The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) has been present in Poland for more than 200 years now, its range coming to encompass the entire country, albeit with a particular concentration of occurrence in the west. Overall, it is present in 3.4% of the stands making up Poland's "State Forests National Forest Holding" (Panstwowe Gospodarstwo Leśne Lasy Panstwowe), and is the dominant species in 0.1% of stands. Thanks to its producing durable wood of favourable energetic properties, this species is used in medium-rotation (≤ 40-year) plantations as well as in biomass energy plantations (where there is a 5–7-year rotation). In terms of its nectar production, the black locust is second only to lime as the Polish tree best serving the production of honey. While the species shows marked expansiveness in Poland, it has not thus far been placed on the list of aliens capable of threatening native species or natural habitats. Breeding of the species has been engaged in – if to only a limited extent – in Poland for some 20 years now, and 2 selected seed stands have been registered, as well as 34 plus trees and 2 seed orchards.


Protein breakdown by endogenous enzymes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract results in generation of peptides and amino acids that act as building blocks in essential biological functions. Exogenous proteases possess immense potential as digestive enzyme supplements that can assist protein digestion in the GI system. Plant proteases, in addition to their promising activity, are considered to be safe in nature. The present study evaluated the potential application of a plant protease based proprietary formulation - MDZenPro in digesting raw whey protein, whey protein isolate and plant protein under INFOGEST simulated GI conditions. The gastric and GI digested protein products were analyzed for determining the degree of hydrolysis. The protein profiles were evaluated using SDS-PAGE. The results of the degree of hydrolysis study revealed that MDZenPro facilitated gastric and GI digestion of proteins. This increase in degree of hydrolysis was noted to be higher than that observed in proteins that were not treated with MDZenPro. The SDS-PAGE profile further supported these findings wherein, the MDZenPro treated protein samples displayed low molecular weight fragmented peptides in contrast to the profile of undigested proteins. The present study thus highlights the promising application of 'MDZenPro' as an effective supplement for protein digestion.


In this chapter I reflect over experiences of working with cultural heritage from the perspective of an interaction designer committed to a participative approach to the design of interactive systems and to engendering novel social interactions around them. This research in interactive exhibition design has been focused on supporting engagement, reflection and appreciation of an exhibit by enabling people's active participation in contributing to the exhibition, both in the context of established art museums and of more informal heritage spaces.


The impact of blending on milk composition and properties is subject to controversy on whether the effect is additional or not. The effects of blending Jersey and Holstein–Friesian milk on composition and coagulation properties were investigated. Milk from herds of Jersey and Holstein–Friesian cattle was collected and blended (0–100% Jersey milk at 10% intervals) (n = 55).Including Jersey milk resulted in a positive non-additive effect in fat globule volume mean diameter D(4.3) and a negative non-additive effect in casein micelle size. Coagulation time decreased quadratically when Jersey milk was added and curd firmness and firming rate increased quadratically.


We argue that Armstrong's Combinatorialism allows for the possibility of nothing by giving a Combinatorial account of the empty world and show that such an account is consistent with the ontological and conceptual aims of the theory. We then suggest that the Combinatorialist should allow for this possibility given some methodological considerations. Consequently, rather than being 'spoils for the victor', as Armstrong maintains, deciding whether there might have been nothing helps to determine which metaphysics of modality is to be preferred.


This paper presents the service concept and the system architecture of the shiftable intelligent transportation systems (ITS) prepared for temporal operation of ITS in a rural or a suburban area during a short-time mega-event period. It provides with on-demand service deployable in an area only during the period and shiftable to another place, if needed, when it ends. The service is easy to implement wherever 3G or long term evolution (LTE) wireless communication is available. The cost effectiveness of the shiftable ITS service highlights 96% reduction of the total cost when compared to the one of the conventional ITS.


The 1992 Study Tour of Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) in Japan provided 15 transportation professionals with the opportunity to not only view specific advanced technologies applied to the surface transportation problems in some of the key metropolitan areas of Japan, but also to get a sense of how individual IVHS concepts "fit" in the social and economic fabric of Japan. The diversity of the group, in spite of the relatively small size, further enhanced the experience; the participants came from three countries (United States, France and the Netherlands), federal, regional, state and local governments, the private sector and academia. The tour participants visited 15 organizations in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. This report describes each visit, paying particular attention to the type of technology presented, highlights of the presentation, and key observations concerning the data presented. The names and contact information for each visit's host are also listed.


This paper proposes an utterance veri(cid:12)cation system for hidden Markov model (HMM) based automatic speech recognition systems. A veri(cid:12)cation objective function, based on a multi-layer-perceptron (MLP), is adopted which combines con(cid:12)dence measures from both the recognition and veri(cid:12)cation models. Discriminative minimum veri(cid:12)cation error training is applied for optimizing the parameters of the MLP and the veri(cid:12)cation models. Our proposed system provides a framework for combining dif-ferent knowledge sources for utterance veri(cid:12)cation using an objective function that is consistently applied during both training and testing. Experimental results on telephone-based connected digits are presented.


Introduction: Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis (GIO) is the most prevalent form of secondary osteoporosis, during therapy, osteoporotic fractures are one of the most devastating conditions, affecting 30-50% of patients. Alendronate is the bisphosphonates of choice for postmenopausal and glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis. It has been also recommended for the prevention of bone loss in perimenopausal women. Alfacalcidol has been widely used since 1981 as a prodrug for calcitriol in the treatment of hypocalcemia, chronic renal failure, hypoparathyroidism and osteoporosis. Aim of the Work: To investigate the effects of the combined effect of alendronate and alfacalcidol on steroid induced osteoprosis in rats, through histological and electron microscope examination and morphometric study. Material and Methods: 40 adult male rats were divided into 4 groups Group 1: Control group; Group 2: Given oral prednisolone, 1mg/kg for 12 weeks; Group 3: Given oral prednisolone with administration of alendronate (0.2mg/kg daily, orally) for 12 weeks; Group 4: Given prednisolone with administration of alendronate + alfacalcidol (0.0375 μ g/kg, orally) daily for 12 weeks. Animals were sacrificed, the head of tibia was taken and proceeded for light and electron microscopic examination. Results: By light microscope rats treated with steroids only showed signs of osteoporosis in the form of thin trabeculae and fragmentations with wide marrow spaces. After treatment with alendronates the rats showed signs of improvement; trabecular bone appeared more thick than group 2 with less widening of marrow spaces. The addition of alfacalcidol to the previous drugs showed that trabeculea was near normal with no fractures. By SEM rats treated with steroids only showed thinning, tapering, and breakage of trabeculae with irregular arrangement of the collagen fibrils. After treatment with alendronates the trabeculae increased in volume and number than group 2 with regular arrangement of the collagen fibrils. The addition of alfacalcidol to the previous drugs showed normal appearance of bone trabeculae with regular arrangement of the collagen fibers. Correspondence to: Dr. Hussein M. Fahmi, The Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, El-Azher University Conclusions: Alendronates are usefull in treatment of steroid induced osteoporosis and the addition of alfacalcidol gives synergistic effect to it.


A new hydrazone ligand, HL [(1-Methylimidazol-2-yl)methylene]isonicotinohydrazide has been synthesized and characterized by several spectroscopic methods. The ligand (HL) was then utilized for the preparation of two new complexes, namely, [Zn(L)2]·2H2O...


Our experimental setup for characterizing GPRS links is shown in figure 1. The measurements reported were all performed over Vodafone UK's national GPRS network, though similar results were measured using a number of other European GPRS networks. A number of different handsets from different vendors were tried; we found no significant performance variation between handsets of the same GPRS device class. Measurements were repeated at many different locations resulting in a wide range of radio and network conditions to try and gain a view of 'typical' performance experienced by a user. In an example test set-up (figure 1), a laptop connects to a Motorola T260 GPRS (3+1) (3 downlink, 1 uplink channels) phone through a serial PPP (point-to-point) link to act as a GPRS mobile terminal. Complying to the usual GPRS architecture, the base stations (BSs) are linked to the SGSN which is then connected to a GGSN. In the current Vodafone configuration, both SGSN and GGSN node is co-located in a CGSN (Combined GPRS Support Node). Since we were unable to install equipment next to the CGSN we made use of a well provisioned IPSec (IP Security) VPN tunnel to route all traffic via the Computer Laboratory. The measurement terminal (see figure 1) was then located at the end of the tunnel, with routing configured so that all packets flowing to and from the mobile host are passed to it for processing. A RADIUS server was used to authenticate mobile terminals and assign IP addresses. CGSN ' \ !sGs6 . . . . . . . ~&-6-i ~ , BSC '~ i r ' ~ r ~ : :


Abstract This is an autoethnographic narrative that describes how John Carroll influenced Dorothy Heathcote's thinking about her practice of drama in education. The analysis focuses on the ways in which concepts derived from the work of Douglas Barnes (1975) and Erving Goffman (1974) played an important role in clarifying their evolving ideas about the ways in which role and role distance function as framing devices that fundamentally alter normative power relationships and communication interactions between students and teachers.


THE mortality rate for hepatic coma that develops during the course of acute hepatic necrosis is extremely high despite the use of corticosteroids and other measures currently applied.1 3 However, the liver has such a great capacity for regeneration that, in those who survive, both liver-cell function and hepatic architecture may return to normal. All such lesions should therefore be regarded as potentially reversible. It follows then that treatment should be directed toward providing hepatic support during the period when the patient is essentially without a liver; time is thus allowed for regeneration. Recently a number of new procedures have been suggested to this end, namely: and it involves the least transfusion bilirubin.


The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has installed rumble strips on the shoulders of most state highways in the state. However, Kansas has several miles of two-lane highway with no shoulder. These highways have a number of single vehicle run-of-the-road crashes (both sides) as well as crashes from cars going across the centerline and colliding with on-coming vehicles. Some US states have been experimenting with centerline rumble strips. KDOT wishes to install several test sections of centerline rumble strips (CLRS) and contracted with Kansas State University (KSU) to survey other states and summarize their experience and to develop a research design to evaluate KDOT test installation. The paper summarizes the findings from a nationwide survey. It describes the Kansas test sections, the results of a survey of drivers and their acceptance and the results and conclusions of the field tests of the acceptance and benefits of CLRS.


Abstract Morphologically similar species occur in various groups of insects, including aphid pests. In Europe, Aphis frangulae Kaltenbach and Aphis gossypii Glover (sometimes considered as subspecies) are differentiated usually on the basis of life cycle and host plant. We used a sexual population of A. frangulae collected on the primary host and samples of A. gossypii collected on cucurbits or cotton for the development of molecular markers. DNA sequence data for the gene encoding cytochrome b and for the barcode region of cytochrome oxidase I, as well as a length polymorphism for an intron in the sodium channel para‐type gene discriminated unambiguously between the two taxa. These markers were also used as identification keys for aphids collected on crops belonging to the Solanaceae. The cytochrome b marker differentiates host‐related Aphis gossypii haplotypes, and the para‐type gene intron might be suitable for the resolution of taxonomic problems in other aphid species complexes.


BACKGROUND
Based on animal data only, some clinicians have adopted propofol-based anesthesia for cancer surgery with the aim of increased survival.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective is to verify or refute the hypothesis that survival increases after cancer surgery with propofol compared with sevoflurane for anesthesia maintenance. This aim deserves a large-scale randomized study. The primary hypothesis is an absolute increase of minimum 5%-units in 1- and 5-year survival with propofol-based anesthesia for breast or colorectal cancer after radical surgery, compared with sevoflurane-based anesthesia.

METHOD
Ethics and medical agency approvals were received and pre-study registrations at clinicaltrial.gov and EudraCT were made for our now ongoing prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter study. A power analysis based on a retrospective study, including a safety margin for drop outs, resulted in a total requirement of 8,000 patients. The initial inclusion period constituted a feasibility phase with emphasis on the functionality of the infrastructure at the contributing centers and at the monitoring organization, as well as on protocol adherence.

RESULTS
The study is now running at eleven centers, and the number of exclusions and queries within the first 869 patients recruited was 4 and 1.1 per included patient, respectively.

CONCLUSION
The infrastructure and organization work smoothly at the different contributing centers. Protocol adherence is good, and the monitors are satisfied. We expect this trial to be able to either verify or refute that propofol is better than sevoflurane for cancer surgery.


The development of an autonomous mobile robot for use in underground mines is described. The navigation scheme combines elements of both hierarchical control and reactive or subsumptive-type control. The robot navigates by sensing the environment and selecting a navigational mode that is appropriate to the circumstances and to the robot's mission. Examples of navigational modes are wall following, collision avoidance and homing. The modes are implemented in modules formed by combinations of neural network processors and conventional control algorithms. The overall control system architecture and the navigational strategies of the experimental robot vehicle are also described. >


The effect of scdium artesunate on six isolates of Plasmo dium falciparum was studied in vitro. The results showed that all the isolates were sensitive to scdium artesunate, no difference between chloroquine-sersitive and-resistant strains was observed. As compared with other drugs,eg.chlorcquine,quinine, piperaquine and pyrimethamine, the concentrations of sodium artesunate for inhibiting the maturation of P. falciparum Schizont and for Hil-ling it were the lowest.The complete inhibiting and killing concentrations were 0.016 μM and 0.063 μM, respectively; and the concentration required to produce 50% and 95% reduction of parasite number in calture (IC60 and IC90)were 0.0013-0.0029μM and 0.0071 -0.0098μM, respectively.


This article introduced the watershed algorithm for the segmentation, illustrated the segmation process by implementing this algorithm. By comparing with another three related algorithm, this article revealed both the advantages and drawbacks of the watershed algorithm.


This paper investigates Schopenhauer's resolution to the problem of unity between micro and macrocosm that, according to the philosopher, is the biggest Philosophy enigma. Our attention is toward the modification of Kantian doctrine of the thing-in-itself and to the analogical method present in that resolution. The thesis of will as world's essence was elaborated between 1809 and 1814, period of the philosopher's scientific formation. It has permitted to reflect the importance of natural sciences in the development of Schopenhauer's analogical argument. The greatest motivation in this text consists of comprehending the Will as thing-in-itself concept. The conducting hypothesis states that the referred concept was elaborated from the reflexive method by analogy inspired in Schopenhauer's scientific studies, and while that, it is part of and analogical view of the reality that excludes any ontological transcendent principle.


JISC Digital Content Conference 2009 Parallel session on Institutional approaches to content management and the digitisation life cycle. paper describes how the University of Southampton Library Digitisation Unit is redeveloping and repurposing its digitisation hardware infrastructure following the completion of two major JISC projects


In this work a study of the dependence of the contrast value of a negative electron resist based on hydrogensilsesquioxane was carried out in the process of development in an aqueous alkaline-salt solution of NaOH-NaCl at different temperatures, and a similar study was carried out for a widespread method of development in a 25% TMAH solution.


Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from the nasal specimens of 226 D Elementary School students in 2003. 96 strains(42.5%) were identified and tested for antibiotic susceptibility with Dade Behring Dried Positive Combo Panel Type 1A and the coagulase serotyping was investigated using microplate method. Eight serotypes were identified. 41.7% of the isolates belong to serotype IV, 19.8% to serotype V, 16.7% to serotype VII, 7.3% to serotype I, 6.3% to serotype II and 1.0% to serotype III, VI, and VIII. All the strains(100%) of 96 S. aureus were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, vancomycin. 93 strains(96.9%) of 96 S. aureus were susceptible to clindamycin. 91 strains(94.8%) to amoxicillin, cephalothin, cefotaxime, imipenem, oxacillin, tetracycline, 84 strains(87.5%) to gentamicin, 54 strains to erythromycin, and 4 stains(4.2%) to penicillin. 5 strains (5.2%) of S. aureus were MRSA. All the strains(100%) of coagulase serotype IV S. aureus were susceptible to amoxicillin, clindamycin, cephalothin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, imipenem, oxacillin, trimethoprim, tetracycline, vancomycin except for erythromycin(32.5%) and penicillin(2.5%). All the strains(100%) of coagulase serotype V S. aureus were susceptible to clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, vancomycin, 18 strains(94.7%) to amoxicillin, cephalothin, cefotaxime, imipenem, and oxacillin, 17 strains(89.5%) to tetracycline, 16 strains(84.2%) to erythromycin, 14 strains(73.7%) to gentamicin, and no strains were susceptible to penicillin. All the strains(100%) of coagulase serotype VII S. aureus were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, and vancomycin, 15(93.8%) to amoxicillin, clindamycin, cephalothin, cefotaxime, imipenem, and oxacillin, 14(87.5%) to tetracycline, 13(81.3%) to gentamicin, 11(68.8%) to erythromycin, and 2(12.5%) to penicillin.


The road network in Sudan serves as a major channel of transportation and contributes in economics and social benefits. Sustaining these benefits over time requires maintaining the road network in time and proper manner. Without adequate and efficient maintenance roads can quickly deteriorate. Delayed maintenance, and the resulting poor state of repair, makes roads more difficult to use. This results in loss of economic and social development opportunities.


Having said that, however, I hasten to add that Newton has found both her voice and her topic, and she enlivens the book with her own obvious passion. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the exploration of the psyche, in the interpretation of fairy tales, or in the process of individuation. Newton has provided a valuable addition to the study of archetypes and demonstrated, once more, the timeless wisdom of fairy tales.


Geographically, Indonesia is a tropical country that has an average temperature characteristic of 35 ° C. Climatic conditions often make people feel uneasy because the hot air is felt even inside room so the use of air conditioner is very influential in creating a sense of comfort in the room, especially for work activities. However, the use of air conditioners is considered less friendly to the environment, because freon gas released into the air make thin the layers of earth's atmosphere. In addition to being less friendly to the environment, air conditioners are also less affordable for the community, even in offices with ample space, only one piece is installed which makes it less pronounced. The concept of Hywall Controling System is a technological concept is applied to partition walls with the main ingredient is Hydrogell. Hydrophilic gels or hydrogels are artificial polymers that have a degree of flexibility that is very similar to natural tissue and can absorb and release water 100-200 times its size and contain 90% water content. The hydrogell will be combined with the partition wall in the office room with running water using remote control technology so that the hydrogell will release water vapor which suppresses the condition of the hot air in the room and reduces the use of air conditioner.


We all know we are not supposed to rest on our laurels but there is great benefit to be had from reflecting on them. This essay lays out a tool known as The Goals Grid. It can be used to examine how you got to where you are and to set directions for where you want to go from here. Its four quadrants—Achieve, Preserve, Avoid, and Eliminate—will accommodate all goals and objectives.


This paper shows the development of a measurement system for transportation purposes based in triaxial accelerometers and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) that allow the measurement of acceleration events produced by fast driving or floor's structures or defects as holes, speed bumps or among others and to report the geographic position where the event occurred through the GPS module. Finally, the data obtained from the vehicles, by a wireless module or SD Card files, are processed and shown in a global map using a friendly LabVIEW™ interface.


This paper aims to reveal the fatigue damage and instability behaviors of mud-shale under multistage increasing-amplitude fatigue loading. The fatigue loading tests combined with real-time acoustic emission (AE) monitoring technique were employed to investigate the influence of water content on the deformation, damage, and fracture characteristics. Testing results show that rock fatigue life decreases with the increase of water content, and the hysteresis curve changes regularly with time. The failure process can be divided into three stages: initial stage, stable development stage and acceleration stage. The acoustic emission output activities were also influenced by the water content. The acoustic emission ring count and acoustic emission energy both decrease with increasing water ratio and the accumulative count and energy are the least for a sample having high water ratio. The acoustic emission activity shows a sudden increase trend at the amplitude-increasing moment, indicating the occurrence of strong damage within rock sample. The damage propagation within a cyclic loading stage is relatively small compared to the stress-increasing moment. The results are helpful to understand the fatigue mechanical responses of water-sensitive soft rock, as well as the slope stability of the open-pit mine. The research results have important theoretical and practical significance for promoting slope treatment and disaster prevention.


Finn is a fostered boy aged eight, seen three times a week for psychotherapy. He and an older sibling were removed from his parents when Finn was aged five, and placed with the current foster carers. The placement has periodically been jeopardised by his chaotic and destructive behaviour, which includes instances of harming a neighbour's pets. In Finn's home of origin, he and five older siblings formed a feral gang whose activities went unmonitored by his parents, often absent. In his first five years, he was exposed to the sadism and drug taking of his eldest brother and friends. He was physically neglected and often went hungry, since he was dependent on older siblings to procure him something to eat. He was referred because of his sadism towards animals, his destructive behaviour and a relentless preoccupation with food. He has intermittent contact with his parents, which he anticipates with both excitement and distress. Finn's foster mother is seen every two weeks by a social worker colleague, but she continues to find it hard to put herself in his shoes, or to see that there is a relationship between his current behaviour and his early history. There are also regular and productive network meetings involving social workers and teachers, which have played a role in making his placement more stable. Finn attends an EBD school, where there is intermittent concern about his distractibility and disruptive behaviour. He has friends, but tends to become a ringleader and involves them in his comic misdemeanours. Aside from this, he is a bright, imaginative child who is reading and writing well for his age. In his sessions, Finn is endearing, funny and affectionate, but can become extremely chaotic, physically aggressive and destructive when he is anxious. Shifts of mood take place with disconcerting rapidity and unpredictability, and in the countertransference I experience these transformations as both frightening and hurtful. Early sessions were spent trying to manage his behaviour as he ran about the clinic, kicked and pinched me, and tried to flood the room and damage its furnishings with scissors. He has, however, rapidly made use of me as an adult who will tolerate, verbalise and try to understand his feelings. He was initially bemused that I would allow myself to be involved in his games, and now often uses me to play out, in the realm of pretend, the terror and deprivation of his early environment. A central protagonist in his games is a 'Mad Cook', who JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPY


We present a new approach for ultra-high-performance tandem solar cells that involves inverted epitaxial growth and ultra-thin device processing. The additional degree of freedom afforded by the inverted design allows the monolithic integration of high-, and medium-bandgap, lattice-matched (LM) subcell materials with lower-bandgap, lattice-mismatched (LMM) materials in a tandem structure through the use of transparent compositionally graded layers. The current work concerns an inverted, seriesconnected, triple-bandgap, GaInP (LM, 1.87 eV)/GaAs (LM, 1.42 eV)/GaInAs (LMM, ~1 eV) device structure grown on a GaAs substrate. Ultra-thin tandem devices are fabricated by mounting the epiwafers to pre-metallized Si wafer handles and selectively removing the parent GaAs substrate. The resulting handle-mounted, ultra-thin tandem cells have a number of important advantages, including improved performance and potential reclamation/reuse of the parent substrate for epitaxial growth. Additionally, realistic performance modeling calculations suggest that terrestrial concentrator efficiencies in the range of 40-45% are possible with this new tandem cell approach. Laboratory-scale (0.243 cm 2 ), prototype


This study was carried out during 2014 and 2015 seasons to examine the effect of three levels of fruiting spur length (two, three or four eyes/ spur) and four concentrations of seaweed extract (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4%) on the percentages of bud burst and fruiting buds, growth, vine nutritional status, yield and berries quality of Early sweet grapevines grown under Minia region conditions. Increasing fruiting spur length from two to four eyes resulted in a gradual reduction on bud burst%, leaf area, berry setting%, yield, cluster weight and dimensions, shot berries% and total acidity%, while fruiting buds%, shoot length, number of leaves / shoot, percentages of N, P, K, Mg and Ca, berry weight and dimensions, T.S.S%, total sugars % and T.S.S./acid ratio were progressively enhanced. Foliar application of seaweed extract at 0.05% to 0.4% resulted in stimulating all the investigated characteristics except shot berries% and total acidity% over the check treatment. The effect was in proportional to the increase in concentrations of seaweed extract. All the studied parameters were unaffected by increasing concentrations of seaweed extract from 0.2 to 0.4%. For promoting the yield of Early Sweet grapevines quantitatively, it is suggested to prune the vines leaving 30 fruiting spurs x two eyes/ each besides spraying seaweed extract three times at 0.2%. Pruning to leave15 fruiting spurs x four eyes/ each plus spraying seaweed extract three times at 0.2% gave the best results with regard to quality of the berries.


Remote sensing change detection (CD) using multitemporal hyperspectral images (HSI) is a process of extraction of change features and classification. However, the high dimensionality of HSI not only leads to expensive computation but also suffers from spectral-spatial variability and inner-class heterogeneity. In this paper, we proposed two algorithms for CD based on the tensor train (TT) decomposition, which uses a well-balanced matricization strategy to capture hidden information from tensors. The first algorithm TT decomposition uses nuclear norm hence named TTNN_CD and the second algorithm uses multilinear matrix factorization bypassing the expensive SVD named TTMMF_CD. We use -augmentation (KA) scheme to represent the low-order tensor into a high-order tensor to extract change features efficiently. The experiments reveal that TT-based CD outperforms its tensor counterpart, HOSVD, and some other commonly used approaches.


IL-2 is the first cytokine produced when naive T helper (Th) cells are activated and differentiate into dividing pre-Th0 proliferating precursors. The HIV1 virus is transcriptionally active in activated CD4 T-cells, and inactive in naive CD4 T-cells. IL-2 and HIV-1 expression is blocked in naive Th cells by a transcriptional silencer that binds to the ARRE-2/NFAT element of the IL-2 gene promoter and RATS-Repressor Activator Target Sequence of HIV1-LTR (-279 to -250bp). These two elements share a homologous sequence that encompasses the AAGGAG Ets-2 binding site. Herein we show that Ets-2 is the repressor of IL-2 and HIV-1-LTR expression in CD4+CD45RA+CD25-FoxP3- naive Th cells by binding to this common region. This silencing activity disappears in activated naive Th cells and memory Th cells.
We first measured the levels of ets-2 mRNA in activated with PMA/Ionomycin (P/I) or non activated (CM) peripheral blood-derived T-cells and 9 leukemic cell lines. Ets-2 mRNA was synthesized in T-cells and in the most cell lines when cultured in plain culture medium (CM), but its synthesis was severely reduced when the cells were stimulated. In naive Th cells, the ets-2 mRNA, quantity of Ets-2 protein and its binding activity to ARRE-2 and RATS sequence decrease upon Th cell activation, followed by a reciprocal expression of IL-2. Cyclosporine A stabilizes ets-2 mRNA and protein when the cells are activated.
 We transfected Jurkat cells with (i) the reporter plasmids IL-2-CAT, 4xARRE-CAT (4 copies of ARRE-2 sequence), 2xmutantARRE-CAT (carries a point mutation in the Ets-2 binding site) (ii) HIV1-LTR-CAT, 2xRATS-CAT (2 copies of RATS sequence), 2xmutantRATS-CAT (carries a point mutation in the Ets-2 binding site) and CMV-CAT (control), (iii) pCDNA3-ets2 (for ets-2 overexpression), (iv) ets-2 shRNA (to silence ets-2 expression in the cells). Co-transfection experiments in Jurkat cells with increasing amounts of pCDNA3-ets2, led to a gradual reduction of IL-2-CAT, 4xARRE-CAT, HIV1-LTR-CAT and 2xRATS-CAT transcriptional activity, upon cell stimulation with P/I, but not of CMV-CAT. No transcriptional response was observed for the 2xmutantARRE-CAT and 2xmutantRATS-CAT reporter genes. Cotransfection experiments with HIV1-LTR-CAT, 2xRATS-CAT and ets-2 shRNA led to an increase in both reporter genes activity but not for 2xmutantRATS-CAT and CMV-CAT. Also transfection of the Jurkat cell line with ets-2 shRNA clones led to a slight expression of endogenous IL-2 mRNA confirming that Ets-2 acts as a repressor of IL-2 expression in these cells in non inductive conditions. Chromatin Imunoprecipitation experiments revealed that Ets-2 binding activity to the ARRE-2 element of the native IL-2 promoter is stronger in naive Th cells compared to activated or memory Th cells. In the same way when ChiP experiments performed in transfected with the HIV-1-LTR plasmid Jurkat cells, Ets-2 binding activity to the RATS element was stronger to the CM condition compared to the P/I where the Ets-2 binding activity disappears.
 In this work we suggest that ets-2 expression and protein binding to the ARRE-2 element of the IL-2 promoter are part of a strictly regulated process that results in a physiological transition of naive Th cells to Th0 cells upon antigenic stimulation. Malfunction of such a repression mechanism at the molecular level could lead to disturbed later events in Th cell plasticity, leading, in term, to autoimmune diseases or other pathological conditions. The transition of naive Th cells to memory and activated Th cells plays a crucial role in the activation of the HIV-1-LTR expression in the infected cells. Thus, our results also confirm the role of Ets-2 as a transcriptional repressor of HIV1. This HIV1-LTR-RATS-mediated repression may account for the low-level transcription and replication of HIV1 in naive T-cells, and contribute to the viral latency and maintenance of viral reservoirs in patients, despite long-term therapy.


Abstract Many people living with dementia experience difficulties comprehending language, and benefit from nonverbal communication (NVC). Yet, little published empirical evidence exists for care partners regarding NVC strategies that support person-centered communication with perons living with dementia. This study aimed to determine whether NVC strategies used by personal support workers accompany verbal communication demonstrating person-centered communication indicators (facilitation, negotiation, recognition, validation). Secondary data analysis of video-recorded interactions (n=40) between personal support workers and simulated persons living with dementia was conducted. The recordings were transcribed according to communication-units, which were coded for person-centered communication and NVC, using a novel coding system consisting of ten NVC strategies. The overlap between NVC strategies and verbal person-centered communication was examined. Findings revealed that personal support workers frequently accompany verbal person-centered communication with NVC strategies. Out of 1848 communication-units in which person-centered verbal communication was used, 69% overlapped with NVC strategies. Gaze overlapped with all person-centered communication indicators frequently, both individually (40% – 49% of overlapping communication-units) and when combined with touch (13-24%). Gestures using objects (with and without gaze) frequently accompanied facilitation (17%) and negotiation (21%), while positive facial expressions (with and without gaze) were commonly found in recognition (16%) and validation (16%). The use of NVC strategies which support person-centered communication may lead to communication enhancement, in turn improving interactions and relationships between persons living with dementia and their care partners.


This study presents a new interpretation of tithe references in Scripture. It departs from the conventional view that the tithe is merely a tax levied on the people. Rather it sees the tithe as a partnership or compact with God in which tangible goods are exchanged for intangible ones. Taking the Pentateuch in its entirety as our contextreveals the tithe to bepart of a pattern of reciprocities in which goods are exchanged for divine acceptance, protection, and blessing.


Adherence of S. typhimurium to intestinal epithelial cell surfaces is believed to play a primary role in the pathogenesis of this organism. The major known adherent component of S. typhimurium is the type-1 fimbriae. However, in vitro studies implicating type-1 fimbriae in the attachment of S. typhimurium to cultured non-intestinal cells (HeLa or HEp-2) have been controversial. To resolve this issue, we investigated the binding of 3H-labelled S. typhimurium to freshly isolated rat enterocytes. The results clearly established that fimbriated strains adhered in much higher numbers than non-fimbriated strains. Adherence was inhibited by mannose and alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. Cultivation under conditions that do not permit expression of fimbriae yielded bacteria which adhered in lower numbers than fimbriated bacteria. There was no difference between enterocytes from proximal or distal small intestine. The level of adherent bacteria increased significantly during postnatal development and reached adult levels at weaning time. The results indicate that the adherence of S. typhimurium to enterocytes is facilitated by type-1 fimbriae. There appears to be an age dependent postnatal development of available receptors on rat enterocytes for S. typhimurium.


By using the bibliometric method,this paper makes astatistical analysis on the papers and authors in Science in China(Series C) in 2001-2005.


Thirty-eight indium isotopes (A = 98-135) have so far been observed; the discovery of these isotopes is discussed. For each isotope a brief summary of the first refereed publication, including the production and identification method, is presented.


Objective introduce the development of Non-ionic surfactant based vesicles.Methods Retrieve、classify and arrange documentations of china and abroad.Results and Conclusion Non-ionic surfactant based vesicles is a novel drug carrier which has the characters of liposome.Because of the chemical stability of surfactant and,niosome is more stability than liposome.Surfactant can promote the permeation of drug through skin,so noisome has exclusive advantages in vitro cutaneous delivery.


Abstract This study compared depressed and nondepressed undergraduates identified by the Beck Depression Inventory on concept discrimination learning problems. In two experiments, both groups generally performed at ceiling when solving simpler 1- and 2-dimensional problems, but the depressed subjects showed significant impairment on 4-dimensional problems. The first experiment investigated the role of storage in task performance. The second experiment was designed to focus attention at critical stages, and also manipulated storage demands. The depressed subjects in each experiment solved fewer problems correctly and made significantly more errors when listing hypotheses; there was little evidence that the experimental manipulations differentially facilitated their performance. The findings are considered in relation to current models of cognitive function in depression.


ABSTRACT This paper focuses on Romani and Aboriginal peoples who live at the margins of Italian and Australian societies, often in city 'camps' that show signs of institutional abandonment, neglect and extreme decay. To address this socio-economic disadvantage and improve the quality of life, the governments of these two countries have implemented what we have defined 'parallel emergencies', extraordinary policy measures of intervention, surveillance and control. This paper argues that these policies that aim to improve the everyday lives of Romani and Aboriginal peoples, however, often re-produce a 'tradition' of institutionalised racism that can be traced back to the post-Unification period in Italy and the Federation period in Australia. By drawing on the work of Giorgio Agamben, we highlight the approach adopted by Italian and Australian institutions in terms of 'inclusive exclusion'. On the one hand, the government makes significant investment in schooling and employment projects; on the other, it keeps promoting the use of emergency measures, which leaves slender scope for Romani and Aboriginal voices.


Abstract The aim was to see how burn victims experience their situation and if they feel suffering. Then it is discussed against different perspectives of suffering. The problems were ?How does a b ...


Dilated cardiomyopathy in association with coeliac disease has been rarely reported in the past. We describe a case of dilated cardiomyopathy in a young patient in which all other causes were excluded. The patient was found to have previously undiagnosed coeliac disease and had a good improvement in symptoms as well as left ventricular function and dimensions as a result of a gluten free diet. It may be worthwhile considering checking a coeliac serology in patients who present with a dilated cardiomyopathy as it is a simple investigation and has considerable implications on overall management and perhaps prognosis.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the serum sE-cadherin level in patients with endometriosis and the alterations of that level in healthy control during the menstrual cycle.

METHODS
Thirty-two patients with endometriosis and 30 healthy women were tested for serum sE-cadherin levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS
The serum sE-cadherin levels in healthy control did not vary throughout the menstrual cycle, which were lower than those in patients with endometriosis.

CONCLUSIONS
E-cadherin might be involved in endometrial shedding during menstruation in endometriosis patients. The serum sE-cadherin assay might be helpful as a serum marker for the diagnosis and management of endometriosis.


In management accounting, feedback has been considered mainly as an ex post control device offering comparative and evaluative information for managers. It has been largely analyzed within the cybernetic control theory offering quite a mechanistic way of understanding the nature of feedback in organizational control. This article takes the wellknown model of organizational control by Flamholtz (1996, 1983) as an example of how feedback is seen to operate in the core control system. However, in the light of apparent and widely acknowledged limitations of formal control systems' abilities to produce all relevant information for managers, the existence and use of different forms and channels of feedback are studied in the wider context including both formal and informal control. The notions of formal and informal feedback are introduced and analyzed with the help of a qualitative case study in one Division of a large, globally operating Finnish metal industry company. This article appreciates the calls for studying more the channels and use of feedback in organizations as well as the demands for a wider understanding of feedback from being more than a part of system-based control in management accounting.


Suspected spontaneous ecchymoses may indicate rare but serious underlying bleeding disorders. By undertaking a thorough clinical assessment and appropriately safety-netting patients, clinicians can reduce the need for unnecessary investigations and follow-up. Objective: To report a case of symmetrical posterior lower limb bruising in a Qatari male football fan twelve-hours following his attendance at a Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup match in Doha, Qatar. Background: A 36-year-old previously fit and well Qatari male presented routinely to a primary healthcare centre in Doha, Qatar, after waking with painless bruising to the posterior aspects of both thighs and calves. He attended a Qatar 2022 World Cup football match as a fan the evening before, and reported being completely well prior to this. He scored 0 on both the Bleeding Assessment Score and Wells' Criteria for DVT. Following a thorough history, examination and laboratory studies to exclude possible bleeding disorders, a diagnosis of simple purpura was made. The patient was reviewed a week later, and confirmed complete resolution. Conclusions: Fit and well football fans presenting with bruising to the dorsum of the legs in a similar pattern can, following a thorough assessment, be diagnosed with simple purpura. Key Words: Bruising, ecchymosis, football fan, soccer fan, Fan Seat Bruising


In the present study a critical evaluation of analytical methods for the determination of PAHs in wastes originating from fossil fuel processing in general, and particularly from combustion and retorting of Estonian oil shale is presented. The analysis for PAHs in solid matrices includes several procedures, i.e. separation, cleanup and final determination. Classical and modern separation methods are characterized and examples of their use for oil shale wastes are demonstrated. For the final determination of PAHs in oil shale matrices chromatographic methods are used. A new approach involving the use of fluorinated PAHs as internal standards is introduced and discussed.


song&dquo; on local government by J. H. Warren. The last few decades have indeed greatly diminished the scope and significance of British local self-government. And yet, as Warren so well puts it, &dquo;The spirit of local initiative and responsibility, the sense of local community, and the process of mutual education that springs from the co-operation of groups, classes and individuals in the provision of communal needs, should not be allowed to perish because they lack suitable organs, adapted to the needs of the time, endowed with adequate powers, and possessing a wide freedom for real initiative&dquo; (pp. 232-3). Although British Government since 1918 is both too technical and too spotty for the general American reader, it does contain much of value to political scientists and as such is to be commended.


The Icelandic pension system has grown significantly in the past years. Following the financial crisis in 2008, discussion about the pension funds' investments became more apparent, with the focus being on foreign investments and whether they should be increased. Evidence shows that a better risk-return relationship can be realized with international diversification. The aim of this research was to analyse the effects of international diversification within selected Icelandic pension funds, over the period from 2004 to 2016. The research used different levels of foreign investments to capture the effect of international diversification over the research period. Furthermore, optimal portfolios were estimated to identify the maximum benefits of higher levels of foreign investments. The results indicate that a better risk-return relationship can be achieved within the Icelandic pension funds by increasing the level of foreign investments within their portfolios. The findings of the research argue that the potential benefits of international diversification are not fully exploited within the Icelandic pension funds.


The invention discloses a pacemaker pulse generation and distribution circuit based on a constant current source, which comprises a DCDC isolation module, a DCDC boosting module, a first electrode, a second electrode, a constant current source module, an analog isolation module, an ADC (analog-to-digital converter) module and a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) module, wherein the DCDC isolation module is connected with the DCDC boosting module; the DCDC boosting module is connected with the first electrode connected with a human body; the second electrode connected with the human body is connected with the constant current source module; the constant current source module is connected with the analog isolation module; and the analog isolation module is connected with the ADC module and the DAC module. The invention effectively solves the problems in the prior art; and due to the adoption of modular design, the circuit is simple, high in stability and convenient to debug.


This paper examines the effect of sideslip on typical kinematic navigation models that neglect lateral vehicle dynamics. A kinematic model accounting for sideslip and requiring no knowledge of vehicle parameters was developed. The expanded model shows improvements to traditional modelling and emphasises the need to include sideslip for improved navigational accuracy with and without GPS. Future control systems, such as lane keeping, will require this higher accuracy to perform properly. Sideslip was calculated using a dual antenna GPS receiver and only required simple geometric vehicle knowledge. A non-linear vehicle simulation was developed and used to demonstrate the effects of sideslip on navigation solutions in a controlled setting. Experimental data is examined from an emergency lane change manoeuvre to display errors in navigation estimates caused by sideslip. Results show the model including sideslip provides a higher accuracy navigation estimate.


Variational Bayesian methods work well when the distribution of interest can be represented by a Euclidian space using a bijective transformation between phylogenies and their representation. Until now, full phylogenetic inference has been hampered by the lack of such transformation. Here, we study the distance matrix as a representation of a phylogeny through single link clustering. Though such representation does not map to unique trees, restriction to a subspace we call a "cube", makes the representation bijective at the cost of not being able to represent all possible trees. We introduce a variational Bayesian algorithm "cubeVB" based on MCMC and show through well calibrated simulation study that it is possible to recover parameters of interest like tree height and length. Although a cube cannot represent all of tree space, it is a great improvement over a single summary tree, and it opens up exciting new opportunities for scaling up Bayesian phylogenetic inference. An open source implementation of the cubeVB algorithm is available from https://github.com/rbouckaert/cubevb as the cubevb package to BEAST 2.


Since the 1970s, a series of demand and supply related changes have led to significant labour market transformations which have brought about a sustained increase in female employment throughout the world. While similar transformations have also been underway in Turkey, the country appears to be one of the rare exceptions to worldwide trends. During the last two decades both female labour force participation and female employment rates have declined at national level. In this article, two sets of questions are posed to explore the factors likely to influence female labour force participation. One set of questions pertains to the society-specific dynamics of structural change in employment patterns in Turkey, with particular reference to the level and composition of employment in the service sector. A second set of questions is posed to examine labour market relations and the social policy environment in Turkey, and their impact on the demand for and supply of female labour. Current changes in the prevailing policy environment are considered to highlight a certain contradiction in the attitudes of decision makers who seem to be faced with a trade-off between continuing adherence to conservative patriarchal values and the objectives of increasing labour force participation and combating poverty.


The invention provides a multifunctional special hospital bed for cardiology department. The multifunctional special hospital bed comprises an upper bed plate, a lower bed plate, hydraulic lifting rods and a support table, wherein pulleys are arranged under the upper bed plate, slide grooves are arranged above the lower bed plate, the connecting and the relative movement of the upper bed plate and the lower bed plate are realized by the sliding of the pulleys in the slide grooves, the upper bed plate and the lower bed plate are arranged on the support table and are respectively provided with through holes and a feces leaking port in the same positions, the surface of the upper bed plate is provided with an air bag, the upper bed plate and the lower bed plate respectively comprise an upper plate, a left plate, a middle plate and a right plate, the three hydraulic lifting rods are arranged under the lower bed plate, and the ascending or the descending of each part of the upper bed plate and the lower bed plate is controlled by the lifting of the hydraulic lifting rods, so as to help a patient to sit or turn. The multifunctional special hospital bed has the advantages that the effects of sitting, turning, moving, diagnosing, fixing and excretion are comprehensively realized by one time in the nursing process of the patient of the cardiology department, the cost is low, the effect is good, the function is multiple, and the practicality is high.


This work evaluates how local land use regulations and development patterns support transportation efficiency in urban and suburban areas. An efficient transportation system includes multiple transportation modes and reduces the need to drive alone. The research sheds light on how long-term efforts to devise transportation-efficient land development regulations have shaped new development. Data include surveys of zoning and development regulations in 19 study areas of Puget Sound, Washington, and reviews of 163 projects with a building permit. Analyses focus on the frequency of use of transportation-efficient elements in land use regulations, the frequency of adherence to these elements in projects, and the connections between area regulations and development. Fifty elements classified into six categories of transportation-efficient land use serve to evaluate the characteristics of regulations and permitted projects in each study area. The research shows that local jurisdictions have adopted many transportation-efficient regulations, and many of the projects reviewed follow these regulations. Compact development stands out as a major strategy used successfully in area regulations and permitted projects. Pedestrian-oriented environment and street–sidewalk connectivity are used at the project level but less so in regulations. Parking elements are weakest at the regulatory and project levels. Washington State growth management approaches to land use appear to become integrated into local regulatory frameworks and to be followed through in the implementation and development process. Work is needed regionally to increase the use of transportation-efficient land use strategies, with particular attention to parking regulations.


Introduction - The Internet is an excellent marketing tool for our days in marketing. E-marketing today is a fast-growing sector for marketing companies. For the global change in marketing, the internet has played an important role on this. Through the different research surveys, it was found that e-marketing can increase th sales of different products. Because of this, mainly companies trade and supply goods from one country to another. The consumer response is changing for the purchase of goods and services through e-marketing techniques.
Purpose - The purpose of this diploma thesis is to make a deep researchon the scope of the impact of Digital Marketing on consumer behavior.
Materials - Method - The main research method is the qualitative one upon collection of secondary data, intersection and presentation with statistical data processing. The data that will result from the qualitative research which are appropriately structured in order to provide concrete evidence on the impact of Digital Marketing on consumer behavior.
Sample - The research survey population consists of eighty (80) people listed as consumers who complete answers to a survey questionnaire on the impact of Digital Marketing on consumer behavior.
Key Conclusions – The most significant conclusion from the research, they apply to the fact that most of the respondents aged 25 to 50, they mention that they are happy to receive targeted emails with advertisements of interest to them, while respondents aged 18-24 years old were divided as half said they would thank them to a moderate degree while the others half to a large extent. Most respondents who spend up to 3 hours a day on the internet said a video in an ad , itwould have prompted them to buy a product to a large extent, and most people who spend more than 6 hours on the internet said a video would encourage them to shop greatly.


This paper describes a student design workshop conducted in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) in which students implemented microcontroller applications using the principles of Fuzzy Logic as contained in the features of the MC68HC12 microcontroller. This workshop provided students with a unique opportunity to merge their academic understanding of Fuzzy Logic techniques with their ability to design and implement microcontroller systems. The paper describes the MC68HC12 microcontroller features that support Fuzzy Logic, introduces Fuzzy Logic and intelligent control, and details student projects suggested in this design workshop. The goals of these studies are: to illustrate Fuzzy Logic theory, to apply Fuzzy Logic features of the MC68HC12, and to implement applications of fuzzy control.


The book provides a helpful guide to law students, especially those on the GDL course. It covers the seven qualifying foundation subjects; Criminal Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, European Union Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Equity and Trusts and Land Law. In each of these subjects it uses landmark cases a vehicle to explain key principals and thereby give a clear overview of what each subject is about.


This study aims at combing several clues of the source of 'U Type' in Siza's architecture, analyzing the 'duality' of 'U Type' to reveal the reason why Siza chose 'U Type' as prototype in the appropriate contexts, and discussing the operational mechanism how 'U type' approaches or transforms to reality from three levels: group differentiation of 'big U type', monomer deformation of 'small U type', and composition of multiple 'U type'. This paper points out that Siza's 'U Type' is the result of the comprehensive transformation of diverse factors, such as Portuguese courtyard residence tradition, Nordic Scandinavian organic architectural culture, Le Corbusier's architectural heritage, and traditional basilica's A-B-A spatial form. As a prototype that contains multiple 'duality' which is also degenerative, 'U Type' shows the significance of 'Universality', this is why Siza repeatedly used 'U type' to intervene on reality. In the relatively empty or bad context with the absence of the 'root of the city', 'U Type' resets the starting point, absorbs the site with its concave semi-open form, and transforms from closed to open, from simple to complex, from rational to poetic (reality) through a series of operations such as 'differentiation and connection, deformation and growth, composition and adjustment' which is to respond the problem of reality.


Abstrct: Groundwater is one of the important sources of potable water supply in rural India. The study area of Makrana block is located in the south-eastern part of Nagaur district of Rajasthan covering about 1140 sq. km. area. The marble from the Makrana town gets the GHSR (Global Heritage Stone Resources) status recently from the IUGS. The study area experiences arid to semi-arid type of climate. Older alluvium, Quaternary Alluvium and Schist are important aquifers occur in Makrana block. Groundwater occurs under unconfined to semi-confined conditions. Groundwater quality and depth of water varies widely in Makrana block. High concentration of fluoride and nitrate are major quality problem associated with groundwater and having adverse effects on human health. High concentration of fluoride in a particular belt is so remarkable that the term BANKA PATTI (a strip of land where deformed people reside) has been in used covering parts of Parbatsar, Makrana and Degana blocks of Nagaur district wherein some villages the fluoride concentration in groundwater is over 4 ppm. The concentration of Fluoride mainly comes from Schists, Gneiss and Limestone of Proterozoic age. Higher concentration of fluoride affects metabolic activities of an individual which may cause skeletal and dental fluorosis. The disease fluorosis is non curable but preventable


We report a Ni and Si L3,2-edge x-ray absorption near edge structures (XANES) study of nickel–silicon interaction in submicron (0.15 and 0.2 μm) lines on a n-Si(100) wafer as well as a series of well characterized Ni–Si blanket films. XANES measurements recorded in both total electron yield and soft x-ray fluorescence yield indicate that under the selected silicidation conditions, the more desirable low resistivity phase, NiSi, is indeed the dominant phase in the subhalf-micron lines although the formation of this phase is less complete as the line becomes narrower and this is accompanied by a Ni rich surface.


Thermal fatigue life of ceramic ball grid array(CBGA)devices under thermal cycling conditions was presented in-55℃~125℃.Failure mechanism of the soldered joints including the germinating position and expanding direction of the cracks were observed and analyzed by optical microscopy.Results show that the crack in soldered joints germinats in the borderline all around the outmost solder balls.With the increasing of thermal cycling times,the cracks expand from the borderline of outmost solder balls to the ball center along the interfaces.It is found that the germination and expanding of the micro-cracks are caused by highly concentrated stress and strain as well as interaction between thermal cycling and creep.


Primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a heterogeneous malignancy with limited data to guide management. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with or without lenalidomide in a single-center patient cohort. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. The log-rank test was used to perform univariate survival analysis, and Cox multivariable analysis was carried out to analyze significant (P < 0.05) factors from the univariate analysis. The cohort included 219 patients, of whom 140 (64%) had primary gastric lymphoma and 79 (36%) had primary intestinal lymphoma. Most tumors (205; 93%) were composed of predominantly B-cell lymphoma; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common pathologic type for both primary gastric lymphoma and primary intestinal lymphoma. Univariate analysis showed that lesion location, age, clinical stage, and sex were not associated with overall survival, but MYC rearrangement, tumor cell type, international prognostic index score, and malignant degree were associated with prognosis. Multivariable analysis showed that MYC rearrangement and tumor cell type were independent prognostic factors. The OS and PFS of patients with MYC rearrangement were shorter than that of patients without MYC rearrangement indicating that MYC rearrangement was associated with decreased survival. Neither overall survival nor progression-free survival differed between patients who received chemotherapy with surgery and those who received chemotherapy without surgery, but patients who received surgery alone had a poor prognosis. Surgery was mainly conducted to relieve tumor-related complications or to make the diagnosis. For patients with invasive B-cell lymphoma with MYC rearrangement, the addition of lenalidomide (25 mg daily, days 1-21) to chemotherapy were given. Both of the OS and PFS of patients with lenalidomide were prolonged compared with patients without lenalidomide indicating that lenalidomide could improve the prognosis of patients with invasive B-cell lymphoma with MYC rearrangement.
 Keywords: primary gastrointestinal lymphomas, lenalidomide, prognosis

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Subtitle: The Russian carrier has had an illustrious past, and it is going from strength to strength. Will Roberts reports from Moscow.


Coolant line assembly for a by a refrigerant component to be cooled (19) in an engine compartment (10) of a vehicle, having a first coolant duct (21) for cooling the component (19) having a first inlet region (15) in the front end and a first outlet region ( 24) for the refrigerant at the (component to be cooled 19), and (with a second coolant guide channel 22) having a second inlet region (16) and a coupling portion (23) for association of (in the second coolant guide channel 22) guided refrigerant in having first coolant passage (21) flowing coolant, characterized in that the first coolant duct (21) for cooling the component (19) to the second coolant passage (22) in the coupling region (23) is connected together and in the first coolant passage (21) between the first the inlet region (15) and a mouth portion of the second coolant guide channel (22) a first closure means (25) is arranged, which eintretendem of through the first inlet region (15), refrigerant can be overcome when the dynamic pressure of the refrigerant is large enough.


There is much hope in being able to leverage technology to improve health care, and understandably much frustration when it does not deliver as quickly as hoped. However, as with any cycle, it is important to avoid the lows as well as the highs. We should not lose sight of the goal and not forget to


The recently isolated phages ØST3 and ØST1 were compared as to their lysis behaviour in about 100 different P. aeruginosa strains. The growth of ØST3 varies greatly in different host strains. We demonstrated one case of "non‐classical", host‐dependent modification and restriction. Here the capability to adsorb, and consequently to reproduce in a given host strain differs, depending on which modification the phage aquired in its former host. — The DNA‐containing phage ØST1 displays stable lysis properties in the majority of the host strains. This makes ØST1 a candidate for therapeutic phage preparations. One of the reasons for stable lysis properties is the apparent selection against recognition sites of restriction enzymes in its genome.


Article history: Received February 25, 2016 Received in revised format: March 28, 2016 Accepted August 22, 2016 Available online August 23 2016 In today's era of higher competition in the business, there are many conditions such as offered concession in bulk purchasing, seasonality, higher ordering cost, etc., which force a retailer to purchase more quantities than needed or exceed the storage capacity. So in this situation the retailer has to purchase an extra warehouse named as rented warehouse to stock the extra quantity. In this paper an inventory model for deteriorating products with selling price dependent rate is developed. The occurring shortages are assumed to be partially backlogged and cycle time is also variable. The purpose of the development of this model is to compute the amount and time of order which can optimize the total average cost of the system. A solution procedure and numerical example are presented to illustrate the implementation of the proposed study. Sensitivity analysis concerning with distinct system parameters is also presented to demonstrate the model. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 7 © 201


Administration of 2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[i ,2-b]pyrazole (IMPY; NSC 51143), 250 to 500 mg/kg, in Day 5 Li 210 and P388 (ascltes) tumor-bearing mice did not consistently prolong the life span of tumor-bearing animals. Flow cytometry and autoradiographic studies showed that, after 12 to i 8 hr of a single IMPY Injection, both P388 and Li 210 tumor cells were synchronized in S phase. In contrast, IMPY inhibited cellular proliferation in both bone marrow and duodenal crypts during the first 24 hr, and a recovery was detectable only after 36 hn, returning to pretherapy values by 72 hr. Preliminary data indicate that this differential response of normal versus tumor cells to IMPY can be exploited to maximizechemotherapeutic efficacy in scheduledchemotherapywith cycle-specific agents.


The determination of rare earth elements (REE) in spent catalyst samples from oil refinery is proposed. Three sample treatment procedures were tested, one without HF and two using different amounts of HF and boric acid. A microwave evaporation step to promote the dissolution of the REE fluorides was carried out. The medium containing 1.0 mL of HF and 8.0 mL of boric acid promoted the complete digestion. Studies were carried out using a reaction cell to overcome polyatomic interferences on four elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Certified reference material, TDB-1, was used to evaluate the method accuracy applied to ten spent catalysts. The sample treatment is fast and promotes the complete digestion of the samples and the developed procedure led to proper accuracy for 14 of the 16 determined analytes. Recovery tests presented values between 87% and 101%.


This paper presents the design and construction of a deep excavation for building foundations in saturated soil. This deep excavation was of particular interest because it was located above and beside the Shanghai Metro tun- nels. The twin Shanghai Metro tunnels had to be in full operation during the deep excavation. Potential large deforma- tion of the twin tunnels was one of the main concerns during the design and construction for the deep excavation. The paper discusses in detail the criteria and measures for controlling the soil and tunnel deformation. The measures in - cluded cast-in-place concrete diaphragm walls with bracing structural members, pumping consolidation, cement-soil mix pile systems, and rational excavation procedures. A simplified theoretical method was proposed to estimate the in- crement in undrained shear strength in a soft clay layer due to pumping consolidation. Furthermore, conventional finite element methods were used to predict the soil vertical and horizontal displacements induced by the excavation. Using the design and construction methods discussed in the paper, the settlement and horizontal displacement of the tunnels were successfully controlled within 5.0 mm and 9.0 mm, respectively. The curvature of longitudinal deformation curve of the tunnels was less than 1/15 000. The horizontal displacement of the braced diaphragm walls was less than 0.12% of the total excavation depth.


In designing of a helium axial compressor from its homologous air compressor, the similarities between them have to be investigated. Such as how to establish the similarity criterion, how to prescribe the experimental air compressor's parameters by the similitude laws, how to get the performance data of helium compressor from the air compressor test data etc, are important for the accurate design. The first stage of a high pressure helium compressor is taken as experimental model, with air as the working fluids in the experiments. The differences of physical parameters of helium and air, like density, viscosity, adiabatic exponent have been considered. The similitude laws used in the experiment have been established, and the reasons of deviation and correcting methods are analyzed. These results are useful references for the aerodynamic design of helium compressor.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Objective To evaluate the influence of exercise endurance and intensity on the appearance of cardiac biomarkers and nitric oxide(NO)in military recruits.Method A total of 65 male military recruits took part in a 5 kilometers run.Serum cardiac troponinI(cTnI),N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and NO were measured before and after the run.Heart rate(HR)monitoring was also performed during the run to evaluate the exercise intensity.Results Increase of serum cTnI and NT-proBNP were observed two hours following the run,but returned towards pre-exercise level 24 hours after the run.55.38% of participants exhibited cTnI levels above 0.010μg/L and increased in prolongation of HRmax exercise.NO concentration increased significantly immediately after exercise.Conclusions The elevation of cardiac biomarkers and NO is partly associated with endurance exercise intensity.There may exist the increase of the myocardial cell membrane permeability and reversible myocardial damage.The increase of serum NO doesn't affect the release of myocardial markers.


A semiconductor memory apparatus includes: a first sense amplification unit including first and second inverters configured to be driven to voltage levels of a power driving signal and a ground driving signal and forming a latch structure between a bit line and a bit line bar; and a second sense amplification unit including first and second transistors configured to be driven to the voltage level of the ground driving signal and forming a latch structure between the bit line and the bit line bar when an activated switching signal is applied, wherein a threshold voltage of the second sense amplification unit is set lower than that of the first sense amplification unit.


ABSTRACT Hybrid approaches to teaching, where there is a proportion of online (asynchronous or synchronous) teaching as well as face-to-face synchronous teaching, were adopted almost ubiquitously by UK higher education institutions throughout the 2020/2021 academic year amidst disruption caused by national and international Covid-19 restrictions. One example of this was the introduction and use of software such as Microsoft (MS) Teams as a learning tool and platform to continue education provisions. As such, this study reports on the implementation of MS Teams to deliver a foundation year physical science curriculum within a hybrid learning context over the 2020/2021 academic year and within multiple learning contexts. In-built data analytics from MS Teams were used to measure student engagement and activity on the software. Additionally, a questionnaire was used to capture student perspectives of MS Teams and their use as a learning tool. These data show that the like-for-like replacement of face-to-face teaching with an online alternative within this hybrid approach did not produce a clear like-for-like learning environment for students, except in the case of small-group collaborations where students found clear utility for the platform. Significant thought needs to be given to the use of online and hybrid alternatives to traditional face-to-face instruction and, in order to facilitate student learning and engagement effectively, a bottom-up approach to redesign may be required instead of simply substituting teaching tools.


For tracking purposes, small migratory birds are outfitted with antennas and transmitters so that their daily movements and migration patterns can be observed. In order to improve the practice of tracking wildlife and to extend the ranges over which animals can be tracked, it is necessary to characterize and fully exploit the parameters of the antennas being attached to animals. These birds provide a challenging opportunity to study the antennas used in wildlife tracking because of their small size (~15 cm in length) and light weight (averaging 26 g). For the first time, the present study provides a measurement methodology that can be used to estimate the efficiency of an electrically small antenna mounted to an approximate bird model, utilizing the Wheeler cap method. Because the antenna is less than one-eighth of a wavelength long and does not have a well-defined ground plane, measurement techniques are carefully considered and carried out. The results indicate that the bird model acts as a lossy ground plane for the transmitting monopole antenna. The radiating efficiency of the antenna-bird model system is conditioned by the size of the antenna as well as the effective resistance of the bird model. New recommendations for antenna and tracking-system design are provided, based on this investigation.


Beloved juvenile fiction writer and author of sensational thrillers, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was also an ardent champion of reform movements in nineteenth-century America. Inspired by her parents' zeal for the reforms of their day and influenced by a network of other New Englanders determined to remedy the many ills in American society, the spinster Scheherazade from Concord, Massachusetts, was a firm and convincing advocate in advancing measures extending from domestic reform and alternative medicine, to education and communal society, to antislavery and egalitarianism, to feminism and suffrage. This innovative compilation sheds new light on Alcott's commitment to ameliorating oppressive conditions of all kinds. Madeleine B. Stern pairs selections from the writings of reform leaders with excerpts from Alcott's letters, fiction, and nonfiction works to demonstrate that Alcott was aware of and often moved by the words of other reformers. Stern illuminates the connections between Alcott and the printed sources that filtered into her life and work, and shows how she wove reformist themes throughout her writings, prodding her readers to right the wrongs at home and in the nation. The provocative collection offers a fresh perspective on the adored writer's beliefs and actions. It will appeal to Alcott enthusiasts, historians, and general readers alike.


This article aims to explore the ethical context in Tunisian companies as perceived by employees through the study of the concept of an ethical work climate. The results of the qualitative exploratory research highlighted the existence of divergent perceptions of the predominant ethical work climate in their organizations. This involves appropriate managerial practices and ethical actions.


The development of a diatom biofilm on a river sediment was studied using a fluvarium channel with intensive investigations over a total duration of 16 days. The overlying solution was monitored for dissolved calcium, silicon and soluble reactive phosphorus, pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature. The surface of the sediment was sampled for chlorophyll a, algal cell density and porewater profile measurements of calcium concentration, pH and dissolved oxygen were made using microelectrodes. At the end of the experiment the sediment was longitudinally sectioned and porewaters isolated and analysed.A diatom biofilm developed within approximately 5 days leading to a decrease in the concentrations of dissolved silicon and phosphorus in the overlying solution. After approximately 270 hours, the dissolved silicon concentration remained low (average of 6.7 μM). As the diatom numbers increased, photosynthetic activity was evident from increases in dissolved oxygen and pH at the interface. By the end of the experiment diurnal changes in the overlying solution of dissolved calcium, alkalinity and soluble reactive phosphorus were evident. Vertical concentration gradients in dissolved calcium, phosphorus and silicon in the sediment porewater were found at the end of the experiment.The results are consistent with the development of a photosynthetically active diatom biofilm that acted as a barrier to the diffusion of silicon from the porewater. It also induced precipitation and dissolution of calcite and co‐precipitation of phosphate with calcite. Chemical fluxes of silicon, calcium and phosphorus were estimated from concentration gradients in the sediment and found to be much smaller than fluxes measured from changes in the bulk solution indicating that processes at the sediment‐water interface and biofilm mainly control the flux to the overlying solution.


The Paralympic Games are founded on ideals of inclusivity and diversity for people with a disability. Consequently, there is an emphasis on athlete empowerment within the Paralympic Movement. One consistent criticism of the idea of athlete empowerment is that it relies on the concept of the 'supercrip', narratives of overcoming the tragedy of one's disability through superhero-like qualities. The role of society is largely left out. This article shows that such narratives are prevalent in discourses surrounding the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Games, specifically in popular culture products designed to promote the Paralympic Games. This is problematic because such narratives individualize disability, rather than address larger social issues that people with a disability face in Japan.


Economics is an important knowledge that can be useful in decision making for appropriate use of the limited resource to achieve the best outcome. The application of economics in medicine is very interesting. The medical economics is the important medical science that helps decision making in medicine. In this short article, the author summarizes and discusses n the important concept of medical economics.


I. Introduction
Since the end of the Cold war, the international system is led by the United
States. This current system is called the "Pax Americana" or at least considered the U.S.-centered system. The recently inaugurated U.S. President George W. Bush has emphasized that the United States would make every effort to maintain its hegemonic, stable international order and pursue the national missile defense(NMD) and the theater missile defense(TMD) program.
II. National Missile Defense and Theater Missile Defense
Within the U.S. Department of Defense, the Ballistic Missile Defense
Organization is responsible for managing, directing, and executing the U.S. ballistic missile defense program. The U.S. has adopted the concept of "layered defense." National missile defense for the entire U.S. homeland constitutes one layer. A second layer consists of upper-tier systems for theater or regional defense, including THAAD and NTW. Below this layer is a lower-tier for area
defense, including PAC-3 and Navy Area Program.
III. U.S. NMD and TMD Strategy
According to the power transition theory, when a declining dominant power is
challenged by a rapidly growing and dissatisfied great power war between the relatively declining hegemonic power and the rapidly increasing challenger is most likely. Relative power changes among those hegemonic power and other great powers in the system occur incrementally in a 20 to 30 year period and are hardly noticed by the members of the system. When the overtaking of the hegemonic power by a rapidly growing challenging power is at its last stage, the declining hegemonic power begins to recognize the potential challenge and tries to rebuild its own hegemonic power position in the system. According to the hegemonic stability theory, that kind of efforts by the declining hegemonic power is not so successful and the declining dominant power and its challenger usually ends up with a hegemonic war.
The power transition and hegemonic stability theories suggest that the best way for the hegemonic power to keep stable international system is to maintain preponderance in power over any potential challenger. The United States considers blocking the proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, eliminating the possibility of the advent of regional hegemon, and maintaining and spreading free market system and democracy in the system as its vital national interests. The U.S., with its NMD and TMD program, will not only check potential challenge by China in East Asia and by Russia in Eurasia but prepare in advance for preponderance in power over any potential challenger.
The U.S. has introduced Japan to its TMD R&D and expects South Korea to participate in its TMD program as well. The U.S. even considers to provide the TMD system to Taiwan. This effort by the U.S. indicates its will to maintain the hegemonic stability in the years to come.
IV. Responses to NMD and TMD Program Most of the major powers in the system are against the U.S. NMD and TMD
program. China is strongly against the TMD program. First of all, China worries
about the Taiwan's involvement in the TMD program. China is also threatened by the fact that Japan's participation in the TMD R&D may promote its remilitarization. Russia is strongly against NMD and TMD program and threatens the U.S. that in case the U.S. keeps on pursuing NMD and TMD program Russia may abrogate the ABM treaty. Even the NATO members such as France, Germany, and Great Britain do not support the U.S. NMD and TMD program. South Korea has already declared that it is not interested in participating in TMD program. Only Taiwan shows a strong interest in participating in TMD program.
V. TMD and South Korea's Strategy
The South Korean government has already announced that the ROK military
does not plan to participate in the U.S. TMD program. While acknowledging South Korea's vulnerability to a North Korean missile attack, the South Korean military notes high cost and limited military effectiveness of TMD systems for South Korea's purposes. Indeed, the proximity of Seoul to the DMZ makes South Korea's capital extremely vulnerable to long-range artillery. The South Korean government thinks that under these circumstances TMD transfers to South Korea are not a compelling requirement.
However, as is mentioned above, the U.S. is determined to pursue NMD and TMD program and will ask its alliance partners, including South Korea, to participate in TMD program. The South Korean government should prepare for a reasonable plan for burden sharing without being dragged into TMD program.
It may be easy to misunderstand that the U.S. TMD program is targeted at the North Korean missile development program. Even if North Korea decides to abandon its missile development program, the U.S. will not give up its TMD program. For the U.S. TMD program not to lead to a new Cold War type of bipolar competition in East Asia, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. should collaborate tightly on TMD issue.
Finally, Japan's participation in TMD program should be as transparent as possible and the U.S. should not provide TMD systems to Taiwan. The U.S. and Japan should find these kinds of ways to reduce Chinese and Russian levels of threat perception on their joint TMD program.


Abstract In the theory of vehicular traffic flow on a highway the traffic interaction process is often considered as a collision similar to the particles' interaction in the kinetic theory of gases. This concept leads to a Boltzmann-type nonlinear intergro-differential equation which governs the traffic density function. The purpose of this paper is to present a constructive method for the determintation of a solution for this type of equation under certain boundary and initial conditions. Our method is by successive approximation which yields existence of both global and local solutions of the problem.


Block-oriented neural networks represented as a cascade structure of linear dynamic circuits and inertialess nonlinearities are used for the non-linear compensator synthesis. The behavioral models of these neural networks describe the mapping of the set of input signals into the set of output signals. A block-oriented architecture is convenient for building the compensator structure inverse to the structure of the distorting system. Under the stated approach, the compensator model is simpler than universal models, for instance, the Volterra series. This fact is demonstrated when modelling a non-linear compensator based on the neural Hammerstein network. This compensator is applied for the suppression of non-linear distortion in the digital communication channel described by the Wiener model.


Low solidity airfoil -shaped vaned diffusers have been used successfull y as efficient and compact dynamic pressure recovery devices in industrial centrifugal compressor stages. Typically such diffusers consist of a cascade of two -dimensional blades distributed circumferentially at close proximity to the impeller exit. In this paper a low -solidity three -dimensional diffuser blade geometry is numerically investigated. The blades are stacked at a variable stagger angle in the spanwise direction. The proposed geometry has the potential of better aligning the diffuser leading edges with the highly non -uniform flow leaving the impeller. Moreover, this geometry has the effect of redistributing the blade loading and meridional streamlines in the spanwise direction leading to improved efficiency and pressure recovery capacity of the dif fuser. This paper starts by presenting a brief history of airfoil -shaped diffusers used with industrial centrifugal compressors. A description of the proposed diffuser geometry is presented. Three -dimensional Navier - Stokes numerical simulations of a number of centrifugal compressor stages are discussed. Comparisons between the performance of two and three -dimensional diffuser blade geometries are presented. The comparisons are performed in terms of work input coefficient, head coefficient, blade pressure, b lade loading and flow angle distribution. The comparisons indeed show improvement in the diffuser operating range and pressure recovery capacity over two -dimensional diffuser geometry.


Initiation factors IF2 in bacteria and eIF2 in eukaryotes are GTPases that bind Met-tRNA\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} \begin{equation*}_{i}^{Met}\end{equation*}\end{document} to the small ribosomal subunit. eIF5B, the eukaryotic ortholog of IF2, is a GTPase that promotes ribosomal subunit joining. Here we show that eIF5B GTPase activity is required for protein synthesis. Mutation of the conserved Asp-759 in human eIF5B GTP-binding domain to Asn converts eIF5B to an XTPase and introduces an XTP requirement for subunit joining and translation initiation. Thus, in contrast to bacteria where the single GTPase IF2 is sufficient to catalyze translation initiation, eukaryotic cells require hydrolysis of GTP by both eIF2 and eIF5B to complete translation initiation.


In this paper, we report a sequential-phase fed broadband circularly polarized array antenna loaded with an artificial magnetic conductor-reflecting surface. Our proposed antenna is a two-part group. The upper structure is a sequential-phase fed circular wide-slot antenna. The lower part is an artificial magnetic conductor structured reflective surface. The overall antenna size is 106 × 106 × 14.9 mm3, both adopting 1.6 mm thick FR4 material. The thickness of the air layer sandwiched between the antenna and the artificial magnetic conductor reflective surface is 14 mm. The antenna consists of four circular wide-slot antenna units with a sequential rotation technique. To broaden the axial ratio bandwidth, three L-shaped branches and four metal plates are attached to the circular wide-slot antenna unit and around the artificial magnetic conductor-reflecting surface, respectively. To verify the accuracy of the simulation, we fabricated the sample and then tested it in an anechoic chamber. The measured results demonstrate that the proposed broadband circularly polarized array antenna realizes an impedance bandwidth of 77.67% (2.74–6.22 GHz) and an axial ratio bandwidth of 65.16% (3.00–5.90 GHz) with a peak gain of 11.1 dBi. The design can be used in space-constrained environments, such as indoor and dense building areas.


This paper proposes a new method to discrete time linear time invariant (LTI) repetitive control tracking problem when the reference signal includes a single period with an already known high period. Based on an earlier result in [1], as period gets high, dimension of the augmented state-space description there also gets very high. This in turn leads to higher order computation issues for designing the control law when optimality methodology is used. The low order controller designed in this paper is thus served for this purpose, where the computational problem is eased by using spectrum analysis of the reference signal. Application of this new low order repetitive controller to a non-minimum spring mass damper system demonstrates its effectiveness for tracking problems even if the periodic signal has a very high period.


In continuous time, rates of convergence for nonparametric density estimators are related with sample paths regularity of the underlying process. In this paper, we propose and study two families of estimators for the local Hölder exponent, γ, of multivariate continuous time processes. For observed sample paths over [0, T n ], T n  ↑ ∞, we use increment-based type estimators and give their almost sure rates of convergence for strongly mixing processes. It is shown that these rates may depend on an extra parameter, β, corresponding to second order regularity of the observed process. To avoid such a difficulty, a family of preliminary estimators of β is also given and studied.


This thesis presents control problems of irrigation network with communication constraints and a multi-layer approach to solve these problems in a distributed manner. Detailed discussions of each layer with analytical and simulation results are described throughout several chapters. They emphasize the potential interest of the multi-layer approach, more precisely its efficiency and reliability for supervision, multi-objective optimization and distributed cooperative control of complex water transport systems. Conventionally, the first layer to be considered is the hydraulic network composed of free-surface channels, hydraulic structures and mesh subnetwork of pressurized pipes. By coupling the Saint-Venant equations for describing the physics of free-surface fluid and the Lattice Boltzmann method for the fluid simulation, a discrete-time nonlinear model is obtained for channel reaches. The hydraulic structures are usually treated as internal boundaries of reaches and modeled by algebraic relationships between the flow and pressure variables. To enable the exchange of information among the control system's components, a communication network is considered in the second layer. Solving challenging problems of heterogeneous devices and communication issues (e.g., network delay, packet loss, energy consumption) is investigated in this thesis by introducing a hybrid network architecture and a dynamic routing design based on Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of control applications. For network routing, a weighted composition of some standard metrics is proposed so that the routing protocol using the composite metric achieves convergence, loop-freeness and path-optimality properties. Through extensive simulation scenarios, different network performance criteria are evaluated. The comparison of simulation results can validate the interest of this composition approach for dynamic routing. Finally, the third layer introduces an optimal reactive control system developed for the regulatory control of large-scale irrigation network under a Distributed Cooperative Model Predictive Control (DCMPC) framework. This part discusses the implementation of different control strategies (e.g., centralized, decentralized, and distributed strategies) and how the cooperative communication among local MPC controllers can be included to improve the performance of the overall system. Managing divergent (or outdated) information exchange among controllers is considered in this thesis as a consensus problem and solved by an asynchronous consensus protocol. This approach based on the multi-agent system paradigm to distributed control requires each controller to agree with its neighbors on some data values needed during action computation. For simulations, a particular benchmark of an irrigation channel is considered. The comparison of simulation results validate the benefits of the distributed cooperative control approach over other control strategies.


Cysticercosis occurs when man is infested by the larvae of Taenia solium. Cysticercosis involving the maxillofacial region is not only an uncommon event, but also represents a difficulty in clinical diagnosis. Objective: The present manuscript highlights masseteric cysticercosis as a differential diagnosis of chronic maxillofacial swellings and the role of high resolution sonography as an important noninvasive and non-ionizing imaging modality. Case report: We present a case of masseteric cysticercosis in an eight year old Indian boy, its clinical features, the imaging modalities required and adequate management of the case. Conclusion: Cysticercosis should always be a part of the differential diagnosis of maxillofacial swellings. A thorough case history, clinical examination, proper investigations and conservative treatment forms the mainstay for management of affected patients.


Objective: To assess the clinical value of intracavitary irradiation with radioisotope 32 P for cystic brain tumors. Methods: CT guided stereotactic intratumour irradiation with isotope colloid was performed in 22 patients. Of them, 5 cases were infused nuclide in Ommaya cistern after operation. Results: During 1~7 years of following up (mean 4.5 year), all the patients were clinically improved after treatment. CT or MRI revealed that the cystic brain tumors were either reduced or resolved in 13 cases (59.1%), unchanged in 5 (22.7%), increased in size in 4 (18.1%), acute cerebral edema in 1 (4.5%). There were 4 (18%) dead. Neither mortality nor severe complication was found during operation. Conclusion: These data suggest that the intracavitary irradiation with 32 P as a primary therapeutic option for selected patients with cystic brain tumor is safety and efficacy.