Cerebral and renal a-adrenergic receptors play an important role in the control of blood pressure. We studied a-adrenergic receptors in the cerebral and renal cortex of Milan hypertensive strain (MHS) and normotensive strain (MNS) rats, a genetic model of spontaneous hypertension linked to a kidney abnormality. Binding of the selective a,-adrenergic antagonist [H]prazosin and the az-adrenergic antagonist [ H]rauwolscine was used for receptor studies in tissues of prehypertensive (24-day-old) and hypertensive (60-day-old) rats. In the cerebral cortex, no between-strain differences in a,-adrenergic and «2-adrenergic receptor density and affinity were observed in prehypertensive and hypertensive periods. The density of these receptors increased similarly with age in MHS and MNS rats. In the renal cortex, the differences between MHS and MNS rats concerned a2-adrenergic receptors only. Compared with their age-matched normotensive controls, MHS rats showed 1) a lower affinity for the antagonist (p<0.05) in the prehypertensive period, 2) absence of the normal agerelated increase in receptor density, and 3) a lower density of [H]rauwolscine binding sites (p< 0.001) in the hypertensive period. In this period, studies of competitive inhibition of [H]rauwolscine binding showed that 7-epinephrine bound to one class of sites in MHS rats (pseudo-Hill plot, 0.90) and to two classes in MNS rats (pseudo-Hill plot, 0.68). In addition, the lack of any guanylylimidodiphosphate effect on the /-epinephrine competition curve observed in MHS rats suggests the uncoupling of these receptors from the guanosine 5'-triphosphate binding protein. The modifications of renal a2-adrenergic receptors were more evident in the hypertensive period when the impaired tubular sodium reabsorption observed in the prehypertensive period had almost returned to normal. Taken together, these data suggest that the modification of renal a2-adrenergic receptors in MHS rats could be a compensatory mechanism to counteract the increased renal sodium reabsorption rather than the cause of the development of hypertension in MHS rats. (Hypertension 10: 505-511, 1987)


Purpose: Citrus fruits constitute one of the most highly utilized food products worldwide. The industrial processing of the fruit generates half of its mass as citrus peel waste (CPW), which is rich in components that can be valorized. Herein, CPW has been applied for the production of succinic acid (platform chemical), ethanol and methane (biofuels) and a fertilizer through a biorefinery strategy. Methods: The proposed biorefinery combined physicochemical and biological treatment of CPW to extract essential oils and pectin as added-value products preparing the material for subsequent production of succinic acid, ethanol, methane and fertilizer. The first step employed distillation for the collection of essential oils, followed by acid hydrolysis and pectin extraction. The hydrolyzate was microbially fermented for the production of succinic acid or ethanol, while the solid biorefinery residue was tested for application in agriculture as fertilizer and in anaerobic digestion for biomethane production. Results: Succinic acid fermentations (Actinobacillus succinogenes) reached 14.43 g L of succinic acid at 24 h through supplementation of vitamins and corn steep liquor. The highest yield in ethanol production was obtained in Pichia kudriavzevii KVMP10 fermentations that reached 0.42 gethanol gtotal reducing sugars. Solid biorefinery residues were tested and compared against CPW and dry CPW in anaerobic digestion, where the latter achieved the highest methane production. The application of biorefinery residues as fertilizer demonstrated that the material imposes stress on plant growth. Conclusions: The construction of the environmental friendly biorefinery offers an alternative management practice for CPW, which is valorized towards the production of a series of added-value products and zero-waste.


In order to improve the ductility of shear walls under earthquake loading, high seismic performance shear walls have been proposed to have steel bars in the same direction as the principal direction of applied stresses in the critical regions of shear walls. This paper presents the test results and model-based simulation of two shear walls under shake table excitation and two shear walls under reversed cyclic loading. Based on the experimental results, the tested shear walls with reinforcement oriented close to the principal tensile direction of applied stresses have greater ductility than that of the conventional shear wall. The model-based simulation based on the Cyclic Softened Member Model (CSMM) is performed and compared with the test results. The comparison shows that CSMM can well predict the seismic behaviors of the shear walls.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


Purpose - This study aims to identify and analyze trends in the publication of articles on the Journal of Organizational Effectiveness
Design/methodology/approach - The research design uses the Bibliometric analysis method. Data collection was obtained from the Google Scholar database because it is the largest database with the period category during the 2016-2022 period. In data mapping, researchers use vosviewer with article categories and organizational effectiveness keywords
Findings and Discussion – The results of the VosViewer analysis show that there are 25 items related to organizational effectiveness with 7 research clusters, 162 links and 820 link strengths. Research on organizational effectiveness is closely related, among others, to performance, organizational goals, organizational culture


This paper analyzes the typical abnormal behaviors such as hidden and invisible attacks of network protocols and proposes a new method to perceive and mine the abnormal behaviors of protocols so as to evaluate the operational security of protocols. Aiming at the problems of long latency and difficulty to expose the hidden behavior of network protocols, a scheme combining dynamic stain analysis and instruction clustering analysis is proposed. The proposed method cannot only quickly distinguish the hidden behavior but also accurately grasp the hidden behavior instruction sequence. Experimentation results show that the proposed method can mine unknown protocols for abnormal behavior with high accuracy.


This paper presents an algorithm for the calculation of an approximately time-optimal velocity profile along a given path. Restrictions of the velocity along this path and restrictions of the axes involved in the motion up to the third derivative, the jerk, are considered. The algorithm is based on the structure of a tool or handling machine control with a theoretically arbitrary number of machine axes, which moves a tool tip along a given or internally modified path. The algorithm uses their internally calculated relationships between axis and path coordinates. For a fast and approximately time-optimal calculation of the profile, the given path is specifically divided into several sub-sections, transition conditions are selected and a velocity profile is constructed in each of these sections by means of a forward/backward calculation. The contribution extends the solution approach from [8]. In focus is the definition of the velocity profile, as C1 spline with piecewise constant jerk, the splitting into parts for the calculation and the simulation results with data of a five-axis machining. A proof of the optimality and online usability of the solution is not given.


A scene interpretation system can be partitioned into three levels of processing: low level, mid level, and high level. We describe here a systematic approach to scene interpretation that embeds these three levels of processing in a structured hierarchical blackboard architecture. Each blackboard level contains modular knowledge sources which perform numeric and/or symbolic processing. The low level processing blackboard is embedded as one of the knowledge sources within the mid level processing blackboard which is in turn embedded as a knowledge source within the high level processing blackboard. The benefits of this scene interpretation system architecture are efficient bi-directional flow of control between processing levels, modularized multispectral/multisensor image processing, and information feedback for performance improvement and for spatial/temporal tracking.


Bifidobacteria are Gram-positive, anaerobic bacteria
 that occur naturally in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. A
 dominant species in the gut of many species is Bifidobacterium (B.) pseudolongum.
 Within these species, there are an additional two subspecies, B. pseudolongum ssp. pseudolongum
 and B. pseudolongum ssp. globosum, and some strains are described as an
 intermediate group, which could not be clearly assigned to any of the two
 subspecies. The aim of this study was to further characterize the significant B. pseudolongum group and the taxonomic classification of
 their representatives.
 Presumptive bifidobacteria were isolated from
 the feces of cattle (34 animals from four farms) based on morphological
 characteristics using selective growth media. The assignment of the isolates
 to the genus Bifidobacterium was performed on the detection of the enzyme fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase. A representative
 selection of isolates was characterised phenotypically using API®
 systems and a culture medium with 4.5 % sodium malate addition. For classification the isolates were
 subjected to a cluster analysis in combination with further strains (type,
 reference and wild strains of the genus Bifidobacterium, strains of
 the intermediate group). As genotypic characteristic the content of
 guanine-cytosine (GC) base pairs of the genomic DNA was determined from a
 randomly chosen variety of strains or isolates.
 From the feces of 79
 % of the tested cattle bifidobacteria could be isolated. These were all lactating dairy cows. On the other
 hand bifidobacteria
 couldn't be found in the feces of some non-lactating cattle. The
 cluster analysis showed that the
 isolates are animal- and company-independent in the tested characteristics very homogeneous. The
 majority of the isolates (96 %) was classified as B. pseudolongum ssp. globosum.
 The other isolates were classified as B. ruminantium
 or B. minimum, or couldn't be assigned to any cluster. The
 strains of the intermediate group were classified as B. pseudolongum ssp. pseudolongum.
 By determining
 the GC-content, classification of the isolates couldn't be confirmed in
 each case, so that further genotypic methods should be used for confirmation.
 With the methods used in this
 study, the presence of an intermediate group within the species B. pseudolongum could be neither excluded nor confirmed.
 Further studies are required using genotypic methods and examination of other
 animal species. However, this study
 serves to contribute important insights into the micro-ecology and phenotypic characterisation of
 B. pseudolongum group, especially
 as regards to its occurrence in
 the cow.


An international team of scientists has pulled out the 'big guns' in experimental krill pumping technology to capture live specimens of the tiny and elusive larval and juvenile stages of this important crustacean in the East Antarctic sea ice zone.


This article aims to reflect on the values and existential needs that constitute the human being in the present times of hurries, exacerbated consumerism and the search for ephemeral pleasures that have been producing the sensation of existential emptiness. Such emptiness also establishes the need for the search for meaning of life. For this article, the narrative of the film Peaceful Warrior (2006) was taken as analysis material. This is a qualitative investigation, in which a bibliographic research was carried out and the Categorial Analysis was used. This process defined the film analysis units, which were coded and interpreted. The article concludes that the dedication to the development of a talent and the protagonism of the subjective experiences allow existential transformations for a vital path with sense in the contemporary context.


POU1F1 is a pituitary-specific factor regulating growth hormone, prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating
hormone. Polymorphisms of POU1F1 gene have been associated with economic traits in chicken,
bovine, swine. Recently, polymorphisms of sheep and goat POU1F1 gene have been reported. We
used PCR–SSCP and DNA sequencing to identify genetic diversity of exons 2, 3, 6, in 120 animals
of Sarda sheep breed and 186 of Sarda goat breed. G>A substitution, in the 3'untraslated region of
sheep POU1F1 exon 6, was found in only one animal. No other SNPs were identified in Sarda
sheep. Despite this low genetic variability in sheep, two novel SNPs in Sarda goat were found: C>T
mutation at position 92 of the exon 3 (silent mutation), and a T>G mutation at position 17 in the
exon 6 (missense mutation) causing change of alanina to serina. Moreover we described SfcI and
 Mly I PCR-RFLP method for detecting these SNPs. Hence we confirmed all four genetic previously
reported SNPs in goat POU1F1 exon 6. Significant associations of Sfc I polymorphism with protein
(*p<0,05) and fat % (*p<0,01) were found: CC genotype had superior performaces. Significant
statistical (*p T) and
milk yield, protein % were found: TT genotype was uncommon and associated with superior milk
yields, TC genotype with protein %. These results suggest that this gene can be considered an
important candidate gene for goat traits.


The definition of quantitative of C3A in cement is usually mrsused. Meanuhile, formula calculating clinker mineral is usually misused to calculate C3A on cemen to use rightly in this paper. The X-ray diffrction of misture with ypsum and ce-mend is analyzed, the result shows that there isn' t clinker minerals induing clinker mineral to measure C3A is wrong by pactical example, ad it suplies ormula for calulation C3A according to the clinker mineral components and clinker ration.


As manufacturing and service integrate, service manufacturing has been a new trend in the revolution of manufacturing enterprise. Based on value evolution mechanism, this essay puts main efforts in analyzing the elements, structures and development trend of service manufacturing, and advances a three-layer value chain model based on service production activities, productive service activities and customers' all way participation. Lastly, this essay establishes a three-layer value-added model of service manufacturing value chain, and puts forward six key factors to realize value-added of service manufacturing value chain.


INTRODUCTION It is now known that many viruses contain infective particles differing in sedimentation constant. Type II poliomyelitis, for example, consists of a mixture of particles having sedimentation constants of S20 =170 and S20 =100 (Selzer & Poison, 1954). Of special interest are viruses containing infectious components with exceptionally low sedimentation constants. Hampton (1958) has mentioned the existence of such material in West Nile virus. Kipps, Turner & Poison (1961) estimated the sedimentation constant of the slowly sedimenting fraction of CBO virus as 20$ and Gessler, Bender & Parkinson (1956) working with Rous sarcoma virus purified with fiuorocarbon found high tumour producing activity in the supernatant fluid after centrifugation at 144,000 g for 20 hr. In this laboratory it has been observed that on centrifugation of Rift Valley fever virus (RVF), under conditions which sedimented yellow fever (Poison, 1954), African horsesickness (Poison & Madsen, 1954), MEFX polio (Poison & Selzer, 1952) and Semliki Forest viruses (Cheng, 1961) from the supernatant fluid, the virus activity could be reduced rapidly by about 99 %. The remaining 1 % of virus could be reduced only slightly by further repeated centrifugations. This apparent inhomogeneity of RVF virus has now been further investigated.


Supramolecular complex [ Co ( C5H6N2O)2 ( H2O)4 ] ( NO3 )2 was prepared by the reaction of C5H6N2O (4 - methyl - 6 - hydroxypyrimidine) and cobalt nitrate in ethanol solution, and characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure was determined by single crystal diffraction analysis: monoclinic, space group C2/m , a = 1.9853 (4) nm, b = 0.7601( 15)nm, c = 0. 6539 (13)nm, β=100.932(3)°, Z = 2, R = 0.053. Every [Co(C5H6N2O)2 (H2O)4] (NO3)2 unit forms eight hydrogen bonds (of two types: O-H…O and O- H…N) bridging with four [Co(C5H6N2O)2 (H2O)4 ](NO3 )2 units leading to the two - dimensional network structure. The result of semiempirical calculation method using PM3 basis set is consistent with the crystal structure. Because the two nitrogen atoms of C5 H6 N2 O have different neat charge, their coordination abilitiy is different. Only one nitrogen atom can coordinate with cobalt. The ligand often coordinates with metals as monodentate. It is difficult to form coordination polymers.


Hence shall we see If power change purpose, what our seemers be. (1) Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, enters the stage. Casually but snappily dressed in tailored slacks and silken shirt, his shirt buttoned only to mid-chest exposing just a bit of manly hair, he is almost ready for his journey. As he finishes his dressing, he bids farewell to Escalus and Angelo--pulling up to button his pants--and exits as if ready for a gentleman's wanderjahr, masked by stylish sunglasses. For someone like me familiar with Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, the scene establishes a Duke ready to "abdicate" his authority to Angelo--an authority symbolized by the medallion that frames his manly chest. For someone in the audience who is not familiar with the play, common considering that Measure is not one of Shakespeare's widely known plays, the entrance immediately places the play in a contemporary setting--Shakespeare in today's world. Such contemporary perspectives have been an integral part of the productions directed by Risa Brainin at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF). (2) The Festival, located in Boise, Idaho, is now in its thirty-second year, the eleventh in its current amphitheater. The amphitheater is the most wide-open summer festival stage I have ever attended and I have been to Stratford, Ontario; Ashland, Oregon; and Cedar City, Utah. The theater has no walls, the light posts are fully visible, and although the stage itself creates a partial wall, from which the actors exit and enter, and perform in front of and behind, one sees through the wide center of the stage to the surrounding hills. Only the auditorium-style seating as it slants away from the stage establishes any enclosing structure. All of this creates a very flexible atmosphere for outdoor festival theater and allows for a variety of interpretations of Shakespeare's plays. Measure for Measure is the third production for ISF Brainin has directed, and the third to use contemporary imagery. (3) Three years previous she directed an impressive Julius Caesar and the next year an even more effective King Lear. In Julius Caesar, for example, during the battle scenes late in the play, the actors surrounding Brutus carried laptop computers, "connecting" online to the battle and their warriors. By giving Measure a twenty-first-century setting, she related it to the audience and contributed to the audience's repeated delight in many of the play's jokes, puns, and eroticisms. However, in Measure for Measure, Brainin went beyond mere imagery to develop a powerful portrait of the intrusiveness and abuses of authoritarian control by describing the pervasiveness of such control in modern society. Such modernization, if it is successful, can make Shakespeare up-to-date for an audience, but if it clashes too much with Shakespeare's English, or even worse if it trivializes the play, it may reflect only a director's desire to impose her own ideas and values on the play. The moral ambiguity of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure can be exemplified in the characters of Escalus and the Provost. Both exercise authority and both are instruments of authority. Both also have personal knowledge of the events, for instance, surrounding the execution of Claudio. Most importantly, both express their distaste for Angelo's decision to execute Claudio. Escalus says, "This gentleman, / Whom I would save" (2.1.6-7) and the Provost hopes there will be "some pardon or reprieve/ For the most gentle Claudio" (4.2.69-70). But both have no effect upon the execution of Angelo's power. Escalus (Steve Tague) was brilliantly befuddled and inept throughout ISF's performance and the perplexed Provost (Joe Conley Golden) did nothing until the Duke revealed himself and directly countermanded Angelo's order, but even then the Provost was merely following the Duke's higher command. Neither Escalus nor the Provost lets his moral misgivings interfere with the absolutism of authority. …


Abstract:  Chemokines direct the migration of leukocytes to sites of inflammation and are potential targets for anti‐inflammatory therapy. Chronic proliferative dermatitis (cpdm/cpdm) mutant mice develop a persistent eosinophilic dermatitis associated with increased TH2 cytokines in the skin. Expression patterns of chemokines in the skin of cpdm/cpdm mice were evaluated to define the mechanisms driving cutaneous infiltration by leukocytes. RNA isolated from the skin of mutant and littermate control mice revealed a significant increase in Ccl1 (TCA‐3), Ccl2 (MCP‐1), Ccl11 (eotaxin), Ccl17 (TARC), Cxcl10 (IP‐10), and the chemokine receptor Ccr3. The concentration of CCL11 protein was increased two‐ to threefold in the skin of cpdm/cpdm mice by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. In vitro culture of primary dermal fibroblasts from cpdm/cpdm and control mice with tumor necrosis factor, IL‐4, and IL‐13 stimulation did not reveal differences in their ability to secrete CCL11, suggesting that the increased chemokine expression observed in the skin of cpdm/cpdm mice is most likely caused by the increased TH2 cytokines in the dermis of this mouse model. Treatment of cpdm/cpdm mice with CCL11‐neutralizing polyclonal antibodies did not affect the number of eosinophils in the skin or the severity of the dermatitis. Neutralizing multiple chemokines or chemokine receptors may be necessary to decrease eosinophil accumulation. The cpdm/cpdm mutant mouse is a potentially useful model to determine the role of various chemokines in eosinophil accumulation in chronic inflammation.


We report experimental results showing that a discharge plasma, which self-structures as concentric multiple double layers, is capable of evolving towards chaos through a cascade of spatio-temporal sub-harmonic bifurcations when the applied constraint (in the form of voltage applied on a supplementary electrode immersed in the plasma) is gradually increased. By considering that the plasma particles (electrons, ions and neutrals) move on fractal curves, a theoretical model able to explain both the plasma self-structuring and the scenario of evolution to chaos is constructed. The experimental results were found to be in good agreement with those obtained from the theoretical model.


Vehicular traffic is one of the major contributors to accumulate dust on plants grown alongside roads. Plants intercept tons of dust, absorb noise and serve as acoustic screens on busy highways. Vegetation contributes in reducing dust concentration in environment by acting as a sink for air pollutants. Taking this into account, the present study was conducted on National highway22 from Parwanoo to Solan, falling in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Specifically, four plant species namely Grewia optiva Drummond ex Burret, Toona ciliata M. Roem, Melia azedarach L. and Woodfordia floribunda (L.) Kurz of uniform size, age, spread and common in occurrence on both sides of the highway were selected for the study. Dust accumulation on leaves of selected plants was estimated during three main seasons (Rainy, Winter and Summer) of the year. Samples were collected from two horizontal distances (0-5 m and 5-10 m) from both sides of the road. Results showed that dust accumulation on the leaves ranged from 0.0083 g m-2 in T. ciliata to 0.0597 g m-2 in G. optiva and followed the descending order G. optiva > W. floribunda > M. azedarach > T. ciliata. Season wise, the examined plant species followed the descending order winter > summer > rainy season. Plants grown at a distance of 0-5 m accumulated higher dust on their leaves as compared to 5-10 m distance from the road. Due to surface characteristics of twigs, bark and foliage of the plants particulate matters are captured by them and remain there for extended time period. From the results of this study, it could be inferred that the air quality in urban/ arid areas can be improved by planting firstly the species G. optiva and W. floribunda along road sides of similar highways to national highway-22.


Sleep disorders and chronic pain (pain of >3 months duration) are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A recently completed multi-center trial found that two-thirds of adults with moderate-to-severe TBI had sleep apnea diagnosed during polysomnography (PSG) completed during inpatient rehabilitation. Although a bidirectional relationship between sleep and pain exists, attention to sleep apnea as a specific diagnosis and its possible role in chronic pain following TBI has not been explored. We hypothesized that PSG-derived respiratory indices shortly following TBI would be worse among those reporting chronic pain at 1- to 2-year follow-up compared to those without chronic pain.

 Sample (N=66) derived from overlapping cohorts across two separate multicenter studies. Participants with moderate to severe TBI underwent PSG during inpatient rehabilitation and completed a telephone follow-up interview to assess chronic pain status using standardized measures at 1-2 years post-TBI (610-day average). Pairwise comparisons across participants with and without chronic pain were made to determine the magnitude of clinically significant differences on respiratory indices including oxygen desaturation, central and obstructive apneas, and total apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).

 Presence of chronic pain at follow-up was associated with elevated central apnea events (2.6) and oxygen desaturation (19.6) relative to those without chronic pain (0.8 and 7.9, respectively). Important differences were also seen between obstructive and total apnea hypopnea index (AHI) using Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services scoring criteria, with those in the chronic pain cohort being 6.5 and 8.7 points higher than their non-pain counterparts, respectively. Group differences on obstructive and total AHI were considered minor when using the American Academy of Sleep Medicine scoring criteria, although those with current pain experienced categorically worse sleep apnea (total AHI = 19 versus 12.4).

 This is the first study to find an association between PSG-derived respiratory indices and long-term chronic pain status following moderate-to-severe TBI. Sleep apnea represents an important modifiable factor following injury that may contribute to long-term pain-related outcomes. Given the prominence of chronic pain several years post injury, future studies should investigate the role of sleep apnea and early intervention among those following moderate-to-severe TBI to determine impact on long-term rehabilitation and pain outcomes.

 PCORI; CER-1511-33005); VA TBI Model Systems Program of Research; GDIT; NIDILRR 90DPTB0008. Clinicaltrial.gov Registration Number: NCT03033901.


This paper presents a novel adaptive iterated extended Kalman filter (AIEKF) for relative position and attitude estimation, taking into account the influence of model uncertainty. Considering a nonlinear stochastic discrete‐time system with unknown disturbance, the AIEKF algorithm adopts the Gauss‐Newton iterative optimization steps to implement a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation, and the switch‐mode combination technique is used to achieve the adaptive capability. The mean‐square estimation error (MSE) of the state estimate is derived. It is proved that the AIEKF can yield a smaller MSE than that of the traditional extended Kalman filter (EKF) or iterated extended Kalman filter (IEKF). The performance advantage of the AIEKF is illustrated via Monte Carlo simulations on a typical relative position and attitude estimation application. Through comparisons in different scenarios, the presented algorithm is shown to improve adaptability and ensure estimation accuracy.


Efficacy of Bias Awareness in Debiasing Oil and Gas Judgments Matthew B. Welsh (email@example.com) Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide, North Terrace Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Steve H. Begg (firstname.lastname@example.com) Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide, North Terrace Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Reidar B. Bratvold (email@example.com) Department of Petroleum Engineering, University of Stavanger 4036 Stavanger, Norway they are certain to some stated level of confidence that a value will fall within. In an industry such as oil and gas, biased decision-making can be extremely expensive; industry observers argue that such biases are, in part at least, responsible for the large losses in the oil industry – one recent estimate being that unexpected outcomes during exploration cost the industry US$30 billion each year (Goode, 2002). With the cost of drilling a single, off-shore well regularly exceeding US$60 million, the estimates of technical parameters that feed into the models of oil fields used to predict oil reserves can have a huge impact on whether a company chooses to drill or walk away from a prospect. If these estimates are subject to cognitive biases – as most judgments under uncertainty are – the accuracy of these models are also compromised and poor decisions will result. Abstract It is argued that biases such as anchoring and overconfidence contribute to a US$30 billion/year loss in the oil and gas industry (Goode, 2002). The most commonly used debiasing technique, within the industry, is awareness-style training, where participants have the biases and debiasing techniques described to them without specific training. Given such training is delivered by consultants, however, there is little available evidence of its efficacy and concern regarding a lack of up to date debiasing methods. We present a study designed to measure the benefit of such awareness-style training for the well-known anchoring and overconfidence biases, using a sample of petroleum engineering students. Results indicate that course attendance reduced participants' overconfidence - calibration improving by 21% - but no benefit was observed for anchoring. It is argued that this difference results from the debiasing technique for anchoring requiring a greater degree of domain knowledge than the students possessed. A detailed analysis of the relationship between accuracy in, and susceptibility to, the anchoring question supported this – indicating that participants who simply relied on the anchor actually performed better than those who hazarded their own guesses. Potential benefits of debiasing and, specifically, the incorporation of up to date debiasing techniques, are discussed along with the need for further research. Keywords: decision making; debiasing; overconfidence; oil and gas; judgment. Biases in Oil and Gas Decisions anchoring; The question for the industry, of course, is: which biases are affecting oil and gas decisions and how can these be reduced? This question has not, of course, avoided investigation. Within a few years of Tversky and Kahneman's (1974) groundbreaking work on biases, Capen (1976) introduced the concept of overconfidence to the industry – demonstrating its effect on oil and gas professionals. In 2002, however, Hawkins, Cunningham and Coopersmith (2002) noted that less than half of observed values fell inside the 80% confidence intervals commonly used for predicting uncertain parameters in the oil industry, which seems clearly indicative of overconfidence's continued impact. Merkhofer (1987) has generalized the results of these type of studies to the "2/50" rule: When people are asked to provide estimates of quantities lying between their 1% and 99% confidence limits (that is, with only a 2% chance of being wrong), usually about 50% of the answers fall outside this range and, thus, they are overconfident in their predictions. Many oil and gas professionals are also familiar with the anchoring bias, through the work of Rose (2001), but other biases are rarely mentioned (see Pieters, 2004 for a recent exception). This is regarded as particularly damaging due to the use of analogs in oil and gas decision-making. That is, given the scarcity of data on a new oil prospect, analogous Introduction Previous research has demonstrated that most people are susceptible to cognitive biases when making decisions or judgments under conditions of uncertainty (Morgan & Henrion, 1990; Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). That is, people tend to give responses that are systematically biased compared to calculated, optimal solutions as a result of the simplified mechanisms that our brains use to make judgments. Two of the most commonly discussed biases are: anchoring (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974), which describes the tendency people have to base estimates on any number at hand regardless of its relevance to the question at hand (Chapman & Johnson, 2002); and overconfidence (Lichtenstein, Fischhoff, & Phillips, 1982; Tversky & Kahneman, 1974), which describes the tendency of people to give too narrow bounds when asked to set a range that


In this paper, an improved equivalent-circuit-model (ECM)-based de-embedding technique for GaN HEMTs modeling is first presented. The interconnections between the probe pads and transistor are characterized by a physical ECM incorporating high-order parasitics. An analytical approach to extract model parameters and remove the distributed embedding effects with characteristic functions and microwave network analysis is fully described. Compared with the conventional measurement-based methods, the proposed technique is more accurate at millimeter-wave frequencies and requires fewer test structures.


Objective: To observe the effects of Sweet Wormwood and Turtle Shell Decoction and glucocorticoid on body weight of MRL/lpr mice.Methods: Thirty-two female MRL/lpr mice,eight to ten weeks in age,were divided into herbal medicine group,glucocorticoid group,integrated group(Wormwood and Turtle Shell Decoction and glucocorticoid) and placebo group,8 mice in each group.Eight female C57BL/6 mice constituted the control group;The mice were given concentrated so lution of rectified Wormwood and Turtle Shell Decoction in herbal medicine group,solution of Prednisone acetate in glucocorti coid group,both Wormwood and Turtle Shell Decoction and Prednisone acetate in integrated group,and physiological saline both in placebo group and control group.The course of treatment was 7 weeks.Body weight of mice were measured every week and analyzed.Results: Body weight of mice in all the groups increased significantly after treatment(P0.01);The increments of body weight(△Weight) of all groups were significantly different(P 0.01).Multiple comparisons between groups showed that △Weight of placebo group and glucocorticoid group were lower than that of control group(P 0.05);compared with control group,the △Weight of herbal medicine group and integrated group showed no significant difference(P 0.05).Conclusions:Glucocorticoid may have adverse effects on the increment of body weight of MRL/lpr mice in the early phase of SLE,and Wormwood and Turtle Shell Decoctionmay decrease these adverse effects.


[1] The variability of the Sahelian albedo is investigated through the combined analysis of 5 years of in situ radiation data from the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis northernmost sites and remotely sensed albedo from 7 years of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data. Both data sets are found to be in good agreement in terms of correlation and bias. The drivers of albedo variability are identified by means of in situ measurements of biological and physical properties of the land surface collected over a network of 29 long-term survey sites. Short-term variability is dominated by changes in the spectral composition of incident radiation, which reflects aerosol optical depth and integrated water content, and changes in soil moisture, which have a short-lived effect (1 d). Bush fires cause a marked decrease of albedo of the order of 10 d, whereas a dry season storm event is suspected to have increased albedo through litter and soil surface abrasion. Seasonal plant growth causes the largest changes in rainy season albedo, and displays a large interannual variability: Because of the 2004 drought, albedo increases steadily from late 2003 to early 2005 at latitude 15°N. Grazing pressure is found to impact albedo mostly in the dry season. Dry season albedo is controlled by the amount of litter and standing dead phytomass hiding the bright soils. Thus rainfall anomalies have a direct effect on albedo through plant growth but also a lagged effect caused by above normal amounts of dry phytomass that can persist until the arrival of the next monsoon. EOF analysis and Hovmuller diagrams show these effects to be present on a large scale.


To demonstrate the species selectivity of fish baskets, fishing experiment was conducted using baskets of iron frame covered with netting in a rocky ground. The baskets were baited with frozen sardine (baited basket) or partly covered with brushwood on their top (covered basket) and their catches were compared with that of the control (without bait and brushwood). The total catch from 156 hauls was much better in the covered baskets and baited ones than in the control. The influence of the bait and brushwood on the catch was fish species selective; the filefish was significantly dominant in the catch of the covered baskets, the grass puffer was caught only by the baited baskets, and no influence was seen in the wrasse and striped catfish. A tank experiment implied that the species selectivity was different between day and night; the rockfish and filefish ingressed preferably into the covered basket in daytime but into the control at night. An exploratory behavior was hypothesized for the ingress of the fishes into the control, and the brushwood was thought to enhance an exploratory drive of fish.


Objective To investigate the effect of preserving ways on the activity of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in esophageal carcinomas tissue determined by zymography.Methods Determine the activity of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in esophageal carcinomas tissue by zymography.Results The activity of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in esophageal carcinomas tissue did not decrease significantly after preserving in-20 ℃ for a long time(P0.05).The appropriate loading of protein sample was 10 μg.Conclusion Determination of the activity of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in esophageal carcinomas tissue by zymography needs low protein loading amount,and does not influenced by the way of preservation.Therefore,this technique can be used in esophageal carcinomas tissue biopsy and retrospective studies.


Abstract Compost produced by solid‐state bioconversion of the Indah Water Konsortium domestic wastewater treatment plant's sludge/biosolids significantly influenced the plant growth and development of corn (Zea mays). The solid‐state bioconversion refers to the control growth of microorganisms, generally on the surface of water‐insoluble substances for biodegradation of biopolymers and bioremediation of chemical compounds. Compost of biosolids with rice straw significantly increased plant height, shoot, and root dry weight. Moreover, it promoted 100.51% dry‐matter production compared to control. But the dry matter was recorded 46.80% only in urea (+N) application. The highest vegetative growth and delayed drying of basal leaves were attained using 1/2 of compost with 1/2 amount of urea, of the optimal dose of nitrogen (N) requirement for corn production. The recorded heavy metals concentration in plant tissues was quite low. Most of the heavy metals in composts of biosolids were on average 30 times lower compared to the standard limit of municipal solid waste in the United States. The compost of biosolids with rice straw provided superior performance in corn growth compared to the compost of biosolids with sawdust. Both evaluated composts produced by solid‐state bioconversion process were nonhazardous and did not contribute any detrimental effect or symptoms on corn growth and development. Simultaneously, it would behave as a potential sustainable environmentally friendly route of biosolids management and disposal as value added organic fertilizer for agronomic/horticultural use.


In this work, I address a primary issue with adapting cate- gorical and algebraic concepts to functional analytic settings, the lack of free objects. Using a \normed set" and associated categories, I describe constructions of normed objects, which build from a set to a vector space to an algebra, and thus parallel the natural progression found in alge- braic settings. Each of these is characterized as a left adjoint functor to a natural forgetful functor. Further, the universal property in each case yields a \scaled-free" mapping property, which extends previous notions of \free" normed objects. In subsequent papers, this scaled-free property, coupled with the as- sociated functorial results, will give rise to a presentation theory for Banach algebras and other such objects, which inherits many properties and constructions from its algebraic counterpart.


Tropical fi sh feeding behaviour and food intake are regulated by a number of environmental factors (e.g.: stress in intensive aquaculture; type or seasonality of food), and also by complex homeostatic mechanisms that involve nutritional requirements. When access to food is not restricted, e.g. controlled laboratory conditions, fi sh growth and behaviour remain relatively una ff ected. Moreover, fi sh need dietary fatty acids and, while some are re-markably bene fi cial, such as long-chain omega-3 oils, other fats can be associated with poor health, mainly under adverse conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and body composition of tambaqui juveniles fed di ff erent oil sources ( fi sh, linseed, and corn) (Experiment 1) and the in fl uence of post-absorptive signals or orosensorial properties of the dietary oil source on diet preference (Experiment 2). For Experiment 1, juvenile tambaqui (42.79 ± 0.92 g) were placed into eighteen 100 L tanks (10 fi sh per tank). Three diets (treatments) were formulated with three oil sources (corn, linseed and fi sh oil). Three groups of fi sh were fed each separate diets twice a day for 7 weeks. Experiment 2 assessed tambaqui ' s ability to select oil sources without coming into contact with the sensorial properties of diet. The same diets of Experiment 1 were used, but diets were encapsulated to isolate sensorial properties. Forty-eight fi sh (41.26 ± 1.00 g, mean ± SD) were distributed into six 250 L tanks (eight fi sh per tank). In experiment 1, we found no e ff ects of diet on growth parameters, such as fi nal body weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed e ffi ciency ratio, speci fi c growth ratio and protein e ffi ciency (p ≥ 0.05). However, body crude protein was higher in the fi sh fed the corn oil diet (p ≤ 0.05), but this value did not a ff ect the protein e ffi ciency ratio (p ≥ 0.05). No di ff erences among treatments were observed for moisture, lipid and ash (p ≥ 0.05). The fatty acid composition of muscle re fl ected the dietary oil source. However, the tambaqui fed vegetable oil displayed high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, while the linseed oil diet resulted in a greater incorporation of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids. In Experiment 2, at fi rst fi sh did not show the ability to select an oil source without orosensorial properties, but a nutritional challenge of food deprivation (10 days) enabled fi sh to select among the diets that contained fi sh oil sources (p = 0.002) by using post-ingestive signals. Our fi ndings contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms that relate to lipid metabolism and feeding behaviour in freshwater Amazon species, which goes beyond growth parameters.


One hundred years ago, statutory recognition was given to the work of Public Health.. That recognition was long overdue but who, in i8~7, could have . foreseen that the Cinderella in the family of public services would, a hundred years later, .take the foremost place in the nation's estimation? As each new Act was placed on the Statute Book the puny Cinderella of 1847 grew both in stature and in the extent of her wardrobe ' until to-day she is clothed if all the . splendour and promise of the National Health Service Act. During the intervening century many theories. and techniques have had to be rejected or modified but the net


The MDO (Mehrdraht Dortmund Oberfläche) oxygen electrode was used in a study of skeletal muscle oxygen pressure fields. presented as histograms, in critically ill patients artificially ventilated with gas mixtures of different oxygen concentrations. The histograms were compared with forearm blood flow measurements performed with strain gauge plethysmography. Local blood flow and permeability‐surface area product (PS) were also studied by the simultaneous clearances of 133xenon and 51 Cr‐EDTA. The histogram distribution type was normal, i.e. approximately Gaussian, at arterial oxygen pressure levels between 10 and 18 kPa. At arterial oxygen pressures outside this range the histogram distribution types were abnormal, i.e. they showed a nonsymmetrical distribution of oxygen pressure values, but their mean was approximately the same as in the normal histogram. However, there were significantly higher tissue oxygen pressure mean values in the patients (3.43 kPa) than in a group of healthy human volunteers (2.25 kPa). Mean forearm blood flow and the clearances of 133 xenon and 51 Cr‐EDTA showed marked variations during the measurements both intraindividually and interindividually. Mean forearm blood now and mean clearances of133 xenon showed opposite trends compared with arterial oxygen pressures. Mean clearances of 51 Cr‐EDTA and mean PS showed only minor variations at the different arterial oxygen pressure levels.


Traditionally, on lightning induced voltages studies, distribution lines haven been considered with equal features along the line; the reality in many places is that distribution lines contains differences in its route that it is important to take them into account. In this paper, the effect of unequal heights of each pole, unequal insulation level and unequal ground resistances along the line will be considered in the calculation of the lightning performance of these lines. Some relevant conclusions will be presented.


To provide a complete and self--consistent description of an electromagnetic process in any type of material, the macroscopic Maxwell equations must be supplemented by constitutive relations. This paper reviews some of the fundamental aspects related to the characterization of different types of materials in terms of constitutive relations. In particular, the dual viewpoints of time--domain and frequency--domain formulations are explored, and certain issues concerning classifications of materials depending on their electromagnetic response are addressed.


In summary, the population figures presented place the risk of bacterial endocarditis for cases of ventricular septal defect in the 5 to 14-year age group as 1 in 470 patient years, or 2.1 per 100 cases in 10 years. The estimated risks for the 5-year-old and 15-year-old patient up to the age of 70 years would be 13.6% and 11.5% respectively. In the city of Toronto, only four cases were seen in 10 years in the general population of over half a million, while in metropolitan Toronto with the population of 1.3 million, eight cases were seen in a similar period. If the clinical experiences of the various authors reported in the literature are pooled with that at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, one would have 21 cases of bacterial endocarditis in 11,328 patient years. This would place the incidence as approximately 1 in 500 patient years.It is suggested that the surgery for ventricular septal defect may itself initiate bacterial endocarditis as noted in three of our cases.On the basis of the available data, there is insufficient evidence to designate the risk of future bacterial endocarditis as an adequate reason for surgical closure of the defect.


Abstract : Our initial approach to the study of mechanisms of acute central nervous system high pressure toxicity was to study enzyme activities and concentrations of the series of metabolites (which have been shown to provide protection against O2 toxicity) during air and hyperbaric oxygen exposures - 5 ATA O2 - 11 ATA O2, with or without exogenous administration of the particular protective agent.


In this paper, we evaluate the influence of two environmental policy levers on emissions in the metal-finishing industry: a voluntary program — the Strategic Goals Program (SGP) — and the threat of formal regulation. While voluntary approaches are increasingly utilized as policy tools, the effectiveness of such programs is often questioned, and the impact of a voluntary program in tandem with a regulatory threat is not well understood. We examine the decision to participate in the SGP and, conditional on that decision, determine the effects that the SGP and regulatory threat had on facility emissions behavior. Participation in the program appears related to several forms of external pressure: the regulatory threat, industry trade association membership, the level of environmental giving in a state, and a number of neighborhood characteristics. However, over the entire study period, participation in the SGP yielded little, if any, additional reductions in emissions, while the regulatory threat is correlated with significant emission reductions by both participants and non-participants. Splitting our study period into two time periods reveals a more nuanced relationship between SGP participation and emissions behavior than is evident over the entire study period. While participants do not appear to take advantage of the program initially, they make greater strides in reducing emissions than non-participants in later years. The split sample results also indicate that both participants and non-participants react strongly to the initial threat of regulation and to an increase in its relative stringency. & 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. increasingly popular as a way to enhance the efficacy and scope of existing regulations and to reduce emissions in sectors or for pollutants where formal environmental regulation is lacking. In this paper, we examine the influence of two environmental policy levers on emissions in the metal-finishing industry: a voluntary program — the Strategic Goals the suspected variable is endogenous and the instrumental variable approach is warranted. However, this test is commonly conducted when the variable in question is linearly modeled. If we employ OLS for our participation decision and test for endogenity, we reject the null hypothesis of a zero coefficient in three of four cases. If we use a probit for the participation decision, the interpretation of errors is more difficult. Davidson and MacKinnon [7] showthat including the predicted variables from a modeled instrument rather than the residuals and testing for significance produces an equivalent result. Using the predicted values of our probit to test for endogeneity, we reject the null hypothesis for point source emissions (and thus, suspect endogenity), but fail to reject it for total air emissions.


The performance of a hybrid modulation technique derived from binary frequency shift keying is presented. In the hybrid scheme, each frequency is allowed to be phase modulated with any of p discrete, equally spaced phase shifts. The spectral separation between frequencies is chosen to make the carriers orthogonal, thus generating a multidimensional modulation scheme. The performance of complete and expurgated phase codes is examined for the Gaussian and Rayleigh fading channels, and their spectral characteristics are determined. >


Population,resourses and environment make up a huge mutually dependent system.It is a natural and social system of unity of opposites and the basic contradictions within become its motive. The reasons for the system movement include promotion of the system movement relation adjustment and effect of the law.The earth environment system has been overburdened by population,leading to hysteresis of contradictions,mutiple effects and economic decline.Excessive population with low quality and speeding up of aging constitutes a unique phenomenon in the development of population and environment in china. Environmental effect includes supplying human with natural resources,self cleaning or environmental capacity and offering comfortable spiritual entertainment.The essence of environmental problem lies with overexploitation of resources,too much waste of discharging beyond its self cleaning capacity and irreversibility of over use of natural resources.The resultant damages is not only threatening the health of of this generation but also obstructing the existance and development of descendants.China's traditional industry is a two edged sword.It is being troubled by the serious imbalance of locations,out of date technologies and management mode With great input and large consumption the industry grows at the waste of resources and contamination.Without corresponding measures,China will be walking on the the road of "prosperity in economy with heavy pollution"in developed countries.Environmental pollution results much from the lack of a sense of sustainable developoment in the decision makers and constructers. Sustainable developoment is a scientific and rational social structure model to co ordinate the development of population and environment and an ideal blueprint and necessary way for the nature to humanize and the human to naturalize. Sustainable developoment can be vividly figured as a coordinate axis of human development:the ordinate is the continuality of time including consideration of this generation and after,population control human quality improvement and resources cherishing;the abscissae is stereoscopic demanding the simultaneous development of spiritual civilization,material civilization,social civilization and ecological civilization the axis is the benign interactive relation between population and environment


Ti27Nb8Zr was subjected to solid solution treatment and aging treatment.Using ultrasonic water immersion focusing method combining with longitudinal grazing incidence method,ultrasonic wave velocities in aging specimens were measured.Based on the rule of acoustic wave propagating in isotropic homogeneous solid medium,the elastic indices of aging specimens were deduced.The results show that acoustic velocity and elastic indices decrease and Poission raito increases with the increase of aging temperature.It is considered that the decomposed phases with various morphologies and contents from martensite during aging have influence on the elastic indices.The aging structure of 350 ℃ and 400 ℃ is β+ω phase,therefore,elastic indices change slightly;the microstructure of 450 ℃ consists of β phase,ω phase and a small quantity of α phase,and the decrease of ω phase and the increase of α,β phase cause the decline of elastic indices.When aging temperature elevates to 500 ℃,aging structure makes up of α phase and β phase,and elastic indices decrease further for the disappearance of ω phase.


This article presents a case study about the TSPi benefits in a software project under a Small Settings environment. An adapted process based on the TSPi was defined. The pilot project had a schedule and budget restricted. The process began collecting historical projects data in order to get a measure repository. The project was launched defining the following goals: increase the productivity, reduce the test time and improve the product quality. Finally, the results were analysed and the goals were verified.


IN 1968-69 A PUBLIC TRANSPORT SURVEY WAS CARRIED OUT IN NORRKOPING. INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE'S TRAVELLING HABITS WAS COLLECTED FROM ABOUT 600 HOUSEHOLDS. THE MAIN AIM WAS TO CREATE A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR THE CHOICE BETWEEN CAR AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT. THE INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT NOT ONLY PEOPLE WITHOUT A CAR CHOOSE TO GO BY BUS OR TRAMWAY; PEOPLE ARE INCLINED TO GO BY CAR IF THEY LIVE FAR FROM THEIR WORK, IF THEY GO HOME FOR LUNCH, IF THEY HAVE A HIGH INCOME, ETC. AN IMPORTANT FACT IS THE CONVENIENCE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT - NO PARKING PROBLEMS, ETC. /TRRL/


The invention discloses a buckling restriction steel bar structure, and belongs to the technical field of building engineering. Threads are arranged at the lower end of an upper part steel bar, the upper end of a lower part steel bar, two ends of a buckling restriction steel bar and the inner sides of threaded connection sleeves; the upper part steel bar and the lower part steel bar adopt threaded steel bars; spaces are reserved from the end parts of the threaded connection sleeves to the middle parts of the threaded connection sleeves and are used for restricting the deformation value of the buckling restriction steel bar during axial deformation; an inner diameter change section adopts linear gradient change; the threaded connection sleeves are used for connecting the upper part steel bar, the lower part steel bar and the buckling restriction steel bar; the outer diameters of the threaded connection sleeves are smaller than the inner diameter of a restriction sleeve; limiting rings with hexagonal clamping slots are arranged on the middle parts of the outer sides of the threaded connection sleeves; clearances between the end socket of the restriction sleeve are sealed through closing materials; during sealing, the clearances are filled with annular foams and then are sealed by glass cement. The steel bar structure and a connection mode are simpler; the steel bar structure can be used as a longitudinal stress steel bar at the bottom of a pier stud or in a plastic hinge region at a pier-beam node and is high in energy consumption hysteresis property.


Plasma spray coatings may be an alternative to conventional heat treatment of main journals and crankpins of the crankshaft. The applications of plasma coatings are various and present multiple advantages compared to electric arc wire spraying or flame spraying. The study examines the layers sprayed with the following powders: Cr3C2- 25(Ni 20Cr), Al2O3- 13TiO2, Cr2O3-SiO2- TiO2 on the surface of steels used in the construction of a crankshaft (C45). The plasma spray coatings were made with the Spray wizard 9MCE facility at atmospheric pressure. The samples were analyzed in terms of micro and morphological using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Wear tests on samples that have undergone simulates extreme working conditions of the crankshafts. In order to emphasize adherence to the base material sprayed layer, were carried out tests of microscratches and micro-indentation. Results have showed a relatively compact morphological aspect given by the successive coatings with splat-like specific structures. Following the microscratch analysis it can be concluded that Al2O3-13TiO2 coating has a higher purpose in terms of hardness compared to Cr3C2-(Ni 20Cr) and Cr2O3-SiO2- TiO2 powders. Thermal coatings of the deposited powders have increased the mechanical properties of the material. The results stand to confirm that plasma sprayed Al2O3-13TiO2 powder is in fact a efficient solution for preventing mechanical wear, even with a faulty lubrication system.


BACKGROUND: During the past decade, prosthetic-based breast reconstruction has been revolutionized with technological advancements. Reconstructive surgeons now have the needed technology to reconstruct natural-appearing breasts using anatomic silicone breast implants, tissue expanders, tools for intraoperative perfusion analysis (ICG) angiography (Figure 1), implantable bioprosthetic materials (ADM), and techniques for autologous refinements (fat grafting) . These tools when used in a reconstructive synergistic approach, open new possibilities of reconstruction for the plastic surgeon and improve results to the patient. The safety and efficacy of subcutaneous space implant-based breast reconstruction is reevaluated.


Capsaicin, the primary active constituent of chilli, has recognised potential health benefits including analgesia but has also been investigated in studies focusing on obesity, hypertension, glucose impairment and altered blood lipid profiles. These physiological changes are the clustering of risk factors comprising the metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of developing diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease. Current clinical treatments demonstrate poor compliance and do not target the range of risk factors. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine whether low-dose dietary capsaicin attenuates the cardiovascular, liver and metabolic changes in a diet-induced rat model that mimics the human syndrome. Firstly, capsaicin was extracted from Capsicum annum cultivars with a yield of 1.42%. The extract contained an estimated ratio of 86% capsaicin and 14% dihydrocapsaicin by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Secondly, 8-9 weeks old normotensive male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n=8-12). Two groups were fed a cornstarch (C) diet and two were fed a high-carbohydrate, high-fat (H) diet, rich in saturated and trans fatty acids and simple sugars, thus mimicking the westernised-diet in humans. One group of each of the two diets was supplemented with dietary capsaicin (CC and HC; 13.3 and 7.3 mg/kg body weight/day) as a treatment for the final 8 weeks of the 16 week protocol. The H diet induced obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular and liver damage and glucose intolerance by week 8 of the protocol. HC rats showed reduced abdominal circumference (24.3±0.5 cm to 19.0±0.2 cm), body weight gain (276±36 g to 186±9 g) and plasma concentrations of triglycerides (2.1±0.2 mmol/L to 1.4±0.2 mmol/L) compared to H rats. Capsaicin treatment reduced inflammation within the heart and liver, reduced cardiac collagen deposition and decreased liver fat vacuole enlargement. This decreased ventricular stiffness and reversed liver damage in HC rats. Endothelial dysfunction and hypertension were normalised in HC rats, following a decrease in systolic blood pressure (153±2 mmHg to 132±2 mmHg). Finally, low-dose dietary capsaicin reversed glucose intolerance in H-fed rats. Hence, the present findings suggest that low-dose dietary capsaicin could be a potential therapeutic option for the reversal of obesity and metabolic syndrome in humans.


The transfer of positive brand image from the sponsored event to the sponsor is now one of the main reasons cited for engaging in event sponsorship activity. Beyond just simple brand associations though, it has been recognised that patrons often feel "goodwill" towards certain sponsored events and these feelings could also be transferred to enhance sponsorship outcomes. This paper reports on an email survey of over 300 patrons of a non-profit Arts Festival, examining whether "goodwill" can influence sponsorship effectiveness. Specifically, the focus here is on the relationship between positive attitudes toward the event and sponsorship outcomes. The findings suggest that satisfaction with the event is correlated positively with sponsor recall but not recognition. Those with higher degrees of "goodwill" towards the event did have more positive attitudes towards the sponsor and were more likely to recall and recognise sponsors correctly.


There are some minor inconsistencies of terminology: we find — w ̂ — w described as 'aristoph.' (p. 7), 'arist.' (p. 23), 'arist.' (p. 25), and 'chor. dim. cat.' (p. 17); — w— x —WVJ — ww is sometimes called 'dac. ep.' (e.g. p. 52), sometimes 'iambel' (e.g. p. 56), as if these were different things. The marking of period end with pause is rather irregular. We could do with clearer indication of unusual diaereses in 'pure' dac.-ep. (e.g. pp. 35, 69), and more comment on the occurrence of unusual prosodies (e.g. 8eiA<nos pp. 36-7; cf. Jebb on Ant. 1311; also 'ISdCav and ovpelav? p. 66; 'ddpoels p. 37; cf. Conomis, Hermes, xcii (1964) p. 39). Disagreement is only to be expected in such an uncertain field as Greek metre. Of D.'s analyses, only a few strike me as being really unlikely. Her ionic interpretation of S. El. 823 ff. (pp. 36-7), which gives 'ia. penthemimer + ion. tetram.', then 'ion. eolation' (— <~> ° w w — <-*>_/ — ww — >_> ̂ — ww — / w\_i / / ) continuing in ionics, is not attractive. In the ia. penthemimer X — <-< — X (whose occurrence before ionics is unsatisfactorily defended L.M.* p. 129), what is the status of the fifth syllable? It cannot be anceps before w w — . Nor is D.'s argument for 'major ionics' (p. 63) at Hipp. 733-4, or 'epionics' (p. 98) at Rhesus 364-6 very strong. In each case the choriambic alternatives seem preferable. Page 41 (O.C. 1076) the dochmiac is out of place —better is A — «->sp. cr. (cf. 1057). Page 43 (Ale. 461) >~-w— 'anap. monom. cat.'will hardly do, even if 462 is taken as spondaic anapaests. Pp. 61-3 (Hipp. 738 ~ 748) the 'irregular responsion', — v*»~r — w w — w — ('glyconic' is unnecessary with Barnes's araXdaaova' els (738). Page 67 (Andr. 299 ff.) surely better as 3 ia. / / chor. ithyph. / / (cf. E. Supp. 1130 f.5 1144) than 'ia. dim. + enop. -fithyph.' in irvlyoi. Page 76 'doch. dim.' is misleading—simply 'two doch'. Page 81-3 D. accepts without further comment Tro. 523 — wwwww — w — '"*•' 543 ~-~~— <-> — <-(— 'free responsion of resolved choriamb to iambic metron'. Page 98 (Rhesus 342-79) the pauses seem wrong—they should be 2 glyc. pher. / / hippon. pher. / / (N.B. brevis in longo and hiatus 346 ~ 355).


The high frequency resonant technique (HFRT) algorithm is a popular technique for fault-detection and is widely applied in mechanism systems and industrial constructions. In this paper, a new HFRT algorithm based on maximal overlap discrete wavelet packet transformation (MODWPT) is developed. By the simulation test for soil embedded pipes fault-detection, it is shown that the performance of newly proposed HFRT algorithms is more sensitive to early defects than the traditional HFRT methods based on the Hilbert transform.


We report a rare case of thyroid papillary carcinoma that was detected by parenchymatous hemorrhage. A 27-year-old female complained of sudden pain and swelling on the left side of the anterior neck. A CT scan demonstrated a mass measuring 3cm in diameter in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Based on fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology, the tumor was diagnosed as class IV. Thus, the patient was suspected of having thyroid cancer of the left lobe associated with hematoma, and surgery was performed. At surgery, it was ascertained that the tumor in the left lobe was papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with lymph node metastasis. Therefore left subtotal thyroidectomy with modified neck dissection was performed. It is generally thought that cystic thyroid diseases are benign. However, it has been reported that 20 to 45% of malignant thyroid diseases demonstrate cysts. Therefore, physicians must always keep in mind that thyroid disease exhibiting neck pain and hematoma might be malignant.


Reduced intensity stem cell transplantation (SCT) is an effective treatment modality for patients with hematologic malignancies who are not candidates for conventional myeloablative SCT. We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with hematologic malignancies receiving a reduced intensity allogeneic SCT from July 2002 to July 2007. Data pertaining to patient demographics, engraftment, disease status pre and post transplant, graft versus host disease (GVHD), and HLA matching was analyzed to identify factors significantly affecting the clinical outcome. Seventy three patients, with a median age of 55 (range of 19–70) and with the diagnoses of ALL (n=8), AML (n=30), CLL (n=3), CML (n=1), Hodgkin's (n=7), non-Hodgkin's (n=7), MDS (n=11), and MM (n=6) underwent a reduced intensity SCT using a fludarabine based conditioning regimen. Thirty nine (53%) received unrelated donor grafts and 34 (47%) received sibling donor grafts. Fifty six patients (77%) received fully matched grafts whereas 17 patients (23%) had an antigen or allele mismatch. Acute GVHD grade II-IV was observed in 27 of the 73 patients and chronic GVHD was seen in 18 of the 48 patients who could be evaluated. Seventeen patients developed transplant related fatal complications and 30 patients died from disease progression or relapse. Median time to neutrophil recovery was 15 days (range of 9–41 days) and median time to platelet recovery was 18 days (range of 9–42 days). Graft failure was observed in 6 of the 73 patients. Median overall survival and disease free survival for all patients was 7.7 and 6.6 months respectively. Median overall survival for patients with persistent disease or in remission at the time of the SCT was 5.6 and 21.8 months ( p= 0.01 ) while that for disease free survival was 5.7 and 8.4 months ( p=0.06 ). Median overall survival with and without chronic GVHD was 25.6 and 9.4 months ( p <0.0001 ) while median disease free survival was 18.2 and 6.0 months ( p< 0.0001 ). Patients with limited chronic GVHD have not yet reached median overall survival while the median disease free survival was 18.4 months. Those with no or extensive chronic GVHD had medians of 9.4 and 9.2 months for overall survival and 6.0 and 9.2 months for disease free survival ( p= 0.004 and p=0.02 ). The source of the stem cells as well as the administration of allele or single antigen mismatch grafts did not affect the outcome. Reduced intensity SCT is an effective treatment modality in patients with hematologic malignancies, though it is most effective in patients who are in remission at the time of transplant and should be offered in this setting. Patients with limited chronic GVHD had a better outcome suggesting the presence of potent anti-tumor activity of the donor immune competent cells without the detrimental effects in clinical outcome caused by extensive chronic GVHD.


ABSTRACT-Today Brand functions, as valuable marks of trust, superior quality, and differentiating values. The study reflects on which type of brand is preferred by consumer and what are the factors i.e. after sales service, price range, opinion of others, quality of product driving to purchase that particular brand and to know the for that particular brand which can be helpful for the manufacturer while targeting their customers. To find out the satisfaction level does it dependable to the income level of consumers according to that the manufacturer can plan his product and focus on the branding strategy of that product.


Changes on nitrogen concentration and load of river water during down flow were examined in five rivers flowing through agricultural watersheds in the Tokachi district of eastern Hokkaido, Japan. The upper reach of each watershed is intensively covered by cropland whereas the lower reach is covered by forest. The river form also differs between the upper reaches, which have been artificially straightened by meander cutoff, and the lower reaches, which remain in their natural meandering condition. The lower the reach measured was, the lower the nitrogen concentration was, and this decrease in concentration was even more pronounced in the natural meandering sections than in the straightened sections. The decrease of nitrogen load by natural purification in straightened sections and natural meandering sections was examined using Lself, which was introduced as an index of natural-purification-related nitrogen load decrease. In contrast to the changes in concentration, nitrogen load did not decrease in the natural meandering section.


As growers of processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) adopt drip irrigation, plant vigor and fruit yield typically increase, suggesting a need for re-evaluation of established nitrogen (N) fertilization practices. Trials were conducted in California in 2007-2008 to evaluate growth and N uptake dynamics of drip-irrigated processing tomatoes across N fertigation regimes ranging from deficient to excessive. Whole plants were collected at 2-week intervals for determination of biomass and N content, recently matured whole leaves for total N and petioles for N0 3 -N. Additionally, six commercial fields were sampled at 3- to 4-week intervals to document N uptake and crop N status under conditions representative of the industry. A seasonal N rate of ≈200 kg·ha -1 appeared adequate to maximize fruit yield across the range of field conditions encountered. The four highest-yielding fields (143 Mg·ha -1 mean fresh fruit mass) averaged 14 Mg·ha -1 of above-ground biomass with fruit representing 62%; these fields averaged 296 kg·ha -1 biomass N, of which 71% was in fruit. The rate of biomass development and N uptake peaked during the period between early fruit setting and early red fruit development (a period of ≈6 weeks) during which N uptake averaged 4 to 5 kg·ha -1 ·d -1 . Leaf N concentration was highly correlated with whole plant N (r 2 = 0.83) and provided a reliable indicator of plant N sufficiency throughout the season. Petiole NO 3 -N did not reliably discriminate between crops with adequate or deficient N availability; current petiole N0 3 -N sufficiency guidelines are unrealistically high.


Membrane series of quaternized chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) have been successfully prepared by applying two different crosslinking methodschemical-physical crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether and UV-mediated crosslinking. The native polymers chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) were quaternized with (2,3-epoxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride in the first modification step and utilized for chemical-physical membrane preparation with glutaraldehyde and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. In the following synthesis procedure, glycidyl methacrylate was grafted onto the afore quaternized products to make them approachable for crosslinking via UV light. The gained methacrylated polymers were blended to prepare membranes based on photopolymerization technique with assistance of the photoinitiator Irgacure 2959. The products were characterized and compared in terms of their structural and optical properties, chemical and thermal stability, alkaline swelling behavior and ion exchange capacity by following methods: alkaline uptake by mass change, back titration, ATF-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and ethanol permeability. Networks formed by chemical-physical crosslinking exhibited a darker, cloudier surface, while the UVcrosslinked hydrogels were transparent and more flexible. In both crosslinking variants, the properties of the end product could be influenced by applied amount of crosslinkers or photoinitiator. Membranes prepared with glutaraldehyde and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether present higher chemical and thermal stability, withstanding 1 M KOH at 60°C for more than 20 days without disintegration and provide an onset degradation temperature above 280°C, while photo crosslinked products lasted a maximum of 5 days in alkaline medium and present a degradation temperature of 150°C. The swelling behavior of membranes gained from UV-crosslinking is higher than within chemical-physical crosslinked membranes and the ion exchange capacity reaches a maximum value of 1.300 meq/g for product-preparation by photopolymerization technique and a value up to 1.800 meq/g for crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. Due to the high swelling behavior of UV-crosslinked membranes, the ethanol crossover was only measured for chemical-physical products. The ethanol permeability was dependent on temperature and exhibited a value reduced to 3.30*10 cm*s at 60°C reliant on terms of crosslinker-concentration. This study shows that both crosslinking techniques can be applied on adequate modified derivatives of quaternized chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol), forming promising membranes with different features, with high potential for applications in various fields, such as alkaline electrolytes in fuel cell preparation or hydrogels for medical usage.


According to the Questionaire for the resources of the professional pressure of teachers from seven vocational colleges in the West of China,it is shown that the grade or level of a college is the key factor which influence the teachers from the college.


The method of thin-foil transmission electron microscopy was used to examine phase transformations in the β-phase, representing the main heat-resistant component, of β/γ eutectics of the Ni-Co-Cr-Al system (mass %: 0-15 Co, 14-20 Cr, 8.5-10.5 Al). The martensitic transformation β(B2)→L1 0 took place in all the alloys, except those with 20 mass % Cr, when they were quenched in water from 1200°C. It was found for the first time that high-rank superstructures A 2 B (Ni 2 Al) and A 5 B 3 (Ni 5 Al 3 ) could be formed in a complex-alloyed β solid solution. Phase transformations L1 0 →A 5 B 3 , L1 0 →14M, L1 0 →B2→A 2 B, and L1 0 →B2→A 5 B 3 were observed in the β-component of the eutectics when isothermal annealing temperature was increased from 250 to 600°C. At a temperature of 400 °C and higher those transformations were accompanied by the decomposition of the β solid solution and the appearance of dispersed α-Cr particles. Structural features of the aforementioned phase transformations in heat-resistant quaternary eutectics were considered.


Error reduction, quality improvement and lowering of cost can all be achieved through electronic integration of health care providers. Despite the existence of clinical computing software for decades, meaningful linkage between health care providers has not occurred. We hypothesize that a major reason is reduction in network value through incompatible clinical software among hundreds of health care entities.


Besides its crucial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, the knowledge of amyloid precursor protein (APP) physiologic functions remains surprisingly scarce. Here, we show that APP regulates the transcription of the glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). APP‐dependent regulation of GDNF expression affects muscle strength, muscular trophy, and both neuronal and muscular differentiation fundamental for neuromuscular junction (NMJ) maturation in vivo. In a nerve‐muscle coculture model set up to modelize NMJ formation in vitro, silencing of muscular APP induces a 30% decrease in secreted GDNF levels and a 40% decrease in the total number of NMJs together with a significant reduction in the density of acetylcholine vesicles at the presynaptic site and in neuronal maturation. These defects are rescued by GDNF expression in muscle cells in the conditions where muscular APP has been previously silenced. Expression of GDNF in muscles of amyloid precursor protein null mice corrected the aberrant synaptic morphology of NMJs. Our findings highlight for the first time that APP‐dependent GDNF expression drives the process of NMJ formation, providing new insights into the link between APP gene regulatory network and physiologic functions.—Stanga, S., Zanou, N., Audouard, E., Tasiaux, B., Contino, S., Vandermeulen, G., René, F., Loeffler, J.‐P., Clotman, F., Gailly, P., Dewachter, I., Octave, J.‐N., Kienlen‐Campard, P. APP‐dependent glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor gene expression drives neuromuscular junction formation. FASEB J. 30, 1696–1711 (2016). www.fasebj.org


Risk models, built by accessing and using detailed asset information in conjunction with engineering knowledge and experience, have been shown to be a very powerful basis for defining, justifying and optimising investment to renew ageing networks. At the same time, electricity distribution networks have been evolving from relatively predictable conditions in terms of load growth and asset capability towards much more dynamic behaviour. "Smart Grid" technology, in particular, empowers electricity generators and consumers, leaving the network operator with the challenge of maintaining a stable and continuous electricity supply. This creates significant challenges: not only for day-to-day operations, but also for investment planners, where incorrect decisions can result in "stranded" (i.e. non revenue-generating) assets worth millions of pounds. The authors propose that the opportunity now exists to extend the use of proven asset-based risk models to enable the development of robust and cost-effective investment programmes that can better cope with future uncertainty. It is believed that this will be essential to ensure that the full benefits of Smart Grid implementation can be realised, both in terms of cost and effectiveness. (5 pages)


Many interesting and technologically relevant materials are not at their true thermodynamic free-energy minimum but instead are kinetically stabilized Some of these metastable structures may demonstrate unique, and potentially improved properties over their thermodynamically stable counterparts. However, accessing metastable reaction products and controlling formation pathways to target them presents a formidable challenge. This is especially true for systems such as complex oxides, which often display diverse polymorphism We present a route for the formation of potentially novel, layered complex oxide structures formed from a solid thin-film amorphous precursor through rapid heating and quenching, whereby solid-phase crystallization (SPC) of 30-nm thick La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 (LSM82) pulsed-laser deposited (PLD) films is performed in situ in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). In contrast to solid-phase epitaxy (SPE) where the substrate imposes epitaxial constraints, LSM82 films are deposited on an amorphous Si x N y substrate such that the resulting phases are free of such constraints. This provides a very open phase space that affords plentiful opportunities to access unusual structures. Although the perovskite structure is the true equilibrium phase of bulk LSM82 under the processing the exceptionally high free-energy starting film of this non-glass-former generates a tendency to adopt metastable or transition states upon crystallization. In accordance with step rule, those phases that develop first are likely those closest in free-energy starting a


Several studies on human beings have suggested that lipid metabolism (1-4) and the mortality rate from atherosclerotic heart disease (5) are related to the chemical nature of available carbohydrates in the diet. These studies showed the serum levels of cholesterol and triglyceride to be increased by dietary sucrose and decreased by complex carbohydrates such as dextrin. Other investigators, however, have questioned this finding (6). The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of diets high in simple or complex carbohydrates on serum lipid levels and atherosclerosis in nonhuman primates.


This research explored the lived experience of parents of a young adult child with intellectual disability who lives with them in the family home. Forty-four in-depth interviews were held collaboratively with participants. Importantly this study provided parents with the opportunity to give voice to their story as members of a silenced group. A new model of understanding parents' experiences emerged from analysis of the interview transcripts. Themes are parents' Being-In-Time-With-Others (complexity of life), Labour of Love (agency of family), and Enduring Strength (outcomes of the parental experience). Implications and utility of the model were identified from parents' own stories.


Abstract I use the Displaced Worker Survey and bilateral trade data to assess the impact of import competition from low-wage countries on displaced workers' unemployment duration and re-employment wages. While low-wage imports have almost no effect on unemployment duration for workers displaced from an industry with the average length of the quality ladder, I find that a ten percentage point increase in low-wage imports leads to a 5.6 week longer jobless spell duration for workers displaced from an industry with a short quality ladder. Similarly, a ten percentage point increase in low-wage imports leads to a 7.2 percent decline in re-employment wages for workers displaced from an average ladder industry, but it leads to an 11.3 percent decline in re-employment wages for workers displaced from a short ladder industry. I show evidence that greater low-wage imports raise the likelihood of sectoral relocation upon re-employment, leading to loss of sector specific human capital.


About 7500 computed trajectories were employed in a Monte Carlo study of a general interaction potential for the reactions A + BC → AB + C without activation energy. Some of the trajectories were constrained to be planar; others were determined in three dimensions.The most prominent effects on the results (product energy and emission angle distributions) were obtained when the relative proportion of reaction energy released during reactant approach and product departure was changed, or by a change in the shape of the intermediate aggregate ABC. Of lesser importance were the sharpness of the ``corner in the reaction path,'' the rapidity (vs distance) of the kinetic energy release, and the amount of solid angle about B accessible to A.The dimensionality of the calculation has a relatively unimportant effect on the product energy distributions, but an important one on the product emission angles. Three‐dimensional emission‐angle distributions are peaked near (but not symmetrically about) the angle of 90° wit...


The unusual reactivity of chelating phosphane–imidazolium salts MesImEtPPh2+Br–, DIPP-ImEtPPh2+Br–, and MesImEtPPh2+BF4– towards the low-oxidation-state iridium complex [Ir(COD)(μ-Cl)]2 was studied. In the absence of a base, the C–H insertion at the C5 position of the imidazolium ring was the only reaction that occurred, with no normal NHC observed, leading to hydridoiridium(III) complexes. This reactivity was independent of the nature of the imidazolium counteranion and of the substitution pattern of the aryl group. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)


Au part of a NASA program to reduce fuel canaumption of current commercial aircraft engines, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft is conducting an investir,ation to improve the durability of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings for use on vane platforms in tale J79D turbofan engine. Increased durability ,onceptu under evaluation include use of improved strain *oleranc microstructures and control of the substra tvniperature during coating application. Initial ier rig tests conducted at temperatures to 1010'•. .18500 F) indicated that improvemonts in cyclic Iiie greater than 20:1 over previous ceramic coating systems were achieved. Three plasma sprayed coating systems applied to first stage vane platforms in the high pressure turbine were aubjectedto a 1000-cycle J19D engine endurance test with only minor damage occurring to the coatings.


There is no doubt that the planet is warming quickly. What is uncertain, and hugely so, is the impact the warming will have on the climatologic and hydrologic processes that directly influence performance of existing and planned water-resources related projects, for example hydropower. Therefore, the prospect of climate change has become a key issue for the large dams/reservoirs community. This paper provides first an overview of the increasing awareness of climate change impacts on the performance and reliability of hydro projects within this community. Then, it presents a pragmatic approach to assess the climate resilience of hydro projects. This approach fully complies with the Hydropower Sector Climate Resilience Guide released by International Hydropower Association in 2019 [1]. The case study is a hydropower project on St Paul River in Liberia. The paper focuses on the methods and results of the Phase 3 climate stress test, namely the power generation performance under a wide range of different possible future climate scenarios. The modelling cascade is formed by the hydrological model GR4J and a hydropower model supported by Mike Hydro Basin software. It is used to simulate 35+ years of daily hydropower operation.


Impaired oxygen utilization has been proposed to play a significant role in sepsis-induced liver dysfunction, but its magnitude and temporal course during prolonged resuscitation is controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the capability of the liver to increase oxygen extraction in sepsis during repeated acute portal vein blood flow reduction. Twenty anesthetized and mechanically ventilated pigs with hepatic hemodynamic monitoring were randomized to fecal peritonitis or controls (n=10, each). After 8-hour untreated sepsis, the animals were resuscitated for three days. The ability to increase hepatic O2 extraction was evaluated by repeated, acute decreases in hepatic oxygen delivery (DO2) via reduction of portal flow. Blood samples for liver function and liver biopsies were obtained repeatedly. While liver function tests, ATP content, and hepatic oxygen delivery (DO2) remained unaltered, there were signs of liver injury in blood samples and overt liver cell necrosis in biopsies. With acute portal vein occlusion, hepatic DO2 decreased more in septic animals compared to controls (max. decrease: 1.66±0.68 ml/min/kg in sepsis vs. 1.19±0.42 ml/min/kg in controls; Qpv reduction-sepsis interaction: p=0.028). Hepatic arterial buffer response (HABR) was impaired, but recovered after 3-day resuscitation, while hepatic oxygen extraction increased similarly during the procedures in both groups (max. increase: 0.27±0.13 in sepsis vs. 0.18±0.09 in controls; all p>0.05). Our data indicates maintained capacity of the liver to acutely increase O2 extraction, while blood flow regulation is transiently impaired with the potential to contribute to liver injury in sepsis.


Abstract The operation of various types of machinery and equipment constituting a material work environment exposes employees to many different hazards (especially mechanical hazards). According to the Polish law, the basic duty of both machine manufacturers and employers is to limit the level of these hazards and to provide employees with broadly understood safety. The article presents the basic issues related to the technical safety of laser cutter operators on the example of a selected industrial plant. Technical and organizational solutions used to reduce the level of risk associated with the use of the selected machine were assessed.


The list of Newbery Award winners and Honor Books (as the Runners-up are now called) slices through twentieth-century children's literature, revealing, like an archeologist's trench, as much about changing social values and attitudes as about the particular qualities of a fine children's book. For example, while many of the titles selected in the 1920s and '30s are set in foreign countries, almost none deals with the various racial and religious minorities of America. Laura Adams Armer's American Indian story, Waterless Mountain (1932), is the one prominent exception. In the 1940s, award winners Daniel Boone (James Daugherty, 1940) and The Matchlock Gun (Walter D. Edmonds, 1942) promote violent and negative stereotypes of American Indians. After World War II, a new stratum of awareness appears with Arna Bontemp's Story of the Negro as a 1949 Runner-up, the first on the list, I believe, written by a minority-group member, followed by award-winners Amos Fortune, Free Man (Elizabeth Yates, 1951) and . . . And Now Miguel (Joseph Krumgold, 1954). Authors encouraging a sympathetic understanding of American minorities are now being positively reinforced by the highest award in American children's literature. In the 1960s, the era of civil rights movements, such rewards proliferate. Between 1966 and 1974, four of the award winners — /, Juan de Pareja, Sounder, Julie of the Wolves, and The Slave Dancer — focus on minority peoples, in addition to eleven of the Honor Books. Then, in 1975, the Newbery trench reveals an abrupt shift in attitude. The first award-winner by a minority-group member, Virginia Hamilton's M. C. Higgins, the Great, is followed by Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Mildred D. Taylor, 1977). At the same time, books about minorities by non-minority authors disappear from the list. It seems that authors are no longer being rewarded for writing about racial or religious groups to which they do not belong: in fact, in books like Children's Literature: An Issues Approach (Masha Kabakow Rudman, 1976) and journals like Interracial Books for Children, harsh criticism is now being aimed at the very books praised


Automation will displace 2.7 million US construction workers, nearly half the total workforce, by 2057, a report suggests. Company owners may welcome labour cost savings and the promise of higher productivity, but the authors urge the industry to think of the wider social costs, including the depressing effect on the economy as sections of the population are pushed out of well-paid jobs even as automation advances in the sectors that used to offer a fallback, such as driving. They propose a new public-private strategy for training, and even a rethink of capitalism itself.


The present invention relates to the field of topical compositions for improving the appearance or other condition of skin. More particularly, the present invention while maintaining a natural skin appearance, for example, relates to topical compositions having good coverage for the defects of the skin, such as pores and uneven skin tone.


This paper is an attempt to present a time-space approach (within time-geography framework) that enables to investigate human activities of everyday life that have an impact on quality of life and sustainable or unsustainable way of living. The time-space activity budget applied in the survey (conducted in Bratislava) enabled to investigate how people assess performed activities from the perspective of sustainable way of living, and to identify when and where they considered them as sustainable or unsustainable. This study is an example of how the complexity of everyday life may be treated within time-geographical, sustainability and life quality concepts.


This paper considers the distributed optimization of a sum of locally observable, nonconvex functions. The optimization is performed over a multi-agent networked system, and each local function depends only on a subset of the variables. An asynchronous and distributed alternating directions method of multipliers (ADMM) method that allows the nodes to defer or skip the computation and transmission of updates is proposed. The algorithm can tolerate any bounded level of asynchrony and converges to local minima under certain regularity conditions.


Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is one of the most important hormones responsible for bone turnover and calcium homeostasis. In mammals, PTH is secreted through the parathyroid glands, unlike in fishes, which are secreted through central nervous system. Studies indicated that a variety of peripheral nerve regulates serum PTH level, however, the mechanism underlying central neural regulation of PTH in mammals remains largely unknown. With an approach including neural-specific retrograde tracing, PTH-Biotin binding assay, and cFos staining, we identified the subfornical organ (SFO) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as two important brain nuclei that responded to serum PTH and calcium changes. Using chemogenetics, we found that serum PTH was suppressed by stimulation of GABAergic neurons in SFO followed by a decrease in trabecular bone mass. Conversely, stimulation of glutamatergic neurons in SFO promoted serum PTH and bone mass. Moreover, we found that the majority of neurons expressing parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) were GABAergic neurons and the majority of neurons expressing parathyroid hormone 2 receptor (PTH2R) were glutamatergic neurons. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is downstream of the SFO, and chemogenetic activation of glutamatergic neurons in PVN induced an increase in serum PTH. In summary, our study demonstrates for the first time that distinct neuronal subtypes in the SFO are responsible for bidirectional regulation of serum PTH and bone metabolism, which is mediated through the PVN and the peripheral nervous system. These findings reveal important central neural nodes and will advance our understanding of the central neural regulation of PTH at the molecular, cellular and circuit level.


where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction of the two materials, θ1 is the incident angle, and θ2 is the refracted angle. The index of refraction is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (space) over the speed of light in the material in question. Mathematically, n ≡ c/v. For air, n ≃ 1, and for water n = 1.33, whereas often n = 1.5 for glass. It has also been found that n will vary as a function of wavelength (or color) of light. Thus, white light entering a second material will have its different colors refracted at different angles and often the separate colors will become observable. A geometrical derivation for Snell's Law can be found in most Physics texts. In general when light hits the interface between two different media, some of the light will be reflected and some will be refracted, with each obeying the above laws, accordingly. This is shown in figure 2. The amount reflected versus refracted depends on several variables, including the indices of refraction and the incident angle.