Abstract In this paper, the problem of Bayesian prediction intervals for a future observations from weighted exponential distribution is concerned. Constant-stress partially accelerated life test under Type-II hybrid censoring scheme of the observed data is used. One- and two-sample Bayesian prediction intervals for a future observations based on Type-II hybrid censored data are derived. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique is used to find Bayesian predictive intervals because one- and two-sample Bayesian predictive survival function cannot be obtained in closed-form. Finally, some numerical results are presented to illustrate all the inferential results developed in this paper.


Sympathoexcitation and increased inflammation are both involved in mediating hypertension, and decreasing sympathetic nerve activity is vital for reducing inflammation in this disease. However, the mechanism(s) by which the nervous system communicates with the immune system in hypertension is still largely unknown. To examine this interaction in this study, twenty‐week‐old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) underwent renal denervation (RDN) via radiofrequency ablation of the renal artery. After two months, kidneys were harvested and separated into cortex and medulla, and lymphocytes were detected by flow cytometry. RDN significantly decreased CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells in the renal medulla but had no effect on these immune cells in the cortex. In a separate group of intact SHR, Thy‐1, a reported activator of T cells, was measured in leukocytes isolated from the renal cortex and medulla. Thy‐1 mRNA expression was significantly increased in T cells, non‐T cells, CD45+ cells, and CD45− cells from the leukocytes isolated from the cortex compared to those isolated from the medulla. These findings suggest that Thy‐1 in cortical leukocytes might activate the immune system in the renal cortex independent of the renal nerves. Downregulation of Thy‐1 in the renal cortex could increase the benefit of RDN and decrease renal inflammation in hypertension.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify major developments in corporate innovation. The author focuses on the behavioral differences between MNEs from developed and emerging markets in the way they locate their R&D activities.

Design/methodology/approach

With the help of descriptive statistics, the paper identifies major trends in the global distribution of innovative activity. The novel source of patent statistics, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, is used as a proxy for innovative effort by leading MNEs. This paper is among the first attempts to analyze the global geography of innovation based on PCT statistics.

Findings

The analysis underscores differences in the patenting activities of MNEs from emerging and advanced markets. It confirms that innovative activity by major MNEs remains largely home-based, which contradicts the premise of the global nature of corporate innovation. At the same time, the growing importance of China as a research center attracts MNEs from a variety of developed markets. Emerging MNEs also file patent applications domestically. Most Chinese R&D subsidiaries of MNEs from advanced economies in our sample do not pursue technological specialization, as they produce patents in the same technological areas as the corporate headquarters or other subsidiaries.

Originality/value

A number of assumptions about the innovation geography of major MNEs were empirically tested. An attempt was made to fill the gaps in our understanding of innovation strategies pursued by MNEs in emerging markets. The author uses the concept of MNEs as meta-integrators to explain the observed dynamics. Its explanatory power is more convincing as applied to our data than the concept of national systems of innovation.


This Computer Based Test (CBT) is one of the services provided at the new admissions system at a college. User satisfaction (prospective new students) is one of the important factors of successful development and implementation of this CBT. This study aims to measure the quality of CBT services by combining Servqual (Service Quality) model. Servqual model is used to measure service quality from user perception to five dimensions of service quality that is tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The object of research is Janabadra University CBT system with the respondent is a new student academic year 2017/2018. The method used is determining the variables and dimensions to be measured, making and distributing questionnaires, validity and reliability test, processing the data of questionnaires by combining Servqual model, and analyzing data of questionnaire processing result. In this research, we will measure Gap 5 Servqual dimension that is the gap between service obtained with service expected by user. The results of this study can be the basis for development and improvement of CBT system on Universitas Janabadra in order to be more competitive in the future.


Immunohistochemical staining was undertaken in 30 lesions of breast cancer and 117 benign lesions by the Avidin-Biotin method using anti-17β-estradiol serum. The following three items were defined as the criteria for the judgment of positive staining: 1) The color development should be of a clear-brown granular pattern. 2) Color development variation should be found within each cell and among the cells. 3) More than 30 percent of the stained cells should have the above findings. The rate of positive staining was high in cases of cancer, fibroadenoma, papilloma and papillomatosis, while it tended to be low in other benign lesions. The stain findings in cases of papilloma and papillomatosis reflected the two-cell type. All positive cells were classified into four types. Type I cells show a color development localized at the cytoplasm on the side of the glandular lumen proximal to the nucleus. Type II cells show a very fine or fine granular color development, which was distributed diffusely over the cytoplasm. Type III cells show a coarse or middle-grade granular color development. Type IV cells show a volute color development centering around the nucleus. The rates of appearance of types III and IV were higher in breast in breast cancer cells than in papilloma or papillomatosis cells. These results led us to the consideration that proliferative epithelial lesions of the breast should be recognized as showning sequential spectra extending from benignancy to malignancy.


Most experts explain a drastic change in Russian housing policy, implying a higher role of government bodies, by the world financial crisis. This change took place first and foremost, as we prove here, due to the fact that the buying power of groups with unmet housing needs had exhausted. The crisis just precipitated and intensified the transition to a new housing model by the government, which we consider - in the context of the theory of a planned distributive economy - as a natural phenomenon. The paper also describes some anti-recessionary housing programs as well as the key problems which the housing and utilities infrastructure faces.


Sublimation avoids repression, and this characteristic partly provides metapsychological interest to the concept. A quick survey of the answers to this question provides only fragments of clarity. We thus consider another explanation, following the hypothesis that sublimation is opposed to the act, in the Lacanian sense of the term. Indeed, the act generates a deficiency because it is a transgression of the ("moral") law; it highlights the subject's division, because it is a separation. Based on the examples of "the great sublimators" such as Da Vinci, Freud, or Lacan, sublimation can be viewed as a permanent interrogation of the division, which consequently is no longer contested, but examined and explored.


In order to improve experimental teaching of human morphology and strengthen the cultivation of students' comprehensive ability,the application of comprehensive experiments with disease model carriers of in human morphological teaching was discussed.The comprehensive experiments with disease model carriers were conducted when the students were attending human morphology course.The teaching effect of comprehensive experimental teaching method was evaluated with questionnaire survey and course assessment method.The result indicates that the students are highly satisfied with the teaching effect.The marks of students who attended human morphology experiments were significantly higher than those who attended traditional human morphology courses,which shows that the comprehensive experimental teaching method can help students strengthen the theory,and enhance their practical ability and innovation ability.


This study investigated the relationship between perceived social support and the multidimensional self-concepts of gifted adolescents. Participants included 217 gifted students who had completed grades 5 through 10 and were attending a summer program for the gifted. Self-concept was measured using the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II; H. W. Marsh, 1990). Perceived sources of social support were measured using the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS; C. K. Malecki, M. K. Demaray, & S. N. Elliott, 2000). Results revealed three distinct clusters of perceived social support, but minimal differences with regard to self-concept and gender. Conclusions and implications regarding the social support of gifted adolescents and its impact on self-concept are discussed.


By way of transient current,4q control is carried out for the single-phase three-level converter,so that it may work either as rectifier or as inverter,with stable DC voltage and with same or reverser phase of input voltage and current.The mid-point voltage balance of three-level rectifier must be considered for the control of three-level converter.The way of control is to analyze the capacitance difference in DC side and the feedback value of mid-point current.Then correction is done to the PWM pulses which are not good for the mid-point balance,so as to control the balance in mid-point voltage.


Gears are an important component in the structure of mechanical power transmission machines. It consists of two gears, which by means of the gear teeth transmit torsional motion and torque between the shafts on which the gears are mounted. Generally speaking, gears are the link between the driving machine and the working machine. The main advantages of gears are constant transmission ratio, operational safety, high efficiency, small size, etc. The main disadvantages are high cost due to high precision of execution and assembly. An important aspect is gear damage due to the complex stresses to which the teeth are subjected during operation. This paper presents a study of the design factors of gears in terms of tooth contact resistance and tooth bending strength, with a view to reducing the amount of material required for gear construction.


High-quality alumina raw materials allow corundum-based brick and monolithics to perform to the full potential of alumina as a refractory material. Dense packing of the matrix to a submicron range and reduction of water demand of castables can be facilitated by a new family of multimodal reactive alumina. Dispersing aluminas ensure uniform mixing of dispersion and setting adjustment additives. In this study, fine reactive alumina powder production was investigated using Bayer gibbsite as a starting material. Experimental studies consist of two steps; in the first step, the soda content was reduced by means of boric acid and distilled water and then the powders obtained optimum conditions were ground in an attritor ball mill using distilled water for 8 hours. In the second step, physical characteristics such as rheological behaviours, bulk density, open porosity and thermal shock resistance, bending and compressive strength and fracture toughness in accordance with ASTM E-399 standard were determined. Finally, KIC values of the refractory samples which was prepared with the reactive alumina produced from Seydişehir gibbsite were higher than that of the refractory mixture containing commercial reactive alumina obtained from a refractory company.


Discriminating the traversability of terrains is a crucial task for autonomous driving in off-road environments. However, it is challenging due to the diverse, ambiguous, and platform-specific nature of off-road traversability. In this paper, we propose a novel self-supervised terrain traversability learning framework, utilizing a contrastive label disambiguation mechanism. Firstly, weakly labeled training samples with pseudo labels are automatically generated by projecting actual driving experiences onto the terrain models constructed in real time. Subsequently, a prototype-based contrastive representation learning method is designed to learn distinguishable embeddings, facilitating the self-supervised updating of those pseudo labels. As the iterative interaction between representation learning and pseudo label updating, the ambiguities in those pseudo labels are gradually eliminated, enabling the learning of platform-specific and task-specific traversability without any human-provided annotations. Experimental results on the RELLIS-3D dataset and our Gobi Desert driving dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Purpose. To establish the relationship between melatonin level in the blood serum and the lens in patients with different degrees of cataract progression. Material and methods During the study, the following groups of patients were formed: group 1 – initial cataract, group 2 – immature cataract, group 3 – mature cataract and group 4 – complicated initial cataract with type 2 diabetes mellitus. All patients were surveyed. Considering the fact that melatonin secretion depends on a daily rhythm, the sampling of biomaterial for analysis was carried out at the same time during a planned surgical intervention. Melatonin content was determined by enzyme immunoassay using the commercial Human MT (Melatonin) ELISA Kit. Results. The study did not reveal statistically significant changes in the level of melatonin in the blood serum of patients with different levels of cataract progression. However, there was a trend towards lower melatonin values in the group of patients with immature and mature cataract, relative to patients with initial cataract. When comparing the group of patients with mature cataract relative to patients with initial cataract, there was a decrease in melatonin levels by 45 % (p ≤ 0.05). The level of melatonin in the lens of patients with cataract complicated by diabetes mellitus was lower by 63 % (p ≤ 0.01) compared to patients with uncomplicated initial cataract. Conclusion. It was found that the level of melatonin in the lens significantly depends on the degree of cataract progression. Cataracts complicated by diabetes mellitus were characterized by minimal values of melatonin in the lens. The obtained data show the relevance of further research to assess the role of melatonin in various ophthalmic pathologies. Keywords: melatonin, cataract, eye lens


In the early months of 1980, before any of us outside Yale had ever heard of Bill Cronon and Changes in the Land was as yet unborn, I was one of the small handful of academics who actually filled a position advertised as "environmental history." The circumstances were admittedly unusual. My university (Texas Tech out on the West Texas Plains) had initially employed me as a visiting assistant professor (or lumpenproletariat, as one of my co-VAPs called us), then decided it wanted to hire me in a tenure-track capacity. The open slot was in Texas history, however, a field I knew only very marginally. Having written a Walter Webb-like disserta? tion on the Rockies, I called myself something most of my colleagues were not doubt confronting for the first time, an "environmental historian." Undeterred, Texas Tech altered its job advertisement to read "Texas and Environmental History" (probably the only time such a combination has ever been offered!), which in 1980 effectively reduced their hireable pool to ... one.


Undoubtedly it is a matter of great urgency for China's old-age insurance fund to enter in to markets and make investment.In the light of various institutional factors affecting the operation of ald-age insurance fund and their defects,and China's national conditions,the paper analyzes the barriers impeding market access and investment operation of China's ald-age insurance fund,including income barriers to capital-raising,barriers of investment models,problems of governance structures of legal person,problems of capital market,and positioning problems of the government 's role.


The main objectives this paper are to study the theoretical relationship between the primal and dual Total Factor Productivity (TFP) from the accounting measurement perspective and assess their accuracy in measuring unobserved TFP growth in the presence of (market power) MP and non constant returns to scale (NCRTS) in the case of Malaysia's manufacturing industry. In support of this, this paper uses an empirical method to estimate TFP growth by using Malaysian manufacturing data at 5-digit SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) level, when both primal and dual TFP accounting measurements fail due to MP and NCRTS.


We give a criterion for a sequence (an)n'1 to be non-automatic, i.e., for when there does not exist a flnite automaton generating this sequence. As application we generalize a result of Yazdani on the non-automaticity of multiplicative sequences.


According to the invention, the containers (B) with flatly piled letters (G) are placed automatically in a V-shaped receiving device (A) by initially placing the containers in a holding device (HV). A plunger (S) then holds down the letters (G), whereupon the holding device (HV) is positioned on the receiving device (A) so that the closed opening of the container (B) faces the bottom of the receiving device (A). The plunger (S) is finally raised and swung laterally so that the letters (G) can slide into the receiving device (A).


The tenth-magnitude object catalogued as BD +15°4134 consists of an A7 III star and an M star, the latter distant about 7" in position angle 160°. The M star is an unnamed variable of hitherto unspecified character ; a referee has pointed out that, although the star is not included in the Russian variable star catalog or in the catalog of suspected variables, its variability was nevertheless mentioned in the Bergedorfer Spektral-DurchMusterung of 1951, where a spectral type of Md and the presence of hydrogen emission lines were reported. The system is not contained in the Index Catalogue of Visual Double Stars* Spectrograms of the M star and its companion were taken on Ila-O emulsion on October 8 and 12, 1964, respectively, with our Cassegrain spectrograph at a dispersion of 130 Â/mm. The spectral classification quoted for the A star was so derived "by C.B.S. ; the M star was near type M5 and, as might have been anticipated from the Bergedorf description, had the appearance of a classical Mira star near maximum, with H8 in much more intense emission than Hy. Visually, the M star was upwards of half a magnitude fainter than its companion. An old infrared objective-prism plate shows that the M star has been as late in type as M7. Radial velocities for the two stars have been derived from our classification spectrograms, using as comparison lines several fluorescent-light mercury lines present in the spectrum of the Cleveland night sky and superimposed upon the stellar spectra. For the A-type star, laboratory wavelengths of the calcium K line and ten Balmer lines yielded a radial velocity relative to the sun of +13 ± 8 (p.e.) km/sec. The corresponding figure for


The image problem lies in the amount of storage space required, to save memory as little as possible image compression is required. The image compression technique is a technique used to represent an image by reducing the quality of the original image but still retaining the information inside. This study compares the best compression method between Coiflets, Haar wavelets, and SVD with JPG image material. The comparison process has done by calculating the compression ratio (CR), Space Saving (SS), Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). The results obtained prove that the SVD method has the highest compression ratio of 3.25 while in the case of Space Saving (SS) the Coiflets method gives the best performance with a value of 73. Measurement in terms of MSE and RMSE is the best for the Coiflets method because it has an average value. -The smallest average among all methods is 0.02395 and 0.111383. provides the best performance in maintaining compression quality. The best PSNR based image quality assessment is the Coiflets method with the highest PSNR average of 63.02 dB. Overall, the Coiflets, Haar wavelet, and SVD compression methods used for JPG images can reduce file size and preserve image information and quality.


The proceedings contain 12 papers. The topics discussed include: impact of covid-19 on education using twitter data;automating road junction identification using crowdsourcing and machine learning on gps transformed data;augmented and personalized digital narratives for cultural heritage under a tangible interface;issues and challenges associated with blockchain in smart cities;identifying dominant nodes in semantic taxonomies;correlation of biological and computer viruses through evolutionary game theory;and a system for collecting, managing, analyzing and sharing diverse, multi-faceted cultural heritage and tourism data.


Construction zone fatalities increased 43% between 1982 and 1987, at a time when all highway deaths rose 6%. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) conducted some on-site inspections and discovered not all state agencies, or all contractors, are following accepted work zone practices. Problems include misleading road markings and signs, excessive edge drop-offs, portable concrete barriers not connected or anchored, and improper flagging techniques. Enforcement seems to be necessary. There is also the cost of setting up work zones. Bids for road projects are quoted that included work zone costs amounting to 2.5% to 7% of the bids. While 43 states require traffic maintenance as a separate bid item, it doesn't appear that all are living up to the letter of the law in building the cost of safety into the contract. Regarding recent ideas to improve work zone safety, there have been several. A new concrete barrier, smaller than the Jersey types and hinged together, and a machine which can pick them up and move them laterally 6 to 16 ft. in one pass while traveling in either direction, have been approved by the FHWA on an experimental basis. The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) has initiated a design competition to generate ideas on how to protect maintenance workers. Prototypes of winning designs will be built and demonstration projects set up. A British manufacturer has developed a pothole filler that sweeps, fills and compacts the material while allowing the worker to remain in the tractor. The remainder of this article discusses work zone accident costs, pedestrian safety, and training materials aimed at improving work zone safety.


A dual planar array antenna located in vertical line was proposed and its mathematical modeling and theory were constructed.The basic principle was described and analyzed.The three dimensional space DOA of the antenna was estimated using the MUSIC algorithm,in which two parameters of the 3D space DOA were estimated by each of the Planar Array.The characteristic of the DOA estimation of dual plane arrays antenna were used to match the two parameters of the 3D DOA and the 3D space DOA could be estimated.The feasibility and the validity of the DOA estimation were proved by the simulation results,and the accuracy of the algorithm was improved when the SNR was increased.


A methodology based on combining topology optimization with a design in place procedure for metamaterial structures suitable for integrated antenna applications is presented. By optimizing the geometry of a pixelated area surrounding an antenna, it is shown that high levels of miniaturization of the antenna can be achieved while maintaining a high eciency. As an example, the methodology is used to design an ultra compact folded monopole antenna that ts into a hemisphere of radius 5.2 mm, or approximately one twentieth of a wavelength at 2.45 GHz, with an eciency above 80


Measurement of Raman and native fluorescence emission using ultraviolet (UV) sources (<400 nm) on targeted materials is suitable for both sensitive detection and accurate identification of explosive materials. When the UV emission data are analyzed using a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, chemicals and biological samples can be differentiated based on the geometric arrangement of molecules, the number of repeating aromatic rings, associated functional groups (nitrogen, sulfur, hydroxyl, and methyl), microbial life cycles (spores vs. vegetative cells), and the number of conjugated bonds. Explosive materials can be separated from one another as well as from a range of possible background materials, which includes microbes, car doors, motor oil, and fingerprints on car doors, etc. Many explosives are comprised of similar atomic constituents found in potential background samples such as fingerprint oils/skin, motor oil, and soil. This technique is sensitive to chemical bonds between the elements that lead to the discriminating separability between backgrounds and explosive materials.


A simple optical path for fabricating photonic crystals is presented. It is convenient to change the number of beams and its angles. Then photonic crystals of different lattices can be gotten. Recording material is home-made water-resisting photopolymer. The fabrication of photonic crystals with holography is simulated by matlab. By changing the number of beams and its angles, triangular, square and circular structures of photonic crystals are obtained. When polarization states of beams are changed, photonic crystals of different refractive index modulation are obtained. Via the simulation, the refractive index modulation of linearly polarized light is the highest. In the experiment, different exposures are set. And the best exposure is 20s, which is less than before. In this paper, photonic crystals using four light beams and five light beams are fabricated. Then, compare simulated results with experimental results and they are in substantial agreement.


Nanocrystalline supersaturated solid solutions were formed by mechanically alloyed Fe-28Al (in atom percent) from the elemental powder of iron and aluminum. Phase evolution, grain size and lattice strain of these powders were determined and discussed. A thermodynamic model was developed based on semi-experimental theory of Miedema to calculate the chemical driving force for phase evolution. The influence of thermodynamic driving forces, namely the Gibbs free energy of mixing, for the solid solution and the amorphous was discussed and corresponded to the sequence of phase formations during mechanical alloying.


After years of neglect, middle level schools and their students are finally receiving serious and sustained attention from mainstream educational researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. Consequently, the volume and quality of useful research are increasing. In this article, we summarize some of the major contributions of this new research to ongoing debates concerning grade span, school size, grouping, departmentalization, curriculum, instruction, advisory groups, interdisciplinary teaming, school-transition activities, extra-help programs, and student evaluation practices in the middle grades. This new research has given a clearer picture than ever before concerning the variation among middle level schools in practices and projected trends and has slowly begun to produce converging evidence concerning the likely consequences for students of different practices and program emphases.


Entertainment consumption is a common activity in the shopping centre environment. However, very little research (e.g. Parsons, 2003; Sit, Merrilees and Birch, 2003) has
examined the concept of entertainment consumption in the shopping centre context. Hence, this conceptual paper presents a research model which aims to understand shopper satisfaction with entertainment consumption. The proposed model is an extension of the recent work conducted by Sit, Merrilees and Grace (2003). The model comprises five key constructs, namely hedonic motives, functional evaluation, affective evaluation, overall satisfaction, and
behavioural loyalty. Relationships between these constructs are discussed, together with research propositions, which will be empirically tested in future research. Research
implications of the conceptual model are presented.


The thermal stratification of fluid occurs in piping lines connected to containers, vessels or other lines containing fluids at different temperatures. This phenomenon occurs mainly in conditions of low flow rate through piping and in case of laminar flow. In nuclear power plants using pressurized water reactors, one of the types of line most affected by this phenomenon is the surge line (nuclear class 1) connecting the pressurizer to a loop of the reactor coolant system (RCS). This concern has already been identified in several power plants, where it led in some cases to support breaks. For this reason, the US NRC required in the NRC Bulletin 88-11 that the effects of this phenomenon be studied, as well as its impact on the surge line. This paper describes the concept of stratification and examines the different analyses to be performed for this type of line.


The term isotope, derived from Greek, means occupying the same position in the periodic table. Isotopes are variant forms of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons (atomic number) but differ in the number of neutrons in the atomic mass. Isotopes come in two basic types: radioactive (unstable) and stable. Radioactive isotopes are nuclides that are unstable and spontaneously decay into other new isotopes, whereas stable isotopes are nuclides that do not appear to decay radioactively. Hydrogen and oxygen have a number of isotopes, including radioactive and stable isotopes. The two stable isotopes of hydrogen, 1H and 2H (also called deuterium and denoted as D), have natural abundances of 99.9885% and 0.0115% in hydrosphere, respectively. The third isotope of hydrogen, 3H (tritium), is unstable with a half-life of 12.23 years. The stable isotopes of oxygen, including 16O, 17O, and 18O, have natural abundances of 99.762%, 0.0379%, and 0.200% in hydrosphere, respectively. Other isotopes of oxygen are radioactive and very short-lived. In isotope geochemistry, it is a convention to use the atomic abundance ratio of the rare isotope to the major isotope (e.g. 18O/16O, 2H/1H) relative to a standard of known isotopic composition to describe the isotopic composition of samples as: δ (in ‰) = ( Rx Rs − 1 ) × 1000


Aim To study the effect of selenium(Se)-abundant a mi no acids from Ziyang silkworm pupa on human hepatoma cells. Methods H uman hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721 was selected as the model for study. Se-abun dant amino acids were prepared from Se-abundant silkworm pupas. Se contents wer e detected by atomic fluorescence spectrometer. Cell growth and viability were m easured by MTT method. Cellular morphology was observed by inversed fluor escence microscope. Apoptosis and cell cycle changes were determined by flow cytometry. Results ①The selenium content in Ziyang silkworm pupa was 215 times of that in normal silkworm pupa;②Se-abundant amino acids at final Se concentr ations of 0.5,1.5 and 2.5 μmol·L -1 significantly inhibited hepatoma cell growth and proliferation. The inhibitory effect was dose and time dependen t. Normal amino acids from normal silkworm pupa prompted cell gro wth. Sodium selenite at thesame concentrations only slightly inhibited cell growth;③ Se-abundant amino acids significantly and dose-dependently induced cell morphological changes and decreased survival cell rates;④Flow cytometry analysis confirmed the fact that Se-abundant amino acids at 0.5,1.5 and 2.5 μmol·L -1Se significantly and dose-dependently induced hepatoma cell apoptosis, increased G 2/M fraction and decreased G 0/G 1 fraction in the cell cycle. Conclusions Se-abundant amino acids could inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis of human hepatoma cell SMMC-7721. The anti-hepatoma mechanism of Se-abundant amino acids is related to the changes of cell cycle.


Summary The results of a theoretical investigation carried out in the Department of Civil Engineering of the Indian Institute of Science to determine the stress distribution in the anchorage zone o...


Despite similarity on two estimates of severity of their asthma (frequency and duration of intravenous therapy during hospitalization and pulmonary function measures taken on non-IV days), patients who missed scheduled medications frequently and who requested PRNs infrequently were hospitalized for fewer days than others. The results suggest that patients' characteristics associated with medication-use patterns may be critical variables influencing medical decisions.


Abstract The new mineral coutinhoite, ideally ThxBa(1-2x)(H2O)y(UO2)2Si5O13⋅H2O, with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5 and 0 ≤ y ≤ (2 + x), occurs as a secondary hydrothermal mineral in the Córrego do Urucum granitic pegmatite, Lavra Urucum, Galiléia Co., Minas Gerais, Brazil. Coutinhoite is intimately associated with weeksite, phosphuranylite, meta-uranocircite, and uranocircite on muscovite and microcline. The mineral forms irregular aggregates with very small curved scales, flaky crystals, up to 10 μm long and with a thickness up to about 0.5 μm. Coutinhoite is transparent to translucent and displays a waxy to silky luster; color and streak are yellow. It is non-fluorescent. The hardness is less than 2. It is brittle. Calculated density is 3.839 g/cm3. Coutinhoite is biaxial negative, α 1.620(3), β 1.627(3), γ 1.629(3), 2Vmeas. = 40(5)°, 2Vcalc. = 56.1°, dispersion r < v strong, orientation Y = c. Pleochroism is Z > Y, X yellow. The empirical formula (based on Si + P = 5) is (Th0.30Ba0.19K0.07Ca0.04)Σ0.60(UO2)2.00(Si4.92P0.08)Σ5.00O12.91·2.86H2O. The mineral is orthorhombic, probable space group Cmmb (67). Cell parameters were refined from the powder data: a 14.1676(9), b 14.1935(9), c 35.754(2) Å, V = 7189.7(2) Å3, and Z = 16. It is probably isostructural with weeksite. Both the description and name were approved by the CNMMN-IMA (Nomenclature Proposal 2003-025).


▴ Salisbury AC, Reid KJ, Spertus JA. Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on post-myocardial infarction outcomes. Am J Cardiol2007;99:636–41.

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

In this observational prospective multicentre study that enrolled 2481 patients, the authors tried to highlight the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a number of outcomes following an acute myocardial infarction (MI).

One-year mortality and rehospitalisation rates were significantly higher in patients with COPD than without (15.8% …

 [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DThe%2BAmerican%2Bjournal%2Bof%2Bcardiology%26rft.stitle%253DAm%2BJ%2BCardiol%26rft.aulast%253DSalisbury%26rft.auinit1%253DA.%2BC.%26rft.volume%253D99%26rft.issue%253D5%26rft.spage%253D636%26rft.epage%253D641%26rft.atitle%253DImpact%2Bof%2Bchronic%2Bobstructive%2Bpulmonary%2Bdisease%2Bon%2Bpost-myocardial%2Binfarction%2Boutcomes.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252Fj.amjcard.2006.09.112%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F17317363%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx
 [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/j.amjcard.2006.09.112&link_type=DOI
 [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=17317363&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fthoraxjnl%2F62%2F8%2F701.atom
 [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000244635700011&link_type=ISI


Gastric point-of care-ultrasound (POCUS) is an emerging clinical tool. Its utility in guiding clinical decision-making relies on the ability to differentiate between the appearance of an empty stomach; fl uid- fi lled stomach (clear versus particulate fl uid); `


Large p small n problem is a challenging problem in big data analytics. There are no de facto standard methods available to it. In this study, we propose a tensor decomposition (TD) based unsupervised feature extraction (FE) formalism applied to multiomics datasets, where the number of features is more than 100000 while the number of instances is as small as about 100. The proposed TD based unsupervised FE outperformed other conventional supervised feature selection methods, such as random forest, categorical regression (also known as analysis of variance, ANOVA), and penalized linear discriminant analysis when they are applied to not only multiomics datasets but also synthetic datasets. Genes selected by TD based unsupervised FE were biologically reliable. TD based unsupervised FE turned out to be not only the superior feature selection method but also the method that can select biologically reliable genes.


Internal communication and working environment is one of the supporting
factor to achieve the high employess satisfaction. If internal communication and
working environment is good, employess satisfaction will be high. On the
contrary, if internal communication and working environment is terrible,
employess satisfaction will be low. The aim of this research is to know the
influence between internal communication and working environment to
employees satisfaction at PT. Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Kantor Cabang
Semarang. The problem of this research is the changing of the decrease employees
performance. The type of this research is explanatory research that explain the relation
between research variabels. The population is all the employess at PT. Bank
Tabungan Negara (Persero) Kantor Cabang Semarang is 136. The number of this
sampel is 101 employees. The sampel methode uses proportionate stratified
random and the methode of data collection uses question, interview and library
study. The question test uses validity and reliablity test, and the statistic test uses t
and F test. Based on the statistic calculate, can be known the simple linear regression
between internal communication and employees satisfaction is Y= 12,190 + 1,444
X1, means there are any influence between internal communication and employees
satisfaction which is the value of b is positive. The simple linear regression
between working environment and employees satisfaction is Y= 15,991 + 1,145
X2, means there are any influence between working environment and employees
satisfaction which is the value of b is positive. The influence of internal
communication and working environment to employees satisfaction can be known
by using double linear regression analysis. The calculation result is Y= 2,017 +
1,185 X1 + 0,886 X2. From that regression can be known that internal
communication and working environment influence employess satisfaction which
are value of b1 and b2 is positive. Bank BTN Semarang should create internal communication better by adding
the frecuency of coordination among the employees. Bank BTN Semarang should
create the quality of facilities in office.


Research on the comprehension and production of syntactic units in children with developmental language disorders indicates the presence of various deficits. Given the insufficient research on syntactic abilities in this group of children in the Serbian- speaking area, the aim of the research is to determine the characteristics of syntactic aware- ness in children with developmental language disorder and consider the implications that are significant for school practice. The sample consisted of 240 children aged five to seven and a half, divided into two groups, i.e. children with developmental language disorders and children with typical development. The syntactic awareness test was carried out using the CELF-4 battery of language assessment tests. The obtained results showed that children with a developmental language disorder show significantly more deficits in comprehension and expression of syntactic units com- pared to children with typical development. In addition to mandatory treatment of language disorders, children with developmental language disorders need additional encouragement in styding at a younger school age. Specific characteristics of teacher's speech in the school environment have been identified as stimulating for the development of language abilities in this group of children. Emphasis is placed on the need for teachers to use strategies that support the development and use of syntactic abilities in this group of children. These strategies can be used in more or less structured ways, according to children's level of de- velopment, abilities and needs.


Currently the search for a perfect smile has been increasing and becoming a common requirement in clinical dental practice. This article has the objective to present a case report of a surgical aesthetic treatment for a patient with a excess gingiva of the lower teeth. Surgical crown augmentation surgery demonstrated a way to return the appropriate biological distances to restore health, function and aesthetics of the proposed case, providing satisfactory results for both the patient and the dentist.


The study of infl uence of torsion and setting conditions on the mechanical properties of textured polyester yarn is presented as an example. The adjustment of the normal model is presented in four histograms of frequencies using the technique of the known point. This adjustement allows obtaining the parameters of the normal model through its linear transformation obtained from a point read at will on the not linear curve. The degree of reached adjustment depends on this point. The algorithm of Guggenheim and method Marquardt were also used to verify the results achieved by the described technique. The data correspond to 250 values of mechanicals properties of polyester yarns of common use in the textile industry researched.


This research uses Black and Hispanic employment on large-city police forces to explore the relative efficacy of two competing hypotheses on the potential effect of residential segregation on minority-group outcomes. The latent-need hypothesis postulates that Blacks and Hispanics would fare better in more segregated communities because Black and Hispanic personnel are needed to police "their" own neighborhoods. Alternatively, the discrimination hypothesis contends that, ceteris paribus, the extent of residential segregation is an indicator of community-level intolerance and expects that more segregated communities would present Blacks and Hispanics with fewer opportunities in policing. The analysis indicates that the discrimination imperative is germane for Blacks. However, residential segregation is of no significant consequence for Hispanics.


The invariant mass spectra of e+e− pairs produced in 12 GeV p+A reactions are measured at the KEK‐PS. We observed a significant enhancement over the known hadronic sources on the low‐mass side of the ω meson peak. The 95 % C.L. allowed parameter regions for ρ/ω ratio are obtained as ρ/ω < 0.15 and ρ/ω < 0.31 for C and Cu targets, respectively. As for the φ meson, the data obtained with a Cu target revealed a significant excess on the low‐mass side of the φ meson peak mainly in the βγφ < 1.25 region.


Objective To investigate the protection of propofol against spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury (I-RI) and the effects of propofol on the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) in spinal cord IRI.Methods Sixty New Zealand white rabbits were devided to three groups of A (I-RI group),B(I-RI and intralipid group),C(propofol and I-RI group). Spinal cord ischemia was accomplished in rabbits by occlusion of the infrarenal aorta with a balloon catheter for 30 minutes. Neurological behavior was assessed according to Tarlov scoring system at 48 h of reperfusion. The spinal cord lumbar segment (L4-L6) was resected at 48 h of reperfusion for microscopic examination. The total number of normal motor neurons in the anterior horn was counted. The expression of HIF-1α was detected by immunohistochemistry analysis in spinal cord tissue.Results The Tarlov score of group C(3.0±1.3)was higher than that of group A(1.0±1.2) and group B (1.0±1.1)(P0.05).The number of normal motor neurons in the anterior horn was significantly higher in group C (8.5±3.5)than that in group A (2.3±2.1) and group B (2.2±2.0).The expression of HIF-1α in group C was significantly higher than that in the other two groups.Conclusion Propofol induces protection against I-RI in the spinal cord of rabbit,and the enhancement of HIF-1α expression might be involved in the protection induced by propofol.


By extending linear systems theory to include bilinear functionals, it is shown that the output of any power detector is given by the contraction of two tensor fields: one of which describes the spatio-temporal state of coherence of the incoming radiation, and the other characterizes the partially coherent response of the detector. A detector's coherence tensor is Hilbert–Schmidt, and can be decomposed into a superposition of natural spatio-temporal modes. It follows that any single power detector can be regarded as a number of independent power detectors acting in parallel; each of which is sensitive to radiation in some particular state of coherence; and each of which has a reception pattern that comprises an incoherent superposition of fully coherent beams. The work can be extended to allow the fluctuations in the output, and the correlations between the fluctuations in the outputs of two detectors, say in an array, to be calculated. The model has numerous applications in areas as diverse as pulsed communications systems, THz imaging, astronomical detectors, and insect and animal vision.


During several recent years the cognitive mechanisms' researches of the functioning of language of mass communication had been greatly developed. These researches help to determine the specificity of the cognitive world outlook and the peculiarities of its influence on the addressee. All this makes the problem topical. The main purpose of the article is to analyze precedent phenomena's functions in mass media.


Aim: This research was undertaken in the context of climate change and understanding how rising temperatures may interact with viticultural practices, used to manage fruit exposure in Riesling. An experimental system was designed to passively warm the bunch zone and separate the factors, heat and indirect heat by solar radiation.Methods and results:  Field experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 at an experimental site located near Rüdesheim in Germany. To increase bunch exposure compared to non-defoliated controls (CON), around 75% of the leaves were removed manually from the bunch zone in an early defoliation treatment at pea size (DEF_E; E-L 31) and later defoliation at véraison (DEF_L, E-L 35). An open heating system (OHS) was installed from pea size stage (E-L 31) onwards. Temperature, light penetration and canopy characterization were determined. Maturity measurements included determination of berry fresh weight, total soluble solids, available primary amino acids (N-OPA), pH, titratable acid and organic acids. For determination of the phenols, berry skin was freeze dried, extracted and analysed by HPLC-PDA.Compared to the same position in the control vine rows, the temperature was more than 10 °C warmer inside the chamber, around 5 °C warmer at the opening of the chamber and at the upper end of the bunch zone, up to 3 °C warmer on a day with high solar radiation. On overcast days there was no temperature difference between these treatments.The OHS treatment affected the ratio of malic and tartaric acid as well as the ratio of glucose and fructose, and produced smaller berries compared to both CON and DEF treatments. Phenols (flavanols, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols) in the berry skin were mostly affected by the defoliation. In both years, DEF_E had the highest amount of phenols, followed by the DEF_L. In 2016 OHS had nearly the same concentration of phenols compared to CON. In 2017, the concentrations of phenols were higher in OHS compared to CON.Conclusion: Under future scenarios of increasing temperature conditions, strong changes will be expected for berry maturity parameters. It was found that using an experimental setup to passively heat the bunch zone, malic acid was reduced, smaller berries were produced, and the glucose/fructose ratio changed. For the defoliation treatments, phenol concentrations in berry skin were strongly affected by defoliation and to a lesser extent by higher temperature. Basic maturity parameters were relatively unaffected by defoliation.Significance and impact of the study:  Riesling is known for its fruity character and the importance of the sweetness and acidity balance for determining wine style. Under warmer temperature conditions the acidity content will decrease through faster malic acid respiration, impacting the wine´s profile. Higher phenol content could lead to an astringent taste and together with higher protein content, may provide a risk of haze in wine. Neither effect is desirable. In this study, increased bunch exposure following defoliation had a greater effect than temperature alone on phenols. Therefore, the vineyard and canopy management practice will need to be adapted.


A new method is proposed for estimation of rainfall in mid-latitudinal areas from GMS infrared imagery data. This method was developed by using the satellite and gage data in 5 areas of about 104 km! in Japan, taking account of the different features of rainfall from various types of clouds. In this method, clouds are classified into six types, S(Clear Sky), F(Fine), A(Cumulus), B(Cumulonimbus), C(Middle Clouds) and D(High Clouds), by using the discriminate analysis technique from IR imagery data. The cloud types S, F and D are assumed to be no-rain cases and in the cases of A, B and C, rainfall is assumed to be proportional to the cold cloud fractional coverage (FC). A proportional constant for each cloud type is determined from the regression equation between FC and 3-hr rainfall, where the threshold T. used to define FC is determined to give the highest correlation for each cloud type. This method gives a good rainfall estimation for 24 hr cumulative rainfall with the correlation coefficient of 0.651 and relative root mean square error (RRE) of 0.965. To apply this method to the Hokkaido area, the results should be adjusted by an empirically determined factor, because weather conditions are different in this area.


PURPOSE: A semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to implement a stable electric property by forming an oxide semiconductor layer with a high crystallization region on a gate insulation layer. CONSTITUTION: An oxide semiconductor layer has a crystallization region on an under layer(901). A gate insulation layer is formed on the oxide semiconductor layer. A gate electrode overlaps the oxide semiconductor layer through the gate insulation layer. A pair of electrodes overlap a part of the oxide semiconductor layer. A value obtained by dividing a difference between a lattice constant of the oxide semiconductor layer and a distance of adjacent atoms in the under layer by the distance of the adjacent atoms in the under layer is 0.15 or less in a contact surface between the under layer and the oxide semiconductor layer.


Employee Work Behaviour (EWB) is a critical aspect of organizational culture that has a substantial impact on productivity and performance. Employees are expected to behave positively at work in order to build and maintain a healthy corporate culture. Employee benefit programs are implemented by companies to increase employee commitment and performance. Employee Commitment (EC) is another important cultural attribute of a high-performing workplace. The impact of the Employee Old-Age Benefit Institute (EOBI) (Old Age Pension) on EWB was investigated, as well as the involvement of EC as a mediating factor. A quantitative research approach was used to assess the impact of EOBI (Old-Age Pension) on EWB. All EOBI-registered business units in Lahore, Pakistan, make up the population. The list of business units was provided by the EOBI office in Lahore, Pakistan. We chose a sample of 145 units from a sampling frame of five hundred using a basic random sampling approach. The study's findings demonstrate a positive and substantial relationship between EOBI (Old Age Pension) and EWB, as well as a positive and significant relationship between EC and EWB. The EC partially mediates the relationship between EOBI (Old Age Pension) and EWB. employee benefit programmes are suggested as a way to improve job performance and dedication, according to the study's findings.


In the structure of the medium and small kind of cold store,studies the anti-condensation thickness and the economical thickness of low-temperature insulating layer.Calculates and analyses some insulating materials newly used in cold store within three sections of our country.Obtains the minimum thickness of low-temperature insulating layer in different conditions.


The lack of postsecondary success for African American males has garnered significant attention from academic scholars and public policy leaders. While this scholarship provides a strong portrait on issues related to African American males, there are still significant gaps to be addressed. Most notably, current research tends to focus on students entering four-year institutions and rarely presents student narratives about their educational experiences. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of African American males in various stages of transition from high school to their local community college. Students discuss three main areas—encouragement for their postsecondary aspirations, assistance with navigating multiple pathways to access, and persisting through stereotypes and perceived barriers. Discussion connects findings with theoretical frameworks to enhance our understanding of the experiences of this traditionally marginalized population.


Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to point out the importance, value and the economic status of the public information services (PIS), which are in danger and to propose alternative solutions that the Greek Governmental Officials and Public Sector's Library Managers can employ to support and promote PIS, their staff value and work and to finance their existence/preservation, plans and activities. Another objective of the paper is to increase librarians' and library staff morale and encourage their participation and play a more proactive role in finding and securing such financial resources that will benefit all (PIS and librarians). Design/methodology/approach – Considering the deep financial crisis in Greece, the paper presents and analyzes a thorough list of strategies, actions, practical recommendations and measures that public sector's information professionals could apply in their attempt to promote PIS benefits to the society. Through these actions, they can also approach and convince stakeholde...


In this paper we describe an APL package developed for building statistical models interactively. The package consists of seven functional units with four major functions DATA, MODEL, REGRESSION and RESIDUAL, each of which is controlled by a set of commands. Several auxiliary functions are also available. The use of the package is illustrated through a numerical example.


AS is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disease primarily affecting the sacroiliac joints and spine, with a prevalence of 0.2%–0.5% in the United States.1 Because radiographic features of the disease can take years to develop, diagnosis may be delayed by up to 10 years2, which can negatively affect patients' function, ability to work, and overall quality of life.To describe geographic variations in AS diagnostic prevalence and treatment in the United States.This study utilized the IBM® MarketScan® Administrative Claims Database from 2014–2019. Patients (pts) ≥18 years of age with AS, continuous medical and pharmacy enrollment during the calendar year, and complete geographic information during the study period were included. Pts were identified by having ≥1 claim with ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM codes for AS (720.0 or M45.x, respectively). Two AS diagnosis definitions were used; Definition 1 (D1): Pts with ≥1 claim for an AS diagnosis in the year by any provider and Definition 2 (D2): Pts with ≥2 claims for an AS diagnosis within 18 months by rheumatologists. Annual AS diagnostic prevalence rates were calculated for both groups; treatment was evaluated among pts with D2. Diagnosis and treatment rates were assessed from 2014–2019 at the national and state levels and reported for states where >20 pts received an AS diagnosis (D1 or D2) or respective treatment (D2). The effect of age, sex, race (surrogate for HLA-B27), and rheumatologist per capita on geographic variation was assessed.The number of pts included per year ranged between 10,811–13,077 (D1) and 3,775–4,901 (D2). AS diagnostic prevalence increased over time for both groups, with the annual prevalence rate per 10,000 persons for D2 pts increasing from 2.5 in 2014 to 3.5 in 2019 (Table 1). The AS diagnostic prevalence by D2 in 2019 was highest for Idaho (13) and Colorado (6), and lowest for Michigan (2). The state variations in prevalence did not appear to be explained by age, sex, racial distribution, or rheumatologists per capita. The percentage of D2 pts receiving advanced therapies (all FDA-approved indicated biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs [bDMARDs] for AS) were >70% and increased each year, whereas the use of conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) decreased (Figure 1. next page). While opioid use decreased, 37% of D2 pts were prescribed such treatment in 2019. Percentage of D2 pts receiving advanced therapy in 2019 was highest (91) in Minnesota and South Carolina and lowest in Idaho (69) and Indiana (70). In 2019, the percentage of D2 pts using csDMARDs in 2019 was highest in Oklahoma (33) and lowest (16) in North Carolina and New York, while for opioids it was highest in Idaho (69) and lowest in Wisconsin (28).The prevalence of AS is increasing each year nationally, with significant variability observed across states that is not explained by differences in age, sex, race, or rheumatologists per capita. Among pts with confirmed AS diagnosis (D2), national rates of csDMARDs and opioids are decreasing although opioid use is still high, and high treatment rates exist for advanced therapies. Rates of all treatments also vary substantially across states. Observed variations may indicate the opportunity for further education that can be targeted based on regional need to improve diagnosis and treatment.[1]Reveille JD. Am J Med Sci. 2011. 2. Deodhar A, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016.Table 1.AS diagnostic prevalence by calendar year, 2014–2019Patients with ≥1 AS diagnosis (D1)Patients with ≥2 AS diagnoses by rheumatologists (D2)YearNumber of annual enrolleesNumber of patients with ASPrevalence rate/10,000Number of patients with ASPrevalence rate/10,000201419,470,78013,0776.74,9012.5201515,159,11811,8637.84,2782.8201614,836,59412,8018.64,4733.0201712,618,30110,8118.63,7753.0201813,460,22412,2599.14,3023.2201912,105,04911,6469.64,2943.5Medical writing services provided by Alan Saltzman of Fishawack Facilitate Ltd, part of Fishawack Health, and funded by AbbVie.The design, study conduct, and financial support for the study were provided by AbbVie. AbbVie participated in the interpretation of data, review, and approval of the abstract. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship.Atul Deodhar Speakers bureau: Novartis, Pfizer, Consultant of: Novartis, Pfizer, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, UCB Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Galapagos, Janssen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Amgen, Grant/research support from: Novartis, Pfizer, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, UCB Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Denise Kruzikas Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Lili Zhou Employee of: AbbVie, Ana Biljan Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Christopher Saffore Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVieFigure 1.


The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) brings us connected devices that are an integral part of the physical world. Everyday devices and things will have considerable computing and communication capabilities, and will turn the real world programmable in a very literal sense. The dawn of the Programmable World poses significant challenges above and beyond data acquisition, analytics and other common research topics in the IoT area. In this paper we take a look at the software development issues associated with the Programmable World, highlighting technical topics that deserve developer education and deeper investigation by the research community.


We demonstrate the utility of variable-temperature (VT) magic-angle-spinning (MAS) Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (FT-NMR) spectroscopy for the study of mobile species in solids, especially when quadrupolar nuclei are being observed. A new VT-MAS probe is described for use in the temperature range 150 - 400 K, using spectrometers with high-field superconducting magnets. It has been utilized in studies of the bonding and dynamics of alkali cations in hydrated zeolites at an applied field of 7.05 T. Results are presented for the cases of Cs/Na-A and Cs/Li-A zeolites, in which the Cs/sup +/ ions exchange rapidly, at 293 K, between six-ring and eight-ring sites in the large cage, so that on the time scale of the NMR measurements the ions are indistinguishable and a single /sup 133/Cs resonance is observed. Below 250 K, two well-resolved signals are observed in the Cs/Na-zeolite, 107 ppM apart. These are easily assigned to the Cs/sup +/ ions in the two sites, the large difference in chemical shifts being attributed to the stronger bonding of Cs/sup +/ ions at the six-ring sites. Three sites are distinguished in the Cs/Li-A zeolite, the third site being assigned to a position near to a four-ring in the large more » cage. 26 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab. « less


In this issue of ONCOLOGY, Tobinai reviews the management of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)–associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Although rare in the United States, an estimated 10 to 20 million people are infected with HTLV-1 worldwide and 2% to 5% will develop ATL.[1] The prevalence of HTLV-1 infection and the consequent poor prognosis of ATL mark the disease as a public health issue in many countries. Prevention of transmission will ultimately eliminate disease associated with HTLV-1 infection.


Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, thereafter complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age and beyond is WHO recommendation. A strategy employed by the Government of Ghana to decrease malnutrition in children was breastfeeding. This was backed by National Breastfeeding Policy. This study was designed to ascertain the feeding practices of mothers of children less than 5 years who delivered at Mamprobi Polyclinic in 2006- 2010 and living in Mamprobi community, and the nutritional status of their children. Cross sectional design was used to measure the feeding practices of 300 mothers using structured interview and anthropometric measurement for 400 children living in Mamprobi community. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. The findings show that the mothers belong to low socio demographic class. Mothers (78 %) exhibited high knowledge on the importance of breast milk for the child and (60 %) mentioned that exclusive breastfeeding should be up to six months however (83 %) of the mothers gave water mainly Bottled Voltic mineral water to their children within the six months. They lack knowledge on type of solid food to introduce to children as complementary food. Wasting, and stunting were observed among all age groups increasing with age and mothers did not know rational for their actions. Recommendation was improvement in


The article studies the legal regime of property acquired on a gratis basis by one of the spouses during the marriage through privatization. We analyze the legal regimes of privatized residential premises, land lots, and securities received through privatization of state or municipal enterprises. We conclude that gratuitous acquisition of property through privatization by one of the spouses is not an absolute reason for attributing this property to the spouse's personal ownership. We also reveal legally relevant circumstances for solving the problem of recognition of this property of spouses as joint or separate one.


The patient was female,56years old,consulted chest distress and palpitation for one year and symptoms aggravated for this week.The ECG demonstrated some ventricular premature beats.The symptoms were relieved and arrhythmia disappeared after medicine treatment with coronary artery dilator and anti-arrhythmia drug for a week.


A single-machine two-agent scheduling problem with a truncation learning effect is being addressed in the study. The truncation learning effect means that the actual processing time of a job is a function of the sum of processing times of already scheduled jobs and a control parameter. The aim is to find an optimal schedule to minimize the total weighted completion time of jobs of the first agent under the circumstances that no tardy job is allowed for the second agent. A branch-and-bound and three heuristic-based genetic algorithms (GAs) are proposed to solve the problem. Also presented in the study are the computational results of all proposed algorithms.


We report simultaneous observations of the flaring behavior of the cataclysmic variable star AE Aquarii (AE Aqr). The observations are in Johnson B and V bands. The color–magnitude diagrams (B–Vvs. V and B–Vvs. B) show that the star becomes more blue as it becomes brighter. In our model, AE Aqr's behavior can be explained with flares (fireballs) with 0.03⩽B–V⩽0.30, and temperature in the interval 8000⩽T⩽12000.


In 1980s, studies on the river environment and the management techniques to maintain the quality of water achieved actively. From the beginning of 1990s, the concept considering the river ecology and conservation in urban area have been introduced in Korea. Recently, some environment friendly projects on the rivers have been executed and some are under way. Many small rivers in rural areas have been maintained considering landscape and partly ecology. However until the pilot project named Songsam drainage channel project started in 1998, there were no studies and projects on the irrigation and drainage channels considering environment friendly maintenance. Korea Agricultural and Rural Infrastructure Corporation (KARICO) is going to introduce environment friendly and naturally favorable maintenance technique when the new projects to reform the irrigation and drainage channels are planned. Irrigation channel in O-dong project site in Yeomsan-myeon, Younggwang-gun was designed considering environment friendly consolidation and maintenance.


Under an acceptable hypothesis that cardiac rhythm is generated from the stochastic forced nonlinear dynamical system,the problem of reconstructiong the underlying deterministic structure was investigated based on Volterra model.First,in order to reveal the undrlying complex dynamics as completely as possible,a generalized Volterra model was constructed based on optimal transformation algorithm.Second,in order to eliminate the effects of stochastic inputs in the process of reconstructing,measurement noise levels,dynamical noise levels,trajectory,structure and parameters of the model were sampled by using EM algorithm within the frame of generalized model.When applied to two heart rate data sets,the reconstructed model not only exhibited dynamical behaviors and statistical properties consistent with that of original time series,bur also were sensible to inital conditions.


The effect of symmetry on the resonance spectra of antiferromagnetically coupled oscillators has attracted new interest with the discovery of symmetry-breaking induced anti-crossings. Here, we experimentally characterise the resonance spectrum of a synthetic antiferromagnet Pt/CoFeB/Ru/CoFeB/Pt, where we are able to independently tune the effective magnetisation of the two coupled magnets. To model our results we apply the mathematical methods of group theory to the solutions of the Landau Lifshitz Gilbert equation. This general approach, usually applied to quantum mechanical systems, allows us to identify the main features of the resonance spectrum in terms of symmetry breaking and to make a direct comparison with crystal antiferromagnets.


Introduction: Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty has flourished as a main-stream therapy (mostly in developed countries) for treating patients with medical indication and those suffering from rheumatic mitral stenosis. This procedure is performed at the Cardiocentro in Santiago de Cuba since July 2008. Objectives: To describe the results of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty in the study participants. Methods: A descriptive, single-centered and observational study including 91 pa-tients treated by this procedure was conducted at the Cardiocentro in Santiago de Cuba from July 2008 to June 2019. Clinical/epidemiological, echocardiographic and  hemodynamic variables were assessed, as well as immediate procedure outcomes . Results: Young individuals (60.4% between 15-44 years), female (86.8%), with a his-tory of rheumatic fever (48.4%), NYHA (New York Heart Association) functional class III (64.8%) and sinus rhythm (86.8%) predominated. An average increase in valve area of over double (0.99 vs. 2.12 cm 2 ) the initial value and a reduction in atrial pressure of more than 50% (25 vs. 11.76 mmHg) was achieved; thus evidencing that the treatment was effective in 95.6% of the patients. A significant association (Fisher Test ≤ 0.05) was identified between Wilkins score ≤ 8 and satisfactory outcome of the procedure . Conclusions: The results of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty in the medical center were successful and consistent with those achieved nationally and internationally.


Higher Vocational College students' mathematics level is different.Generally,according to their level of mathematical knowledge and learning ability,the students can be divided in to three different levels.That is A,B and C.In accordance with that we can have a teaching aim suitable to their practice and development.Then we can design different level teaching Scheme and create good atmosphere in the teaching,so that all the students of different level can participate the teaching activity,to show us their advantages,then at last we can attain the goal that different student can get different development in his mathematics in the different teaching activity of mathematics.


Confidence in distributed or virtual team working is running high. However, some concern is evident that practice is leaping ahead of theories to guide its implementation. There are calls for new and improved theories to specifically embrace distributed team working. This chapter is a response to such calls, offering a complex-systems-based model of organization development. This model was originally designed to improve performance of the management of technology and innovation, but also underpins a methodology of community of practice and team development known as the KALiF System. The theory and model described here is mainly a synthesis of established team and community of practice theory, Dunbar's Social Brain Hypothesis, and elements of complexity science based on the work of the biologists and systems thinkers Humberto Maturana & Francisco Varela, and also Stuart Kaufmann on attenuated supracritical systems. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-533-9.ch009


Strong 4- and 6-wave-mixing is detected electro-optically when two multi-THz fields of 5 MV/cm interact in InSb. These processes are mediated by 2-photon interband transitions. A non-collinear geometry paves the way for background-free measurements.


Unique new data from a college with a mandatory work‐study program are used to examine the relationship between working during school and academic performance. Particular attention is paid to the importance of biases that are potentially present because the number of hours that are worked is endogenously chosen by the individual. The results suggest that, even if results appear reasonable, a researcher should be cautious when drawing policy conclusions about the relationship between hours worked and a particular outcome of interest unless he or she is confident that potential problems associated with the endogeneity of hours have been adequately addressed.


A novel and unified framework is presented to evaluate the exact bit error probability (BEP) of M-ary pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel for any bit-mapping techniques. Tight approximations are also provided for both of them. Using these results, we obtain the exact and tight approximate BEP expressions for maximal-ratio combining (MRC) and selection combining (SC) in Rayleigh fading.


III-nitride VCSELs are fabricated by removing SiC substrate from the Ill-nitride cavity, and subsequent wafer bonding of the cavity and DBRs. Low-threshold lasing action in InGaN VCSELs with dielectric DBRs is observed at room temperature by optical pumping.


From joint meeting 1972 of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Biophysik and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Medizinische Physik; Erlangen, Germany (4 Oct 1972). When applying x-rays in diagnostics, the exposure of patients or the whole population should be as low as possible. There are different ways to reduce the exposure caused by diagnostic means. The most important ones are discussed and the influence of modern techniques concerning dosage is described. If several possibilities for the reduction of the x-ray exposure are not used, the dose rate could tend to surpass more than a hundred times the amount of the absolutely necessary dose. Special attention is given to the gonad dose. The contribution of the different diagnostic exposures to the gonads is described. It can be seen, however, that despite the growing number of diagnostic medical examinations the x-ray exposure is not bound to increase equally if the educational standard of the radiologists and the improvement of the techniques are continuously developed. (auth)


Todays global competition has prompted many automotive manufacturers to design their products based on consumers preference and satisfaction. A car driver controls the vehicle and his/her comfort and safety is important to avoid any road injury or unfortunate accident. There are three main objectives for this paper. This paper is to investigate the relationships between car drivers anthropometric characteristics, comfortable postural angles and seat adjustment, to analyze the force distribution on the car seat and to design a driver car seat that gives comfort and safety ergonomically to the driver. In this case, the measurements need to be taken for both car and the driver and also to propose a design a driver car seat that provides comfort and safety to the driver. This design should be based on ergonomic factors including design, materials used and safety. These findings enhance our understandings of car drivers perceptions of posture comfort and safety. The data findings and relationship discussed will assist the manufacturers in designing a drivers car seat with ergonomics value.


Ten plants, with known medicinal uses, were gathered to study for their possible production of secondary metabolites that act as opioid and cannabinoid agents. All plants were subjected to in vitro bioassays testing for their affinity for the opioid and cannabinoid receptors. Banisteriopsis caapi extracts displayed the greatest affinity for both opioid and cannabinoid receptors. B. caapi extracts underwent column fractionation yielding fractions that were subjected to further in vitro studies. We discovered that the ethanolic extract of this plant (foliage) binds to all three opioid receptors (µ, κ and δ) and cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) with values ranging from 60-90% displacement of the respective radioligands for these receptors. Based on the polarity, we observed that the highest percent of radioligand displacement was noted in the 50:50 hexanes:ethyl acetate fraction on CB1, CB2 and δ-opioid receptors with values of 86.0, 86.9 and 79.3, respectively.


Thispaperdescribes theDynamicBandwidth ManagementSystemimplemented in the ATHENA communication systemplatform deployed intheBucharest ATHENA testbed.Itpresents ascalable approach using a two-stage architecture formanaging thebandwidth ina heterogeneous communication systemcomprising DVB-T, 802.3, 802.11, 802.16 technologies.


Klein-Gordon operators with complex potentials are formulated as model systems to examine the possible impact of non-normality on the stellar pulsation eigenvalue problem. Computations of spectra, e -pseudospectra and resolvent norms for these operators show that extended regions of complex potential, corresponding in stars to non-adiabatic regions, leads to strong non-normality. Introduction of an advective term further increases non-normal properties. Prospective model improvements and implications for resonances and for nonlinear pulsation are considered.


Discloses a living body sample endoscopic instrument (1), comprising: a guide wire (2), provided on the sheath (3); drill means (5), disposed in the guide wire (2) a first at the end (4); and an actuator (11) for actuating said drill means, said actuator at the second end (10) disposed in the actuator guide wire (2). Said drill means (5) comprises an outer tube (6) and the cutting means (7). The inner cutting means (7) capable of tubes (6) in the interior of the outer sliding or rotating. The inner cutting means (7) having a helical cutting edge (8). Also discloses an endoscope comprising such endoscopic instrument (1), and a method for obtaining a biopsy sample from a tissue of a subject.


After the 2010 elections, it is clear that the fight over health care reform is far from over. The reform law confronts burgeoning legislative, administrative, and legal challenges, and the partisan divide on health care is widening.


The blast-wave at the edge of the supernova remnant IC443 is colliding with nearby quiescent gas. In this paper a multi-transition study of CO J = 1 - 0 → J = 4 - 3 is presented of one of these clouds, IC443C, and the detection of atomic carbon, CI, reported. The CO is optically thin with T ex ~ 45K, a measured isotopic ratio CO/ 13 CO = 80, and N(CO) ~ 2 - 4 10 17 . Atomic carbon emission was detected for the first time in shocked gas only towards the IC443C C-shocked region, with an abundance ratio CI/CO ~ 1.3 - 2.9. CI is overabundant by one order of magnitude compared with quiescent molecular cloud cores, suggesting that shock(s), or an enhanced cosmic ray flux density, has increased the CI/CO ratio. A narrow CO absorption line towards the shocked region IC443G has T ex ~ 13-18K, and n H 2 ~ 2-3 10 3 cm -3 , which may be typical of conditions in the pre-shock gas.


New solutions for the self-calibration of a 2-port VNA with a leaky error-model are presented in this paper. These solutions allow the characterization of the measurement setup with 15-term error-networks without an ideal THRU- or LINE-connection. As a consequence of self-calibration, unknown parameters in the calibration standards are allowed. The first procedure named NMRG2 requires the same calibration standards as the well-known TMRG procedure, with the exception of the THRU, which can be replaced by a known network standard. The second self-calibration procedure named MONS5 applies an unknown NETWORK, an asymmetric 2-port reflection and a MATCH, whereas two other known reflection standards are required.


Women are at greater risk for worse outcomes associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) than are men. One explanation may be that they tend to be treated less aggressively than men even when more aggressive treatment is warranted. The purpose of this analysis was to assess this issue.


In my diploma work I deal with readiness of students of Bachelor's curriculum Nursing, field of study General Nurse, to meet dying patient and their readiness theoretical as well as practical. In the introduction of my Bachelor's work I address dilemma of dying, death and defining basic concepts. In the following chapter I describe dying phases according to E. Kűbler-Ross. My Bachelor's work also includes care of dying patient, care for dead body, support of the bereaved and attitude of medics. The closing chapter describes education of students of Nursing at Palacký University in Olomouc and Tomas Bata University in Zlin, in this field.


ABSTRACT: In a prospective randomized study, 60 patients were induced with 3 mg vaginal FE2 pesseries or intravenous oxytocin. Oxytocin stimulation was associated with shorter labour and a lower incidence of abnormal cervimeteric progress, after spontaneous rupture of membranes. Out of these patients given PGE2 20% required a second dose after four hours of slow progress. 10% of primigravida subsequently developed abnormal labour and required augmentation by oxytocin to correct their uterine contractions. Two caesarian sections were carried out for disproportion and remaining 58 patients were delivered vaginally. PGE2 pesseries were not associated with an increased incidence of hyperstimulation or sepsis. In conclusion oxytocin infusion is a safe, effective but inconvenient method of induction of labour, while PGE2 pesseries are safe, effective, more acceptable but an expensive method of induction of labour.


This paper investigates the robust performance of fuzzy supervisory control (FSC) technique for seismically excited cable-stayed bridge. The FSC technique utilizes fuzzy logic-based decision-making process to incorporate a set of pre-designed static control gains into a time-varying optimal control gain. To demonstrate the excellent robustness of the FSC technique on response control of earthquake-excited cable-stayed bridge, a conventional linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller with single static gain and two fuzzy supervisory controllers are designed for the benchmark cable-stayed bridge, and their robust performances are examined under uncertainty in bridge model and against failures in actuators and sensors. Under the presence of uncertainty in the bridge model, the FSC system successfully reduces the seismic responses of the bridge without significant increase in the total amount of power and stroke required by the control system, while the LQG system exhibits a substantial increase in the seismic responses. Under conditions of sensor or actuator failures, the FSC system guarantees a more enhanced robust performance than the LQG system as well.


The deeper understanding of our needs and roles as universities seems to provide Hebei University and UMP better opportunities to further explore collaborative work.


Abstract Kolong River is recognized as an immensely degraded and flow deficit river of India. Installation of the Hatimura embankment as an ad-hoc flood control measure had restricted the entry of water into the river channel from its source thus converting it into a flow deprived polluted river. Significance of this study lies in the identification of the impacts of the Hatimura embankment on the planform morphology of the river. An attempt has been made in the present study to analyse the channel planform during the past 103 years (1912–2015). The river was found to be highly meandering with highest sinuosity index (SI) value of 2.18 observed during 1912. River planform seems to have a weak tendency of channel straightening, supported prominently by decreasing SI value from 1912 through 2015. The average migration rate of the meandering channel of the Kolong River was estimated to be 0.11 m y−1.


In this research, we aim to study the complexity of the ethno-education model from the following perspectives: the rural education, the new version of rurality, the actors, and the ethno-educative institution located in the rural context of the Cordoba department, in Colombia. This research work was carried out in order to analyze the reality that underlies the implementation of differential education achievement, which is the right of the Colombian ethnic groups, in the context of a hegemonic education represented by the rural education and the program known as New School, in the case of the educative institution named "San Jose de Ure". The ethnographic approach was applied and this revealed the dynamic of an ethno-educative institution where converges both realities: rural and ethnic-Afro. As a consequence of this complex scenario, we found epistemological challenges and several questions which highlight the incongruence of rural education with regards to ethno-education. From this perspective, we identify some problems that make complex both processes. As a corollary, we present the discussion of findings and reflections.


We conducted a large-offset seismic experiment in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico using largecapacity air guns and digital ocean-bottom seismographs to determine the velocity structure of the sediments, crust, and upper mantle. Five multiple-detector split-profile lines were shot over an area extending from the shallow midshelf south of Galveston to the continental rise just south of the Sigsbee escarpment. The data were of adequate spatial density and quality to allow combined use of near-vertical reflections, wide-angle reflections, and refractions for interpretation. Several techniques were used to obtain velocity-depth functions: (1) conventional constant-velocity-layer analysis, (2) interval velocities from moveouts of the precritical reflections, (3) analysis in the tau-p domain to determine extremal depth bounds, (4) estimation of the thickness of the allochthonous salt from the limiting distance of salt refractions, and (5) forward modeling using two-dimensional (2-D) ray tracing. A sedimentary sequence of nearly constant thickness (13 to 15 km) covers the study area. Various mobilized salt features exist within the sediments in the slope area, ranging from deeply buried layers and diapirs under the inner slope to shallow, thin, allochthonous bodies under the outer slope. In contrast to the sediments, the crust shows considerable variation in thickness, from normal oceanic crustal thickness beneath the continental rise to nearly normal continental thickness beneath the shelf. The transition under the slope, however, is not monotonie but includes thinning to nearly oceanic thickness under the midslope, possibly suggesting an incipient rift that failed to materialize during the opening of the gulf.


Theoretical study of ion microchannels that form in an inertial-electrostatic confinement (IEC) device has helped understand the behavior of ions of various energies within a microchannel and has also predicted that smaller grids produce a more converged core. However, such theoretical work has many limitations that make experimental work indispensable. In the present paper the experimental measurements of ion flow patterns into the cathode grid and their consequences (using a "chordwire" diagnostic that intercepts ions streaming into the IEC core) are reported. Experimental measurements also have quantified the interruption of the ion flow due to the adverse influence of the high voltage stalk. In addition, the chordwire arrangement can be used to study the radiation damage of materials.


The article is devoted to problem questions related to the young interdisciplinary field which received the status of political linguistics. The author describes the main directions of exploration and achievement of the scientific field and demonstrates a variety of approaches to the study of the phenomenon, at the same time manifesting the lack of its full scientific reflection in the linguistic area, as well as the instability of the terminological apparatus. The author emphasizes the classification features of genres of political text and problem moments of these genres naming. The discussion is opened around definition, qualification, classification etc. of the genre called mostly a slogan. The research generalizes the foreign and Ukrainian scholars' work on the basis of the definition of such concepts as "haslo" ("watchword"), "exhortation", "motto", "slogan" and, accordingly, "political haslo" ("political watchword"), "political exhortation", "political motto", "political slogan". The author proves that the term "political haslo" belongs to the original concepts of Ukrainian political linguistics. Examples of this small genre are differentiated on the basis of: 1) political haslo; 2) political haslo-exhortation; 3) political haslo-motto. The concept of "political slogan" is considered as a tribute to trend, as a result of globalization processes and close ties of commercial / political advertising. Any "political slogan" can be called a political haslo, but not every political haslo receives the status of slogan, because not every political slogan, as it was, contains unique advertising political proposal and does not always equally reflect the content of a political campaign, political brand, political "product" or "service".


This study proposes a statistical hypothesis test with fuzzy data which is represented in a form of interval data to perform one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test with fuzzy data. We adopt 2015 LEGO consolidated income as an empirical study for analyzing the main factors that affecting the LEGO annual profit by using one-way ANOVA Test with interval data. The results shown that each impact factor has different influence levels by means of testing their means. To confirm the most influential impact factor of 2015 LEGO annual profit, we provided the pair-wise comparisons in the evaluation. The comparison results shown that the greater financial income is decided from revenue factor and the most risk will be revealed from expenses factor. We concluded that the proposed method is able to assist an enterprise in identifying the main impact factors which are crucial for financial decision making.


Quadrupeds use various gaits, depending on their locomotion speed [1]. At the middle speed range, they selectively use two gaits: trot and pace. In trot, quadrupeds synchronize their diagonal legs. On the other hand, in pace, they use ipsilateral pairs of legs [2, 3]. Most quadrupeds generally use trot gait, and a few quadrupeds inherently use pace gait [1–4]. However, the reason remains unclear. It is well known that body flexibility of quadrupeds highly affects on their gaits [5, 6]. In this research, the authors assumed that torsional flexibility of torso plays an important role in selections of trot or pace in animals. To investigate effects of torsional flexibility from the viewpoint of dynamics, the authors constructed a simple model with a torsional spring and derived periodic solutions analytically corresponding to trot and pace gait. Stability of periodic solutions was evaluated with eigenvalue analysis of linearized Poincaré maps.


The City of Ottawa has a need to update its water supply system expansion with a plan that identifies the most cost-effective future growth-related projects needed to meet future demands for water, with appropriate water system operating rules. To achieve this result the City commissioned an optimization study, employing structured optimization search technology, aiming to select the best combination of watermains. pumping stations and storage facilities to achieve target levels of service at least overall cost, considering capital investment, energy, and operations and maintenance costs. The study was carried out by Delcan Water, with specialist optimization technology support from British-based Ewan Group plc. The design was subject to a number of performance constraints related to level of service, water quality and system reliability. Targets in these areas were to be met through the optimal selection of elements within various categories of infrastructure such as new reservoirs, reservoir expansions, new pumping stations, new watermains, and treatment plant capacity expansions. The hydraulic success of these selections involved a number of complex pressure regime changes, requiring specific combinations of options to be selected in order to meet the level of service and operational constraints. This paper describes the key objectives of the study, including the various targets to be met by the design. It describes how suitable potential schemes were identified, with supporting cost functions; and how these details were interpreted to be suitable for input to the optimization model. The application of the GAnet optimization model to this complex problem presented a broad range of design objectives; these, are set out, together with an account of how the optimization tool was modified to address them. The essential partnership between technology, sound engineering and strong system knowledge has been a fundamental element of this study which, at the time of writing, is progressing towards increasingly better solutions as the optimization problem definition evolves. This paper was presented at the 8th Annual Water Distribution Systems Analysis Symposium which was held with the generous support of Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF).


A BSTRACT . The agricultural industry is supplying a diverse market and is driven by innovations of numerous manufacturers. The objective of the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) is the interoperability of different manufacturer's equipment via common standards. This is being facilitated by joint approaches of the industry to technical challenges around electrical systems, electronics and software in agricultural technology and farming. The focus has been expanded to a wider range of topics to include electrification, camera systems, farm management information systems (FMIS), Ethernet


Naturally occurring IgM and IgA levels are remarkably stable between different individuals. In mice lacking joining chain (J‐chain), the steady‐state levels of IgM are reduced, while IgA levels are elevated. We have here analysed the IgM and IgA responses as well as the regulation of naturally occurring antibodies in mice that delete all J‐chain expressing B cells (JDTA mice) and have been back‐crossed to C57BL/6 mice. The IgM response to a T‐cell‐dependent antigen was reduced in JDTA mice but still easily detectable. In contrast, a very pronounced primary IgA response could be detected in JDTA mice while wild type controls showed no detectable primary IgA response. With regard to naturally occurring antibodies, bone marrow chimeras between JDTA and control C57BL/6 mice had a donor cell phenotype with regard to serum IgM and IgA. Mixed bone marrow chimeras had an intermediate phenotype, indicating that the naturally occurring antibody IgM and IgA levels are B‐cell autonomous and not subjected to feed‐back control. This was confirmed by transfer of the dominant naturally occurring IgM/IgA phenotype to the recipient by peritoneal exudate cells.


We investigate wave properties in coupled transmission lines (CTLs) under a special condition known as the exceptional point of degeneracy (EPD) at which two or more of the supported eigenmodes of the system coalesce. At an EPD, not only the eigenvalues (resonances or wavenumbers) of the system (a resonator or a waveguide) coalesce but also the eigenvectors (polarization states) coalesce, and the number of coalescing eigenmodes defines the order of the degeneracy. We investigate different structures, either periodic or uniform CTLs, that are capable of exhibiting EPDs in their dispersion diagram. Secondly, we show an experimental verification of the existence of EPDs through measuring the dispersion of microstrip-based CTLs in the microwave spectrum. For antenna array configurations, we discuss the effect of CTLs radiative and dissipative losses on EPDs and how introducing gain to the CTLs compensate for such losses restoring the EPD in a fully radiating array, in what we define as the gain and distributed-radiation balance regime. Therefore, we show how to obtain large linear and planar arrays that efficiently generate microwave oscillations, and by spatial combination they are able to generate collimated beams with large radiation intensity. Finally, we show other promising applications based on the concept of EPDs in ultra-sensitive sensors or reconfigurable antennas.


In a prospective, randomised, controlled trial, we compared the effects of two anaesthetic techniques on surgical conditions during day‐case, gynaecological laparoscopic procedures in 40 female patients. Patients were allocated randomly to two groups, either to breathe spontaneously through a laryngeal mask airway or to receive a neuromuscular‐blocking agent (NMB) and have the lungs ventilated via a tracheal tube. We then measured the number of attempts of Verres' needle insertion, initial intra‐abdominal pressure, time to reach a steady 15 mmHg (1.97 kPa) of intra‐abdominal pressure, adequacy of the pneumoperitoneum, operative view and duration of operation. We found that the initial intra‐abdominal pressure was higher and the operation time shorter in the laryngeal mask group. The adequacy of the pneumoperitoneum for trocar placement was better in the NMB group. We conclude that the anaesthetic technique of spontaneously breathing through a laryngeal mask airway reduces total operation time. However surgeons should be aware of the different abdominal pressure patterns produced by each anaesthetic technique, and anaesthetists must consider the implications of the anaesthetic technique on surgical safety.