Abstract Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) total hip and knee prosthetic joint infections (PJI) can be highly morbid and difficult to treat. Other clinical factors notwithstanding, explantation is usually recommended, although comparative treatment data are lacking. We sought to compare the success of implant retention to two-stage exchange in MRSA-infected PJI to better understand treatment options in this difficult cohort. Methods A retrospective cohort of hip and knee PJIs from 2009 to 2016 were identified by ICD code and surgical treatment. All cases met MSIS criteria for PJI, and had culture-confirmed MRSA from synovial or intra-articular tissue culture. PJIs were either treated with exchange arthroplasty or debridement with antibiotic and implant retention (DAIR). Success was defined as no further surgical treatment for infection at two years. Kaplan–Meier estimates were used to calculate the 2-year survival rate free from treatment failure. Univariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors associated with treatment failure. Results 65 MRSA PJIs were identified with 42 undergoing explantation and 23 undergoing DAIR. Demographics, Charlson comorbidities, infection type (early post-operative, hematogenous or late chronic), and history of prior PJI were not significantly different between treatment groups. Survivorship at two years was 75% (95% confidence interval [CI] 61–88%) for exchange compared with 29% (95% CI 10–48%) for DAIR, P = 0.0002. Within the exchange group, knee PJIs were more likely to fail than hip PJI (odds ratio [OR] 7.1, CI 1.3–38, P = 0.02), and patients with diabetes were more likely to fail (OR 17, CI 1.6–178, P = 0.02). Conclusion MRSA PJIs treated with DAIR have worse outcomes than those treated with prosthesis exchange. Further investigation is needed to identify predictors of DAIR success, to optimize surgical treatment choice, and to improve outcomes of these difficult infections. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


This manual aims to assist people who want to do, or are doing health systems research. It is primarily aimed at researchers who are relatively new to health systems research. It describes health systems research, and shows how it is different from other types of health research. It provides advice on selecting a research topic and ways to influence decision makers through research. This manual then gives a guide on formulating and refining a research question, developing a protocol and writing research reports. Research study design, data collection and analysis are not dealt with in any detail, as these issues are comprehensively covered in other books and articles. A brief summary of some of the most accessible of these publications is given at the end of the manual. Throughout the manual, practical advice will be provided for researchers wishing to apply for Health Systems Trust funding. However this manual should also be of relevance to anyone wanting to be involved in health systems research.


Provided is a hearing aid adjusting device that adjusts to easily change copying, moving, etc. of environment settings in software. A hearing aid adjusting device 104 for adjusting a parameter of a hearing aid 101, comprising: an input unit 201 that receives an operation input, a storage means 203 for storing a parameter for each predetermined environment setting, and a parameter for each environment setting Has a control means 202 for controlling the control and a display means 204 for displaying the information of the parameter, and the input means 201 selects a plurality of said preferences and operates one of the selected preferences. The control means 202 collectively converts the parameters in the selected environment setting based on the operation by the input means 201. Hearing aids, adjustments, parameters


In mammals, ferritin is a cytoplasmic iron storage protein made up of 24 heavy and light chain subunits that can store up to 4500 iron atoms; as wells as an acute phase protein that is secreted upon inflammation. Here we characterize the message and protein expression profiles of Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) ferritin heavy chain (HCH) and light chain homologue (LCH) subunits in response to iron and bacterial challenge. Mosquito experiments show an increase in midgut HCH and LCH message and protein expression 24 h post‐blood meal (PBM) and decrease 72 h PBM. Fat body and ovary HCH and LCH message and protein expression showed a time‐dependent increase PBM. Heat‐killed bacteria (HKB) had little effect on mosquito tissue ferritin expression. Iron regulatory protein (IRP) binding activity for the iron responsive element (IRE) increased over time in ovary PBM. Midgut and fat body binding activity increased 24 h PBM with a decrease 72 h PBM. Mosquitoes treated with HKB showed no change in IRP/IRE binding activity compared to naïve animals. Cell studies support in vivo results. HCH and LCH message and protein expression reveal a time‐dependent, synergistic up‐regulation of expression in CCL‐125 cells treated with iron and HKB than iron alone. There was also a time‐dependent increase in secreted ferritin as well as decrease IRP/IRE binding activity in cells treated with iron and HKB. Research support from NIH (GM056812), the Agricultural Experiment Station and CALS at the University of Arizona.


Using the space-resolved Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy we study the transformation of dynamic magnetization patterns in a bilayer multiferroic structure. We show that in the comparison with a single yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film magnetization distribution is transformed in the bilayer structure due to the coupling of waves propagating both in an YIG film (magnetic layer) and in a barium strontium titanate slab (ferroelectric layer). We present a simple electrodynamic model using the numerical finite element method to show the transformation of eigenmode spectrum of confined multiferroic. In particular, we demonstrate that the control over the dynamic magnetization and the transformation of spatial profiles of transverse modes in magnetic film of the bilayer structure can be performed by the tuning of the wavevectors of transverse modes. The studied confined multiferroic stripe can be utilized for fabrication of integrated dual tunable functional devices for magnonic applications.


Abstract The present research work studied and evaluated conditions of pre-weld and post-weld heat treatments for the laser welding process, aiming to avoid weld cracking, which usually occurs after tungsten inert gas and/or laser welding processes in cast nickel-based superalloys with high aluminum and titanium contents. The pre-weld heat treatment conditions used in the experiments were (1) 1473 K for 7.2 ks, (2) 1433 K for 7.2 ks + 1298 K for 56.7 ks, (3) 1413 K for 7.2 ks + 1298 K for 56.7 ks, (4) 1393 K for 7.2 ks + 1298 K for 56.7 ks. A laser welding process on cast nickel-based superalloys, grade GTD-111, with metal filler of Inconel 718, a nickel-iron based alloy was conducted. From all obtained results, it was found that the pre-weld heat treatment conditions significantly influence microstructures before laser welding. After laser welding and post-weld heat treatment at a temperature of 1473 K for 7.2 ks followed by precipitation aging at a temperature of 1118 K for 86.4 ks (standard heat treatment), all welded specimens exhibited similar microstructures and hardness values. Furthermore, no weld cracking was observed in all welded specimens.


Thymic stromal lymphopoietin was recently identified as a master switch for the development of allergen-driven Th2 responses. However, the role of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in the development of helminth-induced Th2 responses is unclear. Here, using TSLPR (cid:1) / (cid:1) mice, we show that while TSLPR signaling participates in the development of Schistosoma mansoni egg-induced CD4 (cid:2) Th2 responses, it plays only a transient role in the development of Th2-dependent pathology in the lung, liver, and intestine. Studies conducted in a pulmonary granuloma model showed that while a reduction in IL-4/IL-13-dependent granulomatous inflammation and tissue eosinophilia was observed in TSLPR (cid:1) / (cid:1) mice undergoing a primary response, lesion formation was not affected during a secondary granulomatous response, even though IL-5 and IL-13 were modestly reduced in the knockout mice. To evaluate the importance of TSLPR signaling in the development of a chronic Th2-dependent response, TSLPR (cid:1) / (cid:1) mice were also infected with S. mansoni cercariae. Here, the only significant difference noted in TSLPR (cid:1) / (cid:1) mice was a modest decrease in liver fibrosis in acutely infected animals. The transient decrease in fibrosis was associated with increased production of the an-tifibrotic cytokine IFN- (cid:3) and decreased production of the profibrotic cytokine IL-13. Although the altered cytokine response persisted in chronically infected TSLPR (cid:1)


A position-detection system utilizing a chemical array is described. The array uses a continuous layer of inorganic compound in a resin material as the sensing medium, thus eliminating the element spacings that are the primary cause of error in discrete arrays with inactive gaps. The analysis of a one-dimensional chemical array with mechanical image perturbation is presented. Zero error-position detection is obtained with triangular image perturbation.


Spherical matrices of nimesulide were prepared by using ethyl cellulose alone and a combination of ethyl cellulose and hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose by spherical agglomeration technique and the drug release from these matrices 20/40 and 40/60 size was studied for 8 h. It was found that the drug release from ethyl cellulose matrices was slow compared to that from the combined polymer matrices. The improved drug release from the combined polymer matrices appears to be due to improved solubility of the drug in the presence of hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose.


The Margaree pluton extends for >40 km along the axis of the Ganderian Aspy terrane of northern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The pluton consists mainly of coarse-grained megacrystic syenogranite, intruded by small bodies of medium-grained equigranular syenogranite and microgranite porphyry, all locally displaying rapakivi texture. The three rock types have similar U–Pb (zircon) ages of 363 ± 1.6, 364.8 ± 1.6, and 365.5 ± 3.3 Ma, respectively, consistent with field and petrological evidence that they are coeval and comagmatic. The rare earth elements display parallel trends characterized by enrichment in the light rare earth elements, flat heavy rare earth elements, moderate negative Eu anomalies, and, in some cases, positive Ce anomalies. The megacrystic and rapakivi textures are attributed to thermal perturbation in the magma chamber caused by the mixing of mafic and felsic magma, even though direct evidence of the mafic magma is mainly lacking at the current level of exposure. Magma evolution was controlled by fractionation of quartz, K-feldspar, and Na-rich plagioclase in molar proportions of 0.75:0.12:0.13. The chemical and isotopic (Sm–Nd) signature of the Margaree pluton is consistent with the melting of preexisting continental crust that was enriched in heat-producing elements, likely assisted by intrusion of mantle-derived mafic magma during Late Devonian regional extension. The proposed model involving magma mixing at shallow crustal levels in a cryptic silicic-mafic magma chamber during post-Acadian extension is consistent with models for other, better exposed occurrences of rapakivi granite in the northern Appalachian orogen.


Objective:To observe the efficacy of Lipoic Acid and Pyridostigmine Bromide in treating diabetic neurogenic bladder.Methods:40 patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic neurogenic bladder were treated with Lipoic Acid and Pyridostigmine Bromide for two weeks,and the postvoiding residue of bladder measured by ultragonogram were compared before and after therapy.Results:The postvoiding residue of bladder after therapy(40±8) ml were significantly decreased than those before therapy(205±11) ml(t=6.677,P0.001).The postvoiding residue of bladder four weeks after drug discontinuance(20±5) ml were significantly decreased than those before therapy(205±11) ml(t=7.033,P0.001).Conclusion:Lipoic Acid and Pyridostigmine Bromide can significantly improve the postvoiding residue of bladder in patients with diabetic neurogenic bladder.


Intelligent network orchestration and management are crucial components of the 6G network. Therefore, machine learning and artificial intelligence play a big part in the 6G paradigm that is being imagined. However, the combination of 6G and AIML utilization may frequently be a double-edged sword because AI has the capacity to either protect or compromise security and privacy. Proactive threat detection, the use of mitigating intelligent techniques, and network automation in future are needed to enable the achievement of independent networks in 6G. As a result, this paper has detailed focus on the ongoing projects based on 6G and factors that make 6G technology necessary. The role of ZT architecture is discussed in detail, use of AIML in 6G, Various application areas and challenges associated in 6G has been mentioned in this paper.


This study is an analysis of the application of princip1es in communication,
using the Cooperative Principles introduced by Paul Grice, and fucuses on the
Maxims of Conversations that can be flouted to MOllse humor.
According to Grice (l975), speakers in normal conversation, are expected to obey four maxims of Conversational Maxims, They shouJd speak in brief"he truth, relevant, and dear manner 111 what they say. But som~esthese max:tIDs can also be flouted and viola1ed. Flouting, is usually done purposely by the speaker and the flouting itself means that one delibera1ely fail to fulfill a certain maxim in order to
create a certain intention. Speakers' certain intention that the vvriter analyzes is humor. It is different with violating the ConveP'...atlonai Maxims. it means that one can fail to fulfill a certain maxim quietly and unostentatiously and will be liable to mi,lead.


Abstract  Based on the temporal‐spatial distribution and geochemical characteristics, the Emeishan basalts can be divided into two types: high‐P2O‐TiO2 basalt (HPT) and low‐P2O5‐TiO2 basalt (LPT), which differ distinctly in geochemistry: the LPTs are characterized by relatively high abundances of MgO, total FeO and P2O5 and compatible elements (Cr, Ni, Sc), and relatively low contents of moderately compatible elements (V, Y, Yb, Co), LREE and other incompatible elements compared with the HPT. On the diagrams of trace element ratios, they are plotted on an approximately linear mixing line between depleted and enriched mantle sources, suggesting that these two types of basalts resulted from interactions of varying degrees between mantle plume and lithospheric mantle containing such volatile‐rich minerals as amphibole and apatite. The source region of the LPT involves a smaller proportion of lithospheric components, while that of the HTP has a larger proportion of lithospheric components. Trachyte is generated by partial melting of the basic igneous rocks at the base of the lower continental crust. Both the two types of magmas underwent certain crystal fractionation and contamination of the lower crust at high‐level magma chambers and en route to the surface.


Objective  A high degree of inter‐individual variability in plasma lipid level response to hormone therapy (HT) has been reported. Variations in the oestrogen receptor α gene (ESR1) and in genes involved in lipid metabolism may explain some of the variability in response to HT.


Aimed at the computer feedback control system,this paper discuss sample period's affection to system delay,fidelity of discrete model transferred from continuous model and digitalizing effect of signal process;corsequently,certain empirical choice are introduced.


In this present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized through an easy, rapid, and eco-friendly pathway using Lannea coromandelica aqueous bark extract. The obtained AgNPs were characterized using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicated that the pH of colloidal AgNPs played a vital role in forming AgNPs. The pH ranges used in this study were 6, 8, 10, and 12. The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by observing the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at each pH and obtaining a wavelength of 430.50, 419.50, 418.50, and 410.00 nm. A comparison of the FTIR spectra of Lannea coromandelica aqueous bark extract and AgNPs showed the contribution of the O-H group in reducing silver ions. XRD diffractogram showed that AgNPs formed at 2θ = 37.8056o (1 1 1), 44.0345o (2 0 0), 64.3942o (2 2 0), dan 77.5003o (3 1 1) with face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure, and the average particle size was 22.5047 nm. SEM results showed that the nanoparticles have a non-uniform and irregular shape.


The hypothesis is that mast cell numbers and neuropeptide containing nerve fibres are increased in the elbow joint anterior capsule of patients with post-traumatic contractures when compared to normal capsules. Capsules were obtained from two patients with chronic contractures following radial head fractures and two organ donor elbows free of contractures. Four sections from each capsule were double-labelled with specific antibodies to the mast cell marker chymase and the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Species specific secondary fluorescent antibodies were used to detect the marker antibodies and cells were identified with a fluorescent nuclear marker (DAPI). Images were captured using a microscope (200x magnification) and five randomly selected areas were sampled for each section obtained from all joint capsules. Chymase positive cell numbers and numbers of nerve fibers (minimum length fifty micrometres) were gathered. The number of chymase positive mast cells was 6x greater in the contracture capsules when compared to normal capsules. In the contracture capsule, chymase positive mast cells represented 39% of total cells while in control capsules they represented 7% of total cells. Total cell numbers were similar in the capsules of both groups. The number of CGRP positive nerve fibres was increased 3x in the contracture capsule when compared to normal capsule. Mast cell numbers and neuropeptide positive fibre numbers are increased in the elbow joint anterior capsule of patients with post-traumatic contractures when compared to normal tissues. Neuropeptides such as CGRP can induce mast cell degranulation. Mast cells release profibrotic molecules such as transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-b1), a myofibroblast upregulator. It has been described that TGF-b1 and myofibroblast numbers are elevated in human elbow joint capsules in post-traumatic contractures. While these trends are encouraging, more subjects are needed to determine whether the mast cell and neuropeptide nerve fibre findings can be generalised to larger numbers. If future work supports a myofibroblast - mast cell - neuropeptide - fibrosis axis in the joint capsule in post-traumatic contractures, then methods to modulate this axis, such as mast cell stabilisers, may be evaluated in animal models.


Mathematically talented youth, whether male or female, tend to have favorable attitudes toward science and to participate in the sciences at a level much higher than average. There were no overall sex differences in course-taking or course-grades in the sciences. Indications of sex differences favoring males, however, were found in participation in high school physics, the taking of and performance on high school and college level science achievement tests, and intention to major in the more quantitatively oriented fields of physics and engineering. No substantial sex differences in attitudes toward the sciences, except possibly physics, were detected. Overall attitude toward science did relate somewhat to participation in science. Moreover, sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability may explain some of the sex difference in science participation and achievement. These results may bear on why women are underrepresented in the sciences.


The purpose of this article is to review recent trends in the process of urbanization in major Latin American cities. Abundant literature on Third World urbanization in the 1960s and 1970s painted a fairly coherent picture of the process during these decades. That image, which has been generally accepted in both academic and policy circles, serves as the backdrop against which contemporary trends will be evaluated here. The population in Latin America was becoming rapidly urbanized, but the process has been frequently described as "distorted" in a number of ways by the common condition of underdevelopment in which these countries found themselves.


The goal of this research was to determine whether rural elderly consumers' wants and needs for apparel products were met at the local retail level. Consumers (n = 322) ranging in age from 54–94 years were surveyed concerning their attitudes and behaviour regarding shopping for personal apparel. Data analyses revealed five market segments that differed in terms of (i) the level of involvement with shopping; (ii) perceptions of physical constraints to shopping; (iii) perceptions of available merchandise mix and services; and (iv) certain demographic characteristics. Respondents in cluster 1 were active and frequent shoppers, but did not always find what they needed. Those in cluster 2 were demanding consumers who were also satisfied with retail offerings. Cluster 3 compared prices and was highly dissatisfied with the merchandise available. Cluster 4 was satisfied with the merchandise mix, but did not shop often. Cluster 5 was highly dissatisfied with retail offerings.


Introduction: Road traffic injuries are a major cause of death and disability globally.1, 2 Road traffic injuries kill about 3000 people and 30000 are injured and disabled for life every day.3 Road traffic injuries are currently ranked ninth globally, and the ranking is projected to rise to third by 2020.4In fact, road traffic injuries alone ranked as the number one cause of the burden of disease among children between 5-14 years in 2000.5 .Report from WHO says fifty percent of the injuries occurred in the 15-44 years age group with the male to female ratio 3:1.6 In Nepal, as per estimates of morbidity and mortality for 1988-1999, injury contributed 9% to total mortality.7 Road traffic injures in developing counties mostly affect pedestrians, pass-engers and cyclists.8 The reasons for the high burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries are: growth in the numbers of motor vehicles; poor enforcement of traffic safety regulations; .8 This study was done to evaluate the pattern of Road traffic accident, visited in Emergency department Patan Hospital.
Methods: This is a prospective and descriptive study which was done at Patan Hospital. All casualties presented to Emergency department due to RTA were included in Study.
Results: Most common vehicle involved in Injury was Motorcycle and Microbus. Male population was most affected and most vulnerable age falls on 11-30 years of age.
Conclusion: Road traffic accidents are increasing and it mainly affects to young and adult age groups. Effective measures need to implement to minimize road traffic accidents.


ABSTRACT Responding to the so-called reproducibility crisis, various disciplines have proposed – and some have implemented – changes in research practices and policies. These changes have been aligned with a restricted and rather uniform conceptualization of what science is, and knowledge is made. However, knowledge-making is not a uniform affair. Here, we reflect on a salient fault line running through Wissenschaft (the whole of academic knowledge making, spanning the sciences and humanities), grounded in the relationship between the acts of research and writing, separating research as reporting from research as writing. We do so to demonstrate that replication and replicability cannot be treated as uniformly applicable and that assessment and improvement of research quality invites various tools and strategies. Among those, replication is important, but not omnipresent. Considering these other tools and strategies in context allows us to situate the value of replication for knowledge making as a whole.


Patients are exposed to both the internal radiation from radiopharmaceutical and the external radiation from the X-rays during PET/CT examination. Estimating patients′ radiation dose from whole body PET/CT examination could eliminate their apprehension and give clinical physicians guidance about whether the patients need to perform PET/CT examination. The calculation methods, influencing factors, cancer risk of PET/CT imaging and how to reduce the radiation dose are reviewed in this paper.

Key words:
Positron-emission tomography; Tomography, X-ray computed; Radiation dosage; Risk assessment


This article analyses legal aspects of the Swedish wind power development, theoretically based on how different types of knowledge are represented in legal contexts, mainly in the courts. A sample of appealed wind power permits is analysed, a handful of relevant informants are interviewed – including two judges in the Land and Environment Court and the appeal court – and the legal setting is analysed. Of key interest here is the interplay between expert and lay statements in the court cases, which here is related to the concepts of calculating and communicative rationalities that are developed in the planning literature. The results indicate that the juridification – which takes place as a permit issue is appealed in the judiciary system – supports the calculating rationality more than the communicative, and that the plaintiffs often attempt to adapt in how they shape their argumentation.


This paper proposes a new idea of instructing multimedia instruction environment based on analyzing of the theory of applying multimedia television instruction system to learn and teach by information communication theory.She explores application model of multimedia television instruction system in learning and teaching,and also anlyses superiorities and problems existed in learning and teaching.


There is a low number of female student's enrollment in Computer Science field in many countries. Much effort has been done to motivate females to study computer science, but it is still not enough. Serious games are effective tools for learning, thus can be used to motivate females to study technical subjects such as computer science. However, gender preferences affect the motivation to play specific types of digital games, but only a few studies have attempted to design games specifically for females. In addition, most games with computer science content do not appeal to teenage girls, and failed to explain how the social and cultural content of the game described the game experience of female players. However, studies have discovered the impact of engagement in the game based learning environment., In this paper, we discuss female's preferences in digital games and the social and cultural factors that influence female's engagement in Information and Communication Technology or specifically computer science studies. We propose a gender-based serious game engagement's model for teaching computer science.


ABSTRACT This study examines how attitudes toward in-prison sexual assault reporting have changed over time. Further, we examine factors that influence the willingness of incarcerated women to advise reporting in-prison sexual assaults. Responses from two cross-sectional samples taken ten years apart with 814 incarcerated women are examined. Findings suggest that women surveyed in 2016 were less likely than those surveyed in 2005 to advise the immediate report of a sexual assault. Factors such as age, sexual orientation, violent offense, and perceptions of safety were significant predictors of reporting behaviors. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.


Managing flexibility is an important element of future distribution networks with more than one mechanisms aiming at this goal. Recently proposed methods include variable distribution use-of-system tariffs and flexibility markets. This paper proposes a model for designing variable tariffs under the presence of flexibility products, such as capacity limits offered by aggregators, and studies their synergies. A detailed model of the network power flows is considered and tariffs can have temporal granularity, while retaining simplicity and cost recovery for the system operator. The flexibility products' cost functions are calculated in detail. Case studies illustrate that flexibility products are preferable as a means of motivating flexibility as long as their are priced close to their actual value. As their pricing increases beyond that, tariffs become increasingly preferable.


Three accessions of Lycopersicon hirsutum f. typicum Humb. and Bonpl. were highly resistant to beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), as indicated by reduced survival and growth on excised leaflets, compared with leaflets of a susceptible tomato variety. Removal of trichome exudates from LA 1777 and LA 2329 eliminated resistance affecting early instars ; but this treatment had no effect on the resistance of PI 126445. Primarily, lamellar factors must condition resistance in PI 126445 and contribute to resistance to later instars in LA 1777 and LA 2329. Type-VI trichome exudates of all 3 accessions were topically toxic to 1st-instar S. exigua, and this toxicity differed among the accessions (LA 1777 > LA 2329 > PI 126445). The lower toxicity of trichome exudates on PI 126445 apparently accounts for their minimal role in resistance in this accession. During feeding, 1st instars ruptured sufficient numbers of type-VI trichome glands to account for the observed mortality on both LA 1777 and LA 2329. Toxicities of trichome exudates from the accessions were not correlated with their sesquiterpene and total phenolic contents ; the most toxic trichomes (LA 1777) had the lowest concentrations of volatiles detectable by gas chromatography, and total phenolic compounds. The important toxins remain unidentified. Identification of the lamellar factors from the accessions, and the toxins in the trichome exudates of LA 1777 and LA 2329, will facilitate the use of these accessions in breeding programs for resistance to S. exigua and possibly other pests of tomatoes.


We have studied the transport properties in n-type InP semiconductor. We show that the behavior of the electrical conductivity as a function of temperature on both sides of the metal-insulator transition is governed by the competition among different length scale such as the localization length, the correlation length, the interaction length and the hopping length. We also show that several physical characteristic parameters of this InP sample follow the scaling laws at various magnetic fields.


A new technique for estimating the magnitude of the chord-averaged plasma electron temperature is described, permitting improved time resolution. A CAMAC software package VEKTOR has been developed to implement this algorithm. The measuring circuit has been checked in a test system for input voltages up to 400 kHz from a spectrometric signal simulator. The operating system is controlled by an IBM PC/AT. The program is constructed using standard routines. It includes an asynchronous data acquisition package, a universal parallel program interpreter, a menu of processing programs, and data visualization. The software runs under MS-DOS (version 3.3). 1 ref., 3 figs.


Background: At energies near the Coulomb barrier, capture reactions in heavy-ion collisions result either in fusion or in quasifission. The former produces a compound nucleus in statistical equilibrium, while the second leads to a reseparation of the fragments after partial mass equilibration without formation of a compound nucleus. Extracting the compound nucleus formation probability is crucial to predict superheavy-element formation crosssections. It requires a good knowledge of the fragment angular distribution which itself depends on quantities such as moments of inertia and excitation energies which have so far been somewhat arbitrary for the quasifission contribution.


We conducted a natural field experiment to understand intertemporal substitution in charitable giving. In partnership with nine nonprofit organizations, we sent e-mail match offers to over 39,000 potential donors prior to Giving Tuesday, a nationwide day of giving in the U.S. that has recently spread to nearly 100 countries. Potential donors were randomized to receive a time-limited match offer of either 80%, 100% or 120% two or four weeks prior to Giving Tuesday or to a control group that did not receive the match offer. All potential donors were also informed that they would receive a 100% match on Giving Tuesday. We find that earlier offers significantly increased donation rates and amounts and that the result was not due to donors shifting giving to earlier in the month. Donations on Giving Tuesday were not reduced in the special match offer group, and new donors seem to have been brought on board. Total fundraising dollars from those contacted before Giving Tuesday were 80% higher than from the control group. The price responsiveness to match rates is larger than found in previous studies and is particularly pronounced when the donation ask was four weeks before Giving Tuesday. JEL classifications: C93, H4


Golfers aim to hit the golf ball correctly and maximize its displacement. It is necessary to predict shaft movement during a golf swing via simulation in order to determine the appropriate shaft for each individual golfer's swing. Our previous study simulating golf club movement during the golf swing demonstrated 3D club movement via a finite element method simulation model with shaft flexibility. In this study, we added torque, taking into account the combination of grip acceleration and club head centroid, to the simulation model. In order to determine the influence of the torque, we then compared the measured and simulated results of shaft deflection and club head kinematics [HS (club head speed), Path (path angle), AA (attack angle), and FA (face angle)]. There was no significant torque influence for HS, AA, or shaft deflection. However, the Path and FA simulations were close to the measured values.


This article studied the effects of CPE,NBR,when CPE and NBR were addied to the softy blend system of PVC/ABS.The DSC method and SEM method were used in study on compatibility and the section structure of PVC/ABS blends.The result showed that the addition of ELAS improved the compatibility of ABS/PVC blend.The elongation at break,the tensile strength and other properties are also changed.


ABSTRACT Ga(S2CN(CH3)2)3 (Ga(mDTC)3) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using ultrasonic spray method, and well mono-dispersed, with a mean particles size of 82 nm. Ga(mDTC)3 NPs changed into Ga2S3 at 300°C under N2 environment, and the spin-coated films transformed into GaN films above 700°C under NH3 environment. From these results, Ga(mDTC)3 films were transformed into γ-Ga2S3 films by thermal decomposition, and S elements were substituted simultaneously by N elements. In this stage, the pyrolytic GaN film underwent a recrystallization process, and a preferred direction of GaN films was mainly aligned to z-axis direction due to the lower energy surface of hexagonal structure.


THIS paper is based on a study of the effects of very large doses of synthetic angiotensin on the kidneys of normal and hypertensive rats. The study was undertaken for two reasons.


Trn~H E discovery in 1903 that actively dividnig cells such as occur in malignant tumors can be selectively affected by radium emanations and x-rays excited the imagination of the biologist as well as that of the clinician. Not only did this offer a possible cure for cancer but it also provided a tool which was to be used extensively for the investigation of cell division, regeneration, and related problems. The work on these short radiations has led naturally to curiosity about the effects of other parts of the spectrum upon cell division, and an extensive but scattered literature has developed. This work, taken as a whole, gives some insight into the complex problem of cell division as well as considerable information as to the way in which radiations act upon organisms. It is the purpose of this review mainly to cover the newer literature. References to older papers or books will be made only when such are necessary for completeness or continuity. A brief discussion of the nature and measurement of the various radiations will precede the discussion of their effects on cell division. Other effects will be referred to whenever their inclusion may help the reader to reach decisions on controversial issues.


ABSTRACT Tiere are thousands of alternative madie outlets in the United State:. By definition, they differ from the mainstream dominant media. The idea that the media represent and promulgate societal values is widely held. While not monolithic. the dominant media which grew alongside mass industrialization share an overriding bias. The dominant media promote such values as the sanctity of tne "ordinary" family, the celebration of celebrity, and the triumph of personal initiative over bureaucratic control and state inefficiency. Alternative media, which promote an active, critical, and empowered audience, tend to be independently operated, small-scale, openly supportive of political change, and critical of dominant institutions and values. Alternative media sources include periodicals, non-commercial radio stations, broadcast and low-power television stations, cable access operations, and independent video and film producers. The "Utne Reader," for example, represents a type of alternative press. Messages transmitted to the public during the next 10 years will influence the public's twenty-first century values. To the extent that alternative media are effective in reaching the public, the promulgation of a different set of values should be expected. If the values of the alternative media affect the new century, then more participants should feel more involved, share more information, and represent more interests than would be the case without the alternative media. (Seventeen references are attached.) (SG)


John Loengard, one of the great LIFE magazine photographers, sums up his fifty-year career in this handsome volume. From a shimmering Marilyn Monroe to a man dozing on the beach, from a guffawing Ronald Reagan to Henri Cartier-Bresson flying a kite, from a groundskeeper in Dublin to picnickers in Central Park, Loengard's vision moves us with its humanity and artistry.


We examine the effect of interstate differences in income taxes on commuting times. Our theoretical model introduces a border into a model of an urban area and shows that differences in average tax rates distort commuting patterns, but the sign of the effect depends on whether taxes are residence-based or employment-based. Empirically, tax differentials have a large effect on commuting times for affluent households and mobile households. We show that commuting times are a sufficient statistic to measure the spatial welfare effects of tax policy. The model and empirical design can be used by economists to study other policy differences.


Abstract An efficient and practical method for the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolo[5,1-b]quinazolin-9(3H)-ones has been developed via the copper-catalyzed domino reactions of readily available substituted N′-acetyl-2-bromobenzohydrazides with cyanamide. The protocol uses inexpensive CuI as the catalyst, and no other ligand or additive was required. The target products were prepared in good to excellent yields with tolerance of various functional groups.


One of the factors that affect the comfort of the learning process at school is students who violate school rules. To maintain school order, it is necessary to give punishment as stipulated in the school's decision. Decision Support System can be implemented as a media to support decision making in giving punishment to problematic students. In general, punishment for problematic students uses a point system according to the type of violation. However, the calculation and management process is still done conventionally which is prone to human error. Engineering punishment is very likely to occur due to the like and dislike factor. This of course causes the school's decision to be wrong. This study aims to make a Decision Support System application to determine the level of punishment for problematic students using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method and the Decision Table. The weighting of violation points is based on three criteria, namely academic violations, aesthetic violations, and ethical violations. The results showed that the calculation of the weighted score of each type of student violation became more precise.


Capacitive touch panel may include a plurality of the positive voltage line driven by the first phase. The positive voltage line can be used to provide driving capacity signal that is sensed by the one or more sensing regions. A touch panel may also comprise a first phase and a plurality of negative-phase voltage line running in the other phase. Positive and negative voltage line can all be crossed from below and one or more detection areas. Negative-phase voltage lines can be reduced by the inverse capacitance in the sensing area.


ABSTRACT Although it is not yet known for certain what will replace MARC, eventually bibliographic data will need to be transformed to move into a linked data environment. This article discusses why the National Library of Medicine chose to add Uniform Resource Identifiers for Medical Subject Headings as our starting point and details the process by which they were added to the MeSH MARC authority records, the legacy bibliographic records, and the records for newly cataloged items. The article outlines the various enhancement methods available, decisions made, and the rationale for the selected method.


A complete neurolinguistic model of language comprehension must include the representational and processing components housed in both the left and right cerebral hemispheres. This article focuses on figurative language, most notably the comprehension of metaphors and idioms. We propose that a theory of figurative language relies on a dynamic interplay of bottom-up semantic activation of word information and the top-down constraints offered by the comprehenders' understanding of the conversational pragmatics. We conclude that related language phenomena (indirect speech acts, inferences, proverbs, humor, and some prosodic cues) rely on similar mechanisms that are also shared with literal language comprehension.


The limited fossil fuel resources along with the need to reduce emissions are major impulse to the development of alternative fuel. The heavy vehicular density in big cities and different operating conditions of CI engine are the alarming problem of emissions. In recent research emulsion has been developed as an alternative fuel for CI engine. Emulsion has shown slightly lower performance and reduction in SOx, CO, HC and CO2 as compare to diesel. But formation of NOx with Emulsion fuel was observed higher. After the advent of nanotechnology nanofuels prepared with nanoparticles has become interesting field of research topic around the world. Nanofuels have shown better improvement in combustion, performance and emission characteristics of CI engine. In this present work "Experimental investigation of cerium oxide nanofluid emulsion fuel performance and emission characteristics on variable compression ratio diesel engine" nanofuels were prepared by adding the cerium oxide nanoparticles to the Emulsion. Nanofuels were prepared with high speed ultrasonication and mechanical agitation process to increase the stability. The experiments were conducted on variable compression ignition ratio single cylinder four stroke diesel engine at constant 1500 RPM to evaluate the influence of cerium oxide nanoparticles. The load and compression ratio was varied from 0 to 6 kg and 14 to 18 on the engine. Experiments were performed using neat diesel and Emulsion E15CeO2 100. The BP, BSFC, BTE, EGT, CO, NOx and HC parameters were compared to pure diesel. It was observed that cerium oxide blended Emulsion E15CeO2100 considerably improve the performance parameters like Brake power by 6.09 %, Brake Thermal Efficiency by 4.83 % and Brake Specific Fuel Consumption reduced upto 9.57 % as compared to the diesel at CR 14 with full load condition. The harmful emission especially NOx using E15CeO2100 was reduced upto 32 % PPM as compared to diesel.


In urban areas, traffic congestion is a major problem. Heavy traffic flow on National Highways with high speed, when mixed up with local traffic at crossings, traffic congestion is likely to occur. This causes many negative effects like pollution, delay, accidents and improper traffic management at crossings. At Benz circle one of the rotary intersections in Vijayawada, the above problem frequently occurs. To reduce the ill effects, some solution is needed to be provided. So, as a solutionConstruction of flyover at this intersection is proposed and accepted as the best alternative or solution for the problem. For this classified volume count survey and analysis is carried out and the capacity of the existing lane is checked. But in the mean-time of construction there might be increase in the traffic congestion and speed delays due to the diversion of routes.


Space symbols in the design of print ads is a visual manifestation of association.The combination of different elements in space symbols can convey aesthetic feelings such as beauty of emotions,beauty of idea,functionality and multi-dimensionality,which also offers a new experience,a new perspective and a new direction to viewers in addition to the transmission of information.


Introduction: War stresses can cause severe problems in individuals; negative experiences and life problems can increase such stresses, which can have negative effects on patients' relatives and family members. Social support can increase the compatibility of veterans' spouses. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social support and quality of life of spouses of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Materials and Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 79 spouses of veterans in Ali Abad-E Katoul city using the purposive sampling method in 2016. Data were collected using the social support and quality of life questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (linear regression) by the SPSS 16 software. Results: The mean social support score was 25.19+7.3 and the mean of quality of life was 56.48+12.8. The results showed a significant association between social support and quality of life (P=0.00). Also, the mean scores of the physical and psychological dimensions of quality of life were 28.92+8.2 and 27.75+6.4, respectively. Discussion and Conclusion: Findings of the present study show that increasing social support will increase quality of life of veterans' spouses. Social support of veterans' spouses can promote their mental health, well-being and quality of life. Also, social supports can increase compatibility and the ability to deal with problems and pressures of life.


We present a strategy to construct guiding distribution functions (GDFs) based on a variance minimization principle. This technique exploits the exact properties of eigenstates of the tilted operator used to compute large deviation functions. Auxiliary dynamics via GDFs is a viable route to mitigate the exponential growth of variance in Monte-Carlo estimators that arise in prototypical nonequilibrium systems. We demonstrate our techniques in two classes of problems. In the continuum, we show that GDFs can be constructed to study interacting driven diffusive systems where the efficiency can be improved by systematically incorporating higher order correlations. In the lattice, we use correlated product states as GDFs to study the 1D WASEP. We show that with modest resources we are able to compute the second order cumulant or susceptibility that captures the phase transition from a uniform transport to a traveling wave state in large systems. Our work extends the repertoire of tools needed to study properties of realistic systems.


We report the results of our observations of the nebular complex MH9/10/11, associated with the ULX HoIX X-1, with a scanning Fabry-P erot Interferometer. Two regions diering by their kinematics and line ratios may be distinguished, roughly corresponding to the bubble nebula MH9/10 and the fainter HII-region MH11. For MH9/10 we nd an expansion rate of 20 to 70 km s 1 that is dieren t for the approaching and receding parts. MH11 is characterised by a very low velocity dispersion ( < 15 km s 1 ) and nearly constant line-of-sight velocities. The properties of MH11 may be explained by photoionization of a gas with hydrogen density of 0:2 cm 3 . The luminosity required for that should be of the order of 10 39 erg s 1 . A source of similar power is required to explain the expansion rate of MH9/10. Modelling results also indicate that the oxygen abundance in MH11 is about solar.


The Malaysian economy is on a stronger footing,
which augurs well for an other year of healthy
growth in 2017, economists said.


The Long Island Sound (LIS) is a result of several centuries of glaciation and sea level variation. The area is being hit by large storms such as huricane sandy, and could face potential changes to the seafloor and coastal morphology due to the impending threats of climate change. Today the LIS is an important ecosystem that provides a critical habitat to numerous plant and animal species, and is important to the stability of several economies including fishing, boating, and tourism. Determining where erosion, transportation and deposition of sediment is occurring is important for sustainable development in and around the sound. Calculating the rate of change of the seafloor, identifying the hot spots where the most change is occurring, and determining which processes impact the scale of change are important for preserving the economy and ecology that depend on the sound. This is especially true as larger and more frequent storms are anticipated due to climate change. We used older bathymetric data (collected 1990-2001 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and compared those with the more recently collected LIS bathymetric data where these exist (collected 2012-2014 by a collaborative LIS mapping project with NOAA, the States of New York and Connecticut). Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) we analyzed and mapped the differences between these two datasets to determine where and by how much the seafloor has changed. The results show observable changes in the LIS seafloor over time, but the scale and causes of this movement depends on the area observed. The five areas of the sound that had data from 1990-2001 and 2012-2014 were selected to highlight key processes that may have caused observable changes on the seafloor. Changes were observed in tidal inlets, areas with existing morphology and near shore sediment transport. Changes were also observed in the form of migrating dunes on the seafloor. The changes in depth observed were on the scale of 1-2 meters in all five areas of study. The rates of change observed depended on the area of the sound, as each area had different factors to account for that impacted sediment transport. For example, the sediment moved horizontally 78.14 meters in the coastal inlet between 1990 and 2012, whereas one of the dunes moved horizontally 27.33 meters from 2001-2013.


Disadvantages of conventional viscose process and cuprammonium technology are pointed out.Advantages,development and preparation of biaxially orientated cellulose films from NMMOsolution by green Lyocell process and characteristic film blowing are also introduced.Meanwhile,the influences of the concentration of solution,drawdown ratio and blowup ratio on the strength of the films in the longitudinal and the transverse directions were investigated and the results showed that the strength of the films in the longitudinal and the transverse directions increase with the concentration of solution and drawdown ratio increasing,but the strength of the films decrease in the longitudinal direction and increase in the transverse direction with blowup ratio increasing.The relationship between the structure and the strength is also discussed.


Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a malignant tumor of mesenchymal origin, is the most common form of paediatric soft tissue sarcoma. It is the third most common solid tumor comprising 4.5% of all childhood cancer with an annual incidence of 4.5 cases per million children. There is so no statistical data on RMS in Bangladesh because no study has done in Bangladesh.
Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of children with rhabdomyosarcoma among tertiary care.
Methods: A retrospective study carried out analysing the medical records of 39 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma from the BSMMU tumor registry. Medical records of children with rhabdomyosarcoma were reviewed over a period of 6 years from June 2011 to May 2017.  Most patients received multimodality therapy (chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy).
Results: The male female was ratio 1.2:1. More than half of cases presented with a mass at varying sites The predominant complaint 12.0% was pain. The primary site of disease was the head and neck in 46.0% followed by pelvis 40.0%. Pathologically most frequent histological subtype was in 46.0% embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma followed by alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma 23.0%, botryoid type 5.0%, spindle cell type 5.0% and unspecified 21.0%.  At the time of diagnosis 64.0% of patients were TNM stage 3 next frequency is stage IV 23.0%. The survival rate from diagnosis to subsequent demise was poor – between 13 days and 3.5 years. The overall 5-year survival rate was 41.0% which is may be due to advanced stage of disease.
Conclusion: The majority of presentations were in the advanced stages of disease but sensitive to multimodality therapy. Poor survival rate is correlated with the advanced stage of the disease. The clinical characteristics of rhabdomyosarcoma at BSMMU Hospital are similar to worldwide countries, but not like developed countries. Further multicentre studies are needed to report our experiences with rhabdomyosarcoma.
Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2020; 46(1): 17-21


Eighteen species of the family Ophryoscoiecidae, representing three genera, and three species of the family Isotrichidae representing two genera, were found in the rumina of kudu from the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe. One new ophryoscolecid  Entodinium carinatum  is described. Certain aspects of the taxonomy of  Diplodinium archon, Entodinium longinucleatum  and  Entodinium dilobum  are discussed.


The paper put forwards a recursive complex matrix Householder transformation for transforming the complex matrix into upper triangle matrix. The fundamental complex matrix transformation is given firstly, then the recursive complex Householder transformation is provided, lastly, the complex-value matrix with new row added in the upper triangular matrix is transformed by column recursively, and all the proof of these transformation algorithm are given. An application for estimating complex parameters is used, the simulation results shows that the complex Householder transformation is effective.


When the Ultra High Voltage Direct Current (UHV DC) line is struck by lightning, it may cause the protection action of the DC system. In this paper, a simulation analysis model of the lightning transient process of UHV DC line is established, and the influence of the line arrester and its installation position and quantity on the protection action is systematically studied. The research results show that line arresters can reduce the impact of lightning overvoltage on UHV DC system protection and prevent lightning strikes from causing DC system protection under certain conditions. The more line arresters are installed along the line, the more significant the effect.


Conditions suitable for applications in finance are given for the weak convergence (or convergence in probability) of stochastic integrals. For example, consider a sequence Sn of security price pro- cesses converging in distribution to S and a sequence 8" of trading strategies converging in distri- bution to 0. We survey conditions under which the financial gain process J 0" dSn converges in distribution to J 0 dS. Examples include convergence from discrete- to continuous-time settings and, in particular, generalizations of the convergence of binomial option replication models to the Black- Scholes model. Counterexamples are also provided. Although a large part of financial economic theory is based on models with continuous- time security trading, it is widely felt that these models are relevant insofar as they char- acterize the behavior of models in which trades occur discretely in time. It seems natural to check that the limit of discrete-time security market models, as the lengths of periods between trades shrink to zero, produces the effect of continuous-time trading. That is one of the principal aims of this paper. If {(P, 6.)) is a sequence of security price processes and trading strategies converging in distribution to some such pair (S, 6), we are con- cerned with additional conditions under which the sequence {! 6: dS;} of stochastic in- tegrals defining the gains from trade converges in distribution to the stochastic integral J Bt dS,. Conditions recently developed by Jakubowski, MCmin, and Pagks (1989) and Kurtz and Protter (1991a, b) are restated here in a manner suitable for easy applications in finance, and several such examples are worked out in this paper. The paper gives parallel conditions for convergence of gains in probability. In short, this paper is more of a "user's guide" than a set of new convergence results. A good motivating example is Cox, Ross, and Rubinstein's (1979) proof that the Black- Scholes (1973) option pricing formula is the limit of a discrete-time binomial option pricing formula (due to William Sharpe) as the number of time periods per unit of real time goes to infinity. Aside from providing a simple interpretation of the Black-Scholes formula, this connection between discrete- and continuous-time financial models led to a standard technique for estimating continuous-time derivative asset prices by using nu- merical methods based on discrete-time reasoning. One of the examples of this paper is


The reform of College English Instructional Pattern is imperative in China owing to the development of education and Internet.The Article compared the traditional pattern with the Internet-based one and pointed out two characteristics of the modern pattern: ①Changes have occurred in the role location of teacher and students. ②Internet technology brings more new opportunities to College English Instruction.


Abstract A survey of the bacteria in the ovarian fluid of landlocked fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from Lake Oahe, South Dakota, was conducted to investigate possible effects on egg mortality. Bacteria were isolated from the ovarian fluid of 15 out of 19 spawning females. A number of bacteria, including known and potentially pathogenic species, were identified: Acinetobacter spp., Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas veronii, Arthrobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp. (including P. putida), Moraxella spp., and Microbacterium spp. With the exception of Aeromonas hydrophila, none of these bacteria had previously been isolated from Chinook salmon ovarian fluid. There was no observable association between the aeromonads or pseudomonads and egg survival. However, there was a weak but significant positive correlation between bacterial density (colony-forming units/mL of ovarian fluid) and egg survival; the significance of this correlation is uncertain.


CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Human Apart) is now the de facto standard security technology to protect on-line registration systems from malicious software. CAPTCHA systems generate several kinds of AI (Artificial Intelligence) problems which are di fficult for software agents but easy for humans. A big social problem is that most visually-impaired people cannot pass current CAPTCHAs. Most conventional CAPTCHAs employ AI problems requiring visual recognition, so they are not accessible to visually-impaired people. Audio CAPTCHAs are an alternative to visual ones, but several researchers have pointed out that state-of-the-art audio ones are too di fficult for visually impaired people. In this paper, we propose a new CAPTCHA system, which generates tests in verbal style. Our CAPTCHA system can differentiate between humans and software agents pretending to be humans, based on their different contextual cognition. It therefore works without relying on the specific perceptual abilities of the users. In our test, we utilize open documents for material of the tests. Note that there is quite a large amount of documents on the web, so we can generate brand-new tests every time. This is di fferent from conventional studies. One criticism is that adversaries can look for the phrases of the tests from the Internet and obtain several hints. Our system hides the sources by substituting the consonants of the phrases against such adversaries. The mechanism is similar to the phenomenon of "consonant gradation" in natural languages. The substitutes make it harder for adversaries to look for the sources because they have difficulty finding the original phrases from the erroneous ones. We apply our idea to three kinds of verbal tests: (a) M rkov-chain Phrase Test , which involves distinguishing between natural and machine-synthesized phrases, (b) Machine-translated Phrase Test, which involves distinguishing between natural and machine-translated phrases, and (c) Topic Detection Test, which is a choice of the common topic from several short-texts. We then implement them as CAPTCHA programs, and evaluate their performances as follows: (1) ability to be used for a Turing test, which must be easy for humans to solve, (2) ability to generate new tests without limitation on amount, and (3) ability to hide the sources of the phrases which appear in the test. Consequently, we have clarified the feasibility of our proposal as CAPTCHA for the visuallyimpaired.


The Czech Republic and Slovakia, both contracting parties to the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage of 1963, joined the European Union (EU) on 1 May 2004. Both countries have announced plans to increase their nuclear capacities during the process of the so-called nuclear new build. Owing to these developments, nuclear legislation within these Central European states is of rising interest to specialists abroad. This paper aims to deal with the existing obligations in both countries arising from international conventions and current national legislation on matters of nuclear liability. Special attention is paid to the methods by which provisions of the Vienna Convention have been implemented into their national acts, particularly regarding minimal limits of operator liability. Differences between the current legal regimes are pointed out. Furthermore, the paper deals with actual developments in the area of nuclear liability, particularly developments in Slovakia, which declared that future nuclear liability legislation must be oriented towards the possibility that the country will accede to the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy of 1960, as amended by the Protocol of 2004.


The invention discloses preparation of a cobalt-load cerium manganese oxide catalyst. Cerium manganese oxide is prepared through an oxidization reduction method, then cobalt is loaded to the cerium manganese oxide through an equivalent-volume impregnation method, manganese oxide has good oxidization performance, cerium oxide has excellent oxygen storage and release capacity, cobalt oxide also has certain oxidization performance, the catalyst has good purifying efficiency on low-concentration nitric oxide, the conversation rate can be 96% at the temperature of 25 DEG C, long service life can also be kept, meanwhile raw materials for preparing the catalyst are easy to obtain, the technology is simple, cost is low, and industrial production can be achieved easily.


In this paper, the problem of identifying in-set versus out-of-set speakers using extremely limited enrollment data is addressed. The recognition objective is to form a binary decision regarding an input speaker as being a legitimate member of a set of enrolled speakers or not. Here, the emphasis is on low enrollment (about 5 sec of speech for each enrolled speaker) and test data durations (2-8 sec), in a text-independent scenario. In order to overcome the limited enrollment, data from speakers that are acoustically close to a given in-set speaker are used to form an informative prior (base model) for speaker adaptation. Score normalization for in-set systems is addressed, and the difficulty of using conventional score normalization schemes for in-set speaker recognition is highlighted. Distribution scaling based score normalization techniques are developed specifically for the in-set/out-of-set problem and compared against existing score normalization schemes used in open-set speaker recognition. Experiments are performed using the following three separate corpora: (1) noise-free TIMIT; (2) noisy in-vehicle CU-move; and (3) the NIST-SRE-2006 database. Experimental results show a consistent increase in system performance for the proposed techniques.


No abstract available
Keywords: European Society of Cardiology; arrhythmias; cancer therapy; cardio-oncology; cardiotoxicity; chemotherapy; early detection; ischaemia; myocardial dysfunction; surveillance.


TangiCube introduces bi-directional interactivity with a virtual agent in a tangible mixed reality environment. While the virtual agent interacts with the user, the user is able to react to the agent with the help of physical output modality. Likewise, the user can interact with the virtual agent and the agent behaves and reacts as if it has a physical embodiment. This two-way interaction process is mediated by a tangible hardware cube embedded with vibrator to generate haptic feedback and Bluetooth module to communicate with PC wirelessly. Results of a preliminary user study show that TangiCube improves user experience within the mixed reality environment.


While alcohol is the solution to all problems before becoming a problem itself, there is perhaps a pre-alcoholic personality that the present article attempts to highlight from the identification of existential constants.


Disclosed are techniques for improving memory journaling. In some embodiments, the techniques may be realized as a method for enhancing memory journaling, to a recording of a number of valid blocks in a first piece of memory in a flash memory in a journal, receiving a request, a second piece in the flash memory writing, determining, using a controller, whether the number of valid blocks in the first piece is smaller than a specified threshold value, and if the number of valid blocks in the first piece is less than the specified threshold value, a letter of the second piece at a location includes the first memory die in the flash memory.


The stratigraphy of Belize, north of the 17th parallel, consists of (1) a thick section of deformed and metamorphosed Carboniferous-Permian sedimentary and volcanic strata in the Maya Mountains, (2) a moderately thick section of Mesozoic strata, mostly carbonates, which are found in the subsurface and in outcrop near the Maya Mountains and along major faults, and (3) a relatively thin section of Paleocene-Pleistocene carbonates, which comprise most of the coastal plain of northern Belize. All of the stratigraphic units of Belize are informal and most lack true type sections and proper descriptions. This paper attempts to discuss and synthesize what is known of the stratigraphy of this region.


Abstract I investigated U.S. elementary teacher candidates' global perspectives before and after completing a student teaching experience in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The samples, four elementary teacher candidates (TCs), purposely selected for the present study, completed student teaching in a Primary School in Xian, PRC, because they all come from Midwestern-culture family, complete teacher preparation course work, and are ready to do student teaching. I employed math lessons in this exploration of TCs' global perceptions, looking for modifications; my primary interest was in potential changes from provincial to more refined perspectives. It is worth noting that the questions may have may have communicated expectations that such changes would occur. Interviews and class observations were collected from the four candidates and analyzed by means of an axial coding process across the four candidates. Results demonstrated that pre-service teachers change from what I termed a "local" (or what might be termed "parochial)" perspective to more "global" views of schooling and culture. The four teacher candidates evinced this new sophisticated understanding along three axes, (1) the global cognitive development, (2) the social strategies change under different physical environments, and (3) noticing and appreciating cultural divergence. An evolving sense of justice appeared to connect the three concepts. A tangentially connected issue that came up, as might be expected, was the vulnerability of candidates' foreign communication skills. TCs' effectively developed their global perspectives in teaching math lessons and suggest that math or STEM may be better for acquiring global perspectives than are either social studies or language arts.


We discuss the reconstruction of neutrino flavor ratios at astrophysical sources through the future neutrino-telescope measurements. Taking the ranges of neutrino mixing parameters ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{ij}$ as those given by the current global fit, we demonstrate by a statistical method that the accuracies in the measurements of energy-independent ratios $R\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{\phi}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}})/(\ensuremath{\phi}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e})+\ensuremath{\phi}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}))$ and $S\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{\phi}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e})/\ensuremath{\phi}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}})$ among integrated neutrino flux should both be better than 10% in order to distinguish between the pion source and the muon-damped source at the $3\ensuremath{\sigma}$ level. The 10% accuracy needed for measuring $R$ and $S$ requires an improved understanding of the background atmospheric neutrino flux to a better than 10% level in the future. We discuss the applicability of our analysis to practical situations that the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux arises from different types of sources and each point source has a neutrino flavor ratio varying with energies. We also discuss the effect of the leptonic $CP$ phase on the flavor-ratio reconstruction.


The purpose of community service in the Trangsan Rattan Tourism Village is to maintain the sustainability of the existence of the rattan industry center. This activity also aims to empower the potentials that are in the location and synergize the socio-economic and cultural potential in an effort to increase empowerment and improve the welfare of citizens in Rotan Tourism Village. The dedication method uses a study-action and participatory approach. Culture as an agent of change through the creation of the cultural event "Grebeg Penjalin" which is held as an annual agenda in the Tangsan Rotan Tourism Village as a cultural commoditization. The results of dedication indicate the commoditization of culture can be an effective attraction. The holding of the Braiding "Grebeg Penjalin" chosen as a cultural event has proven to be able to be an effort to maintain the existence of the Trangsan Rattan Tourism Village which directly contributes to the improvement of the welfare of the people in Trangsan.


Introduction More and more, people are realising that humans have the power to change the environment in so many ways. In Western Australia, the growth of towns and settlements, together with industrial and agricultural development results in increased levels of pollution, uses high quantities of materials and energy and through this it threatens many natural environments, communities and local economies. In order to address these issues, communities in Australia are starting to work together with their Local Council. Until recently the environmental, social and economic issues have been managed on an individual level. In order to maintain a sustainable future for the people of this country and the world, it is essential to bring these three aspects together. Local Agenda 21 tries to do this.


Now well established in HCI, the lens of sustainability may be applied to educational practices in industrial design and interaction design. By sustainability, we mean to include notions of mitigation of the environmental effects of climate change. In this paper, we present an analysis of student projects in a junior and senior industrial design class dataset. Drawing from discourse analysis, we examine how the industrial design classroom serves as a space to socially construct the philosophies and goals inherent in "good" design. We then examine how the lens of sustainability is implicated into the industrial design "way" as espoused by the discipline's pedagogy.


The species of the Neotropical genus Belostoma Latreille,1807 from southeastern Brazil are poorly known. Therefore here I review and key for the first time the Belostoma species from these southeastern states: Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. The following 22 species are recorded and redescribed: Belostoma anurum (Herrich-Schaffer), B. aurivillianum (Montandon), B. bergi (Montandon), B. bosqi De Carlo, B. candidulum Montandon, B. costalimai De Carlo, B. cummingsi De Carlo, B. dallasi De Carlo, B. dentatum (Mayr), B. dilatatum (Dufour), B. discretum Montandon, B. elongatum Montandon, B. foveolatum (Mayr), B. horvathi Montandon, B. micantulum (Stal), B. noualhieri Montandon, B. orbiculatum Estevez & Polhemus, B. plebejum (Stal), B. ribeiroi De Carlo, B. sanctulum Montandon, B. stollii (Amyot & Serville), and B. testaceopallidum Latreille. Three new records from this region are reported: B. bergi, B. bosqi, and B. elongatum. Belostoma minor (Palisot de Beauvois) and B. oxyurum (Dufour) probably do not occur in southeastern Brazil. The single record of the first species and the several records of the second one in the region are cases of misidentification. Nine new synonymies are established (junior synonymies within parentheses): B. candidulum (B. amici), B. costalimai (B. truxali), B. cummingsi (B. cachoeirinhensis), B. dilatatum (B. ripicolum), B. ribeiroi (B. lundbladi), B. stollii (B. brasiliensis; B. planum; and B. stolii), and B. testaceopallidum (B. grandicollum). Lectotypes are designated for B. aurivillianum, B. bergi, and B. discretum. Four characters have proven useful for species delimitation: the ratio between the greatest pronotal width and its length in the midline, the aspect of the prosternal keel, the pilosity pattern of the connexivum, and the ratio between the width of the ventral diverticulum and its length in ventral view. Lists with the morphological terms and characters suggested for these species are included, together with synonyms proposed by other taxonomists and morphologists.


Substrate analogs have been obtained that selectively inhibit the reactions of the -glutamyl cycle or that are susceptible to only limited metabolism by the cycle. Thus, glutathione synthesis may be inhibited and analogs of glutathione may be synthesized that do not participate in transpep- tidation. Specific inhibitors of "y-glutamylcyclotransferase and 5-oxoprolinase have been obtained. The findings offer new approaches to the in vivo study of the cycle and also to the design of more specifically directed analogs of inhibitors such as methionine sulfoximine and 6-diazo-5-oxonorleucine. The enzymic reactions of the y-glutamyl cycle [which accounts for the synthesis and degradation of glutathione (Fig. include synthesis of the "y-glutamyl peptide bond, transfer of the y-glutamyl group to an acceptor, cyclization of the -y-glu-tamyl group to form 5-oxoproline, and energy-dependent decyclization of 5-oxoproline to glutamate. In an approach to further understanding of the function of the cycle, we have sought specific inhibitors of its individual reactions and also substrate analogs that would function in some but not all of the reactions. Such goals might be difficult to achieve because all of these reactions involve the y-carboxyl group of glutamate, and a given substrate analog might therefore be expected to interact with more than one this enzymatic was


The Infectious Diseases Society of America and US CDC recommend 60 days of ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, or amoxicillin for anthrax prophylaxis. It is not possible to determine severe adverse drug event (ADE) risks from the few people thus far exposed to anthrax prophylaxis. This study's objective was to estimate risks of severe ADEs associated with long‐term ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin exposure using three large databases: one electronic medical record (General Practice Research Database) and two claims databases (UnitedHealthcare, HMO Research Network).


Background:Pain is a complex medical problem that its inadequate control has undesirable effects on the physiological, metabolic and mental condition of patient. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of ketamine-propofol with alfentanil-propofol for analgesia and sedation during cystoscopy and comparing the side effects and also the patient and physician satisfaction. Materials and Methods:In this double- blind clinical trial, 140 patients candidate for cystoscopy were selected and randomly divided into two groups. The first group received 1mg/kg alfentanil with 1mg/kg propofol and the second group received 0.5 mg/kg ketamine with 1mg/kg propofol. Sedation score, pain score, time of cystoscopy, and hemodynamic changes were evaluated and data were analyzed with ManWithney U test and T test by SPSS. Results:Mean of sedation time in alfetanil group was significantly more than ketamine group (p=0.001). The mean of pain score in alfetanil group was significantly less than ketamine group (p=0.001). The time of cystoscopy in alfetanil group was significantly less than ketamine group (p=0.001). Conclusion:Results of the present study shows that alfentanil-propofol combination compare to ketamine-propofol reduced pain score and increased time of sedation with less side effects during cystoscopy. Therefore, this study supports the preference of alfentanil compared with ketamine.


Critical discourse analysis views language as a form of social practice and focuses on the ways social and political domination are reproduced in verbal and written language. It primarily deals with injustice and inequality. This paper studies how traditional Chinese language reflected historical Chinese women's social status from critical discourse analysis perspective. The author intends to answer the following two questions: (1) How was traditional Chinese language used differently regarding males and females? and (2) How did such difference reflect the social status of historical Chinese women? Results show that in traditional Chinese language women were almost invisible, they were degraded and treated as inferior, incompetent, dependent, and unintelligent individuals, and their voices were not expected to be heard in public.


Aims And Objectives To evaluate the effect of pulmonary rehabilitation on sleep quality in patients with interstitial lung diseases using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score. Materials And Methods The study was conducted in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, M.M. Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana. Patients with ILD who visited the Department of Respiratory Medicine were taken into consideration. Results The mean Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score before pulmonary rehabilitation was 9.45 + 2.80, while after pulmonary rehabilitation was 7.45 + 3.64, meaning sleep quality improved. Conclusion From this study, it can be concluded that there is a high prevalence of poor sleep quality in patients with ILD referred for pulmonary rehabilitation and this is independently associated with increasing symptoms of sleepiness. Patients with ILDs achieve significant gains in exercise capacity regardless of disease severity. Pulmonary rehabilitation should be considered as a standard of care for patients with ILD.


The paper concerns first-order necessary optimality conditions for problems of minimizing nonsmooth functions under \·arious constraints in infinite-dimensional spaces. Based on advanced tools of variiltional analysis and generalized differential calculus, we derive general results of two independent types called subdifferential and superdifferential optimality conditions. The former ones involve basic/limiting subgradients of cost functions , while the latter conditions are expressed via Frechet superdifferentials provided that they are not empty. All the superdifferential and major subdifferential optimality conditions obtained in the paper are new even in finite dimensions. We give applications of general optimality conditions to mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000): 49J52, 49K27, 90C48.


Recent surveys show the need for the implementation of receivables management in business practice. The key role of receivables management is the effective management of company's claims to ensure payment properly and on time. This process can be divided into three parts, namely prevention, monitoring and debt recovery. The selection of business partners plays a key role in the first phase of receivables management. This article is focused on predicting the financial health of business partners based on selected quantitative and qualitative indicators. Company's business partners were divided into four groups based on the achievements of selected indicators. Finally, we set some recommendations for each group.


Abstract : The report provides the results for the 2015 Service Academy Gender Relations Focus Groups that the Defense Manpower Data Center conducted in response to Section 532 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. This study is part of an annual assessment cycle at the Service Academies that consists of alternating surveys and focus groups to assess the incidence of unwanted sexual contact and harassment and related issues at the Academies.


The wireless baseband design achieving high data rates and low power dissipation leads the high efficiency of transmission speed and battery life of wireless access applications. Recently the ultra-wideband (UWB) is hotly developed for hundreds Mb/s speed and wireless USB 2.0 applications. In the baseband frequency synchronizer, which solves the carrier frequency offset (CFO), needs to be the parallel architecture to stably achieve > 500MSamples/s throughput rate. Hence the main challenge of the present frequency synchronizer design becomes simultaneously achieving high throughput rate, low hardware complexity, low system packet error rate (PER) demanded by UWB system. In this thesis, a low complexity frequency synchronizer comprises data-partition-based correlation algorithms, power-aware concept and approximate compensation scheme is proposed for OFDM-based wireless access systems. It provides a methodology to reduce redundant computation complexity with an acceptable performance loss; and further, we can reduce more power consumption in the better channel condition by concept of power-aware. Based on data-partition algorithm, a single-path frequency synchronizer with parallel CFO compensators is developed to achieve 528MSamples/s throughput for the 480Mb/s UWB design. Simulation results show the synchronization loss of the proposed design can be limited to 0.6dB SNR for 10% PER of IEEE 802.11a WLAN system and 8% PER of LDPC-COFDM and MB-OFDM UWB systems. The implementation result shows the proposed low-complexity scheme achieving 528MSamples/s throughput rate can reduce 69.4% ~ 75.6% power consumption of a conventional parallel approach in 0.18μm CMOS process.


Fiscal federalism is the analysis of the problems that give rise to, and arise from, the existence of more than one level of government within the same geographical area. As originally developed by Musgrave (1959) and Oates (1972), the theory of fiscal federalism concerns the division of public-sector functions and finances in a logical way among multiple layers of government (King 1984). This article describes the theories of fiscal federalism and the history of the literature.


Streamer blowout (SBO) coronal mass ejections (CMEs) represent a particular class of CMEs that are characterized by a gradual swelling of the overlying streamer and a slow CME containing a flux-rope structure. SBO CMEs arising from the streamer flank fall into a special category of SBO CMEs involving three lower arches under the higher streamer arcade. However, the initiation mechanism for this special category of SBO CMEs remains elusive, due to the observational limitations. Here we report critical observations of a SBO CME associated with the eruption of a polar crown filament that originated from the streamer flank. The filament slowly rose toward the solar equator with the writhing motion, and underwent a sudden acceleration before its eruption. Interestingly, during the rising, the filament fields experienced gradual external reconnections, which is evidenced by the dip-shaped bottom of the enveloping flux-rope structure changing from a smooth concave, the slow inflows (∼1.8 km s−1) from both the filament fields and the coronal loops beneath, and the persistent brightenings around the interface between the filament fields and the coronal loops beneath. The newly formed lower loops at the filament source and the Y-shaped structure in the stretched tail fields indicate the internal reconnections for the filament eruption. The clear signatures of external and internal reconnections shed light on the initiation mechanisms of SBO CMEs.


In all areas of industrial production and construction, companies have to implement processes with increasing complexity to satisfy their customer's needs in respect of product quality and continuity. To fulfil these requirements, a continuous process monitoring and documentation is required to assure the process quality but without increasing production cost significantly. In our project we develop an intelligent sensor cable which can be easily integrated into industrial processes using industrial communication standards like ProfiBus. To support an easy installation process of our sensor cable, it needs to be self contained; in our case the sensors and the processing unit, required for pre-processing and sensor management, are integrated in the cable. To increase usability, the cable can also be tailored by the customer to the required length. The key application of our sensor cable is the documentation of the concrete curing processes using the integrated temperature sensors for safety critical constructions.


Assessing the revenue generation and other economic influences of a one-time megaevent raises unique measurement problems. This is especially true when the event is a "cultural" tourist activity held in a place where many "casual" tourists flock. This article describes this delineation process and presents the basis for encouragement of cultural tourist events.


A system (100) for storing and geothermal energy has a surface segment (10) wherein the enthalpy (H) of a storage medium (30) organic is converted into usable energy, and comprises an underground segment (20), comprising an injection well (22) opening into a lower part (21b) of a trap (21) underground geological and a production well (23) into an upper portion (21a) of the trap. In addition: - the fluid has a PL liquefaction pressure less than 106 Pa at a temperature of 15 ° C, a lower density than water, and is not miscible with water; - the trap (21) is a storage tank which rocks (211) porous permeable to contain the fluid accumulator (30); - the surface segment (10), the injection well (22), the trap (21) and the production wells (23) define a closed circuit for the storage medium (30) wherein the storage medium is confined.


AbstractWe investigate the time T a quantum computer requires to factorize a givennumber dependent on the number of bits L required to represent this number. Westressthefactthatinmostcasesonehastotakeintoaccount thattheexecution timeof a single quantum gate is related to the decoherence time of the qubits that areinvolved in the computation. Although exhibited here only for special systems, thisinter-dependence of decoherence and computation time seems to be a restrictionin many current models for quantum computers and leads to the result that thecomputation time T scales much stronger with L than previously expected.PACS: 42.50.Lc I. IntroductionSince Shor's discovery [1, 2] of an algorithm that allows thefactorization of a large numberby a quantum computer in polynomial time instead of an exponential time as in classicalcomputing, interest in the practical realization of a quantum computer has been muchenhanced. Recent advances in the preparation and manipulation of single ions as well asthe engineering of pre-selected cavity light fields have made quantum optics that field ofphysics which promises the first experimental realization of a quantum computer. Severalproposals for possible experimental implementations have been made relying on nuclearspins, quantum dots [3], cavity QED [4] and on ions in linear traps [5].One can estimate the time T needed for a single run of Shor's algorithm to be equalto the time τ


This study chronicles the life of Adele Clark, a political activist, writer, civic educator and artist. Over the span of her one hundred year life (September 27, 1882-June 4, 1983) her passion for improving society led her to campaign for suffrage for women, the rights of children, and increased opportunities for all mankind. In addition, Adele Clark's personality is explored to reveal what she was like as an individual and to explain the reasons behind her actions, which were a force for change. This work is based heavily on research in the Adele Clark Papers, which are housed at Virginia Commonwealth University.


Silane coupling agents 3-triethoxysilylpropyla-mine-graphene oxide (KH550-GO) solid electrolyte are prepared by spin coating process. A high proton conductivity of ~1.2   ×   10−3 Scm−1 is obtained at room temperature. A strong electric-double-layer (EDL) effect is observed due to the accumulation of protons at KH550-GO/IZO interface. Indium-Zinc-Oxide thin film transistors gated by KH550-GO solid electrolyte are self-assembled on ITO glass substrates. Good electrical performances are obtained, such as a low subthreshold swing of ~140 mV/dec., a high current on/off ratio of ~2.9   ×   107 and a high field-effect mobility of ~13.2 cm2 V−1 S−1, respectively.


This paper presents a simple and general framework exploring the potential of evolutionary algorithms, which is of practical utility, embedded in a simple framework to solve difficult problems in dynamic environments. The proposed evolutionary approach is in line with reality and away from the approaches that deal with static and classic or basic Job-Shop scheduling problems. In fact, in real world, where problems are essentially of dynamic and stochastic nature, the traditional methods or algorithms are of very little use. This is the case with most algorithms for solving the so-called static scheduling problem for different setting of both single and multi-machine systems arrangements. This reality, motivated us to concentrate on tools, which could deal with such dynamic, disturbed scheduling problems, both for single and multi-machine manufacturing settings, even though, due to the complexity of these problems, optimal solutions may not be possible to find. We decided to address the problem drawing upon the potential of Genetic Algorithms to deal with such complex situations.


This chapter focuses on the theatrical and musical dynasty into which Steiner was born. It begins by introducing his father, Gabor, a visionary entrepreneur honored by Emperor Franz Joseph. Gabor created one of Austria's most popular attractions of the late 19th century: Venice in Vienna, an amusement emporium a third the size of Buckingham Palace. Its centerpiece, the Riesenrad (Ferris Wheel), remains one of Vienna's most iconic attractions. Gabor's father, Maximilian, was an influential theater manager who did much to launch the era of Viennese operetta. It was Maximilian who convinced Johann Strauss Jr. to write for the stage, leading to such enduring works as Die Fledermaus. In this chapter, we see how the Steiner family's championing of both "high" and "low" culture profoundly shaped Max, who later combined symphonic forms with accessible melodies in his own musical language.


In order to research apoptosis effects of cancer cell induced by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF), on the basis of combination of switching power supply technology with pulsed power technology, this paper developed a nsPEF generator whose output multiple parameters could be adjusted in a wide range and independently. The generator was composed of a high-voltage direct current power supply, a pulse forming circuit and an assistant circuit. The amplitude of output pulse could be adjusted continually from 0 V to 1.2 kV by means of adjusting the driving signal in high-voltage direct current power supply. The repeat rate of output pulse could be adjusted continually from 1 Hz to 1 kHz by means of adjusting the control circuit in assistant circuit. The width of output pulse could be adjusted to 100ns, 200 ns, 600 ns and 1 000 ns by means of switching to different energy storing capacitor in pulse forming circuit. The number of output pulse could be preset to any value and the rise time of output pulse was less than 30 ns. All above-mentioned parameters could be displayed via LED. Over-voltage, over-current and short circuit protections were also available. Debugging results in laboratory and medical cell experiment results show that nsPEF generator can be adjusted conveniently and operated stably. Furthermore, nsPEF can induce apoptosis of human liver cancer cell effectively. In conclusion, this nsPEF generator is competent for research of mechanism and optimal parameters for cancer cell apoptosis induction.


INTRODUCTION
Although ocular involvement concerns about 25 to 60% of patients with systemic sarcoidosis, papilledema is a rare event.

EXEGESIS
A 43-year-old man presented with left visual loss related to papillitis. Despite high-dose corticosteroids, visual loss became rapidly bilateral. Thoracic CT-scan showed mediastinal and parenchymal involvement. Histological study of lung, bronchial and lymphadenopathy biopsies displayed giant-cells granuloma without necrosis. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis complicated with optic neuropathy was made. Therapy combining prednisone, methotrexate and infliximab was started without significant improvement of visual acuity.

CONCLUSION
This report underlines the potential severity of optic neuropathy in sarcoidosis.


Objective: The aim of this work is to design a robust and reliable XOR circuit for ultra-low power operation in sub-threshold region. Method/Analysis: Comprehensive simulations have been carried out on SPICE using 16-nm predictive technology model (PTM) to accomplish our objective. Findings: A Schmitt-trigger based approach is employed to alleviate the effect of device threshold (Vt)fluctuation on XOR circuits. The proposed XOR circuit exhibits narrower spread in its design metrics proving its reliability in sub-45nm regime. Novelty/Improvement: This paper also analyzes various existing XOR gates in presence of process and environment (voltage and temperature)fluctuations to validate their performance. The proposed technique offers full voltage swing. Variability of the design metrics (propagation delay and power dissipation) is investigated and several XOR circuits are compared. The proposed Schmitt-trigger based XOR circuit exhibits narrower spread in its design metrics proving its reliability in sub-45nm regime.


This paper deals with computing eigenvalues of periodic Sturm-Liouville (SL) problem by direct integration (DI) method using shooting technique without reducing to the system of first order ODEs. Floquet theory is applied to find a non-trivial solution of SL problems and the eigenvalues are approximated by the application of shooting techniques. Computational advantages are presented comparing the results obtained by the DI method with that of reducing to the system of first order ODEs.


This paper is the result of a comprehensive review of the household and workplace survey methodologies, survey instruments, and survey results from five household and workplace surveys done in Texas in 1990-91. Included in the paper are recommended changes, additions, etc., to the methodologies with revised survey instruments and special conditions/guidelines for addressing problems identified in the surveys. Methodologies are developed and presented for the determination of survey sample sizes and the sample selection procedure. Specific recommendations for conducting the surveys are presented in the paper.