracts many people from the rural areas and towns who migrate in pursuit of the better jobs and employment opportunities. The major concern among the cities is the governance, the size and the living standards. The expansion of the economic activities because of the economies of scale and stimulated stay in the urban areas led to the unprecedented growth of the Indian cities. This is an Urban century and India is also urbanizing at an enhanced pace in recent decades. The need of the hour is that it has to plan, develop and build a new India which is ecologically and economically sustainable. The present article presents the contextual framework of the Urbanisation in Indian context.


Introduction Several adipokines are implicated in the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), however, longitudinal data in early pregnancy on many adipokines are lacking. We prospectively investigated the association of a panel of adipokines in early and mid-pregnancy with GDM risk. Research design and methods Within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons cohort (n=2802), a panel of 10 adipokines (plasma fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP4), chemerin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), leptin, soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), adiponectin, omentin-1, vaspin, and retinol binding protein-4) were measured at gestational weeks (GWs) 10–14, 15–26, 23–31, and 33–39 among 107 GDM cases (ascertained on average at GW 27) and 214 non-GDM controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate ORs of each adipokine and GDM, controlling for known GDM risk factors including pre-pregnancy body mass index. Results Throughout pregnancy changes in chemerin, sOB-R, adiponectin, and high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-adiponectin) concentrations from 10–14 to 15–26 GWs were significantly different among GDM cases compared with non-GDM controls. In early and mid-pregnancy, FABP4, chemerin, IL-6 and leptin were positively associated with increased GDM risk. For instance, at 10–14 GWs, the OR comparing the highest versus lowest quartile (ORQ4–Q1) of FABP4 was 3.79 (95% CI 1.63 to 8.85). In contrast, in both early and mid-pregnancy adiponectin (eg, ORQ4–Q1 0.14 (0.05, 0.34) during 10–14 GWs) and sOB-R (ORQ4–Q1 0.23 (0.11, 0.50) during 10–14 GWs) were inversely related to GDM risk. At 10–14 GWs a model that included conventional GDM risk factors and FABP4, chemerin, sOB-R, and HMW-adiponectin improved the estimated prediction (area under the curve) from 0.71 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.77) to 0.77 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.82). Conclusions A panel of understudied adipokines including FABP4, chemerin, and sOB-R may be implicated in the pathogenesis of GDM with significant associations detected approximately 10–18 weeks before typical GDM screening.


Background, Context: For children's bone pathologies (tumors, non-union fractures, distraction), the development of ultrasonic imaging modalities is important challenges in order to provide an alternative to others imaging technics. Conventional modalities such as X-ray radiology or Computed Tomography (CT) which must be limited due to their radiation hazard. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a major tool but require more frequently anesthesia [1] than CT and give poor cortical information. Nowadays, the B-mode ultrasound is the first-line examination for the diagnosis of many children's diseases. Due to its efficiency, the B-mode ultrasound is particularly dedicated to pediatric use, allowing to increase the number of procedures without harmful effects. However, B-mode ultrasound has difficulty penetrating bone and, therefore, can only see the outer surface of bony structures, and not what lies within them. A new and relevant research axis is then proposed in this PhD thesis: to develop an ultrasonic diagnostic modality for pediatric bone imaging with a parametric characterization of bone lesion.


Objective To investigate the clinical distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus isolates in order to provide reference for rational use of antimicrobial agents.Methods The clinical data of 855 cases of nosocomial enterococcal infection were analyzed retrospectively.Bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed by automatic VITEK2 Compact system.The susceptibility of high-level gentamicin-resistant(HLGR)strains were tested by Kirby-Bauer method.The data were analyzed by WHONET software.Results A total of 465 isolates of E.faeciumand 347 isolates of E.faecalis were collected,mainly from urine,drainage fluids,sputum,and wound secretions.More than 71.4%of the E.faeciumisolates were resistant to ampicillin,ciprofloxacin,penicillin and levofloxacin,significantly higher than those of E.faecalis(≤ 37.2%).On the other hand,76.4% and 72.6% of the E.faecalis isolates were resistant to tetracycline and quinupristin/dalfopristin,respectively,significantly higher than those of E.faecium(59.4% and 5.6%,respectively)(P0.001).The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that both Enterococcus species were highly resistant to erythromycin(≥ 76.9%),but least resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin(≤ 2.2%).Overall,537(66.1%)HLGR strains were screened out from812 strains of E.faeciumand E.faecalis.Conclusions Enterococcal infection is mainly due to E.faeciumand E.faecalis.E.faeciumstrains generally show higher resistance to antibiotics than E.faecalis.Vancomycin resistance has been identified in some clinical Enterococcus isolates.Most enterococcal strains are high-level gentamicin resistant.Appropriate antimicrobial therapy should be based on the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing.


The present study establishes the degree of participation that companies in Peru generate from the positive results they obtain taking into account the financial indicators such as: economic ROI, ROE financial return, NPV net present value and value EVA, with which it is affected in the measurement of the value added business of Peru, in the companies that register their audited reports through the portal of the Stock Exchange of Lima during the periods of 2008 to 2012, based on 168 companies grouped in eight business sectors, individual results were obtained, accumulated for each indicator and company, then the degree of participation they had in sectoral and accumulated for each indicator was determined, and finally all the results were grouped by indicator and Accumulated period taking into account the criterion of whether companies obtain positive results in each of the financial indicators then an increase in value is generated, and if you have a single negative value among the four then no increase in value is generated, under these considerations The results obtained during the five periods were evaluated, establishing that of the 168 companies involved in the research 88 obtained positive results in each of the financial indicators representing 52.4% of the total and consequently generated a higher degree of positive participation Of value-added generation and, on the other hand, 80 of the 168 did not have positive results in the four indicators, representing 47.6% of the total companies, and therefore did not generate positive participation of value added generation in companies in Peru During the period 2008 to 2012.


Taste perception is transduced by receptors and channels expressed in different types of taste bud cells. Sweet, umami, and bitter tastes are transduced by G-protein-coupled receptors expressed in Type II cells, whereas sour taste depends on proton influx into Type III cells. Perception of salty taste is more complicated. Perception of aversively high concentrations of NaCl may depend on the detection of anions by Type II or Type III cells, whereas appetitive responses appear to be mediated by amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs), at least in rodents. All three types of taste bud cells express some ENaC subunits, but amiloride-sensitive sodium currents have only been detected in cells that are most likely Type I cells. But because these cells have generally been considered to be glia-like support cells, their role in salt perception has been doubted. Baumer-Harrison, Raymond, et al. obtained strong support for the hypothesis that Type I cells contribute to appetitive responses to NaCl by expressing channelrhodopsin selectively in these cells. Photostimulation of channelrhodopsinexpressing cells on the anterior tongue evoked electrical activity in the chordatympani nerve, which innervates taste buds in that region. Tongue photostimulation also activated gustatory neurons in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNTS), where individual neurons can be categorized based on their responses to various tastants. Notably, rNTS gustatory neurons that showed the strongest amiloride-sensitive NaCl responses also responded more strongly than other cells to photostimulation of the tongue. Remarkably, photostimulation also had behavioral effects in sodium-depleted mice. These mice preferred water with a low concentration of NaCl to plain water, and they similarly preferred illuminated water to nonilluminated water. In contrast, sodiumreplete mice did not show a preference for NaCl or illuminated water over plain, nonilluminated water. These results indicate that the activation of Type I taste bud cells leads to activation of NaCl-responsive neurons in the rNTS and can drive drink choices in sodiumdepleted mice. This is consistent with the hypothesis that ENaCs in Type I cells mediate appetitive responses to NaCl. Future work should further test this hypothesis by determining whether inhibiting Type I cells blocks physiological and behavioral responses to NaCl.


Abstract Counter nostalgia is an ethically-informed dialogic mirror of a complicated and at times irrational, conflicted Spanish past, without needing the recourse of postmodernist ironic devices. When Francoist censorship was at its harshest, Miguel Delibes (1920–2010) and Ana María Matute (1925–2014), in their early novels, combine mimetic realism that includes damning material aspects of their local Spanish social and natural environments with both nostalgic and counter-nostalgic discourses concerning the difficult, constrictive social realities of pre-civil war Spain. Using the Francoist censorship files, I show how censors allowed these challenging works to pass.


In July 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released a report urging the Venezuelan government to take immediate action to address the 'grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights' occurring in the country. This case study highlights the human rights violations occurring in Venezuela through the case of a Venezuelan woman who experienced political persecution and traumatic loss resulting from her opposition to the ruling socialist party. As the clinical team of evaluators explored the mental health effects of surviving threats on her own life and the politically motivated assassination of her husband, it was agreed that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition did not fully capture the extent of her suffering. Case discussion broadens the lens beyond the client's experiences of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression to include persistent complex bereavement disorder, and emphasises the importance of addressing the sequelae of traumatic loss in a multifaceted way that broadens understanding of emotional functioning postmigration.


Technique for measuring differential delays among red, green, and blue components of video signal transmitted on different parallel channels exploits sine-squared pulses that are parts of standard test signals transmitted during vertical blanking interval of frame period. Technique does not entail expense of test-signal generator. Also applicable to nonvideo signals including sine-squared pulses.


High‐fidelity universal quantum gates are crucial in quantum computing. Three high‐fidelity universal quantum gates, namely the hybrid controlled NOT gate, the hybrid Toffoli gate, and the hybrid Fredkin gate, on a flying photon qubit and diamond nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers, assisted by low‐Q single‐sided cavities, are presented. Errors due to the imperfection of the practical input–output process are detected to improve the fidelity of these quantum gates, which therefore relaxes the requirement on their implementation, since strong coupling is no longer mandatory. In addition, quantum gates have the advantage that they can work faithfully even when the resonant condition among the NV center, the photon, and the cavity is not strictly satisfied, or the NV centers are not identical. The performance and success probability of these quantum gates are analyzed, finding that these schemes are feasible with current technology.


The article shows the functionality of distance learning in Wrocław University Library. It lists the reasons of its use in the Library and discusses the structure and content matter of courses available at Moodle learning platform supplemented with presentations of specific didactic materials. The paper also presents broadly understood e-learning in comparison with the traditional one, and gives a description of the development of the former over a span of time. Słowa kluczowe: nauczanie zdalne, środowisko wirtualne, e-learning, Biblioteka Uniwersytecka we Wrocławiu, platforma edukacyjna, Moodle, kurs online


We have measured the zero bias peak in differential conductance in a hole quantum dot. We have scaled the experimental data with applied bias and compared to real time renormalization group calculations of the differential conductance as a function of source-drain bias in the limit of zero temperature and at finite temperatures. The experimental data show deviations from the T=0 calculations at low bias, but are in very good agreement with the finite T calculations. The Kondo temperature T_K extracted from the data using T=0 calculations, and from the peak width at 2/3 maximum, is significantly higher than that obtained from finite T calculations.


Abstract The establishment of internal markets for healthcare provision in publicly-funded healthcare systems brings forth a number of new regulatory challenges. During the 2003 healthcare reform in Turkey, universal health coverage (UHC) was implemented concurrently with the establishment of an internal market for service provision, resulting in an increase in private sector activity. In this context, this paper explores how, in the Turkish case, the macro-level adoption of an internal market model for healthcare provision has shaped patient experiences at the micro-level in their ability to receive treatment in private hospitals offering publicly-funded services (PHOPS). It also examines the influence of the internal market on the realised publicness of healthcare services in Turkey. Data for the study were obtained from patient complaints that appeared on a private online platform and 20 patient interviews. These showed that patients sometimes face significant challenges, including pressure to make informal payments, when accessing their entitlements, which is evidence of the erosion of publicness in a hybrid healthcare system. These challenges emerge from information asymmetry between patients and providers; a large space for PHOPS to manoeuvre when deciding to register patients as insurance holders or private patients; and the ineffective public regulation of the internal market.


A severe mental health crisis lurks in academia. Academics at all career stages (e.g., students, postdocs, faculty) have expressed high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative mental health outcomes due to their careers (Woolston 2020; Nicholls et al. 2022). Factors including job and financial insecurity, expectations of high productivity and performance, poor work-life balance, extreme competition, toxic power dynamics, and lack of support have been shown to be the main sources of poor mental health among academics (Fig. 1; Woolston 2020; Nicholls et al. 2022). Temporary postdoctoral positions exacerbate these situations and result in severe mental distress in many early career researchers (ECRs; Woolston 2020). In the aquatic sciences, ECRs and students also face mental health challenges related to remote and isolated field work campaigns, particularly on research vessels (Fig. 1; Gewin 2022). Alongside these external and systemic factors, internal stressors such as "imposter syndrome" (the internalized doubt over one's skills and accomplishments) and "productivity guilt" (the negative feeling associated with not completing tasks or working hard enough) can compound to negatively impact the mental health of academics, particularly ECRs (Fig. 1; Woolston 2020; Nicholls et al. 2022). Furthermore, recent increases in anxiety and dread due to the COVID-19 pandemic are now coupled with higher-than-normal expectations of "catching up" (Gewin 2021; Nicholls et al. 2022). Despite its prevalence, poor mental health in academia is often left unmitigated as institutional and research cultures value resilience, and academics are expected to accept the high levels of stress, competition, insecurity, and rejection without complaint (Nicholls et al. 2022). It has been found that though many academics require mental health support, few seek it due to time constraints and fear of harming their reputations (Nicholls et al. 2022). However, positive well-being is a continued practice of skills that allow an individual to appropriately interact with and react to their environment (Nicholls et al. 2022). Therefore, to provide mental health support for aquatic scientists, particularly ECRs, the ASLO Early Career Committee (ECC) will launch the quarterly webinar series "Voices in Mental Health and Well-Being in Aquatic Sciences" in March, 2023. These interactive webinars will encourage discussion about mental health, well-being, and self-care across different cultures and career stages among the global aquatic science community. More information regarding the webinar series is found at the end of this article. The mental health of postdocs and other ECRs is in crisis. Funding for postdoc positions is often dependent on grant (soft) money with little institutional support. Postdocs are expected to be highly mobile, often repeatedly moving cities or countries to diversify career trajectories for scarce faculty positions. This mobility separates postdocs from their support networks and can prevent solid relationship building during temporary positions, further diminishing mental health (Woolston 2020; Nicholls et al. 2022). In addition, postdocs who work abroad have the added strain of obtaining visas or residencies that can compound the already existing mental health impacts. These factors impede healthy work-life balance, and decisions regarding socialization and family planning are confronted by the insecurity of the positions. Furthermore, extreme competition for tenure-track faculty positions requires postdocs who wish to remain in academia to face high levels of stress, productivity pressure, and rejection (Woolston 2020). According to a global survey, 50% of postdocs require support for depression or anxiety related to their work, but less than half of those who need it have accessed support (Woolston 2020). Since postdocs are neither students nor faculty, institutions largely do not provide specific mental health support for this group (Woolston 2020; Nicholls et al. 2022). Furthermore, the professional culture of academia (i.e., resiliency, selfsufficiency, determination), is known to


A novel numerical technique to solve 2D Fredholm integral equations (2DFIEs) of first kind is proposed in this study. This technique is based on the discretization of 2DFIEs by replacing the unknown function with two-dimensional Bernstein polynomial basis functions. We formulate the convergence analysis which shows the fast converges of this technique to the actual solution. Some problems of 2D linear Fredholm integral equations are illustrated to show the efficiency of the proposed scheme.


Background- Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature and is crucial for the development and progression of solid tumours. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is the most potent angiogenic factor identified to date and mediates its mitogenic and angiogenic activity on endothelial cells via tyrosine kinase receptors VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2. Bevacizumab (Bz) is a humanised antibody to VEGF and prevents VEGF binding to VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2 thereby inhibiting angiogenesis, and has been shown to increase progression free survival in breast cancer. However, tumours treated with Bz eventually acquire resistance and subsequently escape treatment control.

Aim- The aim of the study was to assess if combining Bz with a neuropilin 1 targeted peptide would enhance the inhibitory effects observed with Bz on breast cancer growth.

Methods-Three cell types were utilised the in vitro studies; human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HuDMECs) and two breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436). A number of in vitro functional assays were carried out to assess if any of the neuropilin1 peptides demonstrated biological activity. Based on the in vitro data a primary sub-cutaneous tumour model was set up to assess the effects of Bz in combination with the neuropilin1 peptides in a more relevant and dynamic setting.

Results- Overall the Np1 peptides failed to demonstrate additive effects on inhibiting breast cancer growth and activity. The 'true' inhibitory effects of Bz were observed in the bone metastasis ex vivo analysis, whereby the health of the bone in a animal with bone metastases was significantly healthier in the Bz treated animals compared with the control vehicle.

Conclusion- To conclude the effects of the neuropilin 1 peptides in enhancing inhibitory effects on breast cancer growth when combined with Bz remains inconclusive due to a number of reasons discussed in this thesis. In addition, the thesis highlighted that going forward differentiating the actions of Bz from those observed with the vehicle control is crucial and needs to be bought to light. Finally, expanding on the bone metastasis model is key, as preliminary data with Bz looks promising.


This work carried out partial replacement of fly ash by bagasse ash with waste rubber tyre in order to reduce industrial waste. The effective use of these waste products is challenging task for researcher through environmental impact. Bagasse is often used as a primary fuel source for sugar mills. When burned in quantity, it produces sufficient heat energy to supply all the needs of a typical sugar mill, with energy to spare. This sugar manufacturing industries produces a lot of sugarcane bagasse ash which is disposed of in an open land. Huge quantity of ash which is a waste product, available at very negligible rate. This sugarcane bagasse ash is a fibrous waste product and has pozzolanic properties which can be made use in construction industry. Pozzolanic materials can be used as a partial replacement in the production of low cost fly ash bricks. Bagasse ash is utilized by replacing it with fly ash in bricks. Trial bricks were tested with different proportions of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% with replacement of BA. These bricks were tested in Compression test and Water absorption test as per Indian Standards. The aim of this research was to make economical and green bricks to maintain environmental balance, and avoid problem of ash disposal.


Several practical aspects of the experimental study and discussion of Part 1 are considered further. Functions of padding assistants, and in particular the function of a migration inhibitor, are discussed, and the importance of time and temperature in thermofixation procedures is dealt with in practical terms.


The paper presents a direct model reference adaptive control algorithm for multivariable systems that has guaranteed parameter convergence properties. The algorithm requires fewer parameters than existing schemes, and the parameters converge to their nominal values under persistency of excitation conditions. Simple frequency domain conditions on the external inputs are derived to satisfy these conditions. The convergence of the controller parameters to their nominal values guarantees a certain degree of robustness of the algorithms and ensures that the model matching objective is satisfied asymptotically. >


Photographs of the Cascades' Female Factory Hobart, Tasmania, November 1892. In 1828 a Female Factory opened on the outskirts of Hobart at Cascades. It became the colony's largest Factory, expanding by 1853 into five major courtyards accommodating 1000 women and 175 children. The photographer was J.W. Beattie (1859-1930) whose studios were in Elizabeth and Murray Streets between 1891 and 1940. Walker Collection W9/Ph


Introduction Pretherapeutic detectable circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) represents a promising prognostic biomarker for predicting relapse and overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. However, the prognostic value of ctDNA dynamics during treatment has not been studied thus far. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the change of ctDNA levels and response to treatment in patients treated by systemic therapy. Material and methods CtDNA detection using liquid biopsy (droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) utilizing KRAS G12/13 and, if negative, Q61 commercial test kits) was prospectively performed on patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer i) prior to initiation of systemic chemotherapy and ii) serially every 2 weeks until restaging. Detection rates, levels of ctDNA, and the course of the relative ctDNA change (ctDNA kinetics) were correlated to treatment response and clinical outcome. Results The detection rate at baseline was 64.3% (45/70), and complete serial measurement records were available for 32 ctDNA-positive patients. Reduction of ctDNA levels below 57.9% of its baseline value at week 2 after treatment initiation was significantly predictive of response to treatment (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.918, sensitivity 91.67%, and specificity 100%) and was associated with prolonged overall survival (OS) (5.7 vs. 11.4 months, p = 0.006) and progression-free survival (PFS) (2.5 vs. 7.7 months, p < 0.000) regardless of treatment line. Pretherapeutic ctDNA detection was independently associated with worse OS in patients receiving a first-line regimen (7 vs. 11.3 months, p = 0.046) and regardless of treatment line (11.4 vs. 15.9 months, p = 0.045) as well as worse PFS (3.4 vs. 10.8 months, p = 0.018). Conclusion The change in magnitude of ctDNA during systemic treatment allows the prediction of treatment response and is associated with both OS and PFS. This finding adds significant clinical potential to the already established prognostic value of ctDNA positivity in metastatic pancreatic cancer.


This paper discusses the Decryption and Counting Ceremony held in conjunction with the internet voting trial on election day in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development of Norway in 2013. We examine the organizers' ambition of making the decryption and counting of electronic votes public in order to sustain trust in internet voting. We introduce a pragmatic approach to trust that emphasises the inseparability of truth from witnessing it. Based on this and on a description of how the event was made observable and how the complexities in the counting process were disclosed, we discuss what we term economy of truth from the perspective of the IT community involved in the ceremony. We claim that broadening the economy of truth by including more explicitly social and political perspectives in the ceremony, and in internet elections in general, and how witnessing is brought about, would make a more solid case for understanding how democracy is transformed.


A HVDC system has some characteristics which should be considered in AC filter connection protection,such as harmonic,island operation,breaking capability of circuit breaker and TA saturation.An AC filter connection protection scheme was proposed with the consideration of these characteristics.The scheme includes differential protections taking accounts of TA saturation and over voltage protections involving the factors of harmonic,AC over voltage,circuit breaker capacity and island operation.The proposed scheme has been successfully applied to a number of domestic projects of HV and EHV DC.Operation performences show that the proposed protection scheme can provide a good protection for AC filter connection.


L predation of amphibians is a common phenomenon, but in North Africa is documented in just a few short reports (Beukema & de Pous, 2010; Ben Ahmed et al., 2014; Merabet et al., 2017). In the Maghreb, intensive leech predation in synergy with the continuing decline of amphibian habitats may ultimately lead to the decline of amphibian populations (Beukema & Philip de Pous, 2010; Samraoui et al., 2012). In fact, the proliferation of freshwater leeches may affect amphibian survival directly by predation or indirectly by contributing to the spread of pathogens and secondary parasitic organisms. This may especially be the case for vulnerable amphibians with highly fragmented populations such as the newt Pleurodeles nebulosus (Ahmed et al., 2014). We report here predation of Bufo spinosus Daudin, 1803 in Algeria by two species of leech, Hirudo troctina Johnson, 1816 and Batracobdella algira (Moquin-Tandon, 1846). On the evening of 8th March 2019, we encountered several adult B. spinosus in amplexus near a large permanent pond known as Lac Noir situated at 1260 m asl (36° 41'48.5" N, 4° 36'08.1" E) in Akfadou forest in Kabylia (Fig.1). In one of the couples, the male had a single specimen of B. algira attached to his right flank and the female had one sanguinary leech Hirudo troctina at the insertion of the anterior right leg (Fig. 2). Leeches were photographed and then identified on the basis of external features. In Tunisia, it is relatively common to find B. algira on amphibian hosts during the anuran-breeding season (Ben Ahmed et al., 2014) and in Algeria B. algira has been observed on Pelophylax saharicus (Billet, 1904). We observed an abundance of unattached H. troctina in the permanent pond which suggests a significant threat from this species. Together with other threats, the presence of H. troctina with vulnerable amphibians such as the P. nebulosus may result in significant population decline, as has already been reported for this predator/host combination in a permanent pond close to this region (Merabet et al., 2017). Although the current observations do not show whether or not leech predation is associated with mortality in the case of B. spinosus, further study of the impacts of leeches on amphibian populations in this pond would be of value especially in view of the lack of knowledge on the ecology and distribution of B. spinosus in Algeria (Mateo et al., 2013).


Carbon black (CB) is a petroleum by-product with a million ton market in the US tire industry. Finding renewable substitutes for CB reduces dependence on oil and alleviates global warming. Biochar is a renewable source of carbon that has been studied previously as a replacement for CB in styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) composites. However, biochar typically has lower carbon content, higher ash content, and larger particle size, which are all significant detractors to making biochar a viable drop-replacement for CB. In this study, high carbon and low ash biochars made from fast-growing Paulownia elongata and Populus tremuloides were co-milled with small amounts of silica in order to reduce the particle size, and the biochar/silica blends were then used to partially replace CB in SBR composites. Using this method both Paulownia and poplar biochars were able to replace 30% of the CB filler and improve elongation and toughness with virtually no loss of tensile strength, compared to the 100% CB-filled control composite.


Real-time positioning feature is becoming an essential part in a variety of military and civilian applications. In particular, the cooperation of multisensors helps to improve navigation accuracy and the universality of the system. In this article, we propose a novel robust fault-tolerant federated filter based on strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), celestial navigation system (CNS), and doppler velocity log (DVL). In the proposed algorithm, the position information of the GNSS, the velocity information of the DVL, and the attitude information of the CNS are introduced as measurement information to correct the divergence error of SINS. The federated filter is exploited for its flexibility and capability in fault toleration. To amend fault and recover information in local filters, a simplified state Chi-square test (SSCST) is utilized as the fault detection, isolation, and recovery procedure. Meanwhile, a new adaptive information sharing factor algorithm based on the results of SSCST and the residuals between the actual observations and the predicted observations is designed, which can adaptively reflect the performance of each local filter. Experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed integrated navigation and positioning algorithm can be improved and the system remains stable even when the error occurs.


Considering the effect of shear strain of micro-void on damage evolution, a modified GTN model applicable to various stress triaxiality conditions is proposed by modifying the damage evolution mechanism of the GTN damage model. The modified model is implemented in commercial finite element software ABAQUS by combining the implicit stress update method with an explicit finite element solving algorithm and through the user-defined material subroutine VUMAT. The damage evolution and the failure process of pure shear and shear-tensile specimens are simulated by the modified GTN model, and the results show that the modified model is effective for various stress triaxiality conditions. Then, the modified model is used to simulate the crack initiation and the propagation of a steel strip with edge notch during a cold rolling process. The numerical result of the modified model is in a good agreement with rolling experimental observation, which indicates that the modified GTN model can reveal the complicated damage evolution behavior of a steel strip with edge defect in cold rolling. Numerical and experimental results show that the existence of edge notch in a steel strip can lead to cracks both in the front and rear of the notch, and the propagation of the rear one is more obvious.


In 1986, the Egyptian government planned 15th May City, which is located in the southeast of
Helwan city. It is considered one of the most propitious cities that pull out the residents who live
around the Nile valley in Egypt. This study examines the district No. 27. The chief aim of this paper
is to identify the chinks in the near subsurface layer under buildings and calculate approximately
its displacement to attain its reasons. This research uses shallow seismic refraction and two dimension
electrical resistivity surveys. The three-dimension electrical imaging method is interpreted
in the form of the geoelectric layers' depths and thicknesses. Accordingly, the interpretation
proposes sequences of three layers. Moreover, the borders of the crack can be noticed. The
results of shallow seismic refraction method show the same sequences of three seismic layers. The
interpreted layers from both techniques are dried limestone "calcite to dolomite" layer; the
second is wetted Marley limestone; and the third Layer is semi-wetted Marley limestone. Alternatively,
these parameters separate the location into layers of dissimilar competence nature and
dissimilar appropriateness. The interpretation of both methods delineates five chinks or cracks.
These chinks extend in the study area. These chinks can be watched by naked eyes in the buildings
close to the area of the study. This study recommends getting rid of the gardens that is located
between buildings to avoid the negative effect of irrigation water.


We have performed a Monte Carlo study of dimensions for two dimensional linear chains of different lengths. These chains are composed of Gaussian units which interact through a 6‐12 Lennard‐Jones potential. From this study, the theta state for this model has been characterized. Scaling curves have been obtained and different universal exponents, such as the theta point exponent ν, νθ, and the cross‐over exponent Φt have been numerically evaluated. The results are compared with theoretical predictions and with the values corresponding to simulations in lattice models. The results for ν and νθ agree with the theory, but our best estimation for the cross‐over exponent is closer to the simple mean field estimation.


Objective:To study epidemiological characteristics of hypertension in returning nationals and their offspring,and analyze its relative risk factors.Methods:A total of 1 278 returning nationals were randomly selected as nationals group,and 1 267 local residents were regard as local residents group.All subjects received questionnaire and physical examination.Multifactor logistic regression analysis was used to analyze relative risk factors.Results: Incidence rate of hypertension was 19.25%in nationals group(standardized rate was 16.23%),which was significantly higher than13.10%of local residents group(standardized rate was 11.04%)(χ2=17.72,P0.01).As age increased,incidence rate of hypertension showed an increasing trend,which started to significantly rise in 30~ years group.Multi-factor Logistic regression analysis indicated that factors entered equation were gender,age,alcohol drinking,high-fat diet,dyslipidemia,body mass index,genetic factor and exercises,and their OR values were 1.76,2.37,3.62,2.98,1.86,3.15,3.12 and2.74 respectively.Conclusion:Incidence rate of hypertension in returning nationals is significantly higher than that of local residents.Incidence rate of hypertension of returning nationals showed an increasing trend.Their risk factors were age,alcohol drinking,high-fat diet,dyslipidemia,body mass index,genetic factor and exercises etc.


Means for covering a recess on an outer skin of a vehicle, comprising - a covering layer (14) and - a gas and vapor permeable membrane (18), wherein the cover layer (14) has at least one opening (24) and the membrane (18) is arranged in such a way to the cover layer that the membrane (18) covers the opening (24) of the cover layer (14) and wherein the cover layer (14) is dimensioned such that it attached to the outside of the vehicle the recess is completely covered, said apparatus comprising an adhesive layer (16), wherein the adhesive layer (16) at least with the cover layer (14) for adhering the device to the vehicle, and wherein the cover layer (14) and the adhesive layer (16) form a sheet-like stickers.


The homogeneous grafting of methyl acrylate (MA) onto cellulose was carried out in a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)–paraformaldehyde solvent system. Three kinds of membranes were prepared: membranes of graft copolymers using ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiators (APS membrane), membranes of those using azobisisobutyronitrile, and blended membranes of cellulose and poly(methyl acrylate). The diffusive permeability of solutes through water-swollen membranes, the states of water in them, and the microphase separated structures of the membranes depended on the kind of membrane. The states of intermediate water in the membranes were influenced by grafting MA onto cellulose. Permeability through the APS membranes was superior to that through the membrane cast from the DMSO solution of cellulose. The superiority of APS membranes is due to the decrease in relatively strongly interacting water components.


The invention discloses a lithium ion battery electrolyte compatible with functions of reducing liquid proportion in a battery cell and controlling cycle performance. The lithium ion battery electrolyte comprises an organic solvent, a lithium salt and an additive, wherein the lithium salt is dissolved in the organic solvent, a solvent additive constituent is further added to the electrolyte, takes a reactive diluents as a main and comprises one or more combinations of acrylics diluents containing unsaturated double bonds, and weight percent of the solvent additive constituent in the electrolyte accounts for 0.1-40%. In the electrolyte prepared according to the abovementioned technical scheme, the electrolyte will form a stable non-liquid constituent, the content of the liquid constituent in the battery cell is reduced, an SEI membrane constituent is favorably formed, meanwhile, a polymer structure having liquid absorption capability can be formed, so that the battery stability is improved.


Nowadays people have so many smart devices that are connected to their Wi-Fi access points for access to seamless internet service. The data transfer between the device and access point has to be at utmost security so that one may not lose their data or access to their device a hacker can simply intervene in this process of data sharing and can have access to your device.de authentication attack is one such process in which the hacker creates fake access point of data and lures you into to access it as soon as you connect to it he has the access to send you content which can further help him stealing vital and information. In this paper we have done a complete research analysis of how the society faces challenges from hackers. we have collected data and studied how many big companies are facing hard challenges to keep their data secure. We have also discussed DE authentication attacks in this paper, which is important for many other attacks such as for breaking WPA or WPA2 security.


We have experimentally demonstrated nanosecond transmission to total internal reflection (TIR) switching and optical limiting resulting from laser induced cavitation in films of carbon microparticles suspended in ethanol. The films are bounded by two glass windows separated by mylar spacers. Laser-induced cavitation occurs when the fraction of the incident energy absorbed by a carbon particle is sufficient to heat up and vaporize a small volume of the surrounding liquid. These small vapor bubbles coalesce to form larger vapor bubbles. Total internal reflection switching/limiting occurs at the glass-vapor interface that is formed when these bubbles meet the glass substrate. Nonlinear refractive-index changes as large as 0.3 have been obtained using a single 5-ns Q-switched doubled (532-nm) Nd:YAG laser pulse. Switching and limiting thresholds as low as 0.2 J/cm2 have been measured. More than 90% of the incident energy has been reflected using the cavitation/TIR switching mechanism. The observed limiting results from two mechanisms: energy removal via TIR and scattering from microplasmas that form when the carbon particles are thermally ionized by the incident laser energy. We have investigated the effects that particle concentration, film thick ness and film bias temperature have on the cavitation/TIR process and limiting behavior.


The relative γ-ray intensities of 106 Pd have been measured from the γ-γ coincidence spectra obtained by the prompt γ-ray spectroscopic technique. Samples of natural Pd and enriched 105 Pd were irradiated with the B-4 thermal neutron guide facilities at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI). Capture prompt γ-rays were detected in both singles and coincidence modes by using two high purity Ge detectors. Based on the γ-γ coincidence data, more than 40 cascading γ- transitions were assigned as these in 106 Pd and the partial level-scheme was constructed. Two levels were newly identified. The relative γ-ray intensities of cascading γ-transitions were determined and compared with the compilation data of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).


This paper discusses the gripping and positioning of 50–100 µm diameter wires of a small coil in preparation for soldering while processing stereo microscope images to control the micro-gripper. The automated system for gripping wires was designed and implemented to work with a stereo light microscope (SLM). The relative position of the micro-gripper and the wire is calculated by the vision system. The position data provides feedback to a mobile platform with three degrees of freedom, so positioning of the micro-gripper can be controlled. The performance of the micro-gripper system has been evaluated as follows. The positioning accuracy of feature points was determined experimentally by calculating the feature point coordinates in the world coordinate frame (WCF) as the micro-gripper moved along the X axis, Y axis and Z axis. The results were compared with the actual motion of the micro-gripper and the gripping performance was verified.


Manufacturing enterprises need overall assessment of factors that determine the choice of directions of development and milestones of economic management. It requires the account of impact of consolidated external economic environment for the purposes of strategic analysis. The author of the article views the order of consolidated assessment of external factors on industrial, state and civilization level for the purposes of strategic analysis of manufacturing enterprise.


Abstract: Combined paper mill biosolids (PB) are a well-known fertilizing source of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Many jurisdictions have established default values for estimating their agronomic N and P contribution, but nutrient release can vary with their chemical properties, and this has been little studied. The objective of this incubation study was to compare four PB of different sources along with a de-inking paper sludge (DPS) for their N and P release in three contrasting soils under controlled conditions (25 °C, 60% water-filled pore space). Treatments consisted of PB or DPS at 50 Mg fresh mass ha−1, PB at 30 Mg fresh mass ha−1 plus inorganic N to supply 100 kg available N ha−1, inorganic NP fertilizer, and an unfertilized control. Measurements of NO3 + NH4-N were made after 3 d and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 wk of incubation. Mehlich-3 P was measured after 2 and 16 wk of incubation. Nitrogen mineralization generally declined a few days after PB addition and then gradually and constantly increased. The P mineralization of PB also increased with time. By the end of incubation, net N and P release averaged 30% (7%–49%) and 75% (16%–116%) of the NP fertilizer, respectively. The intensity of release, however, varied with material characteristics and soil type. Mineral N addition to the 30 Mg PB ha−1 promoted N release to a level comparable to NP fertilizer. Soil N immobilization occurred with the DPS application. Current default N value used for PB in Quebec and Ontario is appropriate but not P.


Pendray: CBIS is an operating subsidiary of the Cincinnati Bell Group, which is a result of the break-up of AT&T. CBIS grew through acquisition and is now in excess of 400 million dollars a year of business. CBIS's main business is the processing, on an outsourcing basis, of bills for cellular telephone subscribers. They produce almost 50% of these bills in the USA and they are moving into the PCS market. They also do all of the processing for Cincinnati Bell which includes local service and long distance billing. In the international part of CBIS, they also develop network management software for telephone companies. CBIS is not in that line of business within the U.S. due to the dominance of Bellcore, but overseas this is an attractive market. In the US, CBIS has major operations in Cincinnati, Orlando, and Chicago. CBIS also has two operating units in the UK, one in Bern, Switzerland, based around a project with the Swiss PTT, and another in Utrecht in the Netherlands where they are working with the Dutch PTT on a network management project. CBIS had operations in Melbourne, Australia tied to a large project there which was successfully completed. So basically it's the classical multi-step approach for an American company going first to Europe, well, first to the UK, then to the rest of Europe, then to Australia, and then to the rest of the world.


We present the steps to forecast the sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) to both a stochastic gravitational wave background and deterministic wave sources. We show how to use these expressions to estimate the precision with which LISA can determine parameters associated with these sources. Tools are included to enable easy calculation of the signal-to-noise ratio and draw sensitivity curves. Benchmark values are given for easy comparison and checking of methods in the case of two worked examples. The first benchmark is the threshold stochastic gravitational wave background $\Omega_{GW} h^2$ that LISA can observe. The second is the signal-to-noise ratio that LISA would observe for a binary black hole system identical to GW150914, radiating 4 years before merger.


Measurements of the dark capacitance of CdS cells as a function of the frequency of the applied signal voltage have shown that the capacitance varies with frequency according to the relation C−C∞ = (C0−C∞)/(1+ω2τ2), where τ is the time constant associated with interfacial and deep bulk states. Photocapacitance studies show that the CdS cell can be treated according to the frequency dependent model of Schibli and Milnes. Under the influence of light, C∼1/(ω)1/2. Further work demonstrates that the simple planar junction model most often used to describe the CdS cell is accurate at high frequencies.


Droplet formation happens in finite time due to the surface tension force. The linear stability analysis is useful to estimate droplet size but fails to approximate droplet shape. This is due to a highly non-linear flow description near the point where the first pinch-off happens. A one-dimensional axisymmetric mathematical model was first developed by Eggers and Dupont using asymptotic analysis [J. Eggers and T. F. Dupont, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 262, 205 (1994)]. This asymptotic approach to the Navier-Stokes equations leads to a universal scaling explaining the self-similar nature of the solution. Numerical models for the one-dimensional model were developed using the finite difference and finite element method. The focus of this study is to provide a robust computational model for one-dimensional axisymmetric droplet formation using the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc). The code is verified using the Method of manufacture Solutions (MMS) and validated using previous experimental studies done by Zhang and Basaran [X. Zhang and O. A. Basaran, Physics of Fluids, 7, 1184 (1995)]. The present model is used for simulating pendant drops of water, glycerol, and paraffin wax, with an aspiration of extending the application to simulate more complex pinch-off phenomena.


Zinc (Zn) is an important microelement in increasing the yield and quality of plant production. In addition, zinc deficiency in the seed can be a nutritional problem and therefore a serious problem in *Sorumlu yazar e-posta (Corresponding author e-mail) : firstname.lastname@example.com Geliş tarihi (Received) : 01.07.2016 Kabul tarihi (Accepted) : 21.10.2016


Both India and its neighbor Pakistan are at the brink of tearing themselves away from the ranks of the worlds poorest. To do so however they 1st need to reduce their population rates quickly. Indias population growth rate stands at 2%/year thereby adding 18 million people/year to a population of 800 million. At that rate Indias population will reach 1 billion by 2000 and be the most populous nation in the world by the early 2000s exceeding China. Following 20 years of trying to reduce population growth and failing the government of India is switching its population policy from one of incentives goals and in some cases forced sterilizations to one of empowering women to choose to use contraceptives themselves. 1 reason for this switch is that women are starting to want smaller families. An obstacle is religious beliefs. This is also true for Pakistan. Moslems condemn birth control of any kind. Hindu men expect their wives to have at least 2 sons. Further they will not use contraceptives until women do. Another obstacle is the declining status of women. For example the number of females in primary and secondary school has decreased since 1965. Further female babies eat fewer calories and are less well nourished than boys of the same age. In addition to attempting to reverse exploitation of females both India and Pakistan must simultaneously address poverty especially in rural areas. Indian leaders hope that as in Victorian England and in an industrializing USA womens role in the economy and resulting social empowerment will occur in India and with its own industrialization keep its population under control and achieve its economic potential.


Global change is evident as it affects the economy, health, agriculture, water supply, etc. The next generation ma)' have stiffer experience if we do not mitigate anthropogenic pollution and plan for a safer environment. In this study, thirty-nine years temperature dataset from NASA was used to estimate the level of climate change in Agege. Lagos State of Nigeria. It was observed that climate change is evident over Agege. with > 80% each month showing slight and adverse anomalies. It is recommended that if fossil fuel and other anthropogenic emissions are reduced, and the government encourages renewable energy sources. Then, the significant influence of climate change on life basics can be mitigated for the future generation. With clear evidence of thermal anomalies, building professionals and town planners owe it a duty to enact thermal discomfort policies.


As a method of bridging language and culture, translation has played a significant part in connecting the ideas of people all over the world and accelerating the communication in politics, economy, culture, education, science and technology. China has increased cultural exchanges with many other countries, and a great number of foreign films have flooded into our country. Thus, how to appropriately translate the foreign films becomes an urgent issue. In the process of translating English films to Chinese ones, the translator should use a method to attend to the content of the movie itself, especially recreational artistic features, as well as tremendous differences between English language and Chinese language culture. This paper attempts to compare the different film versions of Pride and Prejudice (edition 1995), and analyzes the examples of literal translation and free translation in order to reveal the difficulty of which translation method to choose in film translation. Thus, based on the comparison, we could get a tentative result that which kind of film version is more accepted by most audiences so that we can provide the film translators some new train of thought.


PURPOSE
to present the main topographic and anatomical features of the clivus and adjacent structures for improving and optimizing the extended endoscopic transnasal posterior (transclival) approach in removal of clival and ventral posterior cranial fossa lesions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We performed a topographic and anatomical study of 25 cadaver heads, the vascular bed of which was filled with colored silicone using the original technique for visualizing the bed features and individual variability.

RESULTS
We present the main anatomical landmarks necessary for performing the extended endoscopic endonasal posterior approach. Superior, medial, and inferior transclival approaches provide access to the anterior surface of the upper, middle, and lower neurovascular complexes of the posterior cranial fossa.

CONCLUSION
The endoscopic transclival approach can be used to reach ventral posterior cranial fossa lesions. The endoscopic transnasal transclival approach is an alternative to transcranial approaches to clival lesions.


The dense plasma dynamic collision frequency is modeled by the first two terms of its asymptotic expansion at high frequencies and its values at a few interpolation points on the real axis. This makes the dynamic collision frequency a non‐rational function whose extension onto the upper half‐plane of the complex frequency is holomorphic with a non‐negative imaginary part and with a continuous extension to the real axis. The validity of the suggested analytic form of the latter is tested against the simulation data, where the Kelbg effective potential was used. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


We present an introduction into the basic concepts of the Standard Model, i.e. the gauge theories of the forces and the Higgs mechanism for generating masses. The Glashow-Salam-Weinberg theory of the electroweak interactions will be described in detail. The key experiments are reviewed, including the precision tests at high energies. Finally, the limitations and possible physics areas beyond the Standard Model are discussed.


Elias, G., & Broerse, J. (1996). Developmental changes in the incidence and likelihood of simultaneous talk during the first two years: a question of function. Journal of Child Language, 23(1), 201-217. Lerner, G. H. (2002). Turn-Sharing: The Choral Co-Production Of Talk In Interaction. In C. E. Ford, B. A. Fox & S. A. Thompson (Eds.), The language of turn and sequence (pp. 225-256). New York: Oxford University Press.


The bioavailability of nutrients is important in controlling ecological processes and nitrogen cycling in oligotrophic mangrove forests, yet the variation of diazotrophic community structure and activity with nutrient availability in sediments remains largely unexplored. To investigate for the first time how nutrients in sediments affect spatial and temporal patterns of diazotrophic community structure and activity, the sedimentary environment of Twin Cays, Belize, was examined with respect to the effects of long-term fertilization [treatments: control (Ctrl), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P)] on N2 fixation rates and nifH gene community structure. We found that N2 fixation rates were significantly higher at the P-treatment, intermediate at the Ctrl-treatment and lower in the N-treatment (P: 4.2 ± 0.5, Crtl: 0.8 ± 0.1, N: 0.4 ± 0.1 nmolAENAE g )1 AEh )1 ; P < 0.001) with spatial (Ctrl- and P-treatments) and temporal (only P-treatment) variability positively correlated with live root abundance (r 2 = 0.473, P < 0.001) and PO 3� 4 concentration (r 2 = 0.458, P < 0.0001). The community structure of diazotrophs showed larger spatial and temporal variability in the fertilized treatments than in the Ctrl-treatment, with the relative abundance of OTUs (nifH operational taxonomic units) at the fertilized treatments inversely related to live root abundance. Overall, long-term fertilization (with either N or P) affects not only nutrient levels in mangrove sediments directly, but also spatial and temporal patterns of both community structure and activity and likely plant-microbe interactions as well. Our findings suggest that the maintenance of natural nutrient conditions in mangrove sediments is important to ensure the stability of microbial functional groups like dia


Jane Eyre is a novel of liberation. A series of quests by Jane for " freedom " and her final attainment of that goal constitute its principal action. This fact places it in a large class of other nineteenth-century works of art: as Lionel Trilling has pointed out, " the prison haunted the mind of the nineteenth century, which may be said to have had its birth at the fall of the Bastille. The genius of the age, conceiving itself as creative will, naturally thought of the prisons from which it must be freed, and the trumpet call of the ' Leonore' overture sounds through the century, the signal for the opening of the gates, for a general deliverance ..."1 Thus, to limit oneself to fiction, Charlotte Bronte's novel has its affinities not only with such an obvious example of the genre, and one as close to her, as her sister's Wuthering Heights, but with novels as diverse as Little Dorr it (Trilling's own example) and Vanity Fair, Middlemarch and The Egoist, The Return of the Native and Jude the Obscure, The Red and the Black and Madame Bovary, Crime and Punishment and War and Peace. What differ entiates Jane's case from that of the protagonists in some of these other books, however, and what is the essential determinant of the form of


Fluid-particle contact is essential in many processes in the chemical, petrochemical, metallurgical and food processing industry. A reactor type which is particularly successful in establishing a thorough contact between fluid and particles, and has excellent heat and mass transfer properties, is the fluidised bed reactor. In these reactors the interaction between fluid and particles (drag force) balances the gravity acting on the particles, with the effect that the particles `float? in the reactor, which enhances mixing properties.