It is very well known that analyses for missing data depend on untestable assumptions. As a consequence, in such settings, sensitivity analyses are often sensible. One such class of analyses assesses the dependence of conclusions on an explicit missing value mechanism. Inevitably, there is an association between such dependence and the actual (but unknown) distribution of the missing data. In a particular parametric framework for dropout in this paper, an approach is presented that reduces (but never removes) the impact of incorrect assumptions on the form of the association. It is shown how these models can be formulated and fitted relatively simply using hierarchical likelihood. These are applied directly to an example involving mastitis in dairy cattle, and an extensive simulation study is described to show the properties of the methods.


Normal 0 The present work describes of a combined bio- and chemosorption of permanganate by Prosopis cineraria leaf powder using batch process. The plant is locally available in arid region and called as Khejari. The permanganate removal capacity of PCLP have been studied at various parameters like concentration of Mn (VII) ion, adsorbent dosage, p H, contact time, shaking speed, etc. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models have been applied to describe the isotherms and isotherm constant are given.


Article history: Received 27 July 2017 Received in revised form 10 October 2017 Accepted 13 October 2017 Available online 17 October 2017 The advantage of helical gear that can operate silently, on parallel and nonparallel shafts at high capacity has been great such that helical gears are used in almost all car transmission systems. As such, study on two major failures of helical gears which are due to bending and contact stresses is critical. In this research, modelling of a helical gear that is used in a 5-speed transmission car system has been conducted using finite element method. Bending and pitting stress analysis have been conducted on this helical gear that was modelled in 3D involute form. The obtained results of maximum bending and contact stresses have been compared to analytical results obtained using the American Gear Manufacturing Association (AGMA) formulations. The results of the FEM modelling and the AGMA formulations have been found to be in good agreement. Furthermore, parametric studies have been conducted on the effects of face width and helical angle of the gears on the bending and pitting stresses. It is observed that the increase of face width of the gear will decrease the maximum bending stress while the increase of the helical angle will increase the pitting stress in a non-linear fashion for both cases.


A method of monitoring a tap changer, wherein - during the operation of the tap changer, a torque is detected at a drive motor, - simultaneously takes place a position detecting the current position of the tap changer, - thereafter storing the determined over time values of the torque curve, - subsequently the container is synchronized by a synchronizing pulse, - the torque curve in each of which a separate target / actual value comparison is made is broken down into typical time ranges, characterized, in that - an occurring current is continuously determined on a diverter switch I, - is also determined continuously below the effective value Irms of the current I to the diverter switch, - subsequently, the respective rms value is differentiated leff of the current diverter switch, such that dleff / dt reveals - again below the maximum of the amount of the differentiated course dleff / dt is determined and associated with the corresponding point in time t2 at which it occurs, - the date is counted t2 of occurrence of the maximum of the amount as the time of the diverter switch jump TLU to attract it as a synchronization time point for the sync pulse.


The treatment of matrix eigenvalue problems with statistical properties is presented in a general form including correlation between matrix elements. Linear equations are formulated for the statistics of the eigenvectors as well as eigenvalues. Results are applied to dynamic systems and verified by an independent Monte Carlo simulation. Although the applications in this study are all structural systems, the theory as developed is applicable to any problem leading to similar eigenvalue equations.


The opportunities for the use of fiber optics in computer systems are explored and functional requirements described. The evolution of many computer-system applications is in the direction of high bandwidth interconnections for which fiber optics offers substantial advantages over other approaches.


By implementing Pauli's spin-orbit (s/o) coupling and Darwin's relativistic correction, we study how relativistic terms affect the Schrodinger picture of electrons in a 2D quantum dot (QD). The competition between electron confinement and Pauli's s/o coupling produces a novel shell structure at Ω0 = 4mc2/ħ, and the inclusion of these relativistic terms is strictly restricted in the Schrodinger picture to ω < Ω0.


Our previous coreflood experiments—injecting pure CO2 into carbonate cores—showed that the process is a win-win technology, sequestrating CO2 while recovering a significant amount of hitherto unrecoverable natural gas that could help defray the cost of CO2 sequestration. In this paper, we report our findings on the effect of "impurities" in flue gas—N2, O2, H2O, SO2, NO2, and CO—on the displacement of natural gas during CO2 sequestration. Results show that injection of CO2 with approximately less than 1mole% impurities would result in practically the same volume of CO2 being sequestered as injecting pure CO2. This gas would have the advantage of being a cheaper separation process compared to pure CO2 as not all the impurities are removed. Although separation of CO2 out of flue gas is a costly process, it appears that this is necessary to maximize CO2 sequestration volume, reduce compression costs of N2 (approximately 80% of the stream), and improve sweep efficiency and gas recovery in the reservoir.


A key issue for ship derusting robots is how to generate sufficient adsorption force on the surface of the hull. In this paper, the force analysis is used to determine the required adsorption force of the robot. The tensor method is used to establish the finite element model. By comparing the simulation results, the adsorption force is determined to be the maximum and meet the needs of the work, when the four permanent magnets are placed vertically on the yoke and adjacent magnets have opposite polarities. The size of each component of the magnetic adsorption unit is analyzed and calculated when adsorption force is the maximum. It provides a basis for the adsorption structure design of the derusting robot.


The somatic chromosome numbers and detailed morphometric properties of eight of the nine annual Turkish Carduus L. taxa were examined. The somatic chromosome numbers were 2n = 2x = 22 in C. rechingerianus Kazmi; 2n = 2x = 28 in C. argentatus L., C. acicularis Bertol. and C. pycnocephalus L. subsp. albidus (M. Bieb.) Kazmi; 2n = 2x = 34 in C. pycnocephalus subsp. arabicus (Jacq. ex Murray) Nyman and subsp. breviphyllarius P. H. Davis; 2n = 2x = 50 in C. nervosus K. Koch.; and 2n = 2x = 62 in C. pycnocephalus subsp. pycnocephalus. Karyotype analysis indicated that chromosomes of the Carduus taxa generally have centromere median region (m), submedian region (sm), and rarely median point (M) of the chromosome. A pair of satellite chromosomes (sat-chromosome) was observed in C. pycnocephalus subsp. breviphyllarius. The findings for each of the analysed taxa are compared with the results of previous studies. The chromosome number and morphology of C. nervosus, C. rechingerianus, C. argentatus, C. pycnocephalus subsp. arabicus and subsp. breviphyllarius are newly reported here.


Diabetes has reached epidemic levels in North America and continues to rise in prevalence, generating a significant financial burden on society. The strong link between type 2 diabetes and periodontitis provides a sound basis for dental professionals to screen for and help manage diabetic patients. Literature from journals of both medicine and dentistry was included to provide a comprehensive examination of the bi-directional relationship between diabetes and periodontitis. This review highlights the necessity for multidisciplinary management of patients suffering from both disease processes, and the benefits of how treatment of one can positively impact the other. Additional analysis of the precise effect of hyperglycemia on the severity and progression of periodontal disease should be conducted to gain further insight into the relationship between the two diseases. It is incumbent on oral health care providers to become a partner in managing patients with periodontitis and type-2 diabetes. Abbreviations: AGE: advanced glycated end product; BOP: bleeding on probing; CDC: center for disease control; DM: diabetes mellitus; HbA1c: hemoglobin A1c; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; MMP: matrix metalloproteinases; NET: neutrophil extracellular trap; PISA: periodontal inflamed surface area; PD: probing depths; PMN: polymorphonuclear lymphocyte; RAGE: receptor of advanced glycation end product; RANKL: receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-b ligand; ROS: reactive oxygen species; T2DM: type 2 diabetes mellitus; TNFalpha: tumor necrosis factor-alpha


The occurrence of multiple primary cancers associated with the esophagus and stomach is a well known phenomenon. However, the majority of those lesions are located apart each other. Finding of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer occurring simultaneously at the esophagogastric junction is extremely rare. In this case, the endoscopic findings showed that the cancer of the gastric cardia had invaded to the lower esophagus, but after the operation, the pathology report show the synchronous occurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma. Therefore, we report here on a rare case of double primary cancer, and this double primary cancer occurred at the esophagogastric junction of a 67 year-old woman. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2007;34:33-37)


Two previously described methods for the irradiation of parasternal and supraclavicular lymphnode metastases were used at Radiumhemmet, one based on the use of short-distance gamma beam therapy, the other utilizing 9 or 12 Mev electrons from a betatron. A report is given of the irradiation conditions and the clinical observations in 585 patients treated with these methods during the period 1955-- 1960. (auth)


Window integrated solar collector is to simply install inside of the existing double glass window frame. Double glass window frame is consist of inner glass of Low-E coating and Silver coating, and outer glass of low iron reinforced glass. In order to secure natural lighting in a room, only 50% of window frame is covered with solar collectors. Solar absorption or transmission rate varies seasonally depending on sun angles. Part of inner glass where right behind of the solar plate is covered with silver coating to increse absorption rate of solar plate. The collector is made of a copper serpentine where aluminum fins are soldering. To improve the effect of insulation of inside of the window frame is recommend vacuum. As a result, we are making the 3th sample and will archieve below F R U L =7.5W/㎡℃ that is the account of heat lossed, and above F R (Tα)= 0.45.


It is important to visualize status of distributed processes for the purpose of management of very large-scale distributed computing systems. This paper proposes the architecture for visualization of distributed processes using "Data Jewelry Box II" algorithm, which is suited to visualize seamless time-varying data. This architecture categorizes a set of processes, and creates hierarchical structure to monitor status of processes by applying "Data Jewelry Box II". Our implementation classifies processes into "assigned process" and "unassigned process", and again classifies the assigned processes according to the instances which processes are assigned. Then, our implementation displays whole of distributed processes in one window, because "Data Jewelry Box II" is suited to visualize large-scale hierarchical data in a small display area.


The present invention relates to a treatment composition for use in vegetation cover and method, a method for the surface that contains sulfides. Vegetation coating process according to the invention, forming a fill layer in the step of spraying the treatment composition to the surface containing the sulphide minerals with the probability to generate the acid drainage and treatment composition laying the vegetation based recognition artificial soil on the spray surface there being characterized by comprising the step of. The treatment composition is characterized in containing a baking soda solution, and phosphate.


The quality of continuously cast steel is determined by the conditions existing during cooling and solidification of the steel. One of the causes of crack formation on the blocks in the continuous casting process is the cyclic recurrence of cooling. The periodicity of cooling depends on the distance between spray jets. Thermal and mechanical stresses acting on this shell can lead to crack formation and result in poor quality of the final steel product and to operational problems with the casting machine. The requirements for quality of blooms can be achieved by reducing spray water volume in the secondary cooling zone. Thus reduction of cooling intensity is limited by the height of the installation and distance between rollers. An investigation has been carried out on the operating and cooling parameters of a radial continuous bloom casting machine. A real time two-dimensional finite difference thermal model describing the solidification, bulging behaviour and metal stress state is used for calculation of temperature distribution and shell thickness during casting. Additional limitations are introduced in connection with the cooling rate on the block surface and the warm-up temperature after the block leaves the secondary cooling zone. The required heat transfer coefficients on the block surface that comply with the above-indicated requirements are determined. Results for thermocyclic recurrence along the block axis and surface areas, which shall be covered by water cooling jets, are obtained. Kljucne reci • kontinualno livenje • obrazovanje prslina • prenos toplote • ocvrscavanje • matematicko modeliranje


Modeling rational agents in BDI-architecture is an important direction in multi-agent system research.Some concepts of ATL are imported,so the agent in the new system can act rationally in an open system.Environment-Transition-Function and Private-Transition-Function are defined respectively to make the agent independent from the system.After sveral steps,the agent can adapt to the environment,and figure out the strategy that can lend itself to achieve its aim.


Social conformity as an aspect of mental health has increasingly concerned social scientists, professional workers in the field of mental health, and laymen alike. In the last few years, observers of the American scene have noted a number of trends toward such conformity; and many of these observers have predicted dire consequences of these trends, both for individual mental health and for our general cultural progress. The determinants and processes entering into social conformity or nonconformity are obviously involved and complex. Only recently have some of the more simple relationships been understood. From a sociological point of view, a number of writers and researchers are gradually establishing a more concise picture of certain trends toward social conformity in this country, and have elucidated several factors producing some of these changes. However, much less is known about the effects of these trends on individuals who experience them. Certain aspects of social conformity are obviously necessary for the maintenance of society. Mature members of any society are required to comply with many social demands, prohibitions, and regulations. Effective social participation, however, also demands autonomous action as well as social compliance. Socially-contributive ipdividuals must be able to make decisions on their own, to engage in self-initiated activities, and to withstand social pressures when these run counter to personal values. Thus, extremes of conformity or nonconformity may not only limit an individual's social effectiveness but also be deleterious to his personal integration and mental health.


In this paper, we prove some qualitative properties of stationary solutions of the NLS on the Hyperbolic space. First, we prove a variational characterization of the ground state and give a complete characterization of the spectrum of the linearized operator around the ground state. Then we prove some rigidity theorems and necessary conditions for the existence of solutions in weighted spaces. Finally, we add a slowly varying potential to the homogeneous equation and prove the existence of non-trivial solutions concentrating on the critical points of a reduced functional. The results are the natural counterparts of the corresponding theorems on the Euclidean space. We produce also the natural virial identity on the Hyperbolic space for the complete evolution, which however requires the introduction of a weighted energy, which is not conserved and so does not lead directly to finite time blow-up as in the Euclidean case.


In a light of archival sources and literature author examines life ofJosip Kosiric Teodosevic the last bishop of Korcula (1787-1802). Author mainly analyses his exceptional importance regarding the cultural and artistic development of Korcula, especially since he was responsible for the baroque renovation of the cathedral, and he acquired relics of Roman martyr St. Vincenza (1795). Kosiric was an energetic and courageous person, originating from Sibenik's noble influential family, who followed footsteps of his ancestors and significantly marked cultural heritage of his city.


KLEINMAN, A. and GOOD, B. (eds.) 1985. Culture and Depression. Berkeley: California University Press. LITTLEWOOD, R. and LIPSEDGE, M. 1987. The butterfly and the serpent. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 11:289-335. SCHERER, K. R., WALLBOTT, H. G., and SUMMERFIELD, A. B. 1986. Experiencing Emotion: A Cross-Cultural Study. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SWANN, A. DE 1981. The politics of agoraphobia. Theory and Society, 10:35985.


The stability of 5# stope goaf in Anqing Copper Mine is analyzed by using FLAC3D soft ware of limited difference.The result is consonant with the actual situation that the rock distortion and destroy take place in the ceiling of drill chambers above the stope goaf as well as the lamella.The analysis result offers a reference merit in order to constitute rational and available timbering measure,thereby pledges stope goaf's stability.


Zdzislaw Pawlak introduced the notion of rough sets [1]. It was a result of fundamental research on logical properties of information systems that are instances (snapshots) of relational databases. The theory of rough sets is concerned with the classificatory analysis of imprecise, uncertain or incomplete information or knowledge expressed in terms of data acquired from experience. Over the past one and half decade the theory has evolve into a new technology. It has proven to be a viable technique in data mining, especially extracting rules from databases. In this paper, we explore, however, another direction, intelligent control. As in [2], [3], [4], rough set theory, fuzzy logic control, and modern differential geometric view of non-linear dynamic systems are integrated into one mathematical formalism, called rough logic government. Under this formalism, fuzzy logic can be viewed as a methodology of constructing solutions of system equations, without explicitly constructed system models. Equivalently, fuzzy logic chooses to model the control subsystem directly. Among others, it allows us to investigate simple kind of Lyapunov stability problem [5] that is a relatively unexplored area of fuzzy logic control. A shipmounted satellite tracking antenna is used to illustrate the notion.


Kenjeran river is one of the rivers with have estuary to the kenjeran beach which have length a bout 4 km. this river was estimate that has  contaminate by high heavy metal like (Pb). It's  can effected the contents of heavy metal in the estuary cockle. The research goals is to analysis is there any differentiate the content of heavy metal in the river, analysis the content of heavy metal in the cockle, the water's quality and the sediment.  From the research result showed there is differentiate between the content of heavy metal in the upper course to the estuary. In the upper course, the cockle and the sediment are contaminate by Pb. There are positive interaction between the contents  of Pb in the estuary. The relationship between the content of heavy metal (Pb) in the cockle, the water quality, the sediment and time in the estuary implied as the equation  :Y=1,72-0.24X 1 +0,0206X 2 – 1,23 D 1 – 0.289D 2 .  The goal of management strategy is to increase the environmental quality and to control the pollution with applying the planning concept, management program and monitoring.


The subject of this research is the legal regime of natural resource management in the Canadian Kingdom as an example of one of the best sectoral practices of legal regulation of natural resource usage. Analysis is conducted on the normative legal acts that regulate rights to natural resource usage, delimitation of jurisdiction to "central" and "regional", management in the area of natural resource. The object of this research is the natural resource usage relations in Canada. Special attention is given to the licensing of Canadian natural resource usage, determination of the types of licenses, and procedure of licensing. The author examines the relevant topics of taxation and fiscal stimulation of natural resource users, foreign investment, geological exploration, national and local legislation, right of indigenous peoples to natural resources, etc. The scientific novelty consists in demonstrating the current "picture" of legal regulation of natural resource usage in Canada. On the example of this kingdom, as the subject of right to ownership and use of resources, the author suggest considering an allotted plot of resources within its boundaries, while unallocated plots of resources should be counted as part of a single reserve of undistributed land (single object of law). The author proposes to conduct a mass geological survey of the Russian shelf in accordance with the Canadian model, implementation of the practice of attracting foreign investments, tax incentives, resource rent for the Russian citizens through legal construct of retirement savings, application of corporate restrictions following the example of Canada.


Sacroiliac dislocation is the separation of the iliac wing from the pelvic bone and needs to be repaired by surgery. Corrective surgical methods include open reduction and minimally invasive techniques. In the present study, we used a minimally invasive surgical technique in seven dogs with sacroiliac dislocation. Five cases had unilateral sacroiliac joint luxation and two cases had bilateral sacroiliac joint luxation; all were referred to hospital after being hit by an automobile. All cases were treated with a fluoroscope-assisted, minimally invasive technique. Patients were evaluated by measuring surgery time, postoperative ambulatory time, and calculating pelvic canal diameter ratios. Surgery time was measured from initial incision to completion of skin closure. Mean surgery time was 30.6 minutes in unilateral sacroiliac joint luxation and 68 minutes in bilateral sacroiliac joint luxation. Mean preoperative pelvic canal diameter ratio was 1.22 (± 0.27), immediate postoperative pelvic canal diameter ratio was 1.26 (± 0.10), and at 2 weeks after surgery, the pelvic canal diameter ratio was 1.37 (± 0.22). All cases were ambulatory within 1 week and mean postoperative ambulatory time was 5 days. Based on the results, the use of a minimally invasive technique for correction of sacroiliac dislocation can decrease surgical time, lessen operative and postoperative burdens on patients, and provide owners with a good prognosis.


The olm (Proteus anguinus) is considered the most representative example of all the stygobiont fauna. Nevertheless, it is also reported in some spring habitats of Friuli Venezia Giulia (North-eastern Italy). Springs are intriguing habitats that border two strongly distinct environments: surface and underground. They may provide distinct environmental pressures to stygobiont animals promoting new adaptations.
 The aim of this study is to verify if there are differences in the structural morphology of the head and in the presence of melanin in the skin between the olms that are found in caves compared to the individuals found in the external environment.
 During 2021, 28 olms, 18 from underground habitats and 10 from external sites, were photographed in standard conditions with a metric reference. For each individual, only the cephalic region has been considered. The pictures were processed using TPSdig software. For each picture we placed 2 landmark homologues, matching the emergence of the gills branches, and 48 semi-landmark to define the contour of the head. With regard to melanin 2 mm of skin were removed from the tail of the olm and analyzed through a spectrophotometer. The results indicate a significant effect of the environment on the shape of the olm's head, in fact the shape of the head appears more elongated in the front and narrower in the parietal region in the olms coming from the hypogean environment. In addition, the olms that use the epigean environment show higher melanin levels in their skin.
 These findings provide a first evidence of differences occurring between olm populations/sub-populations living in caves and those exploiting surface habitats.


226 Background: Based on the positive results of the CALGB 80803 study (J Clin Oncol 2017;35:1 [abstr]), we have added D to induction FOLFOX and pre-op CRT. Methods: Patients (Pts) had TanyN+ or T3-4NanyM0 esophageal and Siewert Type I-III GEJ adenocarcinoma staged by EUS, PET/CT and CT. Pts received mFOLFOX6 ×2 prior to repeat PET/CT. PET responders (PETr) received 5-FU or capecitabine and oxaliplatin with RT to 50.4Gy, while induction PET non-responders (PETnr) received carboplatin/paclitaxel with RT. All Pts received D 1,500 mg q4W ×2 starting 2 wks prior to and during CRT. Esophagectomy was planned 6-8 weeks after CRT. Pts who had R0 resections received adjuvant D 1,500mg q4W ×6. Results: 36 Pts have been enrolled: 25 GEJ, 11 esophageal; 23 N+ and 32 T3/4. 26 of 36 Pts (72%) are PETr. 2 Pts developed metastatic disease after CRT and 9 Pts remain on preop treatment. 25 Pts have had surgery (Table). Pathologic complete response (pCR) was seen in 6 (24%); 5 Pts (20%) had ypT1N0 tumors with 99% response and 2 Pts (8%) had ypT0N1 with 99% response. 20 Pts (80%) had >90% response. 3 Pts had MSI tumors (2 PETr; 1 pCR, 1 T1aN0 99% response, 1 ypT2N0 90% response). Notable grade (gd) 3/4 adverse events (AEs) observed were neutropenia in 8 Pts (22%), diarrhea and vomiting in 2 Pts each (6%). Notable gd 1/2 AEs in ≥20%: anemia (31 Pts), thrombocytopenia (29 Pts), nausea (21 Pts), fatigue (25 Pts), increased AST (20 Pts), constipation and diarrhea (9 Pts), diarrhea (8 Pts). Immune-related AEs noted were gd 2 dermatitis (2 Pts), gd 3 hepatitis and gd 1 hypothyroidism in 1 Pt each. Median length of post-op stay was 8 days, with 12% anastomotic complication rate, including 1 Pt who died of hematemesis 16 days after discharge from 55-day hospitalization. Conclusions: The addition of D to induction FOLFOX and PET-directed CRT is safe and feasible. pCR and near-pCR in ½ of operated Pts is encouraging and compares favorably to the pCR rate of 31% in CALGB 80803 Pts who received induction FOLFOX. The final pCR rate and correlatives for the fully accrued study will be presented. Clinical trial information: NCT02962063. [Table: see text]


The invention discloses cereal porridge and a preparation method thereof. The cereal porridge is prepared from the following components in parts by weight: 80-100 parts of millet, 40-50 parts of black soya bean, 30-40 parts of red bean, 30-40 parts of green bean, 20-30 parts of soybean, 20-30 parts of kidney bean and 3-5 parts of seasoning auxiliary materials, wherein the seasoning auxiliary materials include one or more of edible salt, brown sugar and newtol. The cereal porridge disclosed by the invention, is rich in nutrition, has the effects of clearing away heat and toxic materials, nourishing lung channel, promoting diuresis, reducing blood fat, dredging the intestinal tract, regulating the flow of qi and the like, and can be used for enhancing the immunity of the human body.


Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), as well as shear stress, cause endothelial cells (ECs), to undergo not only functional alterations but also structural reorganizations, which contribute to vascular leakage. Like ECs of the human aorta, ECs on heart valves are exposed to extreme shear stress. However, while ECs expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in large vessels has been widely studied, it seems that there are no such studies on ECs of heart valves, although this knowledge might be important for our understanding of the aetiological aspects of local inflammatory responses. Using immunohistochemistry, this study characterized the CAM expression of ECs on degenerative, mostly calcified heart valves and on heart valves with florid endocarditis. As expected, the constitutively expressed molecules (ICAM‐1, CD34, CD31) were found both on degenerative and on inflamed valves. Furthermore, marked expression of E‐selectin and VCAM‐1 was found not only on inflamed valves, but also on larger portions of the degenerative valves with no morphological evidence of inflammation. This striking finding might help to explain why patients with fibrotic heart valves are susceptible to recurrent endocarditis. Why the endothelial activation markers E‐selectin and VCAM‐1 are expressed on degenerative heart valves requires further investigation. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Doctoral Thesis Post-Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry Federal University of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil Toxicological parameters in piava (Leporinus obtusidens) and jundiá (Rhamdia quelen) after exposure to commercial formulation of glyphosate AUTHOR: LISSANDRA GLUSCZAK ADVISOR: VANIA LUCIA LORO Date and place of defence: February 15, 2008, Santa Maria The commercial formulations of glyphosate herbicide have been widely used in agriculture and pisciculture for controlling plant weeds. Fish can be affected when drainage water reaches water courses, causing a disturbance in the aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure to a commercial formulation of glyphosate affects toxicological parameters in piavas (Leporinus obtusidens) and jundiás (Rhamdia quelen). Piavas were exposed to: 0 (control), 3, 6, 10 or 20 mg/L of glyphosate (480 g/L) and jundiás to 0 (control), 0.2 or 0.4 mg/L, both for 96 h. Enzymatic (AChE), hematological (hematocrit, hemoglobin and erythrocyte and leucocyte count) and metabolic (glucose, glycogen, lactate, protein and ammonia) parameters were analyzed in different tissues of these species. In addition, oxidative stress parameters, such as activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase, protein carbonilation and TBARS levels were analyzed. The results showed that brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity decreased significantly in both species exposed, but there was no significant change in the muscle tissue. There was a decrease in hematological parameters in blood of piavas. After exposure to this herbicide, both species demonstrated metabolic disorders. In piavas, there was a reduction of glycogen and an increase of glucose in hepatic tissue, and a reduction of muscle glycogen and glucose. Lactate and protein showed a decrease in hepatic tissue after exposure to all concentrations of the herbicide, but in muscle tissue there was an increase in these metabolites. The levels of ammonia increased in both tissues after exposure, varying with the glyphosate concentration. In jundiás, there was an increase of hepatic glycogen, but a reduction of muscle glycogen at both concentrations tested. Glucose showed a decrease in liver and increase in muscle. After exposure to this herbicide, the levels of lactate were increased in both tissues. The levels of protein were increased in hepatic tissue and decreased in muscle tissue, while the levels of ammonia showed an increase at both herbicide concentrations in both tissues tested. Catalase activity showed an increase in jundiás, but not in piavas. TBARS levels showed an elevation in muscle tissue in jundiás while in piavas there was an increase in hepatic tissue. An increase in protein carbonyl formation in liver of jundiás was observed. In addition, there was an increase in mucus parameters in piavas. These results indicate that the parameters measured may be good indicators of herbicide contamination in piavas and jundiás of the southern region of Brazil.


Progeria or Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by dramatic premature aging and accelerated cardiovascular disease. It is almost never passed on from parent to child. Progeria is almost always caused by de novo point mutation in the lamin A gene that activates a cryptic splice donor site, producing a truncated mutant protein termed ''progerin.'' Progeria shows characteristic facial appearance including prominent eyes, thin nose with a beaked tip, thin lips, a small chin, and protruding ears, severe hardening of the arteries beginning in childhood. In the past, doctors had to base a diagnosis of progeria solely on physical symptoms but progeria research foundation establishes the Progeria cell and tissue bank to assist in further research and diagnostic process. Aspirin may help prevent atherothrombotic events, stroke and heart attacks by hindering platelet aggregation. Vitamin supplementation, Fluoride supplements are recommended. A Study of Zoledronic acid, Pravastatin, and Lonafarnib for Patients with Progeria is ongoing, it is under phase II.


This study aims to analyze mise-en-scène in movies. Although the mise-en-scène includes all the entities that appear on the scene, we focus on metaphorical meanings of the entities. When entities are expressions of the same metaphorical symbol, lexical meanings of the entities will be relevant to each other. Also, if a metaphorical symbol is significant for storytelling, the symbol will appear on most of the scenes. Therefore, we find groups of entities, which share similar lexical meanings and appear allover the movie. As a preliminary study, we have applied these approaches on terms in movie scripts with simple natural language processing techniques. Although we have not conducted evaluation yet, we anticipate that the proposed method will be helpful for analyzing artistic and topical intentions of movie directors.


Via RF gateway using one of a set of communications channels, a communications system that relays data messages to and from the data storage site and the endpoint of the plurality of remote. The communication system is to monitor the signal-to-noise ratio of the communication to the gateway from each individual endpoint, the endpoint is a utility meter and associated control or monitoring point. Based from the endpoint to the quality and / or signal-to-noise ratio of the service to the gateway, the system assigns a desired communication channel to the endpoint. Each desired communications channel has a different data transfer rate and the required SNR, based on the signal-to-noise ratio of the communication from the endpoint to the gateway, each channel is selected. If the signal-to-noise ratio of the endpoint is changed, based on the updated signal-to-noise ratio, the system dynamically assigns different channels to the meter again.


The cultural conditions for the production of bactobolin, an antitumor antibiotic produced by Pseudomonas yoshitomiensis, were studied using a mutant strain, C-17-20. The following cultural conditions were found to be suitable: 2.0% mannitol, 0.25% dried yeast, 0.5% (NH4)2SO4, 0.4% KCl, 0.02% K2HPO4 and 0.8% CaCO3; temperature, 25°C. The highest bactobolin production under the conditions was 189 μg/ml, although the wild strain, Y-12278, produced only 4 μg/ml in the basal conditions.


The aims of this research are to study the educational administration based on thequality control circle, problems and suggestions for the academic administration based onthe quality control circle of the educational opportunity expansion schools in Amphoe Tha Song Yang under Tak Primary Educational Service Area Offce 2. The population of theresearchconsistedofteachersin10schools-theeducationalopportunityexpansionschoolsin Amphoe Tha Song Yang in the academic year of 2017; 307 in the total. The data wascollected via questionnaires and then was analyzed by the statistical methods offrequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The results showed that overall the educational administration based on thequality control circle of the educational opportunity expansion schools in Amphoe Tha SongYang was at a high level. When considered in descending order by the average of the mostto the least; the proceeding method, the checking-evaluating method, the planningmethod, and the planning revision method, respectively. The suggestions were as follows: should encourage communities and societies toparticipate in conducting the curriculum, encourage personnel to develop themselvesby creating innovation, assign teachers to teach that accordance with the ability andaptitude, defne the annual calendar and guidelines for the performance measurementand evaluation, and prepare the systematic information system.


The notions of topological spaces and of continuous functions are well established in mathematics. The related concepts of differentiable spaces and of differentiable functions have not as yet been introduced in a comparable broad and definitive form, as their study is classically confined mostly to locally euclidean spaces. The present work arose from wishes to extend part of the known results of the theory of differentiable manifolds, due to Whitney, to a larger class of spaces which are not required to be locally euclidean a priori. As a motivation to the question studied here, let us mention that an n-differentiable structure on a topological space X is definable by a topological algebra A of real continuous functions on X, A being the algebra of n-differentiable real functions on X and the topology of A being that of uniform convergence of a function and all its derivatives of order ? n on compact sets. A has to satisfy suitable requirements, among them the following two conditions. If d e X, let M(e) be the closed ideal of all f e A such that f (a) = 0. Then all the powers Ml(e), i > n + 1, are identical and A/Mn+,(;) is a local algebra whose maximal ideal has (n+-1)power equal to 0. Moreover, A is locally convex (? 3) with respect to the collection {Mn+,(f)}, a e X. Such a local convexity assumption expresses the local nature of A (rather its infinitesimal nature). Another property of A is that it has an operational calculus with ordinary differentiable functions, i.e., that f e A implies rp(f) e A for every n-differentiable real function q on the real line R, the mapping ((p, f ) --'p(f ) being continuous; and similarly for functions q of several variables. Since this second property of A can be shown to follow from the first, provided A is complete, we consider the question, "when do suitable local convexity assumptions imply existence of an operational calculus?" the answer to which is given by the theorem stated in ? 7. This article is devoted to the proof of the assertion that, if C is a category of pure separated algebras whose radicals are nilpotent and n > 0 is an integer, in order that every topological algebra which is


In consideration of the situation of high sewage content and poor water quality in an oilfield in Bohai Area , an experimental study was performed on polymer-contained sewage processing by using two stage dissolved gas floating method.A comparison test was carried out by using different chemical dosages and different conditions of the method. The result shows that the optimal parameters for the sewage processing using the gas floating method include that the dissolved gas pressure is 0.38MPa for GradeⅠ gas floating , backflow ratio is 20% .The GradeⅡ gas pressure is 0.37MPa , backflow ratio is 20%.Dosage of the demulsified fresh water agent is 3mg/L.The provided data provides a base for the standardization of polymer-contained sewage processing and qualified water flooding for the oilfield.


In discussing Simone de Beauvoir's ontological ethics in an earlier article in this journal, the author suggested in passing that she could be seen as a 'philosopher manqué', a 'lost' or 'missed' philosopher, a woman who gave up or rejected philosophy to pursue ideas by better means for her purposes. Here the author explores the idea of de Beauvoir as a philosopher manqué in relation to her play Les Bouches inutiles, using a translation-in-progress into English, The Useless Mouths, to examine ideas about morality, ethics and intersubjectivity expressed within it. De Beauvoir constructs characters around different philosophical positions, which are evaluated by reference to the play's unfolding action. This turns on men's hidden evaluation of the category of women as, by definition, 'the useless mouths' of society, an evaluation revealed by strategies for survival in the in extremis situation of a town under siege.


The TourMISLOD dataset exposes as linked data a significant portion of the content of TourMIS, a key source of European tourism statistics data. TourMISLOD contains information about the Arrivals, Bednights and Capacity tourism indicators, recorded from 1985 onwards, about over 150 European cities and in connection to 19 major markets. Due to licensing issues, the usage of this dataset is currently limited to the TourMIS consortium. Nevertheless, a prototype application has already revealed the dataset's usefulness for decision support.


We present new high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) observations of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in the Local Bubble and its surroundings. We observed 432 sightlines and obtain the equivalent widths of the λ5780 and λ5797 Å DIBs up to a distance of ∼200 pc. All of the observations were carried out using the Intermediate Dispersion Spectrograph on the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope, during three years, to reach a minimum S/N of ∼2000. All of the λ5780 and λ5797 absorptions are presented in this paper and we tabulate the observed values of the interstellar parameters, λ5780, λ5797, Na iD1, and Na iD2, including the uncertainties.


The absence of scalable and economically viable alternatives for managing residues coupled with shorter planting window and growing labour shortages and energy prices requires a sustainable solution for the crop residue management in northern India. As per "Need of the Hour", the present research work focused on physical, mechanical, and morphological characterizations of wheat, which will help in further design of the low-cost straw combine. For this purpose, two varieties of wheat (HD-2967 and WH-1105) were used for the present study, as these are the prevalent varieties of Haryana state. The straw specimens were collected at harvesting period from a farmer's field, which is located at a longitude of 75.64 and latitude of 29.15. The physical characterization of the crops was conducted on the basis of diameter, length, and thickness of nodes of straws. In contrast, the mechanical characterizations was performed by calculating the tensile and shear strength of the straws. The morphological analysis was performed by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The energy dispersive spectroscopy was performed to analyse the presence of constituting elements of straw. The statistical analysis showed that moisture content in the straw had a significant effect on tensile strength and shear strength.


We show Arl13b is localized to the ciliary membrane and regulates tubulin modifications and ciliary length in vitro. Significantly, we found that Smoothened is enriched in Arl13b null fibroblasts, even without Sonic hedgehog stimulation, but that Glis are not similarly enriched.


In the book 'Quadratic algebras' by Polishchuk and Positselski [23] algebras with small number of generators (n = 2, 3) is considered. For some number of relations r possible Hilbert series are listed, and those appearing as series of Koszul algebras are specified. The first case, where it was not possible to do, namely the case of three generators n = 3 and six relations r = 6 is formulated as an open problem. We give here a complete answer to this question, namely for quadratic algebras with dimA1 = dimA2 = 3 we list all possible Hilbert series, and find out which of them can come from Koszul algebras, and which can not. MSC: 16A22, 16S37, 14A22


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was introduced as a good technique to evaluate structural abnormalities in the white matter. In this study, we used DTI to examine anisotropic changes of the pyramidal tracts displaced by chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with unilateral CSDH underwent DTI before and after surgery. We measured fractional anisotropy (FA) values in pyramidal tracts of bilateral cerebral peduncles and calculated the ratio of the FA value on the lesion side to that on the contralateral side (FA ratio) and compared the ratios with motor weakness. Moreover, the relationships between FA ratios and clinical factors such as age, sex, midline shift, interval from trauma, and hematoma attenuation on CT were evaluated. RESULTS: FA values of pyramidal tracts on the lesion side were significantly lower than those on the contralateral side (0.66 ± 0.07 versus 0.74 ± 0.05, P < .0001). The FA ratio was correlated to the severity of motor weakness (r2 = 0.32, P = .002). FA ratios after surgery improved significantly compared with those before surgery (0.96 ± 0.08 versus 0.89 ± 0.07, P = .0004). Intervals from trauma and the midline shift were significantly associated with decreased FA ratios (P = .0008 and P = .037). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CSDH, a reversible decrease of FA in the affected pyramidal tract on DTI was correlated to motor weakness. These anisotropic changes were considered to be caused by a reversible distortion of neuron fibers and vasogenic edema due to the hematoma.


Nowadays, everyone has/wants a computer system, but does not have sufficient knowledge to build one. And those who have some knowledge, face difficulties while selecting the hardware as the market for hardware is very huge. There are people who are looking to build or want to know more about computer hardware/ components. We provide users with detailed sections of various components like CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD. The user can see the specifications of the required component and learn more about that component. We compute and analyze the benchmarks of various components and systems such that the user can quickly size up their PCs and explore real world performance. Each and every component can be compared with one another individually as well as the whole computer system to have a better understanding of which one is better for someone. Keywords – Computer System, Benchmarks, PC Building, PC Comparison, Hardware Comparison


The timber remains of a shipwreck, probably dating to the late‐15th or early‐16th century and found in 1995 at Cais do Sodré, Lisbon, Portugal, during the construction of a subway station, are described and analysed. © 2011 The Authors


We examine the mechanisms used to limit expropriation of firm wealth by large shareholders among S&P 500 firms with founding-family ownership. Consistent with agency theory, we find that the most valuable public firms are those in which independent directors balance family board representation. In contrast, in firms with continued founding-family ownership and relatively few independent directors, firm performance is significantly worse than in non-family firms. We also find that a moderate family board presence provides substantial benefits to the firm. Additional tests suggest that families often seek to minimize the presence of independent directors, while outside shareholders seek independent director representation. These findings highlight the importance of independent directors in mitigating conflicts between shareholder groups and imply that the interests of minority investors are best protected when, through independent directors, they have power relative to family shareholders. We argue that expanding the discussion beyond manager-shareholder conflicts to include conflicts between shareholder groups provides a richer setting in which to explore corporate governance and the balance of power in U.S. firms.


The article presents the results of an experimental study of the electrophysical properties of Janus-like silver nanoparticles Ag/Si. The distribution of the electric potential of silver nanoparticles was obtained using atomic force microscopy using the Kelvin probe method. The electrical capacity of the particles is estimated.


The idea of mathematical modeling is used to establish the quantitative model of information system vulnerability assessment, and the model is solved by using the partial differential method. The algorithm is realized by using VB programming, and it obtains the quantitative solution of information system vulnerability. Quantitative assessment of information system security and risk is the difficulty of system vulnerability assessment, and it establishes the risk model of system by means of mathematics modeling idea. The risk model is divided into the actual risk and the potential risk. The paper uses VB programming software, and establishes a quantitative model of information system evaluation by combining with partial differential method, and the algorithm is carried out the experimental verification by using the method of numerical simulation. Through the calculation, the mathematical modeling ideas can effectively obtain the vulnerability quantitative standard and the risk level of information system, which provides the technical reference for the research of information system security evaluation method.


Under mean curvature flow, a closed, embedded hypersurface $M(t)$ becomes singular in finite time. For certain classes of mean-convex mean curvature flows, we show the continuity of the first singular time $T$ and the limit set "$M(T)$", with respect to initial data.
We employ an Angenent-like neck-pinching argument to force singularities in nearby flows. However, since we cannot prescribe initial data, we combine Andrews' $\alpha$-non-collapsed condition and Colding and Minicozzi's uniqueness of tangent flows to place appropriately sized spheres in the region inside the hypersurface.


Abstract When a state in the USA enacted legislation that radically altered its prescriptions for principal preparation programmes, its institutions of higher education had to re-invent, not just adjust their principal preparation programmes. In this article I describe how one university rebuilt its principal preparation programme and then analyse the process with constructs from contemporary theories about complex organisations, change, and leadership. My findings indicate that understandings of change initiatives are enriched by adopting complexity theory's focus on interactions and connections, by viewing change as a process of diffusion, and by recognising that change in a complex organisation requires multiple types of leadership.


This paper firstly analyzes the development of international container transportation and multimodal transport,and the needs of the personnel,then points out the teaching aims of "international container transportation and multimodal transport",based on HVE,finally,proposes the new teaching models and methods,in order to improve students' knowledge level and practical operational abilities,to fill the companies needs in practical personnel.


When the pipe design factor is improved from 0.72 to 0.8,the pipeline throughput and transport efficiency will be highly increased,and the requirements for the pipe wall thickness will be also compensated by the pipe material strength to the largest degree if the pipe design pressure is kept unchanged,which thereby helps reduce the cost of line pipes.In engineering application,hydrostatic testing is used to determine and verify the integrity of pipelines with a 0.8 design factor.In view of this,according to the statistical data of the pipe's yield strength,the acceptable hydrostatic testing pressure was determined using the probabilistic method considering the elevation difference of the test segment and biaxial stress.Then,the pressure-water inflow volume(P-V)curve was used to monitor the testing process to avoid the occurrence of a nonlinear water inflow volume of≥0.2% pipeline volume in the whole testing period.So the corresponding signal collection system was developed for the P-V curve.Finally,based upon the pipe elastic deformation,a mathematical expression was proposed of the P-V curve which takes into account the effect of residual air content and the compressibility of water.In the actual hydrostatic testing of a tested pipe section with 0.8 design factor in the West-toEast China Pipeline Ⅲ,the above method was applied to determine that the hoop stress of the tested section at the highest point was ≥ 100.5% of the specified minimum yield strength(SMYS).The monitored results agreed well with the P-V curve;and no leakage was found in the tested pipe section during the testing period.This method can be used as a reference for the hydrostatic testing of 0.8 design factor gas pipelines in the future.


Introduction Ethical Issues in Practice Social Workers and Values The Rules of Social Work Ethics Founding Social Work Ethics: the Critique of Theory Law, Legitimacy and Professional Accountability Welfare, Politics and Social Work Four Stocks of Ethical Practice Issues and Applications Appendix References


The purpose of this study is to model electronic money in Indonesia using a hybrid model and compare its accuracy with the non-hybrid model. The hybrid model used is Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA)-Artificial Neural Network. The data used is the amount of electronic money circulation for the monthly period January 2009 to October 2021. The ARIMA model formed from research data is ARIMA (1,1,0) with additive outliers and level shift outliers. For Artificial Neural Network modeling is limited by using one hidden layer with three neurons. In the modeling process, 20 repetitions were carried out. The smallest repetition value was obtained, namely the 13th repetition with an error value of 2.569. In this study, it was found that the ARIMA- Artificial Neural Network hybrid model had a smaller Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) in sample and out sample than the non-hybrid model. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that by combining the ARIMA model with Artificial Neural Network, it can increase the accuracy of the data fit results and forecast results.


PurposeRisk response decisions (RRDs) are vital for project risk mitigation. Although past research has focused on RRDs for independent single projects, it has scarcely explored how to make RRDs for single projects in project portfolios (SPPPs). Consequently, this study aims to bridge the gap in extant literature by developing an integrated approach to select risk response strategies (RRSs) for SPPPs considering objective adjustments and project interdependencies (PIs).Design/methodology/approachAn integrated quality function deployment (QFD) method was used throughout this study. More so, a balanced score card (BSC) and stratified-Z-numbers-full consistency method (SZFUCOM) was applied to identify SPPP success criteria (SP3SC) to determine their weights. In addition, a spherical fuzzy set-design structure matrix (SFDSM) was used to quantify the correlation between the risks and the relationship between the risks and the predecessor projects. Consequently, the relationships between the risks and SP3SC and RRSs were described by the spherical fuzzy set (SFS) and Z-numbers, respectively. Besides, the results are weaved into QFD to transform SP3SC into risks and then into RRSs, while a linear optimization model is used to obtain the optimal RRSs. Lastly, a construction project portfolio (PP) was used to test the veracity of the results to prove their validity.FindingsThe approach to RRDs for single projects is observed to be different from that of SPPPs. In addition, this study finds that project portfolio objective adjustments (PPOAs) and PIs have significant impacts on RRDs given that they influence the risk priorities of independent single projects and SPPPs. Moreover, the application of an integrated QFD effectively synthesized the results from the findings of this study, as well as enabled companies to determine robust RRSs. Finally, the consistency results of the SZFUCOM were better than those of the triangular fuzzy number-full consistency method.Originality/valueThe study innovatively explores the method of RRDs for SPPP, which has been ignored by past research. SP3SC highly compatible with PP success is determined. Z-numbers are first used to evaluate the effect of RRSs to enhance the robustness of RRDs. The study proposes a method of RRDs comprehensively considering PPOAs and PIs, which provides robust methodological guidance for SPPP managers to control risks.


Some criticism has been made over the limitations and optional exceptions of the general application of the mandatory jurisdiction provision, but none as radical as the one declared by an ad-hoc Arbitration Tribunal when it maintained: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) falls significantly short of establishing a truly comprehensive regime of compulsory jurisdiction entailing binding decisions. The Convention established the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) as one of the compulsory procedures to be chosen by States for the settlement of their disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the Convention. ITLOS has compulsory jurisdiction in two particular legal proceedings: provisional measures and prompt release of vessels. ITLOS is the only specialized and permanent judicial body on matters of the law of the sea. Keywords:ITLOS; jurisdiction; UNCLOS


The Cr(1−) carbonyl complex bis[bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium] decacarbonyldichromate(2−), [PPN]2[Cr2(CO)10], (1), where [PPN]+ is [(Ph3P)2N]+, has been prepared by naphthalenide reduction of a Cr0 precursor followed by counterion metathesis to introduce a non-coordinating cation. The [Cr2(CO)10]2− dianion in (1) is structurally similar to that in a previously characterized salt with a [K(DME)2]+ counterion (DME = dimethylethane), despite the loss of the solid-state ion-pairing present in the [K(DME)2]+ salt.


In the situation that Chinese Party Central Committee puts forward to build new rural area,building human resources market,accelerating steps of urbanizing rural area,readjusting industrial structure after entering WTO and so on,all of them bring forward the new demand on vocational education.Entire society must build a environment that supporting vocational education policy;Change concept,make clear development position of rural area vocational education;Adapt to tendency of the development and change of rural industrial structure and economic pattern,adjust special field structure in time,carry out reformation about content of courses and the curriculum actively;Utilizing city and countryside resources to promote the development of rural area vocational education Fully,improving actual operational capacity of some students from vocational-technical school by reinforcing practical training.So rural area vocational education could be brought into fully play in the process of new rural construction


In order to analyze the relationships of the light intensity splitting ratio with the incident angle,the prism's structural angle and the incidence wavelength's variation with the light beam coming from natural light's oblique incidence to Glan polarizing splitting prism,the mathematical formula of the light beam are deduced according to the geometric relationship,Fresnel formula and phase matching conditions.Through the analysis,a conclusion is drawn that the light beam assumes the nonlinear relationship with the incidence angle,the prism's structural angle and the incidence wavelength's variation,which provides useful information for the development of Glan polarizing splitting prism as optical devices.


Are Shakespeare's tragedies all structured in the same way? Are the characters rather isolated, grouped, all connected? Narration, even fictional, contains a network of interacting characters. Constituting a well defined corpus, the eleven Shakespearean tragedies can easily be compared: We propose here a network visualization in which each character is represented by a node connected with the characters that appear in the same scenes. The result speaks for itself: the longest tragedy (Hamlet) is not the most structurally complex and is less dense than King Lear, Titus Andronicus or Othello. Some plays reveal clearly the groups that shape the drama: Montague and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet, Trojans and Greeks in Troilus and Cressida, the triumvirs parties and Egyptians in Antony and Cleopatra, the Volscians and the Romans in Coriolanus or the conspirators in Julius Caesar.


We consider the interaction between a single colloid particle of generalized shape and nematic liquid crystal in the framework of Landau–de Gennes theory. At the particle surface, general strong or weak uniaxial anchoring conditions are applied as well as uniform uniaxial forcing at infinity. In this context, it is found that the field-free Landau–de Gennes functional with surface energy admits uniformly continuous minimizers. We then study two examples of non-spherical colloids in a limiting regime known as the 'small particle limit'. Explicit solutions to the small particle limit are found in the case of a prolate and oblate spheroidal colloid with 'almost homeotropic' strong anchoring. From there, a Saturn ring defect is numerically observed in both cases.


In this work, we study the canal surfaces foliated by pseudo spheres S12 along a Frenet curve in terms of their Gauss maps in Minkowski 3-space. Such kind of surfaces with pointwise 1-type Gauss maps are classified completely. For example, the canal surface with proper pointwise 1-type Gauss map of the first kind if and only if it is a part of a minimal surface of revolution.


This paper briefly describes the functions of the major drainage elements and concentrates on descriptive discussion of the important construction phase of a project. Specific aspects of road construction where problems may be reduced by the implementation of sound and proven techniques are considered.


At the Federal level are missing: the ratio of number of references (completed cases) about dental diseases; the ratio of the number of visits in the emergency form, the methodology of the statistical accounting of the figures and the number of calls about dental diseases. Resolution of these aspects in the formation of state plans volume jobs and financing of health care dental diseases is extremely challenging.


This paper proposes an integrated system structure for the supply chain application.The paper presents the kernel idea,application model,key technology and implementation steps of the system.The proposed system was applied to a domestic largescale garment company and a good result has been achieved in the past three years.


A timing synchronization algorithm is proposed in this paper. By using moving average filtering and oscillation eliminate, this algorithm can expand the loop bandwidth 9 times and eliminate the oscillation before convergence. A 256 QAM signal, whose symbol rate is 6.4Mbps and normalized timing error is 0.7, is used to verify the proposed algorithm. Experiment results confirm the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. It takes less than 120 symbol period to converge, and the residual timing error of fractional interval is within 0.05.


The decision making on taking the measures to increase the efficiency energy of the electric distribution networks is very difficult when there is a vast majority of them that have an unbalanced regime due to the load or voltage. In these conditions, a classification of the networks as good as possible to establish a priority in the implementation of the energy efficiency measures represents an important objective of the Distribution Network Operator (DNO). Thus, a methodology to compare the performance of the hierarchical clustering methods in classification of the low voltage (LV) distribution networks in the priority categories, to identify the best method which can be the basis of decision making in the implementation of the phase load balancing measure, is proposed in the paper. Performance assessment has done using two quality coefficients of grouping, cophenetic correlation silhouette coefficients. The methodology has tested using a database with 475 LV feeders from a rural area supplied by a Romanian DNO. The obtained data highlight that the Ward method can represent the best choice in the classification process compared to the other hierarchical clustering methods.


CONTEXT
Persistently elevated GH and IGF-I levels are associated with increased mortality. Their response to somatostatin analogs (SSA) is variable.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to examine the significance of somatotroph adenoma type on response to SSA.

DESIGN
This study was a retrospective examination of postoperatively treated acromegalic patients with the SSA octreotide.

SETTING
The study was performed at a university-affiliated tertiary care center.

PATIENTS
Forty patients with acromegaly were studied.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Normalization of IGF-I levels and GH responses were the main outcome measures.

RESULTS
Univariate analysis revealed that responders were more likely to have densely granulated somatotroph adenomas (80% vs. 43.8%; P = 0.024), to be older (51.3 vs. 38.2 yr; P < 0.003), to have smaller tumors (stage < or =3; 78.6% vs. 35.7%; P = 0.022), to have lower baseline IGF-I (453 vs. 716 microg/liter; P < 0.001) and GH levels (2.7 vs. 7.8 microg/liter; P < 0.05), and to require a lower maximum dose of SSA (24 vs. 31 mg every 4 wk; P = 0.013). Multivariate analysis confirmed that a densely granulated adenoma was the strongest predictor of complete response [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 58.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24-1000.00; P = 0.04] compared with other covariates, including older age at time of diagnosis (OR, 1.15/yr; 95% CI, 1.01-1.31; P = 0.03), and tumor stage of 3 or less (OR, 29.77; 95% CI, 1.01-885.45; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Somatotroph tumor type represents a strong clinical predictor of response to SSA treatment and will help to identify patients who warrant more vigilant management of their disease.


Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of emotional intelligence and multi-cultural perception on the cultural competence of nursing students.
Methods: A Participants consisted of 211 registered nursing students from the university in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. Data were collected in March, 2019 using self-report questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, an ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis in SPSS/WIN 21.0.
Results: The cultural competence correlated positively with emotional intelligence (r=.30, p<.001) and multi-cultural perception (r=.27, p<.001). The cultural competence was the factor that most influenced emotional intelligence and multi-cultural perception, explaining 33.8% of the variance(F=14.82, p<.001).
Conclusions: It is necessary to educate cultural competency education programs designed to the appropriate grade level of nursing students that a nursing students can enhance there multi-cultural perception, Others'' emotion appraisal and use of emotion competence.


Generally, a coprime planar array (CPA) incorporates two uniform planar subarrays with large inter-element spacing to achieve improved direction of arrival (DOA) estimation performance, where the two subarrays are usually interleaved in the same quadrant. In this paper, by separating the two subarrays in different quadrants, we design an unfolded CPA to achieve the augmented array aperture. We study the theoretical performance of 2-D DOA estimation with unfolded CPA via Cramer-Rao bound, which concludes that the unfolded CPA with two subarrays in centrosymmetric layout can outperform those in other layouts in DOA estimation performance. Furthermore, we propose an ambiguity-free multiple signals classification (AF-MUSIC) algorithm by stacking the received signals of two subarrays, and prove that the ambiguity problem can be suppressed with coprime property. Meanwhile, AF-MUSIC algorithm can fully exploit all the degrees of freedom and attain more accurate DOA estimates due to the joint utilization of autocorrelation and cross-correlation information. In addition, a successive scheme for AF-MUSIC algorithm is devised to relieve the computational burden. Finally, numerical simulations verify the effectiveness and superiority of the unfolded CPA and AF-MUSIC algorithm.


The mixing of the photon with a hypothetical sterile paraphotonic state would have consequences on the cosmological propagation of photons. Observations of gamma-rays from active galactic nuclei in GLAST and MAGIC will open a new domain in the search for such a phenomenon.


As the subject of how economic development affects the quality of the natural environment has gained great momentum, this paper focuses on examining the extent to which the openness of a market economy and the quality of the institution affect environmental performance. The majority of the current studies focus on the Environmental Kuznets Curve and the level of economic growth. This paper addresses this question by relating environmental ("Environmental Performance Index") to macroeconomic (Gross Domestic Product per capita, "Open Markets Index") and governance indicators ("Worldwide Governance Indicators"). The sample consists of 75 countries, including all G20 and EU members, comprising "more than 90% of global trade and investment". Findings show that the Environmental Performance Index is positively correlated to each of the (institutional) indicators, so as to confirm that the selected indices are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that environmental performance increases in line with economic development and that good governance increases a country's levels of environmental protection. By applying factor analysis, an empirical model of the Environmental Performance Index is estimated, suggesting that there is a significant positive correlation between a country's economic growth, the openness of an economy, high levels of effective governance, and its environmental performance.


is necessary and sufficient for the global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point (0, 0) of (1.2). The idea of the proof is to show that (1.3) is necessary and sufficient for the boundedness of all solutions of (1.2). In doing this the crucial step is determining whether a solution with initial conditions in the first quadrant (third quadrant) will intersect the positive (negative) x-axis. In this paper we investigate global asymptotic stability of the origin (0, 0) of (1.2) for the case when a ? 1. In addition to the above idea, the main feature of our approach is to reduce (1.2) to a first order generalized Ricatti equation and then determine conditions under which it has and does not have positive solutions for large values of the independent variable. Using a different method, Willet and Wong [4] have considered this same problem. Their approach is more general and (1.2) is considered as a special case. If a _ 1, they obtain a necessary and sufficient condition (which is the same as Burton's for cx 1, however, it will be shown here that their condition is included in one of those obtained here.


Peripartum cardiomyopathy, in itself, is a rare condition. Often undiagnosed early, most cases are those already with complications, usually in decompensated heart failure. The symptoms are not recognized promptly because of the close resemblance to the normal spectrum of pregnancy. In rare occasions, this form of cardiomyopathy can be the etiology of stroke. A 33 year old female G5P4, known hyperthyroid, admitted in labor and delivered to a live baby boy, with no complications. On the 12th hour postpartum, noted sudden onset of rightsided body weakness. Imaging showed infarct of varying ages on the left frontal lobe. Suspecting a probable embolic origin, electrocardiogram revealed sinus tachycardia but 2D echocardiogram showed global hypokinesia with ejection fraction of 30%. During ICU stay, the patient had difficulty breathing with concomitant desaturations, associated with tachycardia. With a background of hyperthyroidism, thyroid storm was also entertained, thus, the debate regarding the etiology of heart failure secondary to thyrotoxic heart disease versus peripartum cardiomyopathy was raised. Currently, there are no related literature regarding the incidence of all entities occurring in the same setting. The case presented a gray area in stroke in the spectrum of pregnancy, peripartum cardiomyopathy and hyperthyroidism because the incidence of these in the same setting is rare. It is unfortunate that the patient already suffered the devastating consequence leading to morbidity on diagnosis. The importance of a high index of suspicion and prompt diagnosis are keys, as well as adherence to medications and patient education, to guide proper management and prevent complications. Introduction Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare cause of cardiomyopathy that occurs during late pregnancy or early postpartum periods. This condition can be life-threatening and is characterized by severe left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure. [1][2][3] [3] PPCM is not a specific entity. In 2010 , the European Society for Cardiology identified PPCM as an idiopathic cardiomyopathy with the following characteristics:  Development of heart failure towards the end of pregnancy or the postpartum period.  Absence of another identifiable cause for heart failure.  Left ventricular systolic dysfunction with left ventricle (LV) ejection fraction almost always less than 45 percent. The LV may or may not be extended. Etiology The etiology behind PPCM is as yet muddled. Connection with eclampsia and hypertension during pregnancy has been found. In any case, the fundamental component is muddled. Hazard factors for PPCM are African drop, age, pregnancyrelated hypertension issue, multiparity, different developments, stoutness, constant hypertension, and delayed utilized of tocolytics. A few examinations have been proposed different theoretical instruments identified with the improvement of PPCM.[4][5] This will be clarified in the pathophysiology segment. Epidemiology The occurrence of PPCM is dubious, maybe due to the misdiagnosis of this character. In spite of this, the accessible data from various investigations has indicated that PPCM differs geologically. In the United States, the frequency has been accounted for to be as low as 1 case for each 4,000 live births in examination with the higher rate in Nigeria of 1 case in each 100 live births. Ladies more established than 25 years with a mean age of 30 years were discovered bound to create PPCM. Other significant components identified with the nearness of PPCM incorporate hypertensive issue related with pregnancy, the nearness of iron deficiency, and African drop. In the other hand, Hispanic ladies are the ethnicity with the least PCCM frequency. [6][7] Pathophysiology The etiology behind PPCM is as yet hazy yet is likely multifactorial. In the writing, potential factors that may add to the etiology of PPCM have been assessed. Huge hemodynamic changes happen during pregnancy. There is an expansion in preload optional to the increment in red cell mass and blood volume. This likewise builds the cardiovascular yield by 20% to 30% because of an expansion in pulse and stroke volume by 15% to 25%. Every one of these progressions present during the first and second


On the basis of analyzing the crucial elements for speciality provision, the article designs a Dual-Dimension with Four-Direction Evaluation Mode for speciality provision in vocational education so as to make direct, reasonable and objective evaluation on the existed and will-coming specialities in vocational and technical schools. This mode features in maneuverability and plasticity, and is in favor of making comparison among past development, present status and future tendency, thus serves for the adjustment, decision and supervision of speciality provision in vocational education.


Temperature plays a very important role in various biological processes like the evolution of life, as it is anticipated that early life existed in a very hot environment that eventually cooled down with time. In vitro experiments, conducted with various active matter systems in anisotropic temperature environments, show several interesting outcomes. Motivated by these experiments and some simulation results, we study the collective behavior of self-propelled hard rods with excluded volume interactions, moving on a substrate in two dimensions and subjected to a small but finite external temperature gradient. Using a coarse-grained hydrodynamic approach, we explore the behavior of the system in the steady state and the stability both in the passive and active limits.


The effects of some meteorological factors on the number of days it takes the central bloom cluster of the apple cultivars 'American Summer Pearmain', 'Jonathan' and 'Rolls Janet', and the indicator cherry tree from imposed dormancy (1 February) to first bloom were investigat-ed. Meteorological data on air temperature, soil temperature, hours of sunshine, the force of wind, the day of first snow of the year and the day when the snow thaws from 1963 to 1987 were correlated with blooming dates.1. Air temperature is classified as maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures in April and as accumulated temperature in degree-days from 1 February to 30 April. Negative corre-lations ranging from r= -0.592* to -0.831** were found between mean temperature dur-ing April and the number of days it takes from 1 February to first bloom for a cherry tree and the three apple cultivars. Negative correlation coefficients between the accumulated tem-perature from 1 February to 30 April and the number of days from 1 February to first bloom ranged from - 0.797** to - 0.891**.2. Soil temperatures were recorded monthly from October to April at depths of 10, 50, and 100 cm. The findings were correlated with the number of days from 1 February to first bloom. Significant negative correlations were found between soil temperature during April at all depths and the number of days from 1 February to first bloom for all cultivars except 'Rolls Janet' at the 100 cm depth. Negative correlations also existed between the soil tem-perature at the 100 cm depth during December and January and the number of days from 1 February to first bloom for all cultivars except for 'American Summer Pearmain' in De-cember. It was also observed incidently that carbon dioxide production by small roots in-creased at the deep soil layer in December and January.3. Significant positive correlations were found between the day when the snow thaws and the number of days from 1 February to first bloom of three apple cultivars; the correlation coefficients ranged from +0.571* to +0.685**.4. Based on the data, the following multiple regression formulas were obtained; 'American Summer Pearmain': Y=116.630 - 0.014X1-1.603X2'Jonathan': Y=120.788- 0.012X1-2.519X2'Rolls Janet': Y=129.687 - 0.009X1- 4.331X2Y: Number of days from 1 February to first bloom, X1: accumulated temperature in degree-days from 1 February to 30 April, X2: January soil temperature at 100 cm depth.


First experimental results on optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of internal structure of plant tissues and in situ OCT monitoring of plant tissue regeneration at different water supply are reported. The OCT images are a map of backscattering coefficient 200 x 200 pixels, 1.5 mm along plant surface and up to 2 mm in depth (by analogy with ultrasound B-scan). Experiments for evaluating OCT capabilities were performed on Tradescantia blossfeldiana Mild. Using OCT device, in vivo images of plant tissues were acquired with a spatial resolution of 15 μm. These OCT images correlate with standard microscopy data from the same tissue regions. Since incident light power at a wavelength of 1.3 μm is as low as 0.5 mW, two-dimensional OCT images can be obtained directly on an intact plant not damaging it. Acquisition time for a 2D image is 1-3 s. OCT enables effective monitoring of fast reactions in plants at different water supply.


Learning disabilities, or perceptual defects resulting in the inability to perceive or classify various symbols, may involve many systems including the auditory pathways. Perceptually handicapped children are most often characterized by poor attention to auditory stimuli and limited auditory memory. Medical history and an examination which includes simple motor tests are important in proper diagnosis. Routine audiological testing, special discrimination tests, such as the Wepman, and auditory memory assessment should be done. The differential diagnosis includes high-frequency hearing impairment, psychopathologic effects, and mental retardation. The otolaryngologist should be prepared to recognize and direct a child with suspected abnormalities to appropriate evaluation. Therapy in general is based on special educational situations and the use of stimulant drugs. Long-term results are yet to be fully evaluated.


As the second largest city in Hubei province in the past, Huangshi city's mining and metallurgy culture has a long history. As data collection difficulty and research integrity, this study includes the Hubei province as research scope. Mining and metallurgy economy is an important content of mining and metallurgy culture. Based on the input-output data of Hubei province from 2012 to 2016, the study applies CCR model of the DEA method to setup an evaluation indicator system of regional economy development efficiency. As a typical representative of mining and metallurgy city, Huangshi is taken as an example to be made the projection analysis on some non-DEA efficient areas. Based on the angle of mining and metallurgy city, some measures are put forward the in improving the efficiency of regional economic development. The established indicators system has a certain significance in enriching the existing research and projection analysis of the assessment results have certain guiding significance to adjust the input and output of major municipalities.


More than 45% of the cryogenic beam pipes in the arches of the future SIS100 will be formed by dipole magnets. As usual in superconducting machines, the inner surface of all cold vacuum chambers, also including the dipole chambers, will be used as an effective cryopump to generate low beam pipe pressures. However, since the dipole magnets have to be rapidly ramped at high repetition frequencies, eddy current-induced heating of the chambers could become a serious problem with regard to their pumping behaviour. With exceeding a critical wall temperature of 15K, previously pumped gas could desorb from the walls in a pressure rise during ramping. Up to now it was not clear which concrete consequences would have the magnet ramping on the vacuum quality inside the dipole chambers. The article presents first experimental results on measurements of the chamber temperature and partial pressure evolution during magnet operation. Experiments and results The measurements were carried out using the BNG magnet [1]. The used dipole chamber [2] is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The wall temperatures T01, T02,... were measured at four selected chamber positions (see Fig. 1,2). A quadrupole mass spectrometer installed outside the magnet was used for residual gas analysis. Figure 1: Prototype of the dipole chamber with LHecooling tubes installed inside the BNG magnet The tests were carried out under real operating conditions using several relevant magnet ramping cycles for future SIS100 operation. Detailed parameters of all cycles can be found in [3]. Here, only one critical cycle is considered more closely. This cycle corresponded nearly to the real cycle 2c, which causes the second highest eddy current losses of all cycles. The results obtained with this cycle are depicted in Fig. 2. The measurements show that the chamber responds immediately to magnet ramping with an increase in temperature. The dipole chamber walls heat up from 5...6.8K to maximum temperatures of 12...14K. At these temperatures, only He and H2 are released from the chamber walls. All other residual gases remain stuck to the cold walls. Helium desorbs completely from the walls, indicating that He can not be removed by wallpumping during machine operation. Therefore, auxiliary pumps are needed for He. In contrast, H2 desorbs intensively only after ramping start. After passing a short-term maximum the hydrogen partial pressure declines again to twice the initial value. From this finding it can be concluded that even under dynamic conditions a certain fraction of hydrogen can be pumped by the walls. 16:04 16:06 16:08 16:10 16:12 16:14 16:16 10 -11 10 -10 10 -9 10 -8 10 -7 10 -11 10 -10 10 -9 10 -8 10 -7


The syntheses and characterizations of a series of new phosphinic acids and the zinc polymers and copolymers prepared from them are reported. These compositions are characterized by the presence of phenyl sulfone side groups. The zinc derivatives were found to be among the thermally most stable tractable poly(metal phosphinates) yet studied.

Uber die Darstellung und Charakterisierung einer Reihe neuer Phosphinsauren und der davon abgeleiteten Zinkpolymere und Copolymere wird berichtet. Diese Verbindungen, die durch Anwesenheit von Phenylsulfon-Seitengruppen charakterisiert sind, gehoren zu den bislang thermisch stabilsten verarbeitbaren Poly(metallphosphinaten).


Detailed characterization followed by beneficiation of low-grade iron ore slime from Jilling Langalota deposit, India, was studied. The work involved separating the gangue minerals viz. quartz and kaolinite to form iron-bearing minerals, mostly hematite and goethite, as identified using XRD analysis to produce a suitable concentrate for downstream processing. The feed slime sample assayed 37.86% total Fe, 19.08% silica, and 14.4% alumina. Detailed characterization data indicated that a substantial amount of the sample was below 20 µm in size. The finer fraction contained larger amount of gangue while the coarser fraction was richer in iron. Considering the characterization data, two flowsheets were conceptualized for the beneficiation of the slime sample with two- and four-stage processing, respectively. In the two-stage operation, the grade of the slime could be improved to 60.26% Fe, 4.45% silica, and 3.98% alumina with an overall yield of about 20%. The results from the four-stage operation showed that it is possible to upgrade the iron value to 66.97% with a yield of 14.4% while reducing the silica and alumina content down to 1.7% and 1.52%, respectively. A simple flowsheet has been suggested to improve the yield substantially for the production of sinter/pellet grade concentrate from this slime.


The maintenance of pH homeostasis in the male reproductive tract is kept through the involvement of several mechanisms, among which is included the transmembranous movement of H ions. Na-H exchangers (SLC9, solute carrier 9 family members) are among the membrane transporters known to participate in intracellular and extracellular pH regulation but also have important roles in salt and water absorption across epithelia and in the regulation of cell volume. The presence of several Na-H exchangers has been reported in the male reproductive tract. Their involvement in the processes that ensure the correct pursuance of the spermatogenetic event and spermatozoa maturation has been suggested. Indeed, the formation of mature spermatozoa is highly dependent on the maintenance of adequate ductal luminal milieu pH and ionic balance. Perturbations in these processes result in reduced male reproductive potential and consequently male subfertility and/or infertility. Thus, it is imperative to understand H transport dynamics in order to identify and counteract possible alterations associated with reduced male fertility caused by pathological conditions. Herein, we will discuss the expression pattern and physiological roles of SLC9 family members in the cells of the male reproductive tract as well as the molecular basis of H transport and its involvement in male reproductive potential. acid-base transporters, male fertility, Na/H exchangers, pH regulation, spermatozoa INTRODUCTION The maintenance of intracellular pH (pH i ) within physiological values is a fundamental aspect of cell physiology. Thus, establishing a proper pH i control is vital for a stable operation of multiple cellular events and to the establishment of cellular interactions, controlling cell survival and function. Indeed, in the absence of regulation, the cytosol would become acidic as an effect of the continuous increase of metabolic acidic activity [1]. There are several mechanisms involved in pH i regulation. This cellular parameter is kept mainly through the net balance between production and elimination of protons as well as by the action of intracellular buffers [2]. Cells possess in their plasma membrane a wide range of ion transporters that participate in pH i regulation, among which are the basic and acidic ions membrane transporters [2]. These transporters, directly involved in the movement of basic and acidic ions across the membrane, are classified as acid extruders or acid loaders. Two main categories of transmembrane proteins are involved in mammalian cells pH regulation: 1) proton carriers, which transport hydrogen ions, and 2) bicarbonate carriers, which transport bicarbonate. Proton carriers include transporters of the solute carrier 9 (SLC9) family, which are highly effective in pH i regulation and widely expressed. These cation exchangers constitute a family of membrane proteins commonly termed Na þ /H þ exchangers (NHEs) or antiporters (NHAs). NHEs are classified as secondary active transporters because their catalytic driving force is not directly coupled to ATP hydrolysis, being instead derived from the electrochemical gradient established for one of the solutes, which drives the countertransport of the other. In addition to the movement of H þ ions, the transmembrane influx of Na þ directly contributes to the absorption of salt and water across various epithelia and to the regulation of cell volume (for extensive review, see Fuster and Alexander [3]). Herein we propose to briefly present an overview of Na þ /H þ exchanger's general structure and function and then discuss their expression throughout the male reproductive tract and their relevance to male fertility. NHE ISOFORMS: FROM STRUCTURE TO FUNCTION The SLC9 family is composed by three subgroups of transporters that encompass: 1) the SLC9A plasma membrane isoforms NHE-1 to NHE-5 (SLC9A1-5) and the predominantly intracellular isoforms NHE-6 to NHE-9 (SLC9A6-9); 2) the two recently cloned isoforms of the SLC9B subgroup, NHA-1 Supported by the ''Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia''–FCT (PTDC/QUI-BIQ/121446/2010) cofunded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional–FEDER via Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade–COMPETE/QREN. M.G.A. (SFRH/BPD/80451/2011) was funded by FCT. P.F.O. was funded by FCT through FSE and POPH funds (Programa Ciência 2008). R.L.B. was funded by Santander/Totta– UBI protocol (Portugal). The UMIB was funded by National Funds through FCT–Foundation for Science and Technology under the PEstOE/SAU/UI0215/2014 project. Correspondence: Pedro Fontes Oliveira, Health Sciences Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal. E-mail: email@example.com These authors equally contributed to this manuscript. Received: 5 February 2014. First decision: 18 March 2014. Accepted: 12 May 2014. 2014 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc. eISSN: 1529-7268 http://www.biolreprod.org ISSN: 0006-3363 1 Article 11 D ow nladed rom w w w .biolrod.org. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/biolreprod/article-abstract/91/1/11, 1-6/2433994 by guest on 28 May 2018 and NHA-2 (SLC9B1 and SLC9B2, respectively); and 3) the SLC9C subgroup isoforms, which consist of a sperm-specific plasma membrane NHE (sNHE, SLC9C1, or SLC9A10) and a putative NHE-11 (SLC9C2) (for review, see Fuster and Alexander [3]; Fig. 1). Each NHE isoform corresponds to a distinct gene product and has a different molecular structure, sensitivity to pharmacological inhibitors, and tissue distribution. In fact, the different sensitivities of the NHE isoforms to pharmacological inhibition represent a complementary characteristic that has been very useful in the development of therapeutic agents (for review, see Orlowski and Grinstein [4]). There are several NHE isoforms that vary in length from 500 to 1200 amino acids and share a distinctive similarity in primary structure. Indeed, NHE-1 to NHE-5 isoforms share about 30%–60% amino acid similarity with each other, while the other NHE isoforms share only about 20% similarity (for review, see Orlowski and Grinstein [4]). Based on their primary structure, an analogous membrane topology was predicted for all isoforms, with 10–12 membrane-spanning regions at the N-terminus and a large cytoplasmic region at the C-terminus, which exhibits a minor degree of similarity between isoforms [5]. Published data suggest that these NHE isoforms exist in the membrane as homodimers, although their exact topological organization remains a matter of debate [6]. The NHE-1 isoform is located in the plasma membrane and is ubiquitously expressed in virtually all cells [7]. It plays a key role in pH homeostasis, cell adhesion, and migration as well as in cell volume regulation, being also involved in tumor growth [7]. The isoforms NHE-2 to NHE-4 have a tissue-specific pattern of expression, being more abundantly found in kidneys and in some regions of the gastrointestinal tract [3]. These isoforms may fulfill overlapping functions with NHE-1, particularly in the kidney, which lacks detectable levels of NHE-1 [3]. They are located primarily in the plasma membrane, being also present in recycling endosomes (Fig. 1). The intracellular location of the isoforms seems to be directly related to the regulation of NHEs activity, with changes in cellular ion composition stimulating net translocation of the NHEs between plasma and endosomal membranes [8]. Whether these NHE isoforms contribute to endosomal acidification awaits confirmation. The NHE-5 isoform is also tissue specific and is abundantly expressed in neuron-rich regions of the brain, regulating activity-dependent local pH changes and dendritic spine growth on neuronal activation, being also located in intracellular vesicles [9]. The isoforms NHE-6 to NHE-9 are found predominantly in intracellular membranes [3]. While NHE-6 and NHE-9 are ascribed primarily to sorting and recycling endosomes, NHE-7 is located mostly in the trans-Golgi network [10] (Fig. 1). The NHE-8 is located mainly in mid-trans-Golgi stacks (Fig. 1) but is also found in neonatal intestinal and renal brush border membranes [11, 12]. These NHEs are responsible for organellar luminal proton efflux, contributing to the establishment of the unique organellar intraluminal pH environment [10–12]. NHE-10 is a member of the NHE family that is exclusively present in specific male gonadal cells, and its expression is essential for male fertility [13], as discussed further here. Finally, NHE-11 is a putative NHE member of the SLC9C family, for which no functional data exists. All these NHEs isoforms have distinct functions that are intimately related with their structure and abundance. To fully understand their relevance in the male reproductive tract, it is imperative to first discuss their functioning. REGULATION OF NHE FUNCTION The activity of NHEs has been found to have a strong dependence on external Na concentration, exhibiting a Michaelis-Menten kinetics [14]. For most NHE isoforms, the affinity of Na þ for its external binding site (30–60 mM) is approximately three times below the physiological extracellular Na þ concentration (135–145 mM) [15–17]. It has been reported that higher Na þ concentrations may activate NHE-1 [15] but have an opposite effect on NHE-2 and NHE-3 [18, 19]. Interestingly, NHE-4 shows a completely distinctive feature with respect to its affinity for Na þ , as its binding site for that cation is not selective entirely for Na þ but also for H þ and Li þ [20, 21] through a competitive binding process. On the other hand, K þ ions, although not transported by NHEs, since they are of greater dimensions than Na þ , may inhibit NHE-1 while having no effect on NHE-2 or NHE-3 [22]. Furthermore, NHEs activity is extremely sensitive to pH i [23]. Once pH i falls below a certain threshold, these exchangers are activated by intracellular H þ concentration to promote a rise of