performed 16 days after the onset of the nerve palsy, at a time when amyotrophy and fasciculations were present in the left lingual muscle. It was abnormal showing spontaneous fibrillation and denervation potentials limited to this area. Pupillary reaction was tested successively with 40o cocaine hydrochloride and 100 hydroxyamphetamine hydrobromide eye drops. The left miotic pupil proved unresponsive confirming a third cranial nerve injury. This tongue palsy ipsilateral to the carotid dissection was clearly of peripheral origin according to the clinical and electromyographic findings and related to a hypoglossal nerve lesion. There may be two explanations for this. An ischaemic truncular origin is suggested by the embolic potential of the dissection. Paralysis of the four lower cranial nerves has been described after involvement of the external carotid artery.34 However, to imply such an explanation in this case, it would be necessary to suspect an embolic process from the external carotid artery (ICA), reaching the ascending pharyngeal artery, then the neuromeningeal trunk and finally the hypoglossal branch in the hypoglossal canal. This explanation seems very unlikely in our case because the dissection did not involve the ECA and it was located downstream from the carotid bifurcation. Hypoglossal nerve palsy associated with ICA dissection suggests a local mechanism in the genesis of this syndrome. To our knowledge, there are only two previous documented cases of hypoglossal nerve palsy associated with ICA dissection,"6 and only one in which nerve palsy is isolated.6 In our report, the dissection caused a hypoglossal nerve dysfunction probably by a focal enlargement of the ICA by the haematoma leading to a local compression. Such an enlargement has been shown by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of ICA dissection6 confirming the potential value ofMRI in this condition. Unfortunately, MRI was not performed in our case. We cannot explain the reason why the other lower cranial nerves were not compromised by the local compression. This report makes two points with practical implications: 1) A stroke-related peripheral palsy of the hypoglossal nerve with or without Horner's syndrome, may be caused by a lesion outside the posterior circulation 2) ICA dissection should be added to the list of aetiological diagnosis of isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy, and looked for especially when cervical pain is associated. ALAIN VIGHETTO FABRICE LISOVOSKI ANNE REVOL MARC TRILLET GILBERT AIMARD Clinique Neurologique, H6pital Neurologique, Lyon, France


— The purpose of this study was to obtain an optimal formulation of functional drinks from the mixture of G. xanthochymus, red ginger, and turmeric as well as to see the effectiveness of antioxidants and antiinflammatory functional drinks in vitro. This study consists of 2 stages. The first stage of making functional drinks, to obtain the optimal formulation of functional drinks using the students Response Surface Methodology method with the design of Box-Behnken Design. The second stage was to examine the effect of functional beverage products of G. xanthochymus, red ginger and turmeric mixture as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory in vivo, using male mice (Mus musculus) which were induced by 1% carrageenan by subplantar. optimization of functional beverage formulas can be obtained G. xanthochymus 59.81%, red ginger 9.92%, and turmeric 30.41%. Antioxidant activity ranged from 103.50-175.13 ppm, while the total phenol value ranged from 16.8006 -33.0012 mgGAE /g. The effectiveness of the functional beverage mixture of G. xanthochymus , red and turmeric ginger on the expression of TNFα cytokines decreased, IL-6 decreased and IL-10 increased so that the inflammation that occurred in mice after carrageenan injections decreased significantly and SOD increased significantly.


Increased data traffic in the metropolitan area network calls for new network architectures. This paper evaluates optical ring architectures based on optical packet switching, wavelength routing, and hybrid combinations of the two concepts. The evaluation includes overall throughput and fairness aspects in both uniform and unbalanced traffic scenarios, for both Poisson and bursty input traffic. Simulations show a trade-off between performance and complexity. Whilst the static wavelength routed optical network is a good solutions for uniform traffic, the proposed hybrid architectures are more attractive when traffic is unbalanced.


Eryngium caeruleum is a perennial native plant that grows under diverse climatic conditions of Iran. This study aimed to investigate the effect of mycorrhizal and Azotobacter inoculation on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of E. caeruleum at various planting densities. Factors included three levels of plant density (10×30 cm, 20×30 cm, and 30×30 cm), two levels of seed inoculation with Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi (inoculation with Glomus mosseae and without inoculation), and two levels of seed inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum (with and without inoculation). The application of VAM fungi and A. chrooroccum significantly affected the measured traits. The interaction effect of plant density×mycorrhizal application and plant density×Azotobacter application on dry leaf weight was significant at a 1% level. The total leaf dry weight for the VAM treatments at a 30×30 cm plant density was 2.93 g. Also, the application of mycorrhizal fungus increased the essential oil percentage, the essential oil yield, and phosphorus concentration in the aerial organs by 132.68%, 100%, and 137.5%, respectively, compared to the control treatment. The simultaneous application of A. chroococcum and VAM improved the quantity and quality of the yield components of E. caeruleum by increasing the availability of mineral nutrients


The application provides a control method and a control device for user interface display. The control method comprises the following steps of: receiving the input operation of a user in the input area of the current page; responding the input operation, and monitoring whether the current page moves; recovering the position of the current page while monitoring that the current page moves. By this, monitoring and recovery for the movement of the page can be started before the position of the page is changed by intercepting the input operation of the user in the input area, thus guaranteeing that the input area is located at a fixed position in the current page and cannot fluctuate up and down due to the input operation of the user, and then avoiding the misoperations of the user, facilitating the use of the user, and improving the experience feeling of the user.


Addressing the problem of the insider threat is multifaceted as it involves trusted individuals who have legitimate authorisation to the information resources of an organisation. It has been reasoned that understanding the catalysts, that is, motivation, rationalisation and opportunity that converge in a crime scenario, may assist in managing the problem. However, not all individuals who are motivated and in the presence of an opportunity for a crime will be maleficent. It is the rationalisation that intercedes in the decision-making step as to whether to commit a crime or not. Criminals must neutralise their feelings towards conformity using rationalisations or more specifically apply "techniques of neutralisation" (i.e. a set of rationalisation techniques), to engage in criminal activities. As the thought patterns and behaviour associated with the successful application of neutralisation techniques, appear to be characteristic of maladaptive behaviour, it may be contended that personality is a mediating factor in the process. This notion underpinned the theoretical basis of this research study which is founded on the socially aversive traits of the Dark Triad (DT), which may enable a dissociation with conformity thereby enhancing an insiders' capacity to invoke techniques of neutralisation. However extant research shows these traits may be influenced by gender variations. Consequently, the goal of this research is to understand the joint effect of the traits of the DT and the techniques of neutralisation as moderated by gender from the perspective of an insider threat. The findings of this study may help in improving the management of insider threats.


This comprehensive study guide is the most effective, inexpensive, and fastest way for readers to pass these exams. -- Features insider tips and notes from an MCSE and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) -- Helps users build a solid understanding of the MCSE program -- CD-ROM contains Windows 95 and Networking Essentials test engines with hundreds of questions


Recently the Ruelle–Perron–Frobenius theorem was proved for Hölder potentials defined on the symbolic space Ω=MN, where (the alphabet) M is any compact metric space. In this paper, we extend this theorem to the Walters space W(Ω), in similar general alphabets. We also describe in detail an abstract procedure to obtain the Fréchet analyticity of the Ruelle operator under quite general conditions and we apply this result to prove the analytic dependence of this operator on both Walters and Hölder spaces. The analyticity of the pressure functional on Hölder spaces is established. An exponential decay of the correlations is shown when the Ruelle operator has the spectral gap property. A new (and natural) family of Walters potentials (on a finite alphabet derived from the Ising model) which do not have an exponential decay of the correlations is presented. Because of the lack of exponential decay, for such potentials there is an absence of the spectral gap for the Ruelle operator. The key idea in proving the lack of exponential decay of the correlations is the Griffiths–Kelly–Sherman inequalities.


As an important material carrier of traditional culture, villages often have quite deep cultural background. Many buildings reflect local folk customs, social conditions, economic levels, and human-land relationships, and have high art and tourism development value. This paper builds a three-dimensional model of the village based on the drone tilt photography technology, and intends to explore the steps and methods of using consumer-grade drones to extract the ground shape of traditional villages and three-dimensional modeling, and provide new technical support for the protection of traditional villages in the future. Provide reference for the repair work of village buildings by 7.9%.


Gedong gincu mango is a specific mango variety in West Java Province, which has a high economic value and the prospect of being a superior export commodity of Indonesia. Despite its increasing production and high market prospect, gedong gincu mango agribusiness still faces various problems, both in on-farm and off-farm aspects. This paper aims to study the agribusiness of gedong gincu mango, covering both on-farm and off-farm aspects and export prospects. In general, gedong gincu mango farmers are small-scale farmers who practice traditional cultivation, harvest, and post-harvest management; are not yet market-oriented; practicing conventional marketing that relies on collecting traders, and have weak institutional. These conditions cause low productivity and diverse quality of gedong mango and are not continuously available throughout the year, which hinder the potential for wide-open exports from being appropriately utilized. It needs improvement in both on-farm and off-farm to improve the production and marketing of gedong gincu mango. At the on-farm level, efforts to increase competitiveness can be made by improving fruit production, productivity, quality, and continuity, by applying good agricultural practices. At the off-farm level, this can be done through improving facilities and infrastructures, institutions, and regulations. These efforts should involve all parties, including farmers (producers), marketing agents (collectors, traders, exporters), and policymakers.


Objective
To compare the growth of rat colon smooth muscle cells (CSMCs) among three

methods
of culturing. Methods The distal colon of rat was isolated, removed off serosa and mucosa to harvest for smooth muscle layer. The smooth muscle layer was cut into small pieces for primary culturing of rat CSMCs by using three different methods: (1) adherence method, in which the tissue blocks were inoculated directly into the culture flasks; (2) enzymatic dispersion method Ⅰ, in which, the tissue blocks were treated with 0.1% collagenase Ⅱ and 0.01% soybean trypsin inhibitor twice before inoculated into the culture flasks; (3) enzymatic dispersion method Ⅱ, in which the tissue blocks were firstly digested with 0.25% trypsin, and then with 0.1% collagenase Ⅱ and 0.01% soybean trypsin inhibitor twice, before inoculated into the culture flasks. The rat CSMCs were primary-cultured using the above three methods, respectively, and passaged after a dense cell monolayer was formed. The cell morphology was studied. Immunofluorescence was used to identify the cell types.

Results
After 6 d of culture by adherence method, a few cells were seen to migrate from the tissue blocks, but failed to be passaged due to the insufficient cell number. After 36 h of culture by enzymatic dispersion method Ⅰ, some cells were seen attaching to the flask wall, and were successfully passaged after 15 to 20 days of culture. After 36 h of culture by enzymatic dispersion method Ⅱ, much more cells were seen attaching to the flask wall, and were successfully passaged after 10 days of culture. The morphology and growth rate of passaged cells did not differ significantly between enzymatic dispersion methods Ⅰ and Ⅱ. Immunofluorescence showed that cells cultured by any of the three methods were α-smooth muscle actin-positive, and that more than 90% were CSMCs.

Conclusions
Any of the three culture methods in this study may yield acutely isolated rat CSMCs that are not significantly different in the cell quality. Selection of cell culturing methods may be decided according to actual conditions of experiments.

Key words:
Colon; Myocytes, smooth muscle; Cell culture techniques; Rats


Abstract In this work, we investigate a predator–prey model with Crowley–Martin functional response and constant harvesting. The model is extended by incorporating two constant time delays, where the first delay(τ 1) is for density dependent feedback mechanism in the logistic growth of the prey and the second one is for gestation delay(τ 2) of the predator population. The dynamical behaviours such as positivity, boundedness, extinction criteria and existence, stability and bifurcations of the equilibria of the non-delay model are qualitatively discussed. The existence of periodic solutions via Hopf-bifurcation with respect to absence of delay, single delay and both delays are established. Finally, numerical simulations have been carried out to confirm our numerical results.


On November seventh two thousands eighteen, Mario Fiorentini, a great Resistance hero, mathematician, science writer and expert of Algebraic Geometry and Commutative Algebra, turned one hundred years old. The author of this article wants to describe his eclectic personality through the biographical references and some personal memories.


1. Interface element (10, 12, 16, 84, 104, 114) the user to deliver breathing gas to the user, comprising: a first opening for receiving a first gas stream and one or more second holes for discharging the second gas stream from the user interface element, first aperture and one or more second apertures are located relative to each other such that during use the user interface element of the second gas stream: (i) flows around and cools the skin surface and the user exits the interface element pol ovatelya through one or more second holes, and / or (ii) displays at least 85% of the CO present in the inner space of the interface the user element of the interface the user element via one or more second holes, the second gas stream is greater than or is 0.1% of intentional leakage flux user interface element, the user does not perform a breath during use the user interface element, but less than or equal to 10% of the flow deliberate leakage interface floor element zovatelya when the user does not perform a breath while using the interface polzovatelya.2 element. User interface element according to Claim. 1, wherein the user interface element includes a shell element (14) adapted to receive a liner, wherein the shell elements are provided in the first opening and one or more second otverstiy.3. User interface element according to claim. 2, wherein the shell element includes one or more flow-through segments (44), wherein each of the flow segments includes a chamber having WMOs


Artlift Arts on Referral scheme is a primary care based art intervention in Gloucestershire where health professionals refer patients for an 8-10 week art programme, usually delivered in a community based or primary care setting. Patients are referred for a range of reasons (to reduce stress, anxiety or depression; to improve self-esteem or confidence; to increase social networks; alleviate symptom of chronic pain or illness; distract from behaviour related health issues; improve overall wellbeing).

The 8-10 week intervention involves art sessions delivered by artists working with activities such as words/poetry, ceramics, drawing, mosaic and painting. This update report summarises a brief evaluation of the available Artlift data (April, 2014) conducted by the Interventions4Health team at the University of Gloucestershire.

This evaluation represents an update from the original evaluation published in 2011 (Crone et al., 2011) which resulted in two international peer reviewed academic publications (Crone et al., 2012; Crone et al., 2013). Recall that the evaluation design/method and Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) are described in the original evaluation. This evaluation had added the referred patients since the 2011 evaluation which has increased the overall patient data base. The Artlift database remains, to date, one of the largest database of an arts on referral programme available and this evaluation presents the largest known data set of patients referred onto such a programme in the world.


Sarah Jane Palmer discusses her mental health experiences and what she thinks could be done to improve the patient pathway to recovery


The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different mode of titanium (Ti) fertilization on growth and nutrition by M.26 EMLA apple rootstock (Malus spp.) grown in three soils with diverse physical and chemical properties. Soils were taken from Warszawa, Grojec and Brzezna regions (fruit growing regions) of Poland. The experiment was carried out during 120 days in a greenhouse. The following treatments were applied: soil Ti fertilization at a rate of 2 and 4 mg Ti per plant and four- and eight-times Ti sprays at a rate of 0.5 mg Ti per plant in each spray. Titanium was applied as TiCl4. Plants unfertilized with Ti served as control. Titanium sprays increased levels of this element in leaf and stem tissues. Soil Ti applications had no effect on Ti concentrations in plant tissues except plants grown in Warszawa soil where root tissue had higher Ti status compared to those of control plants. Foliar Ti applications enhanced plant dry matter and levels of phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in leaf tissues only in Brzezna soil. Leaves of plants sprayed with Ti grown in Brzezna soil were greener and had higher concentrations of Fe2+ and chlorophyll than those of control plants. These results suggest that the primary reason for higher biomass in plants sprayed with Ti was higher leaf Fe2+ level, which enhanced chlorophyll synthesis and uptake of P, Fe, Mn, and Zn.


This paper studies the influences of body postures on the radiofrequency (RF)-induced heating for patients with an external fixation device under 1.5 Tesla (T) and 3 $T$ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. Two patient postures, the natural posture and the hand raised, were used in the study. The external fixation device is placed on the forearm of the human model. The RF-induced heating at four landmark positions, corresponding to the head scan, the cardio scan, the liver scan, and the pelvis scan were studied. The peak 1g averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) was used to evaluate the RF-induced heating. For the head landmark, the natural posture has the lowest RF-induced heating and for other landmarks, the heating of the hand raised was lowest, at both 1.5 T and 3 T. Therefore, the RF-induced heating of the external fixation device can be reduced by adopting the appropriate posture.


Adaptive equalizers are always realized in an underwater acoustic time-dispersive channel. In this paper, we propose that for channels having a large eigenvalue spread, the equalizer first adopts recursive least square (RLS) algorithm during the training period and then employs least mean square (LMS) algorithm after switching to decision direct mode. The simulation results demonstrate this equalizer's superior performance. Finally, the equalizer performance in the presence of the receiver's drifting has been investigated and it is found that an equalizer works well if channel coherence remains high.


Objective To explore the correlation between peripancreatic fluid collection and clinical severity and the prognosis of acute prognosis.To improve the recognition to acute pancreatitis.Methods CT manifestations and clinical data of 76 cases with acute pancreatitis which were confirmed between 2009-12 and 2010-08 were retrospectively reviewed.CTSI score,AP severity score and the number of peripancreatic fluid collection regions were recorded,and the correlation between these indexes was analyzed.Results 0f all the 76 cases,17 cases were mild acute pancreatitis and 54 cases were SAP(severe acute pancreatitis).20 cases with SAP suffered with systemic complications.17 cases(22.4%) had no peripancreatic fluid collection,and 4 cases of them developed into SAP.Solitary peripancreatic fluid collection occurred to 35 cases(46.1%),and 35 cases of them developed into SAP.24 cases(31.6%) had peripancreatic fluid collection more than 2 regions,and all of them developed into SAP.The number of peripancreatic fluid collection regions had positive correlation with AP severity and CTSI score(P0.05).SAP was diagnosed by the number of peripancreatic fluid collection regions,and the accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 92.1%,93.44%,86.67%,96.61% and 76.47%,respectively.Conclusion The number of acute peripancreatic fluid collection regions can reflect AP severity to a certain extent.Acute peripancreatic fluid collection has significant correlation with SAP.It has high accuracy to diagnose SAP,and it can be a fast and simple way to diagnose SAP preliminarily and guide the clinical treatment scheme.


Protein is one of the most important components of our food. Ingested food begins its journey in the mouth and passes through the gastrointestinal tract, to be digested and absorbed into circulation. During this journey, the food provides nutritional information that aids in the efficient digestion and utilization of each nutrient. The mouth, situated at the entrance of the alimentary tract, is armed with five basic taste receptors to accept palatable food or to reject harmful and toxic foods. The basic taste of umami serves as a signal for protein nutrition. Glutamate (GLU), which is a major constituent of nearly all protein, serves as the principal signaling molecule for umami taste. The molecular cascade for umami transduction occurs not only in taste buds in the mouth, but also in the downstream portions of the gastrointestinal tract. The brain response to ingested GLU is not essentially a humoral mechanism, but rather one dependent on neural signals from the stomach and intestine. This is evident from the fact that blood GLU level does not change appreciably after intragastric infusion. The role of GLU as the signaling molecule in this gut– brain cross-talk is slowly but clearly emerging. Information from the gut during a meal is utilized by brain circuitry dealing with energy balance in the determination of satiation and meal termination, but also impinges on the cortico-


The usual method of obtaining statistical derivatives such as significant heights, average periods etc., from sea or response spectra is to assume a particular probability distribution function and then calculate the derivatives from the properties of the assumed distribution. A method of generating time-domain records that satisfy a target spectra density and then calculating the statistical derivatives directly from these records is presented in this paper.


A method of surface structure analysis from RHEED (Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction) pattern is proposed. RHEED pattern on the planar fluorescent screen can be converted to an intersection of reciprocal lattice rods of the crystal by means of geometrical conversion. This method has the advantage of an observation of super structure on single crystal surfaces. The converted pattern is substantially identical to the "Ino's pattern" observed using a spherical screen and mirror.


For the problem that car sub-frame constraint connection complex and effective load more difficult to determine, using finite element and multi-body dynamics ADAMS co-simulation method, Analyzed on a Volkswagen vehicle sub-frame, obtained the accurate load on the sub-frame which are used by engine suspension. The finite element analysis results show that engine load is the greatest impact on the sub-frame stress field, which can be reduced by increasing the area of engine and the sub-frame contacting, thereby prolong the life of sub-frame.


In this paper I examine the syntactic and semantic properties of events and, more specifically, events that involve motion verbs. I propose a semantic-syntactic analysis which combines insights from Dowty's (1979) and Rothstein's (2004) semantic approaches and Ramchand's (2008) syntactic approach. I claim that the semantic components of an event structure can be reflected in certain functional heads in a VP extended structure. More precisely, I argue that the BECOME event involved in Accomplishment and Achievement events as proposed in Dowty's (1979) and Rothstein's (2004) semantic approaches is parallel to ResP in Ramchand (2008). Moreover, I distinguish between what counts as a BECOME element and culmination and their syntactic representations.


Glycerin, toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and polyglycol (PG) were reacted at various molar ratios to produce glycerin-terminated urethane prepolymers of different molecular weights. The prepolymers were mixed with equivalent phenol-blocked trimethylol propane–TDI–urethane triisocyanate in m-cresol to give a coating solution. The solution was coated and baked to give polyurethane crosslinked films. The changes of the functional groups during the crosslinking reaction and the mechanical properties of the polyurethane crosslinked films were studies. Experimental results show that the phenol-blocked urethane triisocyanate will deblock phenol to regenerate free isocyanate groups above 120°C and then react with the hydroxyl groups of urethane prepolymers. At 220°C, the rate of deblocking phenol to regenerate isocyanate groups is faster than that of the reaction of urethane prepolymers with isocyanate groups. The deblocking reaction is contemporaneous with the reaction of isocyanate groups with hydroxyl groups, so that the characteristic absorption peaks of isocyanate groups can be observed from IR spectra during the crosslinking reaction. The absorption peak of isocyanate groups gradually decreased with the crosslinking reaction, but the absorption peak increased after curing for about 50–60 min. This feature is caused by the reactivity of the secondary hydroxyl groups of glycerin which is slower than that of the primary hydroxyl groups of glycerin.


Wheat is the major cereal crops of North India. Our study was conducted to evaluate the response on growth of different varieties of wheat plant. We observed adversely affect due to delayed sowing and environmental Variables.


This paper presents a theoretical study of the high field electronic transport properties of the cubic and hexagonal phases of zinc sulfide (ZnS) using an ensemble Monte Carlo method. Essential features of the model are the inclusion of realistic energy band structures calculated from a local pseudopotential method and numerically calculated impact ionization transition rates. The polar optical phonon scattering rate has also been computed numerically from the band structure. The relevant transport quantities have been computed for field values between 100 kV/cm and 2 MV/cm. On the basis of these calculations it is predicted that the electron distribution is cooler and the average energy lower in the wurtzite phase than in the zincblende phase over the entire field range examined. The difference in average energy between the two phases becomes pronounced for field magnitudes above 1 MV/cm while it is smaller in the field range between 700 kV/cm and 1 MV/cm. As a result, the ionization coefficients are exp...


Robert O. Matthews, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, has collaborated with Cranford Pratt on a number of projects, including a co-edited book, Human Rights in Canadian Foreign Policy (1988).ON 26 OCTOBER 2001 A SYMPOSIUM in honour of Cranford Pratt was held at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto. Members of Cran's family, friends, colleagues, and former students came together to pay tribute to a wise scholar, inspiring teacher, committed activist, and thoughtful friend.Some of the most moving tributes came from his former students. As he passed by the 'surrounding poverty and total devastation' in a region in the midst of civil war, Taisier Ali, one of Cran's former doctoral students, reflected on how this evoked 'disconnecting images of Cranford Pratt's concerns' and of their 'shared pre-occupations with building a just society, with patterns of socio-economic and political development as they impact human equality, and with the general problems of transition and affirming human rights.' Now engaged in a struggle for a just peace in his homeland, Taisier speculated that although Pratt was not an 'advocate of armed struggle... he would understand and may even accept it as a legitimate tool' for resisting 'oppression, bigotry and injustice.' Another former doctoral student, Linda Freeman, now of Carleton University, spoke of how 'Cran enabled a generation of students to understand some important truths which have stayed with us. First, that leaders like Julius Nyerere deserved a more careful understanding than what was on offer in the West. Second, in his early commitment to the struggle for liberation in southern Africa, Cran cast a cold eye on the Canadian record and forced an appreciation that it was, at best, ambiguous. Much the same happened when he turned to examine the nature of Canadian development assistance. Most important of all, he gave us the courage to take a critical stance and to accept the inevitable reaction of the powers-that-be.' 'Still proud to call himself one of Cran's students,' a former student-turned-colleague, Richard Stren, spoke of how his own approach to scholarship and teaching 'has always benefited from what I had the privilege to learn from Cran Pratt.' Erika Simpson of the University of Western Ontario, yet another in a legion of former PhD students, praised him for his 'tolerance for opposing views,' his willingness to listen 'with both his mind and heart,' and his tendency to pose 'penetrating questions' rather than simply to subject his students' work to sharp and intimidating criticism.From colleagues, the praise was no less extravagant. For Rhoda Howard-Hassmann of McMaster University: 'His life was dedicated not only to scholarship but to service, especially, but not only, to the people of Africa. His work is infused with a deep humility.' William Tordoff, who had been a colleague at University College, Dar es Salaam, described Cran's book, The Critical Phase in Tanzania, 'as the best book ever written on Tanzanian politics' and his later work on Canadian development assistance as 'enlightened scholarship' that reflected 'Cran's commitment to try and change things for the better in Africa and other parts of the Third World.' Finally, Jonathan Barker described how Cran contributed in small but not insignificant ways to the sense of community in the Department of Political Economy (later Political Science) at the University of Toronto by drawing his colleagues into discussions and away from their 'own separate tracks of activity' and by opening his home to serve as a forum for debate and reflection among colleagues, activists, and informed people from different backgrounds.As illuminating and touching as these personal reflections were, the tribute would not have been complete if a way had not been found to give voice to Cran Pratt's creative life. My colleague, Richard Sandbrook, and I wanted to find a suitable manner to reflect on the splendid contribution Cran has made to the many students he has taught, to colleagues and fellow activists who have benefited from his wise counsel, and to the broader, informed community of scholars who continue to this day to profit from his insightful and passionate writings. …


malformations and tumours have been extensively rewritten although not in each case with benefit, the account of oedema disease remaining uncritical and that of colibacillosis an over-simplification. There are additional illustrations the quality of which is generally better than those in the first edition, many of which were well-nigh useless. There is much to be criticized in "Diseases of Swine". In spite of its 894 pages and 56 "contributing authorities" it is neither as balanced, organized, unpadded, complete nor as up-to-date, as this reviewer thinks it should be. Neither is it, occasional citations notwithstanding, as international in its scope as are the subjects of discussion. Unfortunately co-authors, like the college professors so many of them are, have tenure but the editor should recognize the law of diminishing responsibility of co-authors. As the number of co-authors increases arithmetically (six more to this edition than the first) their individual responsibility tends to decline geometrically, especially among those who have too carelessly assumed responsibility for a chapter or section only to find that it becomes an irksome detail in an otherwise busy life. These, in the generality with which they are stated, are severe criticisms, but it is this reviewer's opinion that instead of being merely a good book it should be a very good one, and could be if DUNNE took the reins of editorship firmly in his hands. Neither should the criticism obscure the fact that "Diseases of Swine" contains a wealth of information much of which, especially the chapters on viral diseases and those new to this edition, is authoritatively, critically and thoroughly presented. This is a book which should be within the daily reach of anyone who is in any way concerned with disesases and husbandry of swine. K.V. JUBB


The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) of the human digestive system is a tumor‐specific constituent of all entodermally‐derived digestive organ cancers. It is, however, also found in fetal gut, pancreas, and liver in the first two trimesters of gestation. Hum oral antibodies to the CEA have been demonstrated in most patients with non‐met static gastrointestinal cancers but have no apparent relationship to the course of the disease. The present investigation was designed to study cell‐mediated immunity to the CEA. The test system employed was that of lymphocyte transformation upon in vitro exposure to the antigen. No significant response was obtained with lymphocytes from patients with gastrointestinal cancer, pregnant women, or normal individuals. Hence, with the test system employed, no evidence for a cell‐mediated immune reaction to the CEA was observed.


This paper aims to highlight the artistic and conceptual relevance acquired by the iconographic theme of The Coronation of the Virgin in Italy during the Late Middle Ages. To achieve this goal we analyzed twenty-seven Trecento and Quattrocento paintings, with the purpose of discovering in them the more or less innovative compositional formulas proposed by these artists, as well as the possible literary sources that inspired them. From the formal perspective we have discovered three different iconographic types, which complement themselves mutually, as progressively complex variations of a similar basic structure. From the conceptual perspective we could also specify that these three different iconographic types of The Coronation of the Virgin in Italy are inspired directly in specific comments by some Church Fathers and medieval theologians.


Treatment of Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells with human interferon (IFN)-a2 at 37°C results in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and a reduction of the subsequent binding of 2.51-labeled epidermal growth factor (EGF) at 4°C. Human IFN-fi and -y, which exhibit little antiviral and antiproliferative activities on MDBK cells, have little effect on cell growth or the binding of 125I-labeled EGF to these cells. The binding of EGF is decreased after exposure to IFN-a for greater than 8 hr. Scatchard analyses of the EGF binding data indicate that a 20-hr exposure period results in a decrease in the apparent number of cell-surface EGF receptors and a reduction in the affinity ofEGF for its receptor. The rate of internalization ofEGF by MDBK cells does not appear to be affected by IFN treatment. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a polypeptide mitogen and interferons (IFNs) are proteins with antiviral, antiproliferative, immunomodulatory, and differentiation-inducing activities in sensitive cells (1, 2). EGF and human (Hu) IFN bind to specific cell surface receptors, are internalized, and are degraded; and their corresponding receptors are downregulated (1, 3-12). Studies indicate that growth factor receptors are not only modulated by their respective ligands but also by other growth factors. For example, both plateletderived growth factor and type ,B transforming growth factor regulate EGF receptors (13-15). It is well established that growth of normal diploid cells is under the control of exogenous growth factors. Experiments suggest that growth oftransformed cells may likewise depend on the activation of growth factor/receptor systems, for these cells may constitutively express growth factors, activated growth factor receptors, or activated intracellular mitogenic signaling systems (16-18). It is possible, then, that modulation of growth factor receptors influences cellular growth characteristics and that ligands with antiproliferative activities such as IFNs act, at least in part, by regulating expression of growth factor receptors. In this report we examine the effects of HuIFN-a2 treatment on the growth of Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells and the subsequent interaction ofEGF with its receptor. MATERIALS AND METHODS Reagents. HuIFN-a2 (1.7 x 108 units/mg of protein) was the gift of Schering (Kenilworth, NJ). Partially purified HuIFN-/3 (106 units/ml) was the gift of Serono Laboratories (Randolph, MA). HuIFN--y (1-2 x 107 units/mg of protein) was the gift of Genentech (South San Francisco, CA) and Biogen (Cambridge, MA). 125I-labeled EGF (100 ,uCi/,g; 1 Ci = 37 GBq) was purchased from Amersham; approximately 85% of the radiolabeled material was trichloroacetic acid precipitable. Murine EGF was purchased from Bethesda Research Laboratories. All reagents were diluted in Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.4, containing bovine serum albumin at 1 mg/ml (DPBS/BSA). Cell Cultures. MDBK cells (ATCC CCL22) and WISH cells (ATCC CCL25), derived from human amnion tissue, were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection. The cells were cultured in Eagle's minimal essential medium (MEM) containing 10% (vol/vol) fetal calf serum and gentamicin sulfate at 50 pug/ml. IFN Assays. IFN assays were performed using MDBK and WISH cells with vesicular stomatitis virus as the challenge virus (19). Growth Inhibition of MDBK Cells by IFN. MDBK cells were seeded at 4-6 x 104 cells per well in 2 ml of MEM supplemented with 1-3% (vol/vol) fetal calf serum and gentamicin sulfate at 50 ,ug/ml in Costar 6-well plates. IFN was added to five sets of duplicate wells for each IFN concentration. The medium was changed every 2-3 days, and IFN and/or EGF was added again to the respective concentrations. The cell number was determined on the indicated days by releasing the cells with trypsin and counting them with a hemocytometer. Treatment ofMDBK Cells with IFN. Confluent monolayers of MDBK cells in Costar 6-well plates (35-mm wells, 2-4 x 106 cells per well) were washed once with MEM supplemented with gentamicin sulfate at 50 ,g/ml, and 2 ml of the same medium was added to each well. IFN was added to cultures and incubated for the times indicated at 37°C. Control cells were incubated with the medium alone. Cells were greater than 95% viable as determined by trypan blue staining for up to 48 hr. EGF Binding. The cultures were washed once with 2 ml of DPBS/BSA (4°C), and 1 ml of the same buffer was added to each well. To three out of six cultures unlabeled EGF at 1 ,g/ml was added prior to the addition of the radiolabeled ligand. "25I-labeled EGF diluted 1:10 with EGF at 0.5 ,ug/ml in DPBS/BSA (10 ,Ci/,ug) was added then to each of six cultures to a final concentration of 20 ng/ml in the experiments indicated. The cultures were incubated for 4 hr at 4°C and washed on ice five times with DPBS/BSA (0-4°C). Each culture was solubilized with 2 ml of 0.5% NaDodSO4, this volume was pooled with an additional 2 ml of wash fluid, and the total radioactivity was determined in a Beckman 'y counter. Incubations with IFN and "25I-labeled EGF, in general, were done in the absence of fetal calf serum to minimize the variability in 1251-labeled EGF binding to MDBK cells. Estimates of 251I-labeled EGF concentrations Abbreviations: IFN, interferon; EGF, epidermal growth factor; MDBK, Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells; BSA, bovine serum albumin; Hu, human. 8226 The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83 (1986) 8227 Table 1. Effect of HuIFN on the growth of MDBK cells


In connection with recent discussion of the nomenclature of ilmenite alteration products, and particularly with reference to the proposal for a unified system of terminology, cites examples from observations of the titaniferous constituents of beach sands and other sediments of southeast Australia which illustrate some of the unresolved problems regarding the processes of leucoxenization.


The products from the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and the rates of conversion of the reactants (H{sub 2} and CO) have been determined for a range of flow rates. Based upon conversion rates, an iron catalyst should be utilized at lower CO conversion levels. The fraction of CO converted to hydrocarbons decreases with increasing CO conversion. Thus, it is suggested that a F-T process employing recycle or multiple reactors is more appropriate for an iron catalyst than operating a single reactor at high (> 95%) CO conversion levels. The data indicate that an iron catalyst is preferred over a cobalt catalyst for some process conditions (e.g., high space velocity, high total pressure).


Introduction & Objectives: COVID-19 infection is hypothesized to have a potentially negative effect on male fertility through direct damage to the testes. The current trial is aimed at investigating the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on fertility and determining if viral bodies directly damage testicularfunction.Materials & Methods: This prospective study included controls comprising healthy participants and cases of patients suffering from pneumoniabased on chest CT and a positive of SARS-CoV-2 throat swab exhibited only moderate symptoms in accordance with the WHO classification.Extensive epidemiological, clinical, laboratory (hormonal levels, etc.) and ultrasound data (color doppler ultrasound of the scrotum) were collected. Asperm examination was performed in cases during their COVID-19 related hospital stay and 3 months after the discharge home. We also assessedthe testicles of COVID-19 patients who died of their disease (n=20) obtained during autopsies.Results: A total of 88 participants were included (44 controls and 44 cases). Blood testosterone levels were below normal (local reference values,5-50 nmol/ml) in 27.3% of the cases (12/44). The mean level (7.3±2.7 nmol/ml) was lower than that in the healthy controls (13.5±5.2 nmol/ml,p<0.001). At 3 months after discharge, the level returned to normal (13.7±4.5 nmol/ml) and was no different from that of the controls. An increase inLH and FSH was also detected compared to the healthy controls (p=0.047 and p=0.002). The spermogram revealed decreased motility in COVID-19patients (p=0.001), and higher number of immobile sperm (during COVID-19 – 58.8% and at 3 months 47.4%, p=0.005). All these parametersreturned to normal at 3 months after discharge. As for pathology findings, in the majority of autopsies (18/20) structural disorders of the testiculartissue, with signs of damage to germ cells were observed.Conclusions: COVID-19 and its treatment significantly affect hormone levels and sperm quality during the disease. Postmortem examinationconfirms inflammation and viral infiltration of the testicles. However, in those who had moderate to severe disease, decline in hormone levels andsperm quality was transient with values returning to baseline at 3 months


ABSTRACT This article examines the integration of prudential banking regulation and supervision in the European Union. It demonstrates that incremental integration in the two decades preceding the sovereign debt and banking crisis produced a regulatory process that afforded member states wide discretion when it came to implementing European rules at the national level. Decentralized implementation was an aggravating factor in the partial disintegration of the Single Market in financial services since 2008. The recently agreed 'Single Rulebook' and 'Single Supervisory Mechanism' reduce the scope for home bias in the implementation of European rules, thereby shifting the regulatory process in banking closer towards an idealized 'end-point' of outright supranational governance. However, change is taking place within an increasingly complex regulatory environment that is shaping the outcome of reform. One consequence is that national discretion in some important prudential areas will persist.


To the Editor: Two recent PBC publications highlight that the school re-entry needs of children with cancer and their families are currently not beingmet.1,2 Ruble and colleagues foundapproximately half of surveyed parents did not recall receiving information about neurocognitive effects and felt inadequately prepared for their child's return to school.1 Ruble et al concluded that parents need multiple opportunities to obtain information and support from healthcare professionals (HCPs) expert on the impact of treatment on both neurocognitive and school functioning.1 However, they also highlight that such experts are not always accessible. This echoes data from Scialla and colleagues on the implementation of evidence-based standards for psychosocial care for childrenwith cancer in the United States, which indicated that support for school re-entry (PSS11) was not consistently met.2 About 65.5% of participants identified a school programwithin their hospital and 87.5% identified a staffmember responsible for coordinating communication between the patient/family, school, and healthcare team.2 The question then remains, how do we increase support for families when their child returns to school after cancer treatment? Training may be one way to bridge this gap. As part of a larger study investigating school re-entry for children with cancer in Australia, we conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with 14 HCPs and 14 hospital-based education professionals (EPs) from eight pediatric oncology centers around Australia. Participants reported on their access to and uptake of training opportunities for supporting school re-entry of children with cancer. Participants (90% female) includednurses, oncologists, allied health staff, school liaison staff, hospital school teachers, and tutors. Participants had been in their role on average for 6 years (range 1–14 years). EPs and HCPs mostly received training "on the job" (64%and50%, respectively), which tended tobe at job commencement. EPs also relied on their previous university-based training (29%) or self-directed reading (21%). HCPs described training opportunities as optional and often wrappedwithin a broader context, such as a general conferenceon childhood cancer (36%), aswell as relying on self-directed reading (21%). Both EPs and HCPs reported needing further training (36% and 43%, respectively). Participants reported there were few opportunities specific to learning about the educational needs of children with cancer. Available training opportunities tended to be too general. Some also reported difficulty accessing upto-date information. Additional barriers to accessing training included cost, time, and competing work priorities. Good school re-entry practices are associated with improved academic performance, mental health, quality of life, school engagement, and peer relationships.3,4 Ensuring that HCPs and EPs are adequately trained and have access to up-to-date relevant information can potentially help combat variability in return-to-school practices,4 and help HCPs and EPs to provide appropriate education support to children with cancer. However, creating opportunities for training can be a challenge in busy cancer care centers, where staffmay feel they have insufficient time ormore urgent needs to address for families. This suggests a need for greater funding of psychosocial services and education support within pediatric cancer units.5,6


A synthetic sealing membrane was used to prevent excessive leakage through the facing of an embankment dam. The works, which were completed rapidly and at low cost, enabled the reservoir to be fully impounded while maintaining a low leakage rate.


The Penning trap has been investigated as the basis of a small nuclear fusion reactor using a superconducting solenoid magnet. To extend this investigation, we designed, constructed, and evaluated a permanent magnet Penning trap. The device consists of a solenoid formed from an annular array of neodymium bar magnets between two iron pole pieces designed to give a uniform magnetic field in the central volume of the device. Critical to achieving the uniform solenoidal field is an iron equatorial ring supported within the annular array of magnets. A nonmagnetic titanium Penning trap with hyperbolic surfaces designed to produce a spherical potential well was mounted inside the permanent magnet assembly. The trap was fitted with a nonmagnetic hairpin filament electron source and demonstrated to produce electron trapping at the theoretically predicted magnetic fields and trap potentials. Trap potentials achievable were limited by electrical breakdown within the trap operating in constant potential mode. Efforts were made to extend the trap potentials using pulsed anode voltages, but nuclear fusion in a Penning trap has not yet been demonstrated. The design and construction of the permanent magnet solenoid and nonmagnetic trap are presented here as potentially useful also in other studies.


This paper presents antenna harmonic suppression for wireless power transfer systems. It is demonstrated that application of open stub on the feed line, curvature slots and notch at the antenna patch suppressed undesired signals exhibit near second order effectively. The partially ground with a circular slot at ground plane is introduced to minimize the overall patch size. The patch antenna is designed on an FR-4 substrate with εr = 4.7 and 1.6 mm of its thickness. The proposed designs yield -29.536 dB return loss at fundamental modes and suppress all the harmonics until the acceptable range up to -3 dB. The proposed antenna, enhanced the bandwidth about three times and offer moderate gain 4.378 dB and gives advantage whereby the patch antenna can work as radiating and filtering of RF signals in a single module without using a filter circuit which contribute additional insertion loss to the systems.


In view of problems of uncertainty and locality of information obtained by a single sensor in process of fault diagnosis of belt conveyor,the paper proposed a fault diagnosis method based on multi-sensor fuzzy information fusion.The method fuzzes information of belt conveyor obtained by temperature sensor,dust sensor and smoke sensor,fuses the information through synthetic operation and decision rule in fusion center,so as to get accurate estimation and judge of state of the belt conveyor.The experimental result shows that the method improves accuracy and reliability of the fault diagnosis of belt conveyor.


Written by specialists of cultural and creative industries of childhood and youth, this book offers new international and pluridisciplinary insights into the world of media and cultural goods in children's and young people's lives. The chapters investigate a large range of cultural industries (comic books, productions on YouTube, cartoons, TV series, digital services, etc.) and analyze the transmedia circulation of children's culture. Far from univocal disciplinary discourses, the authors conducted in-depth empirical studies to examine the complexity of the cultural and creative prosumption practices of children and adolescents and to question the role of adults as well as the corporate social responsibility of media companies towards young audiences. Critical approaches to the equivocal links between cultural industries and youth audiences raise ethical issues in marketing and management realms, pointing to the diverse social and ideological roots of the child consumer and prosumer in cultural and creative industries.


Image compression is one of the newly developed multimedia technologies.And MATLAB is an advanced language for scientific engineering calculation.It can supply a good many matrix software packages at the same time.This paper proposes a modified method of FDCT sampling and quantity table of JPEG  carrying out FDCT through fast matrix multiplication and sampling at the interface of MATLAB and C.The quantity table is thus built up so that it will fit in with various compression situations and hence the image compression is realized.


Recently the Dunedin City Corporation Electricity Department decided to replace an old 200 kVA . portable transformer with a modern 300 kVA. mobile substation, and this paper elescribes the purpose and construction of the new unit.


Object is achieved by a simple structure with improved heat dissipation is provided a vacuum pump control apparatus (controller) of the regenerative resistor, the vacuum pump control apparatus connected to a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump regenerative resistor disposed in the control device accommodated in the die-cast aluminum housing. More specifically, the pump housing is controlled by means of die casting (die casting) made of aluminum, aluminum die-casting on the top plate is provided with a cavity portion receiving the regenerative resistor portion (die-cast aluminum housing), the cavity unit is designed to store the regenerative resistor overall size. The regenerative resistor embedded in the hollow portion, the hollow portion of the opening portion by a bolt, and the same material as the housing sealing the aluminum plate, whereby the regenerative resistor to be removably housed in a die-cast aluminum housing.


This work describes a model of a running gear of the designed tracked radio-controlled harvester intended for clean cutting which has been developed in the applied software package "Universal Mechanism" with use of the "Tracked Vehicles" module. It offers basic characteristics, justifies selection of variable parameters of the model. It describes modelling options of a model travel over variable irregularities, presents the obtained tractive effort torques on sprockets and loads acting on the support rollers.


The effluent of an Anaerobic/Oxic(A/O)process removing phosphorus from municipal wastewater was used as influent to a partial nitrification process.Under the conditions of normal temperature(20~29℃)and limited oxygen(DO0.2 mg·L-1),the mechanism of nitrification and the factors allowing partial nitrification to be maintained in a continuous flow process while treating municipal wastewater were investigated.A new operation mode of partial nitrification was also developed.The experimental results show that the characteristics of the inoculated sludge,sludge concentration and aerobic/anoxic alternating operation were the key factors influencing maintenance of partial nitrification of municipal wastewater.As the sludge return ratio increased,the nitrite accumulation rate increased accordingly,with a nitrite accumulation rate of 85% and the highest value of 96%.Good sludge settlement properties were maintained with SVI values of 70~110 mL·g-1 under low DO conditions.Average effluent NO-2-N/NH+4-N of the partial nitrification process was about 1.0,which could produce suitable influent for the anaerobic ammonium oxidation(ANAMMOX)reactor.During the latter period of the experiment,total nitrogen(TN)removal efficiency was about 50% in the aerobic reactor,and the batch experiments verified that ANAMMOX had taken place in the reactor.The above results can provide helpful background for developing autotrophic nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater in a single reactor.


Objective:To isolate and cultivate liver cancer stem-like cells(hLCSLCs) from human liver cancer specimens,so as to lay a foundation for stem cell-targeted therapy of liver cancer.Methods:The hLCSLCs were obtained from fresh liver cancer tissue using enzymatic digestion and short-term primary culture.Serum-free medium suitable for suspension sphere formation of hLCSLCs was selected by culturing them with serum-free medium supplement with heparin,albumin or hydrocortisone.Numbers of side population(SP) cells,and expressions of CD133 and CD90 in the hLCSLCs and sphere cells were examined by flow cytometry assay.Tumor formation ability of hLCSLCs and sphere cells were assessed by tumor formation assay.Results:hLCSLCs were successfully obtained from human liver cancer tissues,with SP cells being 0.9%,CD133 positive cells being 0.8% and CD90 positive cells being 12.7% in the hLCSLCs.The tumor formation rate was 100% when 2 000 SP cells were subcutaneously injected into nude mice.Serum-free medium containing heparin was more suitable for sphere formation of hLCSLCs,with SP cells being 4.6%,CD133+ cells being 9.7%,and CD90+ cells being 48% in these sphere cells.The tumor formation rate was 100% when 10 000 sphere cells were injected into nude mice.Conclusion:We have successfully established a method for isolating hLCSLCs from human liver cancer tissues.Serum-free suspension medium containing heparin can effectively enrich hLCSLCs.


We thank Lee et al. for the insightful comments on our Teaching Video NeuroImage on pulsatile proptosis and wall-eyed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (WEBINO).1 The causative lesions for bilateral WEBINO can be located in the tegmentum of pons, pons–midbrain, or midbrain, with some injuries almost bisecting the brainstem.2,3 As the MRI presented by Lee et al. discloses multiple hyperintense foci at the pontomesencephalic level, we reviewed the diffusion-weighted MRI, which shows a focal area of restricted diffusion at the midline of the pontine tegmentum beneath the floor of the fourth ventricle, which involves the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) bilaterally (figure). The patient had presented 2 days after onset of diplopia and this lesion was consistent with an acute ischemic stroke. Although we indicated in the text and figure legend of the T2-weighted MRI that the infarction was located at the midline of the midbrain tegmentum,1 the arrow on the MRI had been placed more anteriorly by mistake. Hence, we agree with Lee et al. that, at the pontine level, the MLF is located just ventral to the fourth ventricle, and lesions of this area can lead to bilateral WEBINO.4


The impact of bending and twisting on the impulse response matrix is investigated using optical vector network analysis. The heterogeneous 36-core 3-mode fiber under test is spooled at bending radii of 8 cm to 50 cm and additionally up to 4 twists per meter along the longitudinal direction are applied. The by-design large differential mode group delay of the fiber enables comprehensive measurement of the inter-mode-group cross-talk of the fiber impulse response matrix, which is directly measured with an optical vector network analyzer. A maximal inter-mode-group cross-talk of −28.1 dB is observed over all 36 cores. Furthermore, no significant changes related to the bending radii or additional strain by twisting the fiber were detected. These results demonstrate that the transmission characteristics of few-mode fibers with large differential mode group delay are fairly unaffected by bend- and twist-related perturbations which may prove beneficial for short-range mode-group multiplexed transmission systems using partial multiple-input multiple-output equalization in conjunction with mode-selective multiplexers.


Discusses wireless power transmission (WPT) by a focused power microwave beam through the Earth's atmosphere for power supply of spacecraft from the Earth or for power supply of loads placed on the Earth's surface from space. As known, in the Earth's atmosphere on frequency ranges of 35-38 GHz and 80-100 GHz there are so-called "radio windows" which would be appropriate for the WPT from the point of view of sizes and mass of a space transmitting or receiving antenna. Electromagnetic radiation with millimeter and submillimeter wavelength is widely used for heating plasma in experiments of the control of thermonuclear synthesis. From the comparative analysis of technical parameters of different modern electron vacuum microwave generators of the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength ranges it may be deduced that a gyrotron is one of the most perspective among them. Plasma-beam microwave systems using plasma-beam instability are perspective too as millimeter and submillimeter microwave generators. The source of microwave energy in the above mentioned types of microwave generators is electron beam energy and this circumstance limits, first of all, the value of output microwave power and efficiency of-these microwave generators. The alternative way to generate microwave radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength ranges is the direct conversion of plasma stream energy to monochromatic microwave radiation through a deceleration of a plasma stream in a transverse magnetic field. This microwave system is termed the plasma electromagnetic generator.


nbsp; The bank and stock market role in business cycle under different institutional conditions is discussed. A functional dependence between institutional conditions level and financial system's influence on economic activity is determined. The author detects that "spontaneous" ways for its stabilization appear when the economic significance of financial institutes is going down. One of these ways is informal merging between business and government institutes. Looking at the experience of emerging markets, the author concludes that in the long-term prospect the present model of economic development will block the development of market institutes and decrease the national economy effectiveness.


Acquiring accurate space object orbits is crucial for many applications such as satellite tracking, space debris detection, and collision avoidance. The widely used two-line element (TLE) method estimates the position and velocity of objects in space, but its accuracy can be limited by various factors. A combination of multiple TLEs and advanced modeling techniques such as batch least squares differential correction and high-precision numerical propagators can significantly improve TLE accuracy and reliability, ensuring better space object surveillance. Previous studies analyzed additional factors that may influence TLE accuracy and evaluated the accuracy of Starlink TLE using precise ephemeris data from SpaceX. The results indicate that utilizing multiple TLEs for precise orbit determination can significantly enhance the performance of orbit prediction methods, particularly when compared to SGP4. By leveraging 10-day Starlink TLEs, the accuracy of 5-day predictions can be improved by approximately twofold. Additionally, producing two pseudo-observations within an orbital period near the TLE epoch yields the greatest effect on prediction accuracy, with this distribution of pseudo-observations increasing accuracy by approximately 10% compared to a uniform distribution. Further research can explore more data fusion and machine learning approaches to optimize operations in space.


Abstract Our work on the delayed electroluminescence of anthracene crystal has shown that the recombination of holes and electrons produces the normal fluorescence of anthracene, and that time dependence of the fluorescence can be modified by an external electric field. We have also shown that the recombination of holes and electrons produces what appears to be an ion-pair or charge-transfer (CT) exciton, that this CT exciton diffuses through the anthracene crystal, and can form a dimer with another CT-exciton; the decay of the dimer produces one photon, at most. The normal decay of the nearest neighbor CT exciton, and the CT-exciton dimer produces a tail that extends into the microsecond region. Some estimates are given for the lifetime of the CT exciton; ionic energy levels for anthracene crystal are also given.


Flow velocities are higher in large vessels when compared to intra-synovial vessels. Colour Doppler, not power Doppler ultrasound should be performed for evaluating large vessel. Power Doppler is used for low blood flow velocities in order to increase the sensitivity for detecting signals. Colour signal sensitivity is usually not a problem in large vessels. Furthermore, colour Doppler ultrasound allows detecting stenoses by demonstrating a phenomenon called "aliasing": Due to increased flow velocity in stenoses a mixture of colours appears. B-mode and colour Doppler frequency needs to be adjusted according how deeply the vessel is localized below the skin surface. Pulse repetition frequency (PRF) needs to be adjusted according to the blood flow velocities in the vessel (Table). It needs to be increased in case of fast flow for preventing aliasing and impaired image quality. It needs to be decreased in case of low flow velocities in order to provide enough sensitivity for detecting colour signals. In relatively small vessels like the temporal arteries the sonographer needs to make sure that the colour signal does not cover the wall when the colour gain is too high or that it only covers the centre of the lumen when the colour gain is too low. Gain settings need to be tested in normals before ultrasound is done for diagnosis of temporal arteritis. The optimal angle between sound waves and the vessel is 45°. If these are perpendicular the colour quality becomes inadaequate. Ultrasound machines provide a steer function for the colour box that needs to be used in this case.


The carotid initima-media thickness(CIMT)in 78 cases of type 2 diabetic patients was measured.The level of plasma endogenous secretion receptor for advanced glycation end-products(esRAGE)in patients with normal CIMT was higher than those with chickened CIMT[(0.257 3±0.165 6 vs 0.155 4±0.0701)μg/L,P<0.01].esRAGE was negatively associated with CIMT(r=-0.247,P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that CIMT was negatively associated with esRAGE and hish density lipoprotein cholesterol,but was positively associated with age.

Key words:
Diabetes mellitus; Endogenous secretion receptor for advanced glycation end-products; Carotid intima-media thickness; Arteriosclerosis


We explore the educational potential of social media for developing civic engagement among young people. We argue that 4 questions need to be addressed about the development of educational interventions that aim to promote civic engagement through social media: is the current extent and nature of usage of social media likely to allow for the development of education for civic engagement; what possible congruence may exist between civic engagement and use of social media; what educational processes and outcomes could be experienced by students and teachers when using social media for civic engagement; and, what new directions may need to be taken by educators? We conclude that there is a need for further research and clear recommendations for professionals and others.


Long-span structures like bridges experience different movements at the supports because of the wave-passage, incoherence, and site-response effects. In this study, spatially varying ground motions were used to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of different RC bridges. To gain the goal, three prototypes Caltrans reinforced concrete curve bridges with different column heights and various radii selected and used for the numerical study. The spatially correlated ground motions generated by the conditional simulation method and then converted to corresponding displacements time histories to perform non-uniform excitations. The structures were analyzed under generated series and the fragility curves developed based on the defined limit states. Furthermore, soil-structure interactions and different soil conditions were included evaluating the non-linear behavior of the bridges. The results show that the damage exceedance probability increased under non-uniform excitations and it is more evident for long-span bridges. Also, it is found that the effect of soil-structure interactions on the probability of failure of short span bridges is negligible, still, for long-span bridges, the impact is significant. Moreover, from results for structures situated on soft deposits, a combination of spatially varying ground motions in conjunction with soil-structure inter-actions remarkably increases the responses. comparison inter-actions non-uniform and fragility curves B, and C limit state. the long-span the graphs,


The cost of data loss and unavailability can be large, so businesses use many data protection techniques for storing the data in the network to make it possible for access in different locations. This also adds up the advantage of dynamic growth of storage capacity with the changing needs. However this data on the network should be backed up to ensure the fault tolerance in the cases of storage device failure (like HDD, tape drives, etc.), system crash (server or application), etc. So how to depend on such storage or data stored in the network?! Choosing an appropriate combination of techniques is difficult because there are numerous approaches for protecting data and allocating resources. Solution for this is by using many data protection techniques such as remote mirroring, instant copies, LUN masking and concurrent access in shared application environment.


The text searches to reflect and to discuss the importance of the space, specifically the theatrical place, considering it as a mediator element of information to the development of the theatrical practice at school, using for this purpose the theoretical references proposed by Anne Ubersfeld and Milton Santos.


As the goal of agricultural modernization and rural in-depth reform is set,developing agricultural industrialization is regarded as the main means to achieve it. This article,on the basis of the present situation of Gansu Province,proposes a new idea of applying the means: to rely mainly on the system of "leading enterprise + cooperative + peasant household"and the mode of coexistence of a variety of business to achieve comprehensive development of industrialization; to encourage all regions to innovate industrialization path from three aspects which include renewing organization pattern,expanding industry lifespan and industry chain,and developing ecological agriculture so that which the overall quality and competitiveness of the agricultural rural economy is strengthened and the sustainable development of agricultural industry is achieved.


Several species of the genus Bacillus are used as plant growth-promoting bacteria. In particular, species of the subtilis group are known as good antagonists of phytopathogenic fungi. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a rhizospheric Bacillus strain with promising abilities as a biocontrol agent. ABSTRACT Several species of the genus Bacillus are used as plant growth-promoting bacteria. In particular, species of the subtilis group are known as good antagonists of phytopathogenic fungi. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a rhizospheric Bacillus strain with promising abilities as a biocontrol agent.


We are reporting 150 cases of an "encephalopathic syndrome," a condition heretofore almost always fatal, which we believe is caused by nicotinic acid deficiency. This syndrome may occur as the only clinical manifestation of a deficiency disease or it may occur in association with pellagra, polyneuritis due to vitamin B1deficiency, the oculomotor disturbances of a "central neuritis" or scurvy. The clinical picture of this encephalopathic syndrome is more or less well defined and is characterized by clouding of consciousness, cogwheel rigidities of the extremities and uncontrollable grasping and sucking reflexes. Bender and Schilder,1who have described its clinical picture, included this syndrome as one of a group of five which they called collectively "encephalopathia alcoholica." Their classification of the types of encephalopathia alcoholica was related to the most prominent manifestations: (1) clouding of consciousness and changing rigidities, (2) cerebellar symptoms, (3) catatonia, (4) alcoholic delirium and (5)


To understand the characteristics and the sources of the dissolved organic matter(DOM) in Three Gorges Reservoir,taking Xiaojiang River backwater area as the research object,three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy was measured and analyzed.The relationship between fluorescence intensity and DOC,CODMn or chlorophyll a was studied.The results showed that: three major peaks,humus-like fluorescence peak A,protein-like fluorescence peaks B and C appeared on the three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy;the DOM fluorescence intensity was well related with DOC and CODMn,indicating that fluorescence dissolved organic matter content can reflect both the organic carbon content and the organic matter content by oxidation in the water in August,during the non-algae bloom outbreak period,fluorescence intensity had a poor correlation with chlorophyll a,indicating that phytoplankton was not the main source of the fluorescent substances.Based on the comprehensive analysis,it can be inferred that both internal pollution sources and external pollution sources existed in the Xiaojiang River backwater area,and the contribution of the external pollution sources to the fluorescence dissolved organic matter was bigger than the internal pollution sources.


The research on molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has progressed remarkably in the last decade, prompted by the increasing interest for this material as a potential candidate in future ultrathin optoelectronic devices. MoS2 is a layered semiconductor with a gap in the visible region, which can be exfoliated down to the mono-layer form. Since the discovery of the exceptional optoelectronic properties of 2D MoS2, Raman spectroscopy has been extensively used as a tool to characterize the structure and thickness of MoS2 films. Recent works on MoS2-metal interfaces have shown that Raman spectra are significantly affected by the interaction with metals. However, a complete understanding of how such interaction modifies the MoS2 vibrational properties is still lacking. Studying this subject with both experimental and theoretical methods will provide fundamental insight into the interface physics of MoS2-metal systems, which is crucial for the fabrication of metal contacts and for the development of metal-assisted synthesis methods. This review summarizes the main results concerning Raman spectroscopy studies of heterosystems between MoS2 and transition metals, providing both a basis and directions for future research.


The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), includes morphologically indistinguishable corn and rice strains. The two strains were surveyed for diagnostic restriction patterns in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) using 25 restriction endonucleases. Polymorphic mtDNA restriction patterns were identified for BstNI, HinfI and MspI. The MspI pattern was the most distinctive since the molecular size of each DNA fragment differed between the two strains. Analyses of laboratory and field-collected insects showed the MspI mtDNA pattern to be a diagnostic marker for corn and rice strain insects. Strain identification by the MspI mtDNA profile correlated exactly with nuclear DNA markers. Since no HaeIII sites are present in fall armyworm mtDNA, a double-digest of total fall armyworm DNA using HaeIII and MspI allowed the direct detection of mtDNA restriction fragments from total DNA on a stained agarose gel. In contrast to conventional techniques utilizing mtDNA markers, this rapid and simple procedure does not require the isolation of mtDNA, or avoids the use of DNA blots and labeled mtDNA.


【Objective】 Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a superfamily of multifunctional enzymes found in almost all living organisms.They play important roles in detoxification of endogenous and exogenous toxic substance.It will lay a foundation for the detoxification mechanism of silkworm to study on GSTs of Bombyx mori.【Method】 BmGSTe3 gene was cloned and analyzed by bioinformation and molecular biology method.The expression of BmGSTe3 was analyzed in silkworm by RT-PCR.BmGSTe3 gene was eukaryotic expressed in sf9 cells by Bac-to-Bac Baculovirus Expression System.【Result】 The BmGSTe3 is composed of 5 exons and 4 introns and its CDS length is 512 bp.BmGSTe3 contains 15 possible transcription regulatory elements in the upstream of 2 500 bp and two domains,which N-terminal domain is composed of 7 motifs,namely β-α-β-α-β-β-α,while C-terminal domain is composed of 5 α helixs.BmGSTe3 has a conservative Ser catalyse site,belongs to Epsilon family members and express only in hemolymph and brain.BmGSTe3 protein has good GSTs enzyme activity.【Conclusion】 BmGSTe3 belongs to Epsilon family members and its protein has good GSTs enzyme activity


Ketoximes are found to undergo the Beckmann rearrangement in hexamethylphosphoric triamide at 225–240°, affording the corresponding amides in good yield.


Processing financial market data at scale and in real-time poses a set of unique challenges to event-driven architectures due to the volume, variety, velocity, and veracity of the enclosed information on top of other constraints. Reproducible stress tests at scale using configurable benchmarks are key to building and tuning suitable processing systems. Available benchmarks, however, lack realistic and configurable workload models for market data scenarios. In previous work we already addressed this gap by describing the specific challenges of processing financial data at scale and by introducing a modular open-source benchmarking framework. This paper makes two contributions to the ongoing challenge of building realistic benchmarks for the financial data processing domain by outlining: (a) a detailed statistical analysis of real-world financial market data feeds processed on a global scale by Infront Financial Technology GmbH; and (b) a simple workload model built on this analysis to simulate high-volume market data feeds with their distinctive characteristics to be used in benchmarks. We evaluate our model using the DEBS 2022 Grand Challenge data set Trading Data.


The Evidence-based Reasoning model is a systematic inquiry into student learning to determine what interventions are required in classroom contexts. The four step process includes noticing students who need additional support in their learning, the use of assessment data to establish an evidence-base, and subsequent interpretation that leads to decision making. The reasoning process is supported by collaborative practice models both within and beyond the teaching profession. The evaluation of interventions is integral in determining the impact that interventions have on student learning.


Escherichia coli broth and Escherichia coli agar media with 4-methylumbelliferyl-s-D-glucuronide are used to confirm the presence of Escherichia coli in water samples. In this protocol, the history, procedure, and interpretation of results of this useful technique are discussed in detail.


As suggested by Drs. Sasse and Lightfoot, it may be difficult to distinguish prolapsing mitral valve leaflets due to ruptured chordae tendineae from prolapse due merely to long, redundant chordae and/or ballooning mitral valves. In two recent papers on the subject" 2, we have described those findings which most commonly distinguish these two types of prolapse. In all the cases of ruptured chordae tendineae to the posterior leaflet confirmed at surgery, we have seen a paradoxical anterior movement of this posterior leaflet in early diastole. This abnormality is often associated with a hammock-like posterior bulging of the posterior leaflet during systole2. When this posterior leaflet is recorded throughout diastole, it remains primarily in an anterior position and moves posteriorly only in late diastole when it does so in a sharp manner. Probably because of increased flow across the mitral valve, the anterior leaflet tends to have a slightly increased mnagnitude and velocity of opening. As reported2, these echo characteristics were present in eight surgically confirmed cases of ruptured chordae tendineae to the posterior mitral leaflet and subsequent to that report in seven other cases operated at our institution. We also agree with Drs. Sasse and Lightfoot that there may be hazards in interpreting echoes immediately anterior to the posterior left atrial wall. Currently, we identify posterior mitral leaflet as seen within the left atrium only if clearly defined valvular motion is recorded. More recently, we have found distinct valvular structures can occasionally be recorded during systole in the anterior portion of the left atrium near the posterior wall of the aorta. Upon changing the transducer position, this echo is found to be continuous with the paradoxically moving posterior mitral leaflet in early diastole. Prolapsing posterior leaflets without ruptured chordae tendineae may also show a posterior sagging of the CD segment during systole and wide separation from the anterior leaflet echo. Recognition of this sagging in multiple echocardiographic views is considered mandatory in making this diagnosis in order to eliminate artifactual "false-positive" diagnoses. Also of note is that the echoes from the anterior mitral leaflet oftentimes show a rounded E point, forming a "roller coaster" appearance. In the absence of ruptured chordae, we have never seen either paradoxical anterior movement of the posterior leaflet echo at the onset of diastole or the leaflet within the left atrium. It should be recognized, however, that in some cases in which there is clear echo evidence of systolic prolapse of the mitral valve, it may be difficult to determine if there is accompanying rupture of mitral chordae tendineae. JUDY BURGESS RALPH CLARK, M.D. KEITH COHN, M.D. Cardiopulmonary Laboratories Presbyterian Hospital of Pacific Medical Center San Francisco, California


This paper is based on deployment of white spaces which are free or unused frequency space. This term related with Television frequency broadcast range is known as TV White Space (TVWS). So the transition of analog TV signals into digital TV signals results in creation of some more free frequency spectrum that also adds up to more TV white Spaces, since earlier TV channels which were being transmitted were allotted a certain UHF/VHF frequency channel bands. Now these TV channels are encoded digitally in a slightly different band and then transmitted. With this, the availability of White Space Spectrum has increased and so, many wireless solution providers are getting attracted to develop and deploy as opportunistic spectrum access in Wi-Fi like systems working on TV White Spaces. In time domain (TDMA) these white spaces can be referred as free or unused time slots. And are selected for transmission of messages using message generator, here selection and detection is done at transmitter section.


A calibration apparatus AUTOMATIC SENSOR MEASUREMENT OF PARTIAL PRESSURE OF GAS supplying a gas having a high partial pressure (relative to gas can), and a gas having a low partial pressure (REFERRED TO LOW GAS) A selection means GAS (103) FROM A SUPPLIER OF GAS (101) through detection means SUPPLY FREAK (102) WHERE TO MEDIA SELECTOR GAS (103) CHOOSING THE GAS TO HIGH OR LOW PRESSURE GAS TO PROVIDE THE CHOSEN TO A PORTION SENSOR PLACEMENT (104). A SENSOR FOR MEASUREMENT OF PARTIAL PRESSURE OF GAS (105) IS LOCATED ON THE PORTION OF PLACEMENT OF SENSOR (104) and a control means CALIBRATION machines (106) stored in the sensor output MEASURING PRESSURE PARTIAL GAS (105) storage means (107). WHEN detection means SUPPLY FREAK GAS high or low pressure, control means Automatic Calibration (106) STOP THE STORAGE OUTPUT SENSOR MEASURE PRESSURE PARTIAL GAS (105) STORAGE MEDIA (107).


We have proposed atomic-scale lithographic technology using atomic hydrogen resist. The key features of the atomic hydrogen resist process are (1) patterning of monolayer-thick terminated H on a Si surface by electron beam exposure and (2) selective growth of Al on remaining terminated H by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition using (CH3)2AlH and H2. In the electron-beam-exposed area, the terminated H on Si is removed and the Si surface is activated. Then the activated Si surface is oxidized in nanometer thickness in a clean-room air environment. The Al is selectively deposited on the remaining terminated-H region. A clear Al pattern has been successfully formed by the atomic hydrogen resist process.


Introduction: Veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (VOD/SOS) is a potentially life-threatening complication after hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). Defibrotide (DF), a mixture of single and double stranded oligonucleotides with profibrinolytic, anti-thrombotic, anti-ischemic and anti-inflammatory activity was approved by the FDA for the treatment of VOD/SOS in 2016. Prior to its FDA approval, its use was mostly restricted to patients with moderate to severe VOD characterized by multiorgan dysfunction. However, following approval, it has been used more liberally. We herein report a "real world experience" for commercially available DF in patients who developed VOD/SOS at our transplant center.
 Methods: All patients who received DF for the treatment of VOD/SOS after allogeneic HCT from March 2016 until June 2019 were included in this study. Baseline demographic data were retrieved from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute BMT repository, and chart review was performed to obtain additional information for cases. All received DF 6.25 mg/kg/dose every 6 hours for 21-day cycle for the treatment of VOD/SOS. Patients were diagnosed with VOD/SOS if they met at least 2 of the EBMT criteria; total bilirubin ≥ 2mg/dL, painful hepatomegaly, ascites, weight gain >5% or ultrasonographic evidence of VOD. VOD/SOS severity grading was defined per the EBMT VOD guidelines.
 Results: Twenty-eight patients received DF for the management of VOD/SOS. Of these, 12, 8, and 8 patients had mild-moderate, severe, and very severe VOD/SOS respectively. Median time to diagnosis of VOD/SOS was day +25 after HCT. Five cases were confirmed by liver biopsy and 16 patients had reversal of flow on ultrasound. Twelve and 16 patients received myeloablative and non-myeloablative regimens respectively. DF was started on the day of diagnosis in 71% of patients. Four patients had received inotuzumab ozogamicin prior to VOD/SOS diagnosis. Twenty-one (75%) patients had resolution of VOD/ SOS, defined by complete resolution of clinical symptoms and improvement of laboratory data ascertained via detailed chart review, at a median of 14 days from starting DF. Patients with very severe VOD/SOS took the longest to respond at a median of 21 days as compared to 10 and 11.5 days in the mild-moderate and severe group, respectively (P=0.04). Survival at 28 and 56 days from VOD/SOS diagnosis was 82% and 71% respectively. In univariable analysis, the presence of pulmonary dysfunction (PD) at VOD/SOS diagnosis and early in the course of VOD/SOS was significantly associated with lack of response. Only 1 out of 7 patients with PD responded (14%) as opposed to 20 out of 21 (95%) patients without PD who responded (p=0.0001). With the median follow up of 18 months from the VOD/SOS onset (range 11,33), 1-year overall survival (OS) was 46% for the entire cohort. Disease severity was not associated with OS (p=0.38) or progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.67) (Figure 1), but response to DF (treated as a time dependent variable in Cox model) was significantly associated with OS (HR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03, 0.69, P=0.016) and PFS (HR 0.19, 95% CI 0.04, 0.84, P=0.029) (Figure 2). All 7 non-responders died within 3 months of onset. Immediate causes of death in non-responders were VOD/SOS (n=2), grade III/IV gastrointestinal hemorrhage (n=1), relapsed disease (n=1) and sepsis (n=3). Attributed causes of death in responders were grade III/IV gut/liver graft versus host disease (n=2), relapsed disease (n=2), sepsis (n=2) and respiratory failure (n=1). Possible therapy-related adverse events were uncommon but included grade III/IV gastrointestinal hemorrhage (n=1), grade III/IV pulmonary hemorrhage (n=1), gross hematuria (n=6) and grade 3 hypotension (n=2), and proved generally manageable. Importantly, 1 out of 4 patients who received inotuzumab ozogamicin did not respond to DF and subsequently died from sepsis, considered unrelated to DF therapy.
 Conclusion: We report a real world experience of DF post-FDA approval in the USA from 2016 -2019. The majority of our patients received DF as soon as VOD/SOS was diagnosed. We found that use of DF was associated with complete resolution of VOD/SOS in 75% of all patients meeting the EBMT criteria treated with DF. Our overall survival outcomes are encouraging; particularly among responders without severe adverse events. Our results favor early identification and initiation of DF in VOD/SOS after HCT.

 Richardson: Celgene/BMS, Oncopeptides, Takeda, Karyopharm: Research Funding. Soiffer:Gilead: Consultancy; Juno: Other; Celgene: Other; Kiadis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Be The Match/National Marrow Donor Program: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Rheos Therapeutics: Consultancy; Cugene: Consultancy; Precision Bioscience: Consultancy; Mana Therapeutics: Consultancy; VOR Biopharma: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy. Cutler:Jazz: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Medsenic: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Generon: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mesoblast: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kadmon: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Nikiforow:Kite: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Nkarta: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Koreth:Biolojic Design Inc: Consultancy; Regeneron: Other: Research Support; Cugene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Therakos: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Miltenyi: Other: Research Support; BMS: Other: Research Support; Amgen: Consultancy; Equillium: Consultancy; Moderna Therapeutics: Consultancy; EMD Serono: Consultancy; Clinigen: Other.


Although some patriarchal cultural practices have apparently sustained peace and order in the society (Ezenwa-Ohaeto, 2015), most of the practices are believed to be in favour of men, and are therefore, oppressive to women. The marginalisation of women in most cultures has now birthed the reality of the ―patriarchal state‖ that functions solely in the interests of men and sustains the stereotypical gender order that supports the oppression of women (Dahlerup, 1987; Kong &Chan, 2000; Wilson, 2013). The gender order, transmitted from generation to generation, subtly ensures the conformity of girls/women to the expected cultural/behavioural values and any female who fails to conform to these cultural expectations are often seen as transgressors in the society (Katongo, 2013; Cheru, 2013). In contemporary times, women's quest for freedom from burdensome patriarchal practices has birthed diverse movements locally and internationally. Although the movements operate different ideologies, nevertheless, their united goal is to dethrone/eliminate patriarchy and implement ―a cultural rebirth‖ for the womenfolk (Ezenwa-Ohaeto, 2015, p. 61).


The implicit assumption underlying the current policy preference for the frail elderly to be cared for "in the community" is that members of the community, particularly women, will be willing to supply informal (unpaid) care to such people in whatever quantities are required and regardless of conditions in the formal labor market. To challenge that assumption, this paper develops an economic model of the individual's willingness to supply informal care which, while it incorporates altruistic motives, also recognizes the existence of an opportunity cost in the form of forgone earnings. Some preliminary empirical estimates are then presented using an existing, albeit imperfect, data source. Copyright 1992 by Scottish Economic Society.


Finding motifs and the corresponding binding sites is a critical and challenging problem in studying the process of gene expression. String and matrix representations are two popular models to represent a motif. However, both representations share an important weakness by assuming that the occurrence of a nucleotide in a binding site is independent of other nucleotides. More complicated representations, such as HMM or regular expression, exist that can capture the nucleotide dependency. Unfortunately, these models are not practical (with too many parameters and require many known binding sites). Recently, Chin and h u n g introduced the SPSP representation which overcomes the limitations of these complicated models. However, discovering novel motifs in SPSP representation is still a NP-hard problem. In this paper, based on our observations in real binding sites, we propose a simpler model, the Dependency Pattern Sets (DPS) representation, which is simpler than the SPSP model but can still capture the nucleotide dependency. We develop a branch and bound algorithm (DPS-Finder) for finding optimal DPS motifs. Experimental results show that DPS-Finder can discover a length-10 motif from 22 length500 DNA sequences within a few minutes and the DPS representation has a similar performance as SPSP representation.


The low-frequency (600 Hz) electric conductivity of water-in-oil microemulsions composed of water, cyclohexane, SDS, and 1-pentanol was measured. The structure of these microemulsions previously was described in the low water concentration range (water concentration approx. 10/sup -2/) as a suspension of minute droplets (diameter approx. 100 angstroms) with weak mutual interaction. Neutron scattering measurements show that the structure of droplets remains unchanged up to a water concentration of 0.30. At low water concentration, the electric conductivity is due to the mean charge of the droplets. The electric conductivity increases steeply over 5 orders of magnitude when the concentration of droplets increases. A second transition is observed at high water concentration: the microemulsion is inverted from water-in-oil to oil-in-water. The effect of both additional alcohol and ionic strength of water are discussed. 17 references.


In steel strip surface inspection, high discrimination capability of extracting harmful defects by suppressing excessive detection such as harmless oil patterns is required. Firstly we estimate the relative intensity profiles along azimuth angle of polarized light reflection of surface objects. Secondly we execute experiments with rotating analyzer,finding that defects and oil patterns have different polarity of intensity to the normal surface in polarized images. Finally we bring the technique into practice as a real-time on-line inspection equipment and prove the effective function discriminating excessive-detection matters from real defects.


A new approach to optic flow calculation, based on a highly robust statistical technique, is presented. In this algorithm, the optic flow problem is first formulated as a standard least squares problem. Then, its associated closest point problem is introduced and the transformation which takes this problem to a standard regression problem is provided. The least median of squares technique is used to solve the resulting regression problem. Some experimental results for both synthetic and real image sequences are also presented.