Using a dissipation-scale adaptive, wavelet-like shell decomposition method and normalization by dissipation-scale characteristics, we found a novel sustaining behavior of self-similarity in the quadratic energy transfer process in freely decaying, fully developed, homogeneous and isotropic turbulences of an incompressible Hall magnetohydrodynamic medium. The process is associated with the relative reduction of nonlinear energy transfer in the dissipation range, which was reported in our previous study [K. Araki and H. Miura, Plasma Fusion Res. 8, 2401137 (2013)]. Gradual reductions in energy transfers by fluid advection and the Hall-term effect are compensated by enhancement of energy transfers due to mutual interactions between velocity and magnetic fields, i.e. between the Lorentz force effect and magnetic induction. This sustaining behavior suggests that coupling between velocity and magnetic fields may be crucial, even when linear dispersive waves aroused by a uniform background magnetic field are absent.


The path tracking control is investigated in this paper using a four-wheeled robot kinematical model and tube-based model predictive control. Simultaneously, in order to improve the robustness, the steering angle calculated by the model predictive controller is converted into the corresponding expected yaw rate through the vehicle kinematical model, owing to the better control effect of the cascade control. To track the expected yaw rate, we use a basic PID controller. By combining the PID controller and the model predictive controller, the path tracking controller bridges the gap between theoretical results and their applications for four-wheeled robot tracking control.


The lexeme Kraft (force) is a foundational concept for Goethe that expresses the dynamism essential to his thought. Its tendency to move between operations of particularity and generality, polarity and intensification, differentiation and dedifferentiation, potentiality and actuality, norm and deviation, rationality and irrationality, and cognition and creativity together lend it a characteristic mobility, multiplicity, and diffusion. The discursive tensions and blendings of the concept during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries—which extend between the obscure aesthetic construction of force in Karl Philipp Moritz and Johann Gottfried Herder and its scientific construction in Kant and Newton as the condition of possibility of knowledge—also manifest themselves in Goethe's concept. As a grounding and ungrounding at one and the same time, Kraft thus serves as a material condition for the genesis of knowledge, on the one hand, and a metaphysical index of something absolutely unconditioned (das Unbedingte), on the other. When Goethe conceptualizes force as unconditioned, rather than as a condition of this or that individual being, he configures it in a number of ways. These include force as movement in processes of transformation and becoming, as potential, as a capacity for trans-discursive drift or blending, and as a non-discursive resistance to integration into normative, cognitive, and representational modes of thought. Certain scenes in Goethe's literary works—including most prominently, Die Wahlverwandtschaften (1809; The Elective Affinities), Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (1821/29; Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years), Pandora (1807/08), and Faust(1808/32)—can be read as thought experiments that offer ontological conceptions of force in order to explore its informing oppositions of movement and metamorphosis, potentiality and actuality, as well as trans-discursivity and non-discursivity.


Sternoclavicular joint septic arthritis (SCJ SA) is a rare infectious disease process with reported life‐threatening complications such as mediastinal abscess and mediastinitis. The available literature reports variable success of medical management and a predominance of surgical management, with a 58% rate of surgical washout/debridement and high rates (47%) of resection of the SCJ and medial third of the clavicle.


The shift toward multicore architectures has ushered in a new era of shared memory parallelism for scientific applications. This transition has introduced challenges for the nuclear engineering community, as it seeks to design high-fidelity full-core reactor physics simulation tools. This article describes the parallel transport sweep algorithm in the OpenMOC method of characteristics (MOC) neutron transport code for multicore platforms using OpenMP. Strong and weak scaling studies are performed for both Intel Xeon and IBM Blue Gene/Q (BG/Q) multicore processors. The results demonstrate 100% parallel efficiency for 12 threads on 12 cores on Intel Xeon platforms and over 90% parallel efficiency with 64 threads on 16 cores on the IBM BG/Q. These results illustrate the potential for hardware acceleration for MOC neutron transport on modern multicore and future many-core architectures. In addition, this work highlights the pitfalls of programming for multicore architectures, with a focal point on false sharing.


In this paper,based on correlation coefficient,a new algorithm is proposed to estimate the frequency of sinusoid signal.When the SNR of sinusoid signal is sufficient,the estimation error of the new algorithm is adjacent to the Cramer-Rao Low Bound.Compared with the improved Rife algorithm and the Iterative frequency estimation algorithm,although the accuracy of the new algorithm is lower,but computing speed is sufficient higher,so the new algorithm is quite use for the engineering.


The contention that feminists now 'walk the halls of power' in international law, in light of the UN Security Council's adoption of four thematic resolutions on Women, Peace and Security is discussed. The content of feminist ideas is reshaped to serve the institution in the processes of institutionalization for creating productive footholds for feminist ideas, which need to be critically engaged with and reappropriated for the political purposes of feminism.


David Brandenberger is Associate Professor of History at the University of Richmond and writes on Stalin-era propaganda, ideology, nationalism and the personality cult. Aside from a variety of articles in leading journals, he has published two books—National Bolshevism: Stalinist Mass Culture and the Formation of Modern Russian National Identity, 1931-1956 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002) and Propaganda State in Crisis: Soviet Ideology, Indoctrination and Terror under Stalin, 1928-1941 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011). Brandenberger is presently preparing a critical edition of Stalin's infamous 1938 Short Course on party history with Mikhail V. Zelenov for Yale University Press.


A comprehensive simulation and validation strategy covering all devolopment phases is essential to guarantee end-to-end sustem performance and minimize development risks.


Light trigger color changing film is a kind of new functional materials used in various fields. Polyethylene was used as masterbatch and green phosphor as color agent in the experiment. The film was prepared by blow molding. The mechanical properties,optical properties and the color changing properties of the film were tested. The result showed that the best temperature of polyethylene melting is 188 ℃ in Ⅳ area; when the ratio of green phosphor and polyethylene is 1%,color changing properties is the best and color changing sensitivity is the highest.


This essay deals with the impending need to select and place the right person to the right job and the very right time. This applies to all spheres of human activity – especially in the Government. At the moment, we see innumerable people occupying inappropriate positions at various levels. Even those at the helm of affairs are, more often than not, called "misfits" as they are either unable to deliver expected results or they are blatently proving to be "non-performers" in the public eye. This paper analyses the pressing need to identify those "unique" personalities, imbibe suitable moral and cultural values and mould them to be "Active performers" – with special reference to India.


The article commences with a summary of accidents involving commercial vehicles. A description of the major points is followed by the results from the analyses of 400 accidents involving injury or deaths to the vehicle passenger. The injured or killed commercial vehicle passengers are of particular significance because the commercial vehicle is also the workplace at the same time. In conclusion, measures to lower the accident risk to commercial vehicle passengers are discussed while taking the results of crash tests into consideration. Further aspects are the hazards to other road-users. Safety measures are also discussed to this end. Entirety observations indicate possible additional applications for existing special safety installations through the general protective functions. The closing discussion considers the possible benefits and defines the needs for further research. [A] For the covering abstract, see IRRD 896528.


Abstract : This report develops a signal model for the rubidium (Rb) clock. This model combines feedback anlaysis of the clock's servo-control circuitry with the atomic physics required to describe the processes occurring within the Rb absorption cell. The model permits clock performance, in terms of Allan variance, to be predicted from a number of electronic and physical parameters. While building on prior studies of Rb standards, the model incorporates a number of features which make it distinctive. All previous models of the Rb clock were limited to an analysis of the clock's short term performance, Allan variance averaging times of less than 10,000 sec. However, by explicitly including the effects of discharge lamp intensity fluctuations, which are transformed into output frequency variations via the light shift effect, clock performance can be predicted for averaging times greater than 10,000 sec. Furthermore, the model is the first which incorporates the influence of an optically thick Rb vapor along with the diffusion of optically pumped atoms to the walls of the absorption cell into the calculation of clock performance. In addition, the model has been developed in sufficient generality to permit its application to diode laser pumped clocks using other alkali metals.


The crystallization behavior of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) chains (i.e., PCL block + PCL homopolymer systems) spatially confined in nanocylinders with different diameters D has been investigated as a function of the mole fraction of PCL homopolymers fhomo existing in the PCL chains. The nanocylinders with PCL chains inside were prepared using the microphase separation of PCL-block-polystyrene (PCL-b-PS) diblock copolymers with a photocleavable o-nitrobenzyl group (ONB) between PCL and PS blocks, and subsequently ONB was cleaved by a controlled irradiation of UV light to get the PCL chains with various fhomo. In the isothermal crystallization process, the crystallinity of PCL chains showed an exponential time evolution (or first-order kinetics) for all the systems investigated. The half-time of crystallization of PCL chains with 0 < fhomo < 1 was found to be intermediate between those of PCL blocks (fhomo = 0) and PCL homopolymers (fhomo ∼ 1); it decreased moderately with increasing fhomo in a smaller nano...


ABSTRACT Teamwork is considered essential for effective Lean organisations. However, how and why are teams formed during a successful Lean transformation relative to changes in organisational structure? Constructs for variables and factors that influence formation of teams, during and after Lean transformation maturity, were identified. The research employed a purposively sampled case study with three questionnaires, focus groups, interviews and multiple linear regression. Self-directed teams become flow-line or cellular-work teams, supported by dedicated cross-functional teams led by first line managers who run manufacturing cells as small business units. Participation of cellular team members leads to ongoing commitment and continuous improvement within the team leading to restructuring of organisations for effective flow and pull. Cross-functional team activity and self-directed team activities are vital components for successful Lean transformations. Constructive, humble, and common-sense leadership is required for team formations. Future research could investigate literacy coupled with Lean transformations for South African organisations. Abbreviations: TPS: Toyota production system; JSE: Johannesburg stock exchange; SMED: single minute exchange of die; TW: Teamwork; PARTINV: Participation and Involvement; CELFM: Cellular Format – self-directed team activity; LHINT: Level of Horizontal Integration – cross-functional team activity; LOCDM: Locus of Decision-Making – by organisational level; TAG: Taguchi; CTR: Cycle Time Reduction; 5S: Five-S; TPM: Total Productive Maintenance; KAN: Kanban pull; VIS: Visibility; KAIZ: Kaizen; HOSHK: Hoshin Kanri; 7W: Seven wastes; PROB: Problem solving; STAND: Standard work; SPF: One Piece Flow; CM: Cellular Manufacturing; HEIJ: Heijunka; DISTVAL: Value per customer; VSM: Value Stream Mapping; POKJID: Mistake proofing; SMED: One digit exchange of die; POLDEP: Policy Deployment


Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that was earlier intended to treat only patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but researchers have found DBT to treat several psychological disorders, including depression.

The article aims to review the clinical shreds of evidence regarding the use of DBT to treat depression.

PubMed literature search was done by applying the year filter range, 2010 to 2021. Another filter applied was "Randomized controlled trial", so that the strength of evidence could be enhanced. The keywords used were "Dialectical Behavior Therapy" AND "Depression

 33 articles were found, out of which only 20 relevant articles were reviewed. DBT was found to alleviate depressive symptoms associated with different psychological disorders like bipolar disorder and BPD but the number of studies that validated the afore-mentioned were less than those studies which showed that DBT had no significant effect on the patients with depressive difficulties. The long-term effect of DBT for treating depression is under a suspect, as studies showed DBT got ineffective during the follow-ups

 DBT shows benefits in depression but further studies are still required to validate this concretely as DBT did not show a significant effect when compared to its control counterparts. There is much need for future studies which can evaluate the long-term efficacy of DBT in depression is another challenging area because follow-up data did not favor DBT.


This paper draws on an argument presented at the 2005 TRB Annual Meeting by one of its authors claiming that traditional methods of evaluating transportation megaprojects (TMPs) are outdated in the new globalized world. Although planners understand the importance of conventional techniques of forecasting, appraisal, cost funding, and so forth to ensure that a project attains desired levels of operational efficiency, they are less familiar with the impact such projects have on places and communities in the name of enhancing competitiveness. In the context of Hong Kong and South China, this paper examines whether TMP experts are in the process of duplicating past errors of urban transport planners, but on a massively larger scale, by introducing new TMPs in a manner that restructures whole regions to meet the "operations efficiency" of networks above all else and, in so doing, benefits global (corporate) interests more than local, even though their patrons often have local and national governments meeting the lion's share of financial, social, and environmental costs (as well as risks).


The method of serial images simulation which can embody the range and system performance of actual space-based optical measurement systems is put forward based on STK and OpenGL.The 3D model and orbital model of target satellite are constructed and the limitative visible range and relative geometry relationship are forecasted by STK.Based on the analysis of the relationship between the imaging mechanism of OpenGL in the sight of projective geometry and the pinhole imaging model of real imaging system,high fidelity simulated image including target and imaging systems information is generated by setting correlative OpenGL parameters appropriately.At last the close quarters serial images of moving space object are simulated.It can provide data base for the research of space-based target identification technology.


English Survey questions have to be easily comprehended by respondents so they can be reliable. Respondents have to be able to understand what is asked about so they can formulate reliable answers, which actually mirror their opinion on the subject. Acquiescence bias is when respondents do not give their optimal answer but satisfices instead. That is, they answer in favor of a subject, regardless what is asked about. Satisficing is most likely to occur when the question is not comprehended properly, respondent is low in cognitive ability, and motivation is low. When questions are unbalanced (focus on only one of two competing viewpoints) or are in the form of a statement, they can lead people to respond in favor of the question, regardless of the subject asked about. This research tested whether the questions that were in a national referendum about the Icelandic Constitution, were susceptible to acquiescence bias. It was hypothesized that they would lead people to satisfy because they were unbalanced. Results show that question-wording did not affect respondents' answers. It was, however, observed that strength of respondents' opinion on the matters of the Constitution affected answers in one question. Implications and limitations are discussed.


Breast cancer (BCa) grading plays an important role in predicting disease aggressiveness and patient outcome. A key component of BCa grade is mitotic count, which involves quantifying the number of cells in the process of dividing (i.e. undergoing mitosis) at a specific point in time. Currently mitosis counting is done manually by a pathologist looking at multiple high power fields on a glass slide under a microscope, an extremely laborious and time consuming process. The development of computerized systems for automated detection of mitotic nuclei, while highly desirable, is confounded by the highly variable shape and appearance of mitoses. Existing methods use either handcrafted features that capture certain morphological, statistical or textural attributes of mitoses or features learned with convolutional neural networks (CNN). While handcrafted features are inspired by the domain and the particular application, the data-driven CNN models tend to be domain agnostic and attempt to learn additional feature bases that cannot be represented through any of the handcrafted features. On the other hand, CNN is computationally more complex and needs a large number of labeled training instances. Since handcrafted features attempt to model domain pertinent attributes and CNN approaches are largely unsupervised feature generation methods, there is an appeal to attempting to combine these two distinct classes of feature generation strategies to create an integrated set of attributes that can potentially outperform either class of feature extraction strategies individually. In this paper, we present a cascaded approach for mitosis detection that intelligently combines a CNN model and handcrafted features (morphology, color and texture features). By employing a light CNN model, the proposed approach is far less demanding computationally, and the cascaded strategy of combining handcrafted features and CNN-derived features enables the possibility of maximizing performance by leveraging the disconnected feature sets. Evaluation on the public ICPR12 mitosis dataset that has 226 mitoses annotated on 35 High Power Fields (HPF, x400 magnification) by several pathologists and 15 testing HPFs yielded an F-measure of 0.7345. Apart from this being the second best performance ever recorded for this MITOS dataset, our approach is faster and requires fewer computing resources compared to extant methods, making this feasible for clinical use.


The preparation and properties of organometallic derivatives of the Schiff's base complex NN′-ethylenebis(salicylideneiminato)iron(III), Fe(saen)R (R = Ph, CH2Ph) are reported. Experimental evidence exists for Fe(saen)COCH3, but no pure product was obtained. Magnetic susceptibility measurements at different temperatures show that the compounds are high-spin, the first examples of high-spin organometallic compounds of iron(III). The preparations involve the treatment of the [Fe(saen)]– anion with benzyl chloride or the reaction of the phenyl Grignard reagent with the iodo-derivative Fe(saen)l. NN′-Ethylenebis(salicylideneiminato)iron(II), Fe(saen), has been shown to undergo addition reactions with cyclohexyl isocyanide, giving the 1 : 1 adduct, Fe(saen)-CNC6H11. I.r. spectra and the failure to obtain the similar adduct with carbon monoxide confirm that isocyanides are in general poorer π-acceptors and better σ-donors than carbon monoxide.


Objectives The aim was to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of insulin resistance (IR) as a noninvasive predictor of esophageal varices (EV) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhotic patients. Background Variceal bleeding due to portal hypertension is associated with a high probability of circulatory dysfunction and even death. However, routine endoscopy is an invasive maneuver which consumes effort, time, and money. IR was studied as an early noninvasive predictor of EV. Patients and methods Eighty cirrhotic patients were included in this prospective case–control study and 20 nondiabetic nonhepatic patients served as the control group. Patients were recruited from the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit of Tropical Medicine Department, Menoufia University Hospitals from January 2017 to March 2018. IR was calculated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR)=fasting insulin (μU/ml)×fasting glucose (mmol/l)/22.5. Results HOMA-IR showed a high statistically significant correlation with the presence and grade of EV in HCV cirrhotic patients (P < 0.001). In comparison with others noninvasive predictors, HOMA-IR gave the highest sensitivity at a cutoff value of 4.41. Next, the midclavicular liver span/albumin ratio at a cutoff value of 3.51 was followed by the portal vein diameter at a cutoff value of 13 mm. The least sensitive predictor was the platelet count/splenic bipolar diameter ratio at a cutoff value of 1414. Conclusion IR estimated by HOMA-IR can provide sensitive information for determination of the presence and grade of EV in HCV cirrhotic patients regardless of their Child–Turcotte–Pugh classification.


The device has a coupling arrangement for making flow connections to a dialysis device that is otherwise airtight. It has a ventilation valve (4) on the container wall with a ventilation opening (41) in the container wall and a sealing film (42) bridging the opening with welding or adhesive dimensioned so that the seal is broken on reaching a defined pressure difference between the air pressure outside the container and a reduced pressure inside produced by the dialysis device.


The Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate, together with SRS Technologies Inc., Huntsville, AL, and Surface Optics Corporation, San Diego, CA, have developed meter-class optical quality membranes with dielectric coatings and custom spectral filtering. The windows range in thickness from 5 to 20 µm and can operate in the visible and the near-infrared. To date the largest membrane manufactured is slightly less than one meter in diameter and its optical thickness variation is on the order of 35 nanometers rms. Surface roughness, optical density, and other optical data will be presented. The intent of this article is to expose this technology to optical designers with the expectation that significant design opportunities for observatories, telescopes, and experiments will result.


&NA; WHIRLY1 in barley was isolated as a potential regulator of the senescence‐associated gene HvS40. In order to investigate whether the plastid‐nucleus‐located DNA/RNA‐binding protein WHIRLY1 plays a role in regulation of leaf senescence, primary foliage leaves from transgenic barley plants with an RNAi‐mediated knockdown of the WHIRLY1 gene were characterized by typical senescence parameters, namely pigment contents, function and composition of the photosynthetic apparatus, as well as expression of selected genes known to be either down‐ or up‐regulated during leaf senescence. When the plants were grown at low light intensity, senescence progression was similar between wild‐type and RNAi‐W1 plants. Likewise, dark‐induced senescence of detached leaves was not affected by reduction of WHIRLY1. When plants were grown at high light intensity, however, senescence was induced prematurely in wild‐type plants but was delayed in RNAi‐W1 plants. This result suggests that WHIRLY1 plays a role in light sensing and/or stress communication between chloroplasts and the nucleus.


AbstractThe following sections are included:A Generalized 1958 Modigliani–Miller TheoremForward marketsProperty insurance contractsLiability insurance contractsRisk Management and ValueHidden actionHidden knowledgeCaviar CaveatSuggested Problems


The following list of the preferred parameters that should be used to select a service company are ranked in order of importance: (1) the best product, (2) the best personnel, (3) the best technology, (4) the best track record, (5) adequate size of company to do the job, and (6) a reasonable cost of the equipment or services. Products of service companies not only include the service itself, but also the equipment, tools and materials to perform the job. Having good quality products is far more important than having cheap or less expensive products, as this enhances the chance of getting the job done on time and without damaging the well. An analysis is provided of each of the criteria for selecting a service company.


Detecting the reflection symmetry plane of an object represented by a 3D point cloud is a fundamental problem in 3D computer vision and geometry processing due to its various applications such as compression, object detection, robotic grasping, 3D surface reconstruction, etc. There exist several efficient approaches for solving this problem for clean 3D point clouds. However, this problem becomes difficult to solve in the presence of outliers and missing parts due to occlusions while scanning the objects through 3D scanners. The existing methods try to overcome these challenges mostly by voting-based techniques but fail in challenging settings. In this work, we propose a statistical estimator for the plane of reflection symmetry that is robust to outliers and missing parts. We pose the problem of finding the optimal estimator as an optimization problem on a 2-sphere that quickly converges to the global solution. We further propose a 3D point descriptor that is invariant to 3D reflection symmetry using the spectral properties of the geodesic distance matrix constructed from the neighbors of a point. This helps us in decoupling the chicken-and-egg problem of finding optimal symmetry plane and correspondences between the reflective symmetric points. We show that the proposed approach achieves the state-of-the-art performance on the benchmarks dataset.


Environmental information is critical to the sustainable use and management of the world's resources. Soils are a fundamental part of the environmental information requirement, and appropriate soil data and information are crucial to support evidence-based policy, planning and resource management decisions. For data to be useful, one basic requirement is that they be interpretable. Sufficient information should be provided to allow data to be unambiguously interpreted and used. Examples of such information include the location at which the soil was sampled, the property that was measured, the unit of measure, and quality assurance and quality control information. Furthermore, data should be easily integrated with other data sources, which is required in many modelling applications. For example, simulation of crop production may require, besides soil data, also weather, crop and fertilizer data. To meet these requirements, we have developed a soil ontology for modelling soil information. In this paper, we focus on the design of the ontology and its potential applications. We describe the use of the ontology to facilitate data access by mapping data to the ontology and making them available as Linked Data. We also discuss applications of the ontology for data integration, data classification and data validation.


Adherent cells, when mechanically stressed, show a wide range of responses including large‐scale changes in their mechanical behaviour and gene expression pattern. This is in part facilitated by activating the focal adhesion (FA) protein p130Cas through force‐induced conformational changes that lead to the phosphorylation by src family kinases. Janostiak et al. [Janostiak et al. Cell Mol Life Sci (2013) DOI 10.1007/s00018‐013‐1450‐x] have reported that the phosphorylation site Y12 on the SH3 domain of p130Cas modulates the binding with vinculin, a prominent mechano‐coupling protein in FAs. Tension changes in FAs (due to the anchorage of the SH3 domain and C‐terminal) bring about an extension of the substrate domain of p130Cas by unmasking the phosphorylation sites. These observations demonstrate that vinculin is an important modulator of the p130Cas‐mediated mechano‐transduction pathway in cells. The central aim should be now to test that vinculin is critical for p130Cas incorporation into the focal adhesion complex and for transmitting forces to the p130Cas molecule.


In this paper we have proposed an almost unbiased estimator using known value of some population parameter(s). A class of estimators is defined which includes Singh and Solanki [1] and Sahai and Ray [2], Sisodia and Dwivedi [3], Singh et. al. [4], Upadhyaya and Singh [5], Singh and Tailor [6] estimators. Under simple random sampling without replacement (SRSWOR) scheme the expressions for bias and mean square error (MSE) are derived. Numerical illustrations are given in support of the present study. Key words: Auxiliary information, bias, mean square error, unbiased estimator.


The ability of dietary hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), diatomite and activated charcoal (AC) in reducing the detrimental effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in broiler diets was evaluated. Adsorbents were supplemented at 2.5 g/kg to the diets containing 0, 40 or 80 μg AFB1/kg feed. One hundred and eighty Ross 308, day-old male broilers were assigned to 12 treatments for 42 days. AFB1 at 80 μg/kg feed resulted in a significantly lower body weight gain and feed efficiency than the control group. Addition of HSCAS in the diets significantly diminished the deleterious effects of dietary AFB1. Aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) activities and total protein concentration in the serum were altered significantly in the birds fed AFB1 80 μg/kg feed. However, there were no significant differences between treatments in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and uric acid and creatinine concentrations in the serum. Liver weights of birds fed diets containing 80 μg AFB 1 /kg feed were significantly higher than those of the control groups. Histological observations on livers from birds consuming AFB 1 at 80 μg/kg feed showed a yellowish colour, portal leucocytic infiltration, congestion, multifocal fatty degeneration, and dysplasia of parenchymal cells with disorganization of the structure. The addition of HSCAS in the diets prevented an increase in the activity of AST and in the weight of livers and also prevented the histopathological changes induced by AFB 1 . However, the addition of diatomite or AC in the diets failed to prevent the harmful effects of AFB 1 . It was concluded that HSCAS is the most effective adsorbent to decrease the negative effects of AFB1 in broiler chickens. Keywords : Aflatoxin B 1 , hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), diatomite, activated charcoal, broiler chickens South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 36 (4) 2006: pp. 222-228


We report an unprecedented insulator-to-metal transition of the Pd-nanoparticle-decorated, single vanadium dioxide nanowires caused by the heterogeneous H2–Pd catalytic reactions. Upon hydrogen gas exposure, the Pd–VO2 heteronanostructure shows a remarkably large current increase (∼1000-fold) at a temperature 10 °C lower than the insulator-to-metal transition temperature in the bulk. This current increase occurs slowly over the duration of several seconds to several tens of seconds, depending on the Pd coverage, temperature, and hydrogen concentration. After hydrogen flow is shut off, the conductance is not immediately returned to the original value and it takes several hours, indicating that the atomic hydrogens, produced by the dissociative chemisorption on Pd, are incorporated into VO2. From the electronic transport measurements and finite element analyses, we suggest that the slow transition is mainly due to the formation of alternating domains of metal and insulator regions of the VO2 crystal lattice...


The waste of energy in the present era is a dangerous signal for the future. All categories of consumers should come forward to moderate energy use and prevent wastage. This study focuses on a controllable energy consumption-based sustainable inventory model incorporating variable production rates, improved service, partial outsourcing planning, defective production, restoring reworkable items, disposing of non-reworkable items, and energy-saving steps. Reducing unusual energy consumption in production systems reduces carbon emissions and maximizes the system's profit. An improved service level attracts customers, increases demand, and improves product reputation. Separate holding costs of reworked, defective, and perfect-quality items are considered for every lot delivered and reworked. The demand in the market is related to price and service. A traditional optimization technique examines the global optimization for the profit function and decision variables. Numerical illustrations as well as concave 3D graphs validate the analytical results and provide a sensitivity analysis for different parameters. The model is validated through special cases and comparison graphs.


The objective of research was to study the state of prooxidant and antioxidant systems in the tissues of the lungs, kidneys, pancreas and salivary glands at burn disease. The intensity of the free radical processes was evaluated on the basis of the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant system – based on the indexes of its enzymatic chain: superoxide dismutase and catalase in homogenates of the studied organs. It has been found that changes in experimental burn disease depend on the studied organs and the stage of burn disease. The activation of free radical processes observed in all investigated organs (lungs, kidneys, pancreas and salivary glands). Reactive oxygen species induce lipid peroxidation, which is a universal marker of tissue damage. MDA appears in the body during degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and it's a marker of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. It was found the increasing of MDA in all organs, especially in the lungs and kidneys at stage of burn shock. Under these conditions it was observed the decrease of superoxide dismutase and catalase in all investigated organs. At burn disease there is development of disbalance between the action of prooxidant and antioxidant systems due to the activation of free radical processes.


I wish I could cede Illingworth the point that human rights are a first principle, because I am immensely attracted to her model. Foremost, her framework upends the notion of philanthropy as an act of private altruism—an idea that becomes immediately hollow once we trace the subsidies and public dollars that subvent it—and instead redefines philanthropy as an obligation. As such, the donor is not free to make any old choice, but instead must meet requirements; and the recipient of the donation is not subordinated but equalized by receiving their due. Even a shift in the language of philanthropy, from generosity and gift to obligation and right, is profound. And it is bracing to imagine the material transformations that might follow, including a serious commitment to economic redistribution, since alleviating poverty is certainly core to the human rights work that Illingworth envisions. When it comes down to it, the problem with putting so much stock in human rights is not only a historical and sociological one—that today's right might be tomorrow's wrong; and that different people perceive those rights differently—it is also a human one. On the most extreme end of Illingworth's framework is a dystopian possibility that instead of the people determining the rights, the right will determine the people. She quietly says as much when she notes that sometimes democratically elected governments do not do what's best to advance human rights, with climate change policy a case in point. So, when the electorate and the government fail, then we are still obligated to let the human right lead. If I were to have to choose a dictatorship, this certainly would be preferable to others, but human rights absent human consent still strikes me as dangerous. In the end, despite my concerns about the a-historicity and unwarranted certainty of Illingworth's first principles, the value of her book is its disciplinary honesty. Here, she says, is one way to think about a big problem we have about wealth being improperly used, even when it is behaving philanthropically. Instead of turning away, she walks boldly into the thick of it, challenging us not to give up but to try to do better. Is there an alternative?


Based on direct sequence spread spectrum code and varies frequencies, the terrestrial pseudo ranging system have high precision and strong anti-jamming capability and could enhance the navigation accuracy of aircraft by fusion with Integrated Navigation System (INS). A fusion method of pseudo-range measurements and inertial sensor data in INS/Pseudo-Range navigation system was proposed in this paper. Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) which is commonly used in integrated navigation inherits Kalman Filter (KF)'s advantage in having good computational efficiency, but often leads to unstable estimations. Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) is recently suggested for stability improvements, and it is more suitable for nonlinear filter. The comparison between theses two nonlinear filter in the INS/Pseudo-Range integrated navigation was also conducted‥ Simulation results show that the UKF approach offers better performances over EKF.


This paper presents an anisotropic metasurface that can work as linear and circular polarizer simultaneously. The proposed design has the ability to achieve linear-to-linear polarization (LTL) within two frequency bands ranging from 7.2-10.51 GHz and 15.81-17.48 GHz. The linear-to-circular (LTC) polarization is also accomplished within the frequency ranges between 6.78-6.89 GHz, 12.54-13.76 GHz and 18.39-18.82 GHz. The proposed design provides stable response against incidence angles up to 30°. The investigated metasurface with the multi-band and multi-polarization capabilities, the compact size and the angular stability can be suitable for several applications related to satellite communications.


The evaluation of inclusive web pages in the fast-paced technological world allows us to know how important it is to consider and include support in this way for children with the autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) condition. In this work, we allow ourselves to select a certain number of web pages and apply the AHP (Hierarchical Analytical Process) method under certain elementary criteria of utility in quality of educational promotion, optimal performance and access by different technological means. In this study, eight web pages were evaluated. The result of the evaluation study allowed, under the multi-criteria application of Hierarchical Analytical Process, to establish which could be the web pages that would fulfill the criteria. These results could be used to choose the design and implementation of new portals or inclusive web pages that help in the formative and educational development of families, many of which receive little support from the government.


Department of Risk Management and Insurance, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China * Corresponding Author, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Real-world decision-making systems often exist numerous inherent and cognitive uncertainties. To handle these un-certainties, an efficient tool can be referred to as the probability theory if the size of sample data is sufficiently large. However, in reality, it is often difficult for a decision-maker to collect enough samples for the probability methodologies (even no-sample data). To efficiently handle this condition, Prof. Baoding Liu founded the uncertainty theory in 2007, in which uncertain variables and uncertain measure are defined as theoretical tools to describe and deal with uncertainties. As an important mathematical branch, up to now, uncertainty theory has been further developed by lots of researchers and successfully employed in a variety of real-world applications. In order to show the current state of uncertainty theory, this special issue intends to provide a platform to display the new developed researches in uncertainty theory and applications, such as management problems, economics, transportation problems, and so on. Due to great interests to this special issue from a lot of researchers, a total of 20 papers have been received after we announced the Call-for-Paper in August, 2012. All these papers focus on investigating the theory and applications in the framework of uncertainty theory. After a rigorous review process, 8 papers are finally accepted to be published in this special issue. The paper by Xiaowei Chen and Jinwu Gao investigated some mathematical properties of uncertain differ-ential equations. With the stability concepts, some sufficient and necessary conditions with respect to stability are proved for linear uncertain differential equations. The paper by Xiang Zhang


Maintaining your ties to the lubricant community is one of the smartest investments you can follow in a challenging economy.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The occurrence of damage in the entorhinal, perirhinal, and temporopolar cortices in unilateral drug-refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was investigated with quantitative MR imaging. METHODS: Volumes of the entorhinal, perirhinal, and temporopolar cortices were measured in 27 patients with unilateral drug-refractory TLE, 10 patients with extratemporal partial epilepsy, and 20 healthy control subjects. All patients with TLE were evaluated for epilepsy surgery and underwent operations. RESULTS: In left TLE, the mean volume of the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex was reduced by 17% ( P (cid:44) .001 compared with control subjects) and that of the ipsilateral temporopolar cortex by 17% ( P (cid:44) .05). In right TLE, the mean ipsilateral entorhinal volume was reduced by 13% ( P (cid:35) .01), but only in patients with hippocampal atrophy. Asymmetry ratios also indicated ipsilateral cortical atrophy. When each patient was analyzed individually, the volume of the ipsilateral hippocampus was reduced ( (cid:36) 2 SD from the mean of controls) in 63% and that of the entorhinal cortex in 52% of patients with TLE. Furthermore, ipsilateral entorhinal (left: r (cid:53) 0.625, P (cid:44) .001; right: r (cid:53) 0.524, P (cid:35) .01), perirhinal (left: r (cid:53) 0


The article presents a number of unique documents about life and musical heritage of the Tatar composer Farid Zagidullovich Yarullin (1914-1943). He is the author of 20 songs, 3 romances, a sonata for cello, and a symphony. However, his greatest discoveries were made in the first Tatar ballet «Shurale» (1941). This ballet was staged in many theatres of Russia and abroad: Germany, Bulgaria, Czecho-Slovakia, Romania. The article focuses on the analysis of his ballet «Shurale». The author describes the innovative features of the composer's musical style and defines the value and the place of his creations in the history of world culture.


Background: Dysphagia is common among stroke and acquired brain injury (ABI) patients and may result in aspiration. To reduce the risk of thin liquid aspiration, patients are often restricted to thickened fluids. There is considerable clinical interest in the risks and benefits of offering oral water intake, in the form of water protocols, to patients with thin-liquid dysphagia. Objectives: A controlled pilot study of a free water protocol was undertaken at Riverview Health Centre, in Winnipeg, Manitoba to assess benefits, feasibility and possible complications of free water protocol. Methods: The study examined 16 individuals with stroke or ABI who were randomly assigned to either a control group on thickened fluids (six subjects) or a treatment group (ten subjects) that followed a free water protocol. The average length of time in the study was 4.3 weeks with a range of 1 - 17 weeks among all participants. Results: Throughout the study, there was no incidence of pneumonia in any of the sixteen participants. No statistically significant difference was noted in the weekly total liquid intake between the treatment group and the control group. Perceived swallowing related care results suggest statistically significant improvements from initial to final measures for both the treatment group (p = 0.004) and the control group (p = 0.02). However, a comparison of the change in both measures, between the treatment and control groups, shows no statistically significant differences. Conclusion: This pilot study suggests the need for larger scale work in order to more accurately identify the effects of free water protocols.


Animating 3D organic models to achieve compelling re- alism is a challenging task in the entertainment industry. Skin deformation based on an underlying skeleton is a com- mon method to animate believable organic models. The most widely used skeletal animation algorithm is linear blend skinning (LBS). We present a linear blend skinning technique using quaternion for deforming the skin geometry of the body of a digital creature around its skeleton. A case where blend shape is driven by Euler angle, we may even encounter gimbal lock. Our basic idea is to use quaternion representation as driven parameter for skin blend shape.


Objective To investigate the possibility and mechanism of human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells induced by arsenic trioxide. Methods After treatment with arsenic trioxide, Hep-2 cell growth inhibition were assessed by MTT colorimetric assay and apoptotic rate by flow cytometry. Results Arsenic trioxide inhibited the growth of Hep-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner in a certain range of dose with a IC 50 of 0.85±0.25 μmol/L; At dose of 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25 μmol/L.Trioxide apparently inhibited growth of Hep-2 cells.The growth inhibition rate was 82%,65%,33%,15% and flow cytometry showed apoptotic rate was 21.7%,19%,5.2%,4.6%. Conclusion Arsenic trioxide may induce apoptosis of human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells, and there is a positive linear correlation between apoptosis assessed by flow cytometry and growth inhibition rates by MTT ( P 0.05 ).


This paper evaluates the future aspects of cloud computing, the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing and its implementation using Microsoft Azure. Cloud computing refers to a future computing technology after grid computing. In cloud computing, whole data is saved in the cloud along with the various softwares and platforms. The interesting fact is that the user is unaware about the location of the storage of their data in the cloud.Cloud computing is the need of the hour as it is quite economical and saves the small enterprises from buying all the software needed in the working of the enterprise and the overhead of updating them timely.Cloud computing is a better way to run your business. Instead of running your apps yourself, they run on a shared data center. The actual term "cloud" borrows from telephony in that telecommunications companies, who until the 1990s primarily offered dedicated point-to-point data circuits, began offering "VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN)" services with comparable quality of service but at a much lower cost. The cloud symbol was used to denote the demarcation point between that which was the responsibility of the provider from that of the user. Cloud computing extends this boundary to cover servers as well as the network infrastructure. Cost is claimed to be greatly reduced and capital expenditure is converted to operational expenditure. Device and location independence enable users to access systems using a web browser regardless of their location or the device they are using. The Windows Azure platform, owned by Microsoft is a flexible cloud-computing platform that lets you focus on solving business problems and addressing customer needs.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the non-value-adding activities (NVAs) of core making process and to eliminate them through the standardization-of-work (SW) procedures in a manufacturing company.

Design/methodology/approach
The action-research methodology was adopted for the current study. First, various lean tools were identified through literature review, and the bottleneck area was identified in discussion with the shop-floor executives. NVAs were recorded after a continuous process study including method study and motion analysis followed by the standard operating procedure. Second, the standardized work combination tables were prepared and NVAs were eliminated using the SW procedures. SW has been opted because it is a set of actions which helps in analyzing, improving and controlling the process and it leads to continual improvement.

Findings
The production logbook revealed that the capacity in this particular workstation was 54 pieces per 7 h work shift against the current production of approx. 45–50 pieces (past data). SW saved 31.6 s per cycle which boosted the production up to 58 pieces per 7 h work shift. Finally, the authors came to know that the productivity of this particular process increased up to 6.5 percent which may upsurge if this action is executed continually with the support from shop-floor executives and management. These results were also compared with previous research works in this area and found significant relevance, and hence, the results appear to be reliable.

Research limitations/implications
This is a unique study in itself which explores the lean model by assessing NVAs of core making process. The proposed approach needs to be tested across different other core making processes of the case company so as to generalize the effectiveness of SW as well as the results obtained in the current study.

Practical implications
The current study illustrates an important step to give more visibility to the lean concept by addressing the problem of lack of standard procedures. This study will help the shop-floor executives and managers to focus their efforts in achieving high performance through effective implementation of SW. The study should be of the interest of researchers in the area of lean manufacturing, operations management, productivity analysis, etc.

Originality/value
The findings of this study are based on the problem formulation for productivity gains using SW procedures in the case company. The study introduces a new perspective for the execution of SW for core making processes. SW created transparency in workflow, enhanced the safety and eliminated the 3Ms. The outcome of the current study was discussed with the production team and management of the company to validate the productivity gains and received an optimistic response. Most importantly, these improvements were achieved with no investment in machinery or tooling.


FXive is a real-time sound effect synthesis framework in the browser. The system is comprised of a library of synthesis models, audio effects, post-processing tools, temporal and spatial placement functionality for the user to create the scene from scratch. The real-time nature allows the user to manipulate multiple parameters to shape the sound at the point of creation. Semantic descriptors are mapped to low level parameters in order to provide an intuitive means of user manipulation. Post-processing features allow for the auditory, temporal and spatial manipulation of these individual sound effects.


Enhanced photoluminescence efficiency and thermal stability as well as controllable blue-green tuning of solid solution Ca1−xSrxSc2O4:Ce3+ phosphors were realized based on crystal field regulation and site-preferential occupation.


This paper presents a simple, inexpensive design of a helmet-mounted color display system. The sys-tem can be mounted on a variety of helmets, including a bicycle helmet. Color LCD displays are used. The optical decisions are discussed as well as limitations of the system. The entire helmet-mounted system cost about $1000 to build using off the shelf, readily available hardware, with the exception of the Polhemus tracking device. Issues of depth perception are discussed. Predictive tracking is implemented using a simple Kalman filter.


A practical guide for lawyers, advisers, trade unionists, employers and employees that deals with issues relating to maternity and parental rights and child-friendly working hours. This new edition has been updated to take account of new legislation and covers all commonly encountered problems, such as unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, equal pay, statutory allowance and benefits, and procedure and remedies.


Efficient management is nowadays one of the most important challenges of higher education institutions. That is especially highlighted in the conditions of increased demands in teaching and researching on the one side and decreased financial sources on the other side. Quality accounting information system is extremely important preconditions of the efficient management. However, accounting systems at higher education institutions are still dominantly focus on external reporting that is prescribed by the normative framework. Therefore, the main objective of this paper was to explore the importance of the management accounting for higher education institutions in the context of efficient decision-making process by analysing experiences of HEIs that have already developed management accounting as well as investigating the development at Croatian HEIs. Management accounting of higher education institutions in Croatia was analysed through surveys that were conducted in the year 2014 and 2016. Based on conducted research it was concluded that HEIs in Croatia have made a positive progress regarding usage of management tool especially regarding cost allocation of indirect cost on cost objects, price determination based on cost information and preparation of internal reports. However, this conclusion was based on opinions of Heads of Accounting at public HEIs and therefore it is unavoidable that in this paper, certain degree of subjectivity can be found. In the further research, more focus will be put on the managers knowledge about managerial and cost tools usage in terms of efficient decision-making.


The most pressing moral, political, and economic issue of our time is poverty in developing countries. Donor support to poverty alleviation efforts through massive aid has not delivered the expected results. The primary reason for this failure is the incompatibility between the macro policy driven by globalisation, liberalis-ation and privatisation (GLP) and the goals of individual projects. This contradiction is best illustrated by the microcredit sector. While on the one hand donors support lending to micro enterprises, on the other GLP makes the very same micro enterprises unviable and micro finance institutions subsidy-dependent. Adapting Gandhian thoughts on economic development may be one way to resolve these contradictions and help the poorest. If donors spend more resources on promoting wage-employment through viable micro enterprises, instead of self-employment through micro finance, that would help millions of risk-averse and hard-core poor, particularly the poorest women to come out of poverty. The key issue, as Gandhi had emphasised, is putting purchasing power into the hands of the poor, with their self-respect intact.


General Concepts. Liability of Owners. Liability of Lessees. Lender Risks and Liabilities. Risks of Corporate Directors, Officers, Stockholders, Parents and Successors. Liability of Real Estate Brokers and Agents. Liability of Environmental Consultants. General Defenses of Environmental Liability. Remedies of Innocent Parties. Notification Requirements. Due Diligence and Risk Allocation. Arbitration and Settlement of Environmental Matters. Appendices. Tables of Cases. Index.


The main objective of this review is to describe the health effects of commonly used laboratory volatile solvents in institutional labo- ratories. The most commonly used laboratory solvents such as petroleum ether, methanol, diethyl ether, benzene, acetone, mercury, etc. are having moderate to severe health effects on user. The mode of exposure and duration exposure of volatile solvents has greater effect on user. In a laboratory, when students/ researcher doing experiment unknowingly they are getting exposed with volatile solvents which has grater health (adverse) effect. The severity of the adverse effect varies based on type of exposure and duration exposure. The undesired effects of laboratory volatile solvents are sometime irreversible and may cause life-threatening problems.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hollow guiding wire having torsional rigidity, bending flexibility and longitudinal strength by providing the outside surface of a tubular wall with plural pieces of notches parted from each other along a part of the length of a tubular body in order to increase the flexibility in the transverse direction of the tubular body and forming these notches so as to generally extend across the tubular body. SOLUTION: The tubular guiding wire 320 is formed by mounting a torque chuck 324 of a pin vice type in an ordinary form at a near position 328 and inserting a wire mandrel 333 having radiation impermeability to X-ray fluoroscopy into the hollow hole. The tubular guiding wire 320 is formed of, for example, a nickel titanium alloy and the notches 334, 336, 338 are formed along the length of the tubular guiding wire 320 by having anisotropy so as to impart the flexibility in the transverse direction to the wire. Generally, the notches 334 are cut on the alternate sides perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the notches 336 are so inclined as to make the long notches. The notches 338 at the distal ends are formed perpendicularly. COPYRIGHT: (C)1997,JPO


The solid-state structure of nefopam methiodide, a quaternary ammonium salt of nefopam hydrochloride (a non-narcotic analgesic drug), has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Nefopam methiodide gives crystals belonging to the monoclinic P21/c space group and, at 298 K, a = 10.001(1), b = 9.928(1), c = 17.598(1) A, β = 94.41(1)°, V = 1742.2(2) A3, Z = 4, R(F) = 0.086, and Rw(F) = 0.108. Due to disorder, the boat (flattened chair) and twist-chair (flattened chair) conformations of the 2,5-benzoxazocine eight-membered ring were both observed in the crystal with 55:45 occupancy, respectively. Positional disorder was also observed for the iodide counterion, which showed occupancies of 81:9.5:9.5. Keywords: nefopam, analgesic, X-ray crystallography, conformation.


A loss of stromal Cav-1 in the tumor fibroblast compartment is associated with early tumor recurrence, lymph-node metastasis, and tamoxifen-resistance, resulting in poor clincical outcome in breast cancer patients. Here, we have used Cav-1 (-/-) null mice as a pre-clinical model for this "lethal tumor micro-environment." Metabolic profiling of Cav-1 (-/-) mammary fat pads revealed the upregulation of numerous metabolites (nearly 100), indicative of a major catabolic phenotype. Our results are consistent with the induction of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and autophagy/mitophagy. The two most prominent metabolites that emerged from this analysis were ADMA (asymmetric dimethyl arginine) and BHB (beta-hydroxybutyrate; a ketone body), which are markers of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, respectively. Transcriptional profiling of Cav-1 (-/-) stromal cells and human tumor stroma from breast cancer patients directly supported an association with oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and autophagy/mitophagy, as well as ADMA and ketone production.


Predictive flame spread models based on temperature dependent pyrolysis rates require numerous material properties as input parameters. These parameters are typically derived by optimisation and inverse modelling using data from bench scale experiments such as the cone calorimeter. The estimated parameters are then transferred to flame spread simulations, where self-sustained propagation is expected. A fundamental requirement for this transfer is that the simulation model used in the optimisation is sufficiently sensitive to the input parameters that are important to flame spread. Otherwise, the estimated parameters will have an increased associated uncertainty that will be transferred to the flame spread simulation. This is investigated here using a variance-based global sensitivity analysis method, the Sobol indices. The sensitivities of a cone calorimeter and a horizontal flame spread simulation to 15 effective properties of polymethyl methacrylate are compared. The results show significant differences between the setups: the cone calorimeter is dominated by strong interaction effects between two temperature dependent specific heat values, whereas the flame spread is influenced by several parameters. Furthermore, the importance of some parameters for the cone calorimeter is found to be time-varying, suggesting that single-value cost functions may not be sufficient to account for all sensitive parameters during optimisation.


In order to determine the relationship of renal function with a daily profile of blood pressure (BP), carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in essential hypertension (EH) we examined 98 patients with EH stage II–III, 1st — 2nd degree. All patients underwent office measurement and daily BP monitoring. The content of lipids, uric acid and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood plasma were determined, as well as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by endogenous creatinine clearance and microalbuminuria. It is found that in patients with EH the deterioration of renal function is associated with impaired circadian BP rhythm by non dipper type, increasing variability of systolic blood pressure (SBP) during a day, chronic hemodynamic overload during the day: the most close correlation with GFR was set with average daily SBP values for all periods of the day and with the average daily diastolic blood pressure (r = –0.384, p < 0.001). In patients with EH we revealed significant inverse correlation of GFR with HOMA index (r = –0.417; p < 0.001), the content of insulin and glucose in plasma glucose fasted (r = –0.248, p < 0.05; r = –0.397, p < 0.001, respectively) and insulin level on the 60th minute of glucose tolerance test (r = –0.308; p < 0.001). Using multivariate regression analysis, we showed that factors associated independently of blood pressure with reduced GFR in patients with EH are CRP (β = –0.285, p < 0.01), total cholesterol (β = –0.249, p < 0.03), microalbuminuria (β = –0.242, p < 0.05) and HOMA index (β = –0.238, p < 0.05). Increased levels of uric acid, triglycerides, and CRP in the blood plasma in patients with EH are associated with increased manifestations of hypertensive nephropathy (GFR decline and increased microalbuminuria). Hypertensive nephropathy in hypertensive patients is associated with lipid metabolism disorders — an increased blood plasma levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides.


New demands of PS users, notably regarding an increase of SPS intensity and p production for the accumulator ring (AA), are being met through an improvement programme involving most of the PSB systems. Progress is reported under the headings (i) doubling the PSB repetition rate for SPS multi-pulse filling; (ii) vertical recombination of beams from 2 × 2 rings; (iii) conversion of the computer controls; and (iv) measures to consolidate peak performance and to go beyond. The programme required substantial modifications of PSB magnets and their power supplies as well as of timing and beam observation equipment, a capacity increase of the air cooling (and heating) system, and connection to a new computer interface carried out during a four-months' shutdown. The provision of transverse damping systems (being installed) as well as of h = 10 cavities (under construction) are the major developments required for raising the beam intensity towards 3.1013 protons per pulse. All these PSB improvements are described and first results of commissioning are discussed briefly.


The status and prospects of LiNbO/sub 3/ switch arrays are reviewed in view of system requirements. An experimental switching system is described. In this system, the subscriber access has a gross bit rate of 620 Mb/s divided into four 155 Mb/s interface blocks (IBs). In the access switch, the individual IBs can be switched (in optical form) to the digital cross connect (DCC) for private leased lines, to the distributive services switch, to the synchronous transfer mode (STM) services switch, or to the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) services switch. Each IB is bidirectional (not used in distributive services). The potential applications of semiconductor switch arrays are discussed.<<ETX>>


OBJECTIVE
To study the therapeutic effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the mortality rate and host defense pattern in fulminant intra-abdominal sepsis.

DESIGN
Prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

SETTING
Research laboratory in a university hospital.

SUBJECTS
Adult male Wistar rats.

INTERVENTIONS
Fulminant polymicrobial intra-abdominal sepsis was induced by a 4-mm cecal perforation. Survival experiments were performed with two different doses of G-CSF (20 and 100 microg/kg/24 hrs), and therapy was started 7 days or 1 day before, or 4 hrs after sepsis induction (n = 24). To examine alterations in host response pattern, G-CSF (20 microg/kg/24 hrs) was given at sepsis induction, and rats were killed 4, 8, 12 and 24 hrs later (n = 8-16 per time period). Histologic examination of lung, liver, spleen, and kidney was performed, and blood concentrations of bacteria, endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), endothelin-1, packed cell volume, and lactate were determined.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
G-CSF (20 microg/kg/24 hrs), given 4 hrs after sepsis induction, reduced the mortality rate from 96% to 42%. Increasing the dose (100 micrograms/kg/24 hrs), or giving G-CSF as prophylaxis (starting 7 days or 1 day before sepsis), gave no further protection. G-CSF attenuated the sepsis-induced enhancement of circulating bacteria, endotoxin, TNF, and endothelin-1, resulting in improved fluid balance and reduced lactate concentration. No histopathologic alterations were observed after G-CSF treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
G-CSF improves host defense and survival rate in experimentally induced fulminant intra-abdominal sepsis. Clearance of bacteria and endotoxin is improved, concentrations of TNF and endothelin-1 are suppressed, and microvascular flow is improved. G-CSF does not induce neutrophil-mediated tissue damage.


The manifestation of radiation and stored energy by electric currents on conducting bodies is studied via modal expansions. The novel modal expansions are based on the quadratic operators which map a current distribution to each quantity. Adaptations of the continuous forms of these operators into the Method of Moments is reviewed. The discrete modal expansions are studied on several example objects, leading to conclusions regarding the sparsity of the radiation mode spectrum. Analytic forms for the sparse radiation modes on electrically small objects are derived. Negative energy current distributions are studied using the energy storage modal expansions. The role of ground plane radiation on the determination of an embedded antenna's Q factor is studied using radiation modes, giving a new perspective on the convergence behavior of this parameter with respect to ground plane size. Leveraging the invariance of radiation modes on small objects, an example procedure for the design of an embedded antenna array using radiation modes is presented.


Theoretical models predict more dispersed investors beliefs lead to higher trading volume in the stock market. Despite household investors substantial stock ownership, little is known regarding how their belief dispersion may affect broad stock trading activities. Using a nationwide representative survey of U. S. consumers that covers nearly 35 years, we introduce a novel measure of household macroeconomic belief dispersion and document a robust positive relationship between this measure and the market-wide stock trading volume, even after controlling for various series of professional analysts' belief dispersion. We present an array of evidence that corroborates with a causal relationship between belief dispersion and trading volume. First, such a positive relationship is more pronounced for belief dispersion among individuals who are more likely to own stocks; second, household investor sentiments and beliefs are strongly correlated with their stock investment activities; third, trading volume of stocks more visible to household investors are more sensitive to household belief dispersion. Our analysis also reveals that stocks whose trading volume is most sensitive to household belief dispersion tend to carry a positive excess return. ∗We thank Robert Barsky, Chris Carroll, Frank de Jong, Richard Green, Campbell Harvey, Harrison Hong, Stephen Sharpe, Tyler Shumway, George Tauchen, Larry Wall, Wei Xiong, an anonymous editor, and several anonymous referees, and conference and seminar participants for helpful discussions. We thank Patrick McCabe for his help on the ICI data, Eugenio Pinto for I/B/E/S data, and Min Wei and Scott Konzem for Blue Chip data. Michael Ng provided brilliant research assistance. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or its staff.


the occult tradition of Judaism, which by the high middle ages is re ferred to most frequently by the generic term kabbalah, literally, "that which has been received," is usually studied under the rubric of mysticism. a far better term, however, to capture the nature of this phenomenon is esotericism. indeed, as i have argued elsewhere, the mystical dimensions expressed in Jewish sources—and here i extend the scope to include more than just kabbalistic texts—are contextualized within the hermeneutical framework of esotericism.1 here it is relevant to recall as well that in the first of his ten unhistorical aphorisms on the history of kabbalah, Gershom Scholem duly noted the central concern with the issue of secrecy in the kabbalistic sources. he remarked that the fundamental problem that presents itself is that, on the one hand, the kabbalists presume that truth is transmitted from generation to generation, but on the other hand, the truth of which they speak is secretive and thus cannot by nature be fully transmitted. in his inimitable style of ironic paradox, Scholem wrote, "authentic tradition (echte Tradition) remains hidden; only the fallen tradition (verfallende Tradition) falls (verfällt) upon an object and only when it is fallen does its greatness become visible."2 the truly esoteric knowledge cannot be divulged if it is to remain


vision of safe drinking water. It is also one that researchers help utilities to continually refine and update, as shown in this month's articles. Ongerth and Hutton studied the use of diatomaceous earth (DE) filtration for the removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts—a primary target of concern for water utilities. Turbidity and particle removals were also measured and evaluated. This study shows that by using DE filtration utilities can achieve 6-log removals of this protozoa—an important achievement considering that data gathered on the concentrations of crypto present in surface waters continue to support the contention that this protozoan is ubiquitous in such supplies. Dugan and colleagues assessed the efficiency of removing crypto by conventional treatment—defined in their study as chemical addition, followed by coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and granular media filtration. The effects of coagulant type, coagulant dose, raw water quality, filter loading rates, and filter media were also evaluated. These investigators found that under optimal coagulation conditions, conventional treatment achieved more than 4-log removal of Cryptosporidium. If calcium loading on granular activated carbon (GAC) is a problem at your utility, the study conducted by Frederick and Cannon will be of special interest. They examined the effect of natural organic matter, pH, and coagulation on calcium buildup on GAC. The authors found that such deposits could be reduced either by lowering the pH or adding iron coagulants. The effects of a cocktail (though not one any of us would likely choose to consume) were studied by Liu et al. They examined what happened in biofilters that were fed a concoction of easily biodegradable compounds. The factors examined included chlorine and chloramine in backwash water, air scour during backwashing, anthracite/sand versus GAC, and low versus high temperatures. The three main factors (chlorine in the backwash water, temperature, and media type) and their interactions were significant in most cases. • The temperature effect was more significant when chlorine was present. • GAC filters were more resistant to chlorinated backwash water than the anthracite filters. • Air-scour effects were generally negligible. Each of this month's feature articles provides valuable information for water purveyors on the practice of filtration and how the process can be tweaked and tuned to help provide an even higher-quality finished water. This issue also contains some important information for JOURNAL authors and reviewers. Effective in January 2002, the JOURNAL will be moving to an electronic peer-review system. For details about the new process, please turn to page 38. This December issue also marks another first—but it is not contained in the issue itself. For the first time, JOURNAL indexes will be published only on the web. This decision was made because (1) not publishing the indexes in print meant that we did not have to postpone a feature article in order to fit them in, and (2) putting the indexes on the web allows readers to take advantage of that medium's powerful—and fast—search capabilities. If you have any comments or suggestions you'd like to offer about our new peer-review system or our decision to publish the indexes on the web, please contact me at <firstname.lastname@example.com>.


Based on the constructivist epistemological point and qualitative research design, the present study attempts to explore the experiences of rural women about microcredit programs. The population of this study comprised of women beneficiaries of microcredit dwelling from District Sheikhupura, Pakistan. The purposive sampling technique has been used to select respondents for in-depth interviews. The researchers have started fieldwork with some broader questions in their minds as informed by the grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2006; Jerolmack, 2007; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). These in-depth interviews and field observations enabled the researchers to draw some new themes and inferences. The researchers have included all these themes and inferences in their interview guide for further interviews. A total of 21 in-depth interviews have been conducted which include the 7 interviews at the initial stage of data collection. It was observed that microcredit has some positive as well as some negative consequences on the lives of the recipient. It was positively linked with women's economic empowerment, improvement in their well-being, decrease in intimate partner violence, positive influence on the member's own and their children's health, education, and nutrition patterns. However, some of the respondents said that microcredit did nothing with their empowerment rather it indulge them in extreme poverty and increased male dominance at the household level. Keywords: Microcredit, Women Empowerment, Intimate Partner Violence, Patriarchy, Extreme Poverty, Money Lenders


The Burgers'equation with uncertain initial and boundary conditions is approximated using a Polynomial Chaos Expansion(PCE)approach where the solution is represented as a series of stochastic,orthogonal polynomials.The resulting truncated PCE system is solved using a novel numerical discretization method based on spatial derivative operators satisfying the summation by parts property and weak boundary conditions to ensure stability.The resulting PCE solution yields an accurate quantitative description of the stochastic evolution of the system,provided that appropriate boundary conditions are available.The specification of the boundary data is shown to influence the solution;we will discuss the problematic implications of the lack of precisely characterized boundary data and possible ways of imposing stable and accurate boundary conditions.


The objective of this study is to develop a Multiple Regression model to measure the climatic and hydrological effects on cereal crop productions in Bangladesh and Stochastic Frontier model for measuring the production efficiency due to climate and hydrology. The month October, November, December, January and February are taken as "dry season" and  March, April, May, June, July, August, September as  a "summer season" considering the weather and climatic conditions of Bangladesh. From Multiple Regression model, it is found that the Multiple R-squared for maize, barley and wheat production model are 0.9447, 0.8995 and 0.7674 respectively, which are implied to a good model to measure the climatic and hydrological effects on cereal production; and Global test implies that these models are valid linear model. Again, from Stochastic Frontier model, it is found that there is a huge opportunity to increase barley and maize production; and wheat achieves maximum production due to climates and Hydrology in the Bangladesh. Keywords: Cereal Production, Multiple Regression Model, Efficiency, Stochastic Frontier Model.


Leonardo Da Vinci had a deep interest in the structure and function of the body. His drawings are the oldest surviving naturalistic depictions of human anatomy. This article examines seven of his drawings of the nervous system. In the earlier ones, he is almost totally bound by medieval tradition. Later, his drawings become more closely tied to his own dissections, and he invents new ways of representing the results of anatomical investigation. NEUROSCIENTIST 3:347–354, 1997


A study of eVTOL AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) flight performance characteristics and acoustic signature is performed using a seamless unified comprehensive rotorcraft modeling and acoustic analysis toolkit. This toolkit includes a rotor design optimization function within the framework to support eVTOL modeling, analysis, and design. Parametric studies of both isolated rotor and multi-rotor configurations were conducted featuring design optimization that considered both the rotor performance and the acoustic signature. The utility usage with a dual-rotor configuration is included to validate the prediction accuracy and capabilities of the toolkit for multi-rotor configurations. The tool has been further validated using acoustic test data for an generic eVTOL hexa tiltrotor fly-over. Good correlation of the variation trend between the measured flight test data and the simulation results was seen. Simulation of a full eVTOL air vehicle using the multi-objective optimized rotor design was also performed to demonstrate the usage of the unified tool.


Refraction traveltimes from a 46‐km long seismic survey across the San Andreas Fault were inverted to obtain two‐dimensional velocity structure of the upper crust near the SAFOD drilling project. The model contains strong vertical and lateral velocity variations from <2 km/s to ∼6 km/s. The Salinian terrane west of the San Andreas Fault has much higher velocity than the Franciscan terrane east of the fault. Salinian basement deepens from 0.8 km subsurface at SAFOD to ∼2.5 km subsurface 20 km to the southwest. A strong reflection and subtle velocity contrast suggest a steeply dipping fault separating the Franciscan terrane from the Great Valley Sequence. A low‐velocity wedge of Cenozoic sedimentary rocks lies immediately southwest of the San Andreas Fault. This body is bounded by a steep fault just northeast of SAFOD and approaches the depth of the shallowest earthquakes. Multiple active and inactive fault strands complicate structure near SAFOD.


Few critics have given Robert Hayden's poetry the careful reading it deserves and demands. As a result, his work has almost inevitably been misinterpreted and misunderstood. A more significant result is that the dramatic tension in his work has often been mistaken for personal ambivalence and confusion with regard to both his ethnic identity and his beliefs as a Bahá'í. However, an accurate and careful reading of his work in light the unmistakably clear allusions in poetry to his beliefs as a Bahá'í reveal neither ambivalence nor confusion, but a clear pattern of consolation that unites both of these points of view. Résumé La poésie de Robert Hayden a malheureusement reternu l'attention de peu de critiques. En conclusion, son oeuvre a été mal interprétée et mal comprise. De plus, la tension dramatique de son oeuvre a souvent été prise pour de l'ambivalence ou de la confusion due à son identité éthnique et à son adhésion à la foi bahá'íe. Cependant, une lecture exacte de son oeuvre mettant en valeur les allusions sans équivoque de sa poésie à ses croyances bahá'íes ne révèle aucune ambivalence ni confusion mais au contraire un modèle précis de consolation qui réunit ces deux points de vue. Resumen Pocos críticos le han dado a la poesía de Robert Hayden la lectura cuidadosa que merece y exige. Por lo tanto, sus obras han sido, casi inevitablemente, mal interpretadas y mal comprendidas. Un resultado aún mas significativo es que la tensión dramática en sus obras ha sido frecuentemente tomada erróneamente como ambivalencia personal y estado de confusión relativo tanto a su identidad étnica como a sus creencias como bahá'í. Sin embargo, una lectura precisa y cuidadosa de sus obras a la luz de alusiones claras e inequívocas en su poesía referente a sus creencias como bahá'í, no evidencian ni ambivalencia ni confusión, sino un modelo claro de consolacíon que unifica ambos puntos de vista. n discussing his response to an idealogue of the 1960s civil rights movement who had criticized his poem "Ballad of Remembrance" because in it the persona finds respite from racial tensions by conversing with a white poet, Robert Hayden said that at first he tried to explain what the poem really meant: "Then I got mad. If you read carefully—and I write carefully—you don't have to question me about anything" (quoted in Hatcher, From the Auroral Darkness 89). It is unfortunately the case that during Hayden's life few readers or critics gave his poems the careful reading they deserve and demand. As a result his work was almost inevitably misinterpreted and misunderstood so that the very courage he displayed was often perceived as weakness, and the lonely outpost he occupied in defense of art became lonelier still. Perhaps a more significant result, however, was that the tension in his work, which alone produces worthwhile art, was often mistaken for personal ambivalence and confusion with regard to both his ethnic identity and his beliefs as a Bahá'í. The first of these misconceptions was that his demand to be considered a poet who happened to be Black and not a "Black poet" was tantamount to a rejection of his own racial identity and the noble efforts of the civil rights struggle. Though Hayden's stand has been somewhat redeemed by more recent assessments of his life and work, the issue bears further clarification. At a time when many Black writers believed that their best course of action for assisting the civil rights movement was to use their art as a political weapon, Hayden, who had long before in the 1930s come to distrust art as polemic, forcefully denounced the easy categorizing of artists according to racial or ethnic considerations, in spite of the fact that some of his best poems were tightly focused on the history of racial injustice in America: I "I have said this until I almost think I'll choke and fall over backwards," thus began a visibly disturbed Robert Hayden addressing himself to the argument as to whether one is a Negro poet or, as Hayden insists, "a poet who happens to be a Negro." Reading lines from Yeats, Hayden solemnly commented, "I didn't have to be Irish to love those lines." (Quoted in Hatcher, From the Auroral Darkness 37) No doubt, Hayden would have agreed that Yeats might have found it considerably more difficult to write the lines without having been Irish (just as Auden, Hayden's own mentor at the University of Michigan, had noted how "mad Ireland hurt [Yeats] into poetry"). But that was not the issue. Hayden was not protesting the methods by which the poet necessarily wrests themes and images from personal experience. He was instead resisting the tendency to abandon the criterion for good poetry on the one hand, principles which he felt transcended questions of ethnicity, or on the other hand lumping poets together because of ad hominem considerations. It was a stand he had taken quite thoughtfully and explicitly twenty years before in the 1946 preface to the Counterpoise poems: As writers who belong to a so-called minority, we are violently opposed to having our work viewed, as the custom is, entirely in the light of sociology and politics, to having it overpraised on the one hand by those with an axe to grind or with a conscience to salve, to having it misinterpreted on the other hand by coterie editors, reviewers, anthologists who refuse us encouragement or critical guidance because we deal with realities we find it neither possible nor desirable to ignore.... (Quoted in Hatcher, Auroral 22) He concluded with the affirmation, "We believe in the oneness of mankind and the importance of the arts in the struggle for peace and unity." This determination to have his work judged according to the highest critical standards irrespective of racial considerations also reflected his staunchly held belief that if all Black writers could be lumped together by critics, they could also be more easily dismissed and chucked into some literary ghetto. In short, it was not for lack of racial pride he took this stand, but because of it. Along these same lines, Hayden once remarked that there is "tendency to regiment Afro-American artists and to feel that they should all say the same thing.... But we are as complex and as various as any other people" (quoted in Hatcher, Auroral 71). In a more vehement mood he asked rhetorically, "Are we to be told what to write about and how to write? Are we to be restricted in our choice of subjects?" (Quoted in How I Write 184). In perhaps his most resounding statement on the subject, he asserted, "I am alive in my time—alive in the world. I respond to everything around me. I have my own inner personal struggles which have nothing to do with race ..." (quoted in Hatcher, Auroral 71). For Hayden, this issue of racial categorization was inextricably linked to his more encompassing views as a Bahá'í that the long-term solution to racism was to be found in striving for a more inclusive identity, not in the achievements of one faction of humanity at the expense of or even in terms of another: The fact that I am a Bahá'í and believe in the oneness of mankind became known in the 60's. My philosophy, then as now, was that the struggle to be a human struggle, black and whites cooperating to remove evils as human beings rather than doing it separately as races. (Quoted in Hatcher. Auroral 89–90) In addition to racial identity, there is a second source of perceived tension in Hayden's poetry—the ostensible disparity between his largely optimistic views as a Bahá'í regarding this period in human history as effecting the fulfillment and redemption of human history and the often stark images of injustice, violence, grief, and uncertainty that seem to pervade so many of Hayden's most powerful poems. This apparent conflict between enunciated belief and the poet's art evoked at least three sorts of negative reaction. The most prominent and possibly the most unfortunate response to this perceived tension has been the reaction among those critics who consign Hayden's poetry to historical context, viewing his work circumscribed by or confined to personal modes and themes. For them, his poems are no more than extensions of biographical fact— to study Hayden's poetry is to study Hayden. Consequently, these same readers interpreted the juxtaposition of implicit hope with existential angst as reflecting Hayden's ambivalence about his beliefs. Chief among such critics is Pontheolla Williams, authorized biographer of Hayden. A second sort of reaction has come from some of Hayden's fellow Bahá'ís, most of whom were only vaguely aware of his work and a good many of whom might have had trouble understanding what practical benefit could be derived from so esoteric an art at this crucial juncture in history unless somehow that gift were used directly and overtly in promulgating the Bahá'í ideals. That is, the Bahá'í teachings portray this historical period as heralding the long-awaited advent of a planetary consciousness to replace ancient prejudices and provincialism; therefore, the focus of energy is most often aimed at attempting to help humanity become aware of this imminent metamorphosis or else at going about the practical business of establishing Bahá'í communities wherein the administrative framework for a world commonwealth can be established and the principles of world unity exemplified. Naturally, such heady aspirations are viewed by as taking precedence over less urgent affairs, a conviction that would seem to be confirmed by statements in the writings like the following: Therefore, now is the time that you may divest yourselves from the garment of attachment to this phenomenal realm, be wholly severed from the physical world, become angels of heaven and travel and teach through all these regions. ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan 11) As an example of how this perspective affected the appreciation of Hayden's work, one Bahá'í who was to introduce him at a poetry reading asked what "Bahá'í" wor


Virtual Reality (VR) has started to diffuse into the market. Research can accompany this process by providing insights into adoption of the technology. However, although first studies have been conducted early, there are few empirical findings shedding light on issues of acceptance and use of VR. This is because the used models often suffer from omissions or only partially cover important variables for distinct characteristics of the technology, especially immersion, presence, and interactivity. Additionally, the applied variables are occasionally incorrectly specified. To lay a better foundation for investigating adoption and diffusion of VR, we explore relevant influence factors based on insights from previous works and a qualitative study with 20 participants. Besides issues of misspecification, our findings show that many contextual factors have been neglected. Moreover, we identify content quality, initial excitement, isolation, and distraction as new potentially relevant factors.


Soil nailing is an in situ technique to reinforce slopes in the vadose zone where the soil is partially saturated. In this research, model tests of soil nailing on steep cuttings of an unsaturated silty clay were performed using a centrifuge. The results show that soil nailing can greatly increase the stability of cuttings. The length and density of soil nails have significant effects on the deformation behavior and failure mechanism of the soil-nailed structure. When the ratio between the maximum nail length and the excavation depth (L/H) was 0.32 or 0.34, the model slope was unstable with a prototype spacing less than 1.8 m. However, when the L/H ratio was 0.48 or 0.80, the model slope was substantially stable against global failure under the same spacing. External failure occurred in nailed structures with densely reinforced shorter nails; the prototype spacing was less than 1.29 m and the length ratios were 0.32 and 0.34. Internal failure occurred in nailed structures with sparsely reinforced longer nails: the prototype spacing was 3.6 m and the length ratio was 1.0. The failure surfaces of the nailed cuttings were deeper than that of the cutting without reinforcement.


Recrystallized CdTe-films with Cu-impurities exhibit time dependences of physical parameters, the character of which is given by the previous temperature processes. It follows from the analysis of the Hall effect measurements, which are obtained under equilibrium, quasi-equilibrium, and non-equilibrium conditions that the time variations of the parameters are connected with the precipitation of the supersaturated Cu-impurities solution and with the dissolution of these impurities. It is shown that the measured 1/T dependences of the hole density and the hole mobility cannot be explained only by the process of the precipitation and the dissolution of the precipitated Cuimpurities but also by the attending precipitation and dissolution of the Cd vacancies within the temperature cycle. Moreover the conclusion is done that the Cu-impurities have amphoteric properties and form neutral complexes (CuCd−Cu)* that means that a selfpurification of the semiconductors can be observed. These processes are used for the interpretation of the found small electrical activity of Cu atoms.

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In transitional environments, the role of sediments biogeochemistry and denitrification is crucial for establishing their buffer potential against nitrate (NO3−) pollution. The Po River (Northern Italy) is a worldwide hotspot of eutrophication. However, benthic N dynamics and the relevance of denitrification in its delta have not yet been described. The aim of the present study was to quantify the contribution of denitrification in attenuating the NO3− loading transported to the sea during summer. Benthic fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) and denitrification rates were measured in laboratory incubations of intact sediment cores collected, along a salinity gradient, at three sections of the Po di Goro, the southernmost arm of the Po Delta. The correlation between NO3− consumption and N2 production rates demonstrated that denitrification was the main process responsible for reactive N removal. Denitrification was stimulated by both NO3− availability in the Po River water and organic enrichment of sediment likely determined by salinity-induced flocculation of particulate organic load, and inhibited by increasing salinity, along the river–sea gradient. Overall, denitrification represented a sink of approximately 30% of the daily N loading transported in middle summer, highlighting a previously underestimated role of the Po River Delta.


Background: DLPD are frequently detected and better evaluated by means of current diagnostic guidelines. Methods: Prospective assessment of patients with DLPD referred to a regional reference center in Germany using clinical, functional and radiological parameters, and results of bronchoscopic or surgical results. The diagnosis was made after a multidisciplinary discussion (MDD). Results: Between January and June of 2016 342 patients were admitted to the hospital for diagnosis and therapy of DPLD (144 women, average age 63,5 years), on average with a mild restrictive ventilatory defects (O VC 76,1 %, O DLCOcSB 61,1 %). IPF was the subgroup detected with the lowest DLCOcSB (O 46,7 %), pneumoconiosis showed the highest results (O 87,2 %); alveolar proteinosis showed the lowest VC (O 63,0 %), LAM showed the highest VC (O 93,3 %). 50 patients were diagnosed with the help of clinical and radiological findings. 292 patients underwent a bronchoscopy, in 133 cases a transbronchial cryobiopsy was performed. A surgical lung biopsy for the diagnosis of DPLD was performed in 20 patients. In 323 cases a precise diagnose could be obtained after MDD (94,4%): IPF (n= 59), sarcoidosis (n=50), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (n=47), collagen vascular disease (n=36), organizing pneumonia (n=32), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (n=23), pneumoconiosis (n=14), other DLPD DLPD (n=62). In 19 cases a specific diagnose could not be obtained. Conclusion: Using a standardised approach including bronchoscopic assessment and the MDD, a specific diagnosis of DPLD can be made in 94 % of cases. A robust histological result could be obtained in 63% of patients using transbronchial cryobiopsies. The most prevalent DLPD are IPF, sarcoidosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.