Introduction: In postmenopausal women, Palbociclib is a selective cyclin-dependent kinase CDK4 and CKD6 inhibitor to treat hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in combination with Letrozole (Aromatase Inhibitor). We describe a case presenting with the rare side effect of Palbociclib induced interstitial pneumonitis. Case report: A 70-year-old Caucasian female was admitted to the hospital with complaints of progressive dyspnea, dry cough, epistaxis, pleuritic chest pain over one month. Her past medical history was significant for stage IIIC (pT3N3) invasive ductal breast cancer (ER-positive/PR-negative/HER2-negative) status post left segmental mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection 17 years ago. She received adjuvant chemotherapy, followed by Anastrozole, for five years. She had a metastatic recurrence to bones, liver, and lymph nodes, which was ER-positive/PR-negative/HER2-negative, and was started on Palbociclib and Letrozole by the oncology team four months before admission. Upon presentation, she was noted to have hypoxia requiring four liters of oxygen via nasal cannula. On examination, she was in severe respiratory distress and had bilateral crackles on lung auscultation. CT chest with contrast revealed no pulmonary embolism and bilateral patchy interstitial opacities. Her lab work showed neutropenia, lymphopenia, and anemia. She had a thorough evaluation for viral (including COVID-19), bacterial, and fungal infection, heart failure, and autoimmune disorders, which were negative. Although diagnostic bronchoscopy was offered, she declined the procedure. She continued to have worsening hypoxemia and required a high flow nasal cannula (FiO2 70% and 50 liters of flow) for moderate ARDS, which was presumed to be secondary to drug-induced pneumonitis. Given the pattern of lung injury on CT, the subacute nature of her symptoms, and initial non-invasive evaluation, it was felt that infectious pneumonia was unlikely. She was managed conservatively with discontinuation of Palbociclib, and IV steroids were initiated (20 mg dexamethasone daily). Over 14 days during the hospital stay, her hypoxemia largely resolved, and she was successfully discharged to a rehabilitation facility. On the day of discharge, she was discharged on PO Prednisone dose 0.5mg/kg for six weeks along with oral Bactrim full dose three times a week for PJP prophylaxis. Discussion: Palbociclib is commonly associated with neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, fatigue, infection, and gastrointestinal side effects. Rarely Palbociclib is associated with interstitial pneumonitis (incidence <1%) due to unknown mechanisms. The early identification of this side effect and treatment with immediate cessation of the drug and corticosteroids could be a life-saving measure, as is the case with our patient.


With more energy networks being interconnected to form integrated energy systems (IESs), the optimal energy flow (OEF) problem has drawn increasing attention. Extant studies on OEF models mostly utilize the finite difference method (FDM) to address partial-differential-equation (PDE) constraints related to the dynamics in natural gas networks (NGNs) and district heating networks (DHNs). However, this time-domain approach suffers from a heavy computational burden with regard to achieving high


I suggest complete re-write after finalizing suggested revision of main manuscript. We have written a new abstract. The background and methods have changed considerably, whereas the results are virtually unchanged. Introduction: I suggest full re-write of the Introduction, e.g. by using the four points I prepared above, and expanding on them (see also comment below on placement of section on Systematic reviews). The background (introduction) has been rewritten, and is now organized in subsections: motivation, systematic review, scope and objectives. The para about non-inferiority is not needed to motivate the study and can be deleted (serves mainly as source of confusion). Removed. Methods: Although it is fine in principle to adhere to the PRISMA-setup, it comes across as confusing here (and I am not sure how applicable it is). The first sentence in the Methods is utterly confusing: The authors have been writing about systematic reviews in the preceding paragraphs in the Introduction, and now they are -suddenly, out of the blue -referring to their own study as a systematic review. I don't think many readers will "get" this. We thought it was best to mention PRISMA explicitly, but if this leads to confusion, we are happy to remove it. "Aggregate level" -I don't understand why sources of individual patient data are not of interest. Also need to specify what is meant by "aggregate level". Added to the background. "The aim of this paper..." belongs in the Intro (by convention). The remainder of this para illustrates the constraints the authors are facing by adhering to the PRISMA-setup in their reporting: It makes absolutely no sense to argue why their findings, in this case, are summarized qualitatively (as opposed to in a meta-analysis). Both the editor and the other reviewer asked us to adhere to the PRISMA statement for the methods section. However, as you point out, it is not a perfect fit. We have been struggling to find best way to apply the PRISMA checklist to our work. We agree that some of the points are better omitted, and have removed those. We also moved the text about the aim of the paper to the new "scope and objectives" subsection. The last para ("As with any review paper...") belongs in the Discussion (by convention). Moved (new "limitations" subsection in the discussion). Results: ALLHAT-trial is one, but not necessarily the best example (and "on the prevention of heart failure" is not an accurate description of that study). I don't think you need to present an example (my suggested rule of thumb is to try and keep it simple), but if you insist, perhaps the LIFE-study ("Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in Hypertension Study") is an even better example -100+ publications at the moment (and no results reported in clinicaltrials.gov...) Removed. I find the second half of the first para badly worded and not very clear. The essence of the para can be made in a sentence or two (e.g. "In addition to the difficulties with identifying clinical trial reports in the scientific literature, the published reports may suffer from several deficiencies, such as...") Restructured and shortened. "The registration of clinical trials is now a well-established practice and has become a key tool in addressing some of Evidence-Based-Medicine (EBM)'s challenges [31]" -is an example of a redundant remark, and an annoying one since the authors seem to expect the reader to look up reference 31 to understand what they are talking about. This is an example of unnecessary text that has no additional value, and adds to the confusion.


Leaf senescence is a comprehensive process performed by integrating various internal and external signals, followed by nutrient reallocation, especially via organic nitrogen (e.g., amino acids) mobilization. Amino acid (AA) transporters play an important role in crop growth and development by participating in the process of organic nitrogen remobilization. However, the biological functions and downstream effectors of amino acid transporters involved in leaf senescence are still poorly understood. In the present study, we cloned and characterized a cationic amino acid transporter gene, NtCAT1, from tobacco (K326). We found that NtCAT1 transcript levels were induced by age and abscisic acid (ABA). The NtCAT1 protein was highly localized in the plasma membrane. The overexpressing NtCAT1 line (OECAT1) showed early leaf senescence, accompanied with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ABA content. By contrast, the NtCAT1 mutant (ntcat1-36) generated by the CRSPR/Cas9 system, showed a delayed-senescence phenotype with a decreased accumulation of ROS and ABA. Moreover, we discovered that the overexpression of NtCAT1 could downregulate the expression of the target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase gene and upregulate the transcript levels of ABA-related genes during leaf senescence compared with wild type (WT), while the expression of these genes in ntcat1-36 plants exhibited inverse trends. Furthermore, an analysis of the amino acid concentration demonstrated that NtCAT1 transgenic plants displayed dramatic changes in the amino acid profile during leaf senescence. In summary, our results suggest that NtCAT1 could promote leaf senescence via the increased biosynthesis of ABA, and our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of leaf senescence.


Entrepreneurship development is highly pivotal to economic growth. Therefore, higher education institutions are continuing to upgrade entrepreneurship education (EE), and entrepreneurship research has rapidly grown in recent years. However, open educational resources, such as open access academic publishers have not yet acknowledged EE could have an exclusive outlet for publication. Therefore, although rapidly growing in numbers, the scholars of EE are having only one Scopus indexed journal that is specifically focused in this domain. Therefore, based on these wide gaps, a bibliometric analysis has been done in the broader research domain of entrepreneurship to understand its growing importance. Accordingly, the implications are given to the publishers.


A novel method is proposed for predicting protein secondary structure using data derived from knowledge based potentials and Neural Networks. Potential energies for amino acid sequences in proteins are calculated using protein structures. An Extreme Learning Machine classifier (ELM-PSO) is used to model and predict protein secondary structures. Classifier performance is maximized using the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Preliminary results show improved results.


Active walker models have proved to be extremely effective in understanding the evolution of a large class of systems in biology like ant trail formation and pedestrian trails. We propose a simple model of a random walker which modifies its local environment that in turn influences the motion of the walker at a later time. We perform direct numerical simulations of the walker in a discrete lattice with the walker actively depositing a chemical which attracts the walker trajectory and also evaporates in time. We propose a method to look at the structural transitions of the trajectory using radius of gyration for finite time walks. The extension over a definite time window shows a non-monotonic change with the deposition rate characteristic of a coil-globule transition. At certain regions of the parameter space of the chemical deposition and evaporation rates, the extensions of the walker shows a re-entrant behavior. The dynamics, characterised by the mean-squared displacement, shows deviation from diffusive scaling at intermediate time scales, returning to diffusive behavior asymptotically. A mean-field theory captures the variation of the asymptotic diffusivity.


The determination of naturally occurring radionuclides in the environment by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of high resolution (ICP-SFMS) has gained recognition over the last fifteen years, relative to the radiometric techniques, as the result of improvement in instrumental performance, sample introduction equipment and sample preparation. With the increase in instrumental sensitivity, it is now possible to measure ultratrace levels of many radioisotopes. The aim of this work was to determined the natural radionuclides (Th, U, U and U) in surface water using Inductively Coupled PlasmaSector Field Mass Spectrometry (ICP-SFMS). The samples were sampling from Lerma river, State of Mexico at february to april 2015. The process of treatment of sample consisted in perform an acid digestion according to the 3015A USEPA method followed of the direct measurement in ICP-SFMS. Results obtained were: a) identify the presence of Th, U, U and U isotopes in water, b) isotopic ratios were for U/U=1.133 ± 0.016. ICPSFMS has gained popularity in the field of radiochemistry, particularly as a method of detection for long lived-actinides.


Since the late 1980s,regional innovation system has increasingly attracted the attention of many scholars at home and abroad.From the two perspectives,regional innovation system coordination evaluation and the methods of regional innovation system coordination evaluation,the paper summarizes the previous study and points out its limitation to provide a foundation for further study.


The authors explored the prevalence of medication potentially related to Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) in a clinic group of incontinence patients. Due to emerging evidence for the association between the use of some certain medications and LUTS, the study provides valuable estimations about how the LUTS-related medications are used among incontinence patients. Before I recommend for publication, however, the paper still has some main problems for major compulsory revisions, and I hope the authors to address them in their revision.


The purpose of this study was to examine the correlations of oral myofunction and oral environment for the elderly with systemic diseases and to suggest need to improve oral health for the elderly. Data were collected from 64 elderly over the age of 65, from April to June 2019. Data were surveyed on general characteristics, oral myofunction, oral health-related quality of life, oral bacteria. Analysis was performed using PASW Statistics ver 18.0. The subjects were 43.8% systemic diseases, among them 40.6 percent of the people with more than two. The number of functional teeth was 18.6. Age was negatively correlated with functional teeth(r=-.384, p<.01) and tongue pressure (r=-).104, p<.001). Tongue pressure was a positive correlation with lip force(r=.279, p<.05). Age and total number of bacteria was negative correlation(r=-.336, p<.01). The functional teeth and total number of bacteria was positive correlation(r=.551, p<.001). The number of systemic diseases and total number of bacteria was positive correlation(r=.327, p<.01) the analysis of oral myofunction and oral bacteria in older patients with systemic diseases It was meaningful in suggesting a plan to improve oral health for the elderly. A practical policy plan was required to improve the quality of oral health life in a super-aged society.


ABSTRACT The problems which arise in the interpretation and measurement of noise factor with the use of negative resistance elements are discussed.


Foreword by Mark Johnson Introduction The Pivotal Cornerstone Principle Decisionmakers Must Use Sound Methods Decisionmakers Must Learn How to Use Sound Methods The Fundamental Rule of Sound Decisionmaking What, Exactly, Is an Advantage? Two Central Questions and Four Central Activities Sound Methods Do Not Weigh Advantages and Disadvantages Instant CBA and the Recognition-Response Process The Five-Step Skill-Learning Process The Principle of Anchoring Anchored Versus Unanchored Questions and Judgments The Two-List Method Preference Charts and Preference Curves Deciding Importance: Three Principles and Four Considerations The Bridge Design Experiment Vital Thinking Skills for Sound Decisionmaking The Sound Decisionmaking Vocabulary It Isn't "Just" a Matter of Semantics Sound Methods Do Not Weigh Factors Sound Methods Do Not Weigh Attributes Sound Methods Weigh Advantages Arithmetic, Reading, Writing, and Choosing By Advantages The Methods Principle How Can We Consistently Make Sound Decisions? How Can We Simplify Sound Decisionmaking? The Tabular Method Special Methods for Complex Decisions Special Methods for Money Decisions Simple Methods for Simple Decisions Very Simple Methods for Very Simple Decisions Conclusion References Index


Taking a cue from the interpretive difficulties faced by Socrates and his interlocutors in Plato's Theaetetus as they struggle to determine the meaning of Protagoras' homo-mensura doctrine (HM), I argue that Protagoras, or early Protagoreans, used HM to speak on the relativity of literary criticism. For evidence I adduce an overlooked passage of the anonymous Certamen Homeri et Hesiodi, which contains an ethical formulation of HM. This formulation of HM, compatible with the portrait of Protagoras from Theaetetus, explains the concern for literary interpretation latent in two sections of the Certamen. From the evidence in the Certamen, we may infer that HM was directly related to Protagorean education in civic virtue, part of which included a study of how to read and listen to texts.


ABSTRACT. . Climate changes in the 21st century are expected to significantly increase ocean temperatures and modify other oceanographic conditions in the North Atlantic. Marine biological research suggests that the impacts on the commercially most important fish stocks in the Icelandic‐Greenland ecosystem may well be quite substantial. This will obviously lead to a corresponding impact on the economies of these two countries. However, the timing, extent and biological impact of global warming is quite uncertain. As a result the economic impact is similarly uncertain.


Abstract Due to shifting standards in art therapy education and licensure an examination of how educators are preparing students for professional practice is warranted. This Delphi study used the framework of signature pedagogies to identify discipline-specific methods used by art therapy educators to teach students how to think, practice, and develop the ethics and values of the art therapy profession. A sample of 18 art therapy educators reached consensus on three common teaching methods and pedagogical worldview deemed essential to the education of art therapists: (a) experiential teaching and learning using art materials, (b) practicum/internship placements, and (c) art-based experiential learning. The results substantiate the claim that art therapy is a distinct profession with teaching methods differentiated from related disciplines.


The crucial influencing factor in the development and progression of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea might be the disharmony of craniofacial structure. The objective of this systematic review is to explain the association between craniofacial structure disharmony and pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Citations of potentially relevant published trials were located by searching PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of science. Inclusion criteria were (1) randomized controlled trials, retrospective study, cross-sectional, case-series, or cohort studies with controls; (2) studies in nonsyndromic children from birth to 19 years of age with a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea by either a screening questionnaire, or polysomnography; and (3) principal outcome measures of craniofacial or upper airway dimensions or proportions with various modalities of cephalometric analysis for the craniofacial and neck regions. The quality of the studies selected was evaluated by assessing their methodologies. Through the electronic searches, 1290 titles and abstracts were identified. From these, 241 met the inclusion criteria. This resulted in 6 studies from cross-sectional trials that were included in this systematic review. 1 case series reported the association between craniofacial disharmony and obstructive sleep apnea. There is statistical support for an association between craniofacial disharmony and obstructive sleep apnea. There was significant correlation between upper airways dimensions and maxillomandibular discrepancy expressed by a significantly larger ANB angle. The upper airway measurement showed a significant difference between OSA group and non-OSA group. Review (J Int Dent Med Res 2022; 15(1): 412-421)


The utility model relates to a solar cell module for enhancing solar energy utilization efficiency, composed of a top board, a back board and a tiled solar array between the top board and the back board, wherein protrusions for reflecting solar light are arranged at the clearance between the solar cells. The solar cell module of the utility model provides a solar cell module for enhancing solar energy utilization efficiency, and makes it multiply reflect the solar light.


Biliary complications after liver transplantation occur in 13∼35% of patients. Biliary cast syndrome, cast formation of biliary sludge along the bile duct, can develop in 4∼18% of liver transplant recipients, although the incidence rate is significantly decreasing due to the improvement of graft harvesting and preservation. It is very important that early diagnosis and effective management of biliary cast syndrome be performed when there is a bile duct stricture or dilatation associated with jaundice and cholangitis in the recipient after liver transplantation, due to the possibility of retransplantation and death of the patient from graft loss. We report a case of a biliary cast formed with suppurative cholangitis and extracted incidentally with a plastic biliary stent during an endoscopic procedure after cadaveric liver transplantation, in which the ERCP findings revealed a stricture at the anastomosis site of the common bile duct and cholangitis. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2007;35:281-286)


The invention discloses a high-voltage device cable head temperature online monitoring device which comprises an A-phase temperature measuring unit, a B-phase temperature measuring unit, a C-phase temperature measuring unit, an environment temperature sensor, a data acquirer, an external power supply circuit and an interface circuit. The high-voltage device cable head temperature online monitoring device adopts a method for indirectly measuring the inside temperature of a cable head according to the inside and outside temperature gradient relation by measuring the cable head surface temperature, namely a special sensor installing tape having heat preservation and heat insulating functions is bundled on an outer surface layer at each cable head attachment heat-emitting position to enable the temperature sensor to right adhere to a surface layer of a cable head attachment, a heat preservation material is filled in a temperature sensor housing to keep the local temperature conducted by heat-emitting points to the surface layer of the cable head attachment, meanwhile one environment temperature sensor is placed nearby the cable head, and experimentally measured compensation data are obtained in advance by measuring a difference value of a cable attachment heat preservation point and the environment temperature.


The mathematics teachers are the main strengths in mathematics education works in primary schools.The ability level in scientific research of mathematics teacher in primary schools related directly to the progress of their professionalization.Therefore,we used the questionnaire survey procedure,the discussion law and the statistical method and conducted the investigation and study to status in scientific research of mathematics teachers in primary schools in Henan province,in order to provide the corresponding basis on carrying out scientific research training for mathematics teachers.


A direct non-histological means of pulpal diagnosis remains elusive to clinical practice. Clinical vitality testing remains limited to electric, thermal criteria, or laser Doppler flowmetry. The goal of these investigations was to determine the feasibility of using light-induced fluorescence as a non-invasive modality for pulpal evaluation. Such a capability would, for example, permit expanded use of pulpotomy/pulpectomy techniques. Clinically healthy and diseased human extirpated pulpal tissues were used in this study. After excision, they were rapidly frozen and standard cryosections prepared. Measurement of tissue excitation/emission characteristics was performed using spectrographic analysis. A low-light level fluorescence microscopy system was then used to image autofluorescence localization and intensity at optimal excitation/detection parameters. Excitation/detection parameters used in this study included 405/605, 405/635, 405/670, 440/550, and 440/635. Autofluorescence intensities in healthy tissues were significantly stronger than those in diseased tissues at optimal parameters. It is postulated that autofluorescence characteristics are related to pathology- related structural changes in the pulp. This work provides the basis for further investigation into the relation between autofluorescence, histology and clinical symptoms.


The synthesis and NMR characterization of some poly(ether ketone)/poly(ether sulfone) (PEK/PES) alternating copolymers together with a series of sequential homopolymers containing CO, O, S and SO 2 bridging groups, all obtained by electrophilic condensation reactions using phosphorus pentoxide/methanesulfonic acid as dehydrating agent, is here reported. Properties of such polymers are compared with those of their model compounds from which it can be inferred that both proton and carbon chemical shifts are very sensitive to the electronic environment generated by the O, S, CO and SO 2 bridges. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates that our polymers are essentially amorphous irrespective of the bridging sequence. From viscosity measurements the molecular weights of these copolymers are judged to be very low.


The article is devoted to the study of legal regulation of the cosmetic services market in the EU, USA, Canada and Ukraine. The analysis of the international experience of legal regulation of cosmetology services has revealed that in the vast majority of countries there is a special legislation that regulates the market of cosmetic products and the activities of cosmetology establishments. The Basic Cosmetics Directive, adopted in the EU, has been studied and contains lists of banned substances that are subject to legal restrictions. It has been found that cosmetic regulation in Canada is implemented through the Health Canada Cosmetics program. The program defi nes the requirements for the production, marking, distribution and sale of cosmetics. The US legislation (including Kansas, Florida, Pennsylvania) that regulates the cosmetic services market is analyzed, a clear list of services provided by a cosmetologist in the US, and sanctions for violations of cosmetic salon employees by their professional duties, is identifi ed. It is established that the mandatory requirement for persons providing cosmetology services is the presence of special education and a license for a specifi c type of cosmetology services. For violation of the legislation on the provision of cosmetic services, specifi c sanctions are provided. The absence of special legislation aimed at regulating the market of cosmetology services in Ukraine. It is found out that the Ukrainian market of cosmetology services is conditionally divided into aesthetic services, which beauty salons can provide without a license, and medical (cosmetics, cosmetology), which can be provided with a corresponding license. It is proved that the most risky market in Ukraine is the aesthetic services market, since such activities are not licensed and are usually carried out by entities that carry out economic activities for providing household services to the population without proper education. The lack of qualifi ed staff is one of the major problems in the fi eld of cosmetology in Ukraine. This is due to the lack of uniform state educational standards for training in this fi eld, which is a consequence of the lack of legal framework regulating the activities of cosmetic institutions. It is established that according to the Handbook of qualifi cation characteristics of professions of workers, approved by the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine 29.03.2002 № 117 among the professionals in the fi eld of cosmetology profession "cosmetologist" – no. "Cosmetologist" is used only in conjunction with "pharmacist". The interviewing method shows that today there are specialists in various qualifi cation and educational levels working in cosmetology establishments, who have usually completed additional training in short-term cosmetology courses. It is proposed to: develop special legislation aimed at regulating the market of cosmetology services in Ukraine; to adopt a state program in which to determine the requirements for the production, marking, distribution and sale of cosmetics; to approve uniform state educational standards of training of the personnel for cosmetology sphere; establish clear requirements and standards that will guarantee the safety of cosmetology services and minimize the negative eff ects on public health; to provide specifi c sanctions for violation of the legislation on the provision of cosmetic services.


This paper addresses formation control of single-integrator modeled agents in the plane. It is assumed that the agents measure the relative-displacements of their neighbors with respect to their local reference frames, whose orientation are not necessarily aligned, and exchange local information through communication. For the agents, a formation control strategy is proposed. The control strategy consists of a consensus law for aligning the reference frames and a feedback control law for stabilizing the relative-positions of the agents. A sufficient condition for achieving the desired formation is provided.


Although research identifies analytical and storytelling skills as the two broad human capital inputs required to perform people analytics, further research is required to better understand how People Analysts that is, the enactors of people analytics, perceive the impact of these skills on their performance. Accordingly, this study draws on the human capital resource (HCR) and HCR complementarity frameworks to investigate the individual and collective impact of analytical and storytelling skills on People Analysts perceived job performance. A mixed‐method sequential explanatory research design is adopted, finding mixed results. Consistent with existing research, results from Phase 1 find People Analysts perceive storytelling skills to be positively associated with their job performance. However, contrary to existing claims, the findings reveal that analytical skills are only perceived to be significant in influencing People Analysts job performance when combined with storytelling skills, supporting a complementarity HCR relationship. To further explain the findings from Phase 1, Phase 2 involved collecting data from 50 people analytics professionals via semi‐structured interviews. Results from the thematic analysis reinforce the survey findings while also illustrating that People Analysts perceive the complementarity relationship between analytical and storytelling skills as important for improving job performance. Accordingly, we argue that debate in this area should be reframed to acknowledge the necessity of complementarities in building people analytics capabilities.


Figure 2a. CGA 134-735: propyl substituted furo-dioxaphosphepin with an IC50 for AChE of 500 nM Figure 2b. CGA 134-736: methyl substituted furo-dioxaphosphepin with an IC50 for AChE of 100 nM identified as algae). Anatoxin-A(s), a phosphate ester of imidazole (Figure 1), is a very interesting substance that lacking the ability to cross the bloodbrain-barrier selectively and irreversibly inhibits the cholinesterases in the periphery.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the performance of service innovation (PSI), and the mediating effect of knowledge acquisition.

Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on social exchange and knowledge management theories, this paper establishes a relevant conceptual model and adopts a hierarchical regression analysis to examine the model with a data set of 298 firms from China.

Findings
CSR positively affects the PSI; however, the effects vary when firms take responsibility for different stakeholders. CSR for the same group of stakeholders influences differently the short-term financial and long-term non-financial PSI, whereas knowledge acquisition mediates the impact of employee and customer CSR on PSI, but not the impact of community CSR on PSI.

Practical implications
Managers could improve the PSI of the firm by strategically assuming CSR and by managing corporate knowledge acquisition activities.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the service innovation literature by identifying the influence of particular types of CSR on PSI, and by highlighting the influencing mechanism of knowledge acquisition. It extends scholarly understanding of the antecedents of PSI as well as the business returns to CSR.


The invention relates to malonesterblockierte polyisocyanates, which are stabilized with formaldehyde to thermal yellowing. Malonester as isocyanate blocking is (An Liebig. Chem. 562 (1949) p 205 et seq) has long been known. A special variant of this newer type of blocking is described for example in EP-A 6,000,314th The advantages of CH-acid esters with the blocked polyisocyanate crosslinking agents are that are achieved with them crosslinking temperatures of about 100 DEG C and that these blocking agents are industrially easy to handle.


Organ regeneration is a rare phenomenon in higher vertebrates. However, members of closely related groups such as echinoderms have striking regeneration capacities. In studies of intestinal regeneration using the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima, recent results have shown the involvement of the Wnt signaling pathway. One important component in this intracellular cascade is β‐catenin, that, depending on its phosphorylation state, activates transcription of Wnt target genes. In one case, phosphorylation of the tyrosine residue 489 (Y489) increases transcriptional activity of the β‐catenin/Tcf complex. To determine if Y489‐β‐catenin phosphorylation is involved in intestinal regeneration, normal and regenerating intestines of H. glaberrima specimens were dissected at different post‐evisceration stages. Tissues were processed for immunohistochemistry using anti‐PY489‐β‐catenin antibody and assessed by counting the temporal and spatial appearance of labeled cells in the distal, medial and proximal ends of the mesentery and gut rudiment. In normal non‐eviscerated animals, the antibody labeled about the 14% of cells in the coelomic lining and 31.2% of cells in the luminal epithelium. In regenerating specimens, PY489‐β‐catenin was expressed at all stages of regeneration from 3‐dpe up to 14‐dpe, with a peak increment of 40.6% of cells labeled in the mesothelium of the 7‐dpe intestinal rudiment. To determine the role of activating or inhibiting the WNT/β‐catenin pathway on the expression of the PY489 labeling, we treated tissue explants with the Wnt pathway activator LiCl and inhibitor iCRT14. When compared to controls there was no significant difference in the number of PY489‐β‐catenin immunoreactive cells observed in the LiCl‐treated explants, while there was a significant increase in immunoreactive cells in the iCRT14‐treated explants. Our results suggest that the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling is activated during intestinal regeneration in H. glaberrima and that phosphorylation in the Y489 residue of β‐catenin is important for the Wnt role in intestinal regeneration. In particular, the results suggest a possible role for Wnt pathway in the dedifferentiation status of the mesothelium once the initial intestinal blastema is formed. Our study might provide the basis for the role of the Wnt signaling pathway during organogenesis in holothurians and thus provide a better understanding of general regenerative processes.


Both cellular senescence and cytoskeleton are involved in the formation of many diseases and cell signaling pathways. Although recent studies have shown that F-actin is involved in DNA damage repair, chromatin decompression, gene transcription regulation, and cell fate determination. But studies on F-actin and aging are still absence. It is unclear whether nuclear F-actin is present during cellular senescence. Here, by confocal optical sectioning and time-lapse imaging, we found acitn chrommobody-TagGFP2-NLS shows the beneficial on investigating senescent human fibroblast IMR-90 cells. To induce the nuclear F-actin assembly in single cell, we uesd Latrunculin B (latB) which a cytoplasmic F-actin polymerization inhibitor. It is currently unknown whether the nuclear F-actin cytoskeleton in young and senescent cells responds differently to latB treatment. Here, latB application induces distinct nuclear F-actin patterns and dynamics in young and senescent cells. Thus, after analyzing the results of actin dynamic we demonstrate a diverse effect of latB on the nuclear F-actin cytoskeleton in young and senescent cells.


A large number of problems in production planning and scheduling, location, transportation, finance, and engineering design require that decisions be made in the presence of uncertainty. Decision‐making under uncertainty is a central problem in statistical inference, and has been formally studied in virtually all approaches to inference. The aim of the present paper is to show how the invariant embedding technique, the idea of which belongs to the authors, may be employed in the particular case of finding the improved statistical decisions under parametric uncertainty. This technique represents a simple and computationally attractive statistical method based on the constructive use of the invariance principle in mathematical statistics. Unlike the Bayesian approach, an invariant embedding technique is independent of the choice of priors. It allows one to eliminate unknown parameters from the problem and to find the best invariant decision rule, which has smaller risk than any of the well‐known decision ru...


Although traditionally seen as a language-independent task, collocation extraction relies nowadays more and more on the linguistic preprocessing of texts (e.g., lemmatization, POS tagging, chunking or parsing) prior to the application of statistical measures. This paper provides a language-oriented review of the existing extraction work. It points out several language-specific issues related to extraction and proposes a strategy for coping with them. It then describes a hybrid extraction system based on a multilingual parser. Finally, it presents a case-study on the performance of an association measure across a number of languages.


The present invention relates to a secondary battery pack that can improve the life of the secondary battery. The invention Chapter least two secondary battery having a short side and the side and a spacer interposed between the secondary battery, wherein the spacer is a lower portion of the elastic body and the elastic body surrounding the heat conductor and the heat conductor which is located in the center located in and discloses a secondary battery pack including a support plate that is in contact with the heat conductor.


Although Christian Science can be seen as a unique manifestation of the women's movement, it never became identified with that movement.


Dehydroamination of 9-alkylamino-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene occurred at 190—250 °C under non-basic conditions to give phenanthrene exclusively. The thermal reaction of cis-9-t-butylamino-10-methoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene gave both 9-methoxyphenanthrene and 9-t-butylaminophenanthrene, while 9-aminophenanthrene was obtained from the thermal reaction of 9-amino-10-methoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene. The thermal reaction of 9-amino-9,10-dihydroanthracene gave both anthracene and 9-aminoanthracene. Analysis of activation energies and frequency factors showed that the dehydroamination proceeds via an intramolecular proton transfer from C-10 to the amino group and subsequent C–N bond cleavage.


Theory photochromics and electrochromics piezoelectric and pyroelectronic materials liquid crystals and devices organics for nonlinear optics conducting polymers charge transfer complexes LB films magnetism ion transport/biological systems biosensors biomolecular optoelectronics STM/APM molecular electronic logic and architectures molecular MBE.


The present study discusses the status of the high vowels /i/ and (secondarily) /u/ in Arcadian Peloponnesian, an entirely unstudied variety of Greek. The high vowels of Arcadian Greek undergo different processes or are altogether deleted in an unstressed environment. In particular, unstressed [i] palatalizes or undergoes fortition (depending on the target consonant) or gets deleted. Kochetov (2016) argues that palatalization and fortition work in parallel as repair strategies in languages affecting different target consonants, so that marked C+palatal sequences are avoided. This seems to be the motivation behind the widely attested palatalization and fortition in nonstandard Greek varieties more generally, which may need to be unified under one pandialectal study in the future. Until now, high vowel deletion has been thought to be restricted to northern dialects of Greek and has constituted a defining criterion for the classification of Greek dialects in the literature.


With a basis in human appreciation of beauty and aesthetic values, the new era of ornamental crops is based on implementing innovative technologies and transforming symbols into tangible assets. Recent advances in plant biotechnology have attracted considerable scientific and industrial interest, particularly in terms of modifying desired plant traits and developing future ornamental crops. By utilizing omics approaches, genomic data, genetic engineering, and gene editing tools, scientists have successively explored the underlying molecular mechanism and potential gene(s) behind trait regulation such as floral induction, plant architecture, stress resistance, plasticity, adaptation, and phytoremediation in ornamental crop species. These signs of progress lay a theoretical and practical foundation for designing and enhancing the efficiency of ornamental plants for a wide range of applications. In this review, we briefly summarized the existing literature and advances in biotechnological approaches for the improvement of vital traits in ornamental plants. The designing of future ornamentals such as light-emitting plants, biotic/abiotic stress detectors, pollution abatement, and the introduction of new ornamental varieties via domestication of wild species is also discussed.


The teaching method of this course should be laid stress on basic theory knowledge of Computer Assemble and Maintenanc.It should have the objective of improving students' practical ablity with market surveys and study as the supplementary means of teaching.


The present invention discloses an image processing apparatus and a control method and a storage medium. Said image processing apparatus comprising: a detection unit configured to detect the user logged into the image processing apparatus logoff events; inquiry unit configured to, when the detecting unit detects the event operable to query the user whether to change the setting of the job execution; operable to change the work and a control unit, which is the result of the query made by the inquiry unit configured to change and to set as the job settings, and then do log off, and as a result of the query by the query unit made not to change the setting to limit the cancellation of the job.


The elliptic curve cryptosystem is a popular cryptosystem. Its safety depends on the difficulty of the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP). From the viewpoint of ECDLP, it is very interesting to determine the order of elliptic curves. We tabulate the order of elliptic curves on the finite field of characteristic two using the Schoof algorithm, which is an efficient algorithm to decide orders. The Schoof algorithm is carried out by O(log(8)q). Because the calculation of y(q2) occupies most of the time used to execute the Schoof algorithm, it is necessary to reduce the amount of y(q2) calculations.


The core proposition of modern society is the overall social transformation through the division of labor, in which the social existence of labor make a direct result of human existence paradox. Division of labor involved in the transformation of society as a whole, including the subsequent political and social revolution. Classical social thinkers all cut into this proposition, and have not objective action programme, but these theoretical explanations constitute the prerequisite for the construction of modern society in modern times around the world. Chinese social theory have lost the origin link of modernity and directly undertake the sociological theories of the Western after World War II. Today Chinese sociology circle urgent face squarely China's social reality, changes from sociological theory to social theory.


A memory device is disclosed that has a longer read time than write time and implements a parallel-read operation. The parallel-read operation saves reading time and thus accelerates a write operation that comprises a step of comparing incoming data with memory data that were stored in the memory before. The invention is especially applicable to an MRAM memory with 0T1MTJ memory cells. The parallel-read operation involves reading in parallel a large amount of data or all data to be compared from the memory into a first temporary memory. The write data is stored in a second temporary memory. The memory data contained in the first temporary memory is compared with the corresponding write data contained in the second temporary memory and allocated to the same address information. Only that write data is written to the memory, which is different from the corresponding memory data.


Abstract The Jal Az-Zor Formation sediments in north Kuwait were deposited on the southwestern margin of the Zagros foreland basin. They are organized into 30–60 ft (9–18 m)–thick repeated fining upward high-frequency sequences. The sequences generally consist of conglomerate and pebbly sandstone, coarse- to fine-grained sandstone, muddy sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone lithofacies, ideally stacked in ascending order. In upper part of the sequences, burrowing and fossiliferous horizons are developed, which reflect marine influence during their deposition. Each sequence is interpreted to have been developed by infilling of an incised valley during base-level rise. Such valleys had been cut down into the underlying strata during base-level drop. The formation was sourced from west–southwest from the Arabian Massif. From the biostratigraphic analysis, late Burdigalian–early Langhian age is assigned to these sediments in north Kuwait. The uppermost mudstone interval (Cap Shale) contains Miogypsina remains considered early Langhian in age. Based on this, we suggest possible correlation of this zone to the Arabian Plate MFS Ng30. Considering the age limits for the studied section, there is another possibility of MFS Ng20 within the basal mudstone horizon.


ABSTRACT Studies on women in social movements have shown that women and men use different tactical preferences in protests. However, these are not limited to choice regarding preferential gendered symbols and artifacts; they can also be spontaneous corporeal and emotional expressions depending on contingencies of interaction during protests. To analyze the gender impact and differences in protest tactics, this study focuses on the symbols and artifacts used in protests and the gendered habitus that includes embodied behavior and emotions of protesters in varied situations. This paper examines street protests in Taiwan using audiovisual data collected from television news broadcasting between 1997 and 2006, to compare protest actions undertaken by men with those where women participants comprised the majority. This showed that gendered symbols and artifacts presented in street actions were less confrontational if they were planned beforehand. However, the embodied gender culture as habitus becomes more relevant during disruptive and high-conflict protest events. This study reveals that kneeling as a female posture was effective for avoiding conflict and gaining negotiation opportunities with authorities.


In the combined booster structure according to the invention compatible with two types of power supply propellant, said one expander wherein the hydrogen used undergoes heating in a heat exchanger nozzle 106, 206 before driving a power turbine 6 in turbo mode, the other said gas generator, wherein the power turbine 6 in turbo mode is driven by a gas generator schedule 208, the power turbine 6 is arranged inside a central body 2, supplied with gas or ergols through structural arms 8 binder main body 2 to an outer casing 3, said turbine 6 driving an air compressor 4 disposed upstream of the structural arms 8; the central body 2 comprises axially at its downstream part a rocket motor 9, itself supplied with liquid ergols through structural arms 8 and expelling propulsion gases into a diverging nozzle 10. Application to space vehicles.


Simple Summary The "Prespa beans" are an important leguminous crop for the agricultural economy of the rural areas surrounding the lake Mikri Prespa. However, agricultural intensification and climate change have a negative impact on the available arable land, soil microbiome and, consequently, crop productivity. This study investigated the effects of seasonal changes on soil microbiome associated with runner bean cultivation. The results indicated that the presence of the runner bean and the soil processes affecting the carbon cycle differentially shaped the structure of the soil microbial community. Ultimately, this study highlights the importance of investigating soil microbiome in agriculture and is expected to contribute to future research for the development of novel preservation strategies for native soil ecosystem services. Abstract Leguminous crops play a key role in food production and agroecosystem sustainability. However, climate change and agricultural intensification have a significant impact on the available arable land, soil microbiome functions, and ultimately, crop productivity. The "Prespa bean" (Phaseolous coccineous L.) is an important leguminous crop for the agricultural economy of the rural areas surrounding the lake, Mikri Prespa, which is of significant ecological importance. The seasonal effects on soil microbiome structure, diversity and functions associated with the runner bean cultivation were investigated using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The results indicated that the presence of the runner bean differentially shaped the soil microbial community structure. The runner bean was implicated in the recruitment of specific bacteria, by favouring or excluding specific classes or even phyla. Soil functions involved in nutrient availability and carbon metabolism, among other pathways, were associated with microbiome–plant interactions. The temporal relative abundance shifts could be explained by the impact of soil organic matter, the fertilization regime, and the equilibrium in carbon metabolic processes. This research has shown the effect of runner bean cultivation on the soil microbiome which, in future, may potentially contribute to research into sustainable agricultural productivity and the protection of soil ecosystem services.


Background:Poor graft function (PGF) is an uncommon but significant complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). There is growing interest in treatment with positively selected CD34 + grafts as "stem cell boosts" (SCB). No data are, to our knowledge, available concerning the use of SCBs in the HLA-haploidentical setting. Methods:We retrospectively identified all patients undergoing SCB after peripheral blood haplo-HCT with post-transplant cyclophosphamide at our institution between June 2009 and January 2016. CD34 + cell selection was carried out on the CliniMACS instrument (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, CA). PGF was defined as ≥95% donor chimerism, and at least two of the following three cytopenias for at least 2 consecutive weeks without alternative explanation: ANC 3 , platelets 3 and Hgb 500 cells/mm 3 who otherwise met the criteria for PGF were classified as PGF with mixed chimerism. Hematologic improvement (HI) was defined as having no cytopenias. Hematological response (HR) was defined as ANC > 2500 cells/mm 3 , platelets >100,000/mm 3 , and Hgb >10 g/dL. Both HI and HR required transfusion independence for the previous 30 days. Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were graded based on established criteria. Overall survival (OS) was defined as time from SCB until death or last clinical contact. Results: Nineteen of 141 patients (13%) undergoing haplo-HCT received SCB. Clinical characteristics are summarized in Table 1. SCB was given at a median of 120 days (range: 21 - 455) after haplo-HCT. Median time from SCB to death or last clinical contact was 158 days (range: 3 - 564). Nine donors underwent remobilization; 10 patients used cryopreserved product. The median SCB contained 2.52 x 10 6 CD34 + cells/kg (range: 0.33 - 10.92). SCBs from remobilized donors contained significantly more CD34 + cells/kg (median: 4.06) than those from original mobilization (median: 1.50) (p 8 cells/kg (range: 0.01 - 0.73). All CD3+ cell doses were 7 cells/kg. At time of SCB, 63% (12/19) patients were cytopenic in at least two cell lines and 26% (5/19) were cytopenic in all three cell lines. Six patients had one cytopenia and one had no cytopenias, but was chronically transfusion dependent. The majority (74%) of patients had hypocellular bone marrows per pathology report. Patients with secondary PGF were less likely to have multiple cytopenias than the remaining cohort (36% versus 100%, p=0.01). No patients received conditioning prior to SCB. Eighteen patients were receiving immunosuppression, including steroids (79%), calcineurin inhibitors (63%) and mycophenolate mofetil (32%). At day +90 after SCB, 66% of surviving patients were in HI or HR.. ANC was significantly higher at day +90 (p=0.02). Hgb and platelets were significantly higher at all time points (p Conclusion : Our results suggest that SCB after haplo-HCT is safe and associated with acceptable rates of acute and chronic GVHD. It may also be effective in reducing transfusions and inducing HI and HR. The treatment of these patients continues to be a challenge. Further studies are needed to delineate the factors influencing outcomes in this population, including timing of therapy and optimal CD34+ cell dose. Disclosures DiPersio: Incyte Corporation: Research Funding. Vij: Celgene: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria. Fehniger: Celgene: Research Funding; Affimed: Consultancy; Fortress Biotech: Consultancy. Schroeder: Incyte Corporation: Honoraria, Research Funding.


The credit system is one kind of teaching management system that weighs the student's studies by taking the school grades as the measuring unit.It has broad selectivity,the strong compatibility,conductive in training and mobilizing the teacher and student's enthusiasm,and conductive to the implentation of quality-oriented education.The credit system has the vital practical significance in our country university's implementation.In view of our country university credit system universally existing questions: the student chooses the class blindly.The student's quality does not adapt to credit system's request;elasticity of instruction plan is insufficient;the curriculum is incompatible: teachers strength lags behind and so on,it is necessary to further consummate our country higher education credit system.


Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of calcipotriol betamethasone ointment on the treatment of non-generalized vitiligo.Methods Calcipotriol betamethasone ointment was topically applied to the vitiliginous patches once daily in 51 patients with non-generalized vitiligo for 3 months,and the therapeutic effect and adverse effect were observed in each month.Results Of these 51 patients,8 had complete repigmentation,21 achieved excellent response,10 experienced improvement,and the other 12 achieved almost no response.The excellent response rate was 56.86%(29/51,area of repigmentation≥50%),and the effective rate was 76.47%(39/51,area of repigmentation≥10%).Conclusion Calcipotriol betamethasone ointment is effective and safe in the treatment of vitiligo,with less adverse effect.


Software Defined Networking (SDN) is getting much attention for larger network implementation adding programmable feature in the network plane. Demand of wireless networking features is growing simultaneously. With increased network complexity and sizes, security has become an issue as vulnerabilities are still prominent for such complex network and needs to be monitored properly to provide early detection of security breaches and Denial of Service attack. Therefore, the communication protocols, an SDN architecture uses including OpenFlow, NETCONF, OpFlex and BGP etc. should be secure enough to manage such complex and large network. This paper analyzes mostly used protocols specifically for Software Defined Wireless Networking (SDWN): BGP, NETCONF, for underlying cloud or data center environment by applying Microsofts STRIDE security threat model. This work represents a comparative study among these most used protocols and holds appropriate network for their deployment.


Compressed sensing enables direct analog to digital information conversion of signals at rates much lower than the Nyquist rate. This eliminates the need for computationally intensive, high speed data acquisition and digital signal processing for compression. We illustrate the use of an asynchronous analog to digital converter (ADC) as a low power, low complexity compressed sensing digitizer of biomedical signals at source. A variable input-slope dependent adaptive technique is proposed for increased compression, reduced slope overload distortion error for fast moving signals, and reduced power consumption. ECG signal compression in a simulated environment, shows large compression for a given mean squared error compared to synchronous Nyquist rate A/D converters and a regular asynchronous A/D converter.


Teaser: A NASA project spans the gap between research and operations, introducing new composites of satellite imagery to weather forecasters to prepare for the next generation of satellites.


Communicative vocatives in communication are rich in pragmatic information and therefore their pragmatic information is supposed to be presented in learner's dictionaries,thus dictionary users can learn more communicative skills.This paper investigates the status quo of pragmatic information incorporation of 11 Chinese communicative vocatives in four Chinese learner's dictionaries and then,based on the results,some suggestions on compiling are proposed from theoretical and practical perspectives.


We have developed a fast, scalable, and purely geometric structure search combining techniques from information retrieval and big data with a novel approach to encoding sequences of torsion angles. Along the way, we introduce a new torsion angle plot without breaks in continuity while still maintaining traditional torsion angle ranges, to assist in identifying separable regions of torsion angles. Subsequently, we introduce a new heuristic we call run position encoding, for handling the lack of specificity of items within character sequences containing runs of repeats. Comparing our results to the output of the CATH structural scan, response times are measured in seconds as opposed to minutes and average RMSDs and TM-scores are better. Our approach is a step towards a comprehensive indexing of protein structures scalable to millions of entries. Code and data are available at https://github.com/rayoub/rupee


It is suggested that the abundances of neutral nonpolar interstellar molecules unobservable by radioastronomy can be systematically determined by radio observation of the protonated ions. As an example, observed N/sub 2/H/sup +/ column densities are analyzed to infer molecular nitrogen abundances in dense interstellar clouds. The chemistries and expected densities of the protonated ions of O/sub 2/, C/sub 2/, CO/sub 2/, C/sub 2/H/sub 2/, and CH/sub 4/ are then discussed. Microwave transition frequencies for HCO/sub 2//sup +/ and C/sub 2/H/sub 3//sup +/ are estimated, and a preliminary astronomical search for HCO/sub 2//sup +/ is described.


The system allows a reliable and automatic detection of moving vehicles and advantageously also identification of the moving vehicles. There is provided to install on a moving vehicle to be detected a WPAN node device (VN) (advantageously a ZigBee node device) and to install, e.g. on the ground, three WPAN node devices (N1, N2, N3) (advantageously three ZigBee node devices). One (N1) of the three WPAN node devices has a wide radio coverage area and acts as an ''exciter'' of the vehicle WPAN node device (VN), another one (N3) of the three WPAN node devices has a wide radio coverage area and acts as the ''parent'' of the vehicle WPAN node device (VN) and a further one (N2) of the three WPAN node devices has a narrow radio coverage area (A2) and acts as a ''detector'' of the vehicle WPAN node device. The three radio coverage areas are sized and located so that a moving vehicle to be detected enters the area of the ''exciter'' before entering the area of the ''parent'' and before entering the area (A2) of the ''detector''. After detection the system provides for sending information to a fourth WPAN node devices present in a user mobile telephone terminal.


The New York Times reviewed this book, saying " The discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains—even into old age—is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries. In this revolutionary look at the brain, bestselling author, psychiatrist , and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., introduces both the brilliant scientists championing this new science of neuroplasticity and the astonishing progress of the people whose lives they've transformed. Introducing principles we can all use as well as a riveting collection of case histories—stroke patients cured, a woman with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, learning and emotional disorders overcome, IQs raised and aging brains rejuvenated .... " After reading this book, I am enthralled to have the opportunity to review it and bring such breakthrough information to our readers. The Brain That Changes Itself...is a superb and absolutely fascinating book. In the preface, Dr. Doidge explains how he came to learn about brain science. " I met a band of brilliant scientists , at the frontiers of brain science, who had, in the late 1960s or early 1970s, made a series of unexpected discoveries. They showed that the brain changed its very structure with each different activity it performed, perfecting its circuits so it was better suited to the task at hand. If certain 'parts' failed, then other parts could sometimes take over. The machine metaphor, of the brain as an organ with specialized parts, could not fully account for changes the scientists were seeing. " Dr. Doidge said they began to call this fundamental brain property " neuroplasticity. " If comes from the word " neuro, " for neuron, the nerve cells in our brains and nervous systems and " plastic " for " changeable , malleable, modifiable. " Dr. Doidge says that the idea that the brain can change its own structure and function through thought and activity is the most important alternation in our view of the brain since we first sketched out its basic anatomy and the workings of its basic component , the neuron. In essence it is a " neuroplastic revolution " and the practitioners of this new science of changing brains are " neurolasticians. " Baby Boomers seem to be very interested in what is going to happen to their brain as they age, fearing those diseases causing stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, to …


Carbon sequestration in coalgas reservoirs as a technique to combat atmospheric CO2, while simultaneously enhancing the recovery of gas, is a viable option in the immediate future. However, injected CO2 in deep coals not only displaces additional methane while getting adsorbed, but also results in swelling of the solid coal matrix associated with adsorption. This, in turn, reduces the cleat aperture, and hence, the coal permeability. A significant reduction in permeability can hinder the flow of CO2/CH4 in the reservoir making this option of CO2 sequestration economically infeasible. It is, therefore, important to study the flow characteristics of coal resulting from gas injection in order to accurately predict the amount of additional methane recovery, and determine the viability of using deep coal as CO2 repositories. As a part of a study to determine the impact of permeability reduction resulting from CO2 injection, an experimental study was carried out to measure the volumetric strain induced in coal matrix with sorption of gases. First, the matrix "shrinkage" with desorption and flow of methane was measured. This was followed by measuring the matrix "swelling" induced by injection of CO2. Using the measured matrix volumetric strain, changes in coal permeability were estimated numerically. The variation in permeability was then entered in a commercial CBM simulator and its impact on long-term gas production was evaluated. Finally, methane recovery with injection of CO2 after partial depletion, and the effect of matrix swelling was simulated. This paper describes the experimental work, results obtained to date, and the preliminary results of the simulation exercise.


Determination of amino groups denisity of ammonia plasma modified polypropylene surface has been investigated,according to the interaction between the amino groups in the modified surface and Acid Orange 7 proceeded quatitatively at a 1∶1 ratio.The amino group denisity in the modified surface is 10 -8 mol/cm 2 level.The XPS analysis and immobilized GOD activity assay have confirmed the result from the staining method.


subadditivity andtranslation invariance withconvexity, whilekepttheoriginal monotonicity andpositive Inthis paper, weestablish aclass ofdynamic riskhomogeneity. measures forevaluating discrete-time process. Our Although great achievements havebeenmadeinthe research ismostly concentrated ontheproperties of field ofaxiomatic theory ofrisk measures, they share the dynamic risk measures. Theproperties ofrisk measurescommon restriction thatthey areallone-period risk inthestatic framework, areintroduced into thedynamicmeasures. Thatistosaythey areallconstructed inthe risk measures framework. Wepresent theconception of static framework. There areatleast three reasonswhy capital requirement fordiscrete-time process tomeasuresingle-period treatment ofa multi-period problem can therisk inthedynamic framework. Inparticular, fourof leadtofinancial disasters. Firstly, inmanyapplications, axioms about dynamic risk measures havebeenproposedrisks areinherently multi-period duetointermediate cash inthethird section. Weestablish strong, middle andpoorflows. Forexample, afinancial position infutures results consistency properties toshowourefforts inthe inacashfloweveryday duetomarking tomarket[5]. If mathematics description ofthedynamic risk measure of theliquidation period oftheposition ismore than one discrete-time process. day, these cashflows occurovertimeuntil theposition is liquidated. Mostofpractical casesillustrate how


In this paper we give a strong law of large numbers and a central limit theorem for fuzzy random variables. To do this, we use the embedding of the space of compact fuzzy sets with continuous levels applications into a Banach space, via support functions.


Reliability is often overlooked during early developmental testing when the focus is on improving system performance. As a result, rapid reliability growth programs are frequently initiated late in development, just before the system enters production. The widely-used AMSAA reliability growth model is difficult to apply on such programs because it is a cumulative function of test time and the number of failures observed; therefore, it usually projects that an excessive amount of testing is required to overcome a period of low reliability, even at high growth rates. This paper formulates an alternative model for projecting reliability growth late in development that does not suffer from this problem. The model also provides a framework for reliability growth on system acquisition programs that utilize short development cycles, such as spiral development. An example application of the model on the AWACS RSIP reliability growth program is presented and discussed.


As electronics get smaller and faster, novel thermal management systems are needed that are capable of dissipating higher heat fluxes. Additive manufacturing and advanced materials, such as liquid ...


The effect of alkaline-ionized water (pH 8,5-9) dipping pre-treatment on drying kinetics of apple varieties ('Idared', 'Golden') under vacuum freeze-drying conditions has been studied. It was observed that the pre-treatment affected the drying time. The drying time was shorter for treated with alkaline-ionized water solution compared to the untreated. The experimental moisture loss data were fitted empirical thin-layer drying models, namely Page, Sigmoid and third-degree polynomial. All the models were compared using two statistical parameters, i.e. coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and root mean square error (RMSE). The rehydration ratio of the pre-treated apples was higher than of the untreated samples. The apple cubes treated with alkaline water had softer texture than the untreated products.


The paper involves techniques for configure linear, planar or three-dimensional spacetapered
arrays of radar or sonar system, using novel designs based on the Perfect Combinatorial
Sequencing Theory, namely the concept of Gold Ring Bundles (GRB)s for finding
the optimal placement of array antenna elements in the system with respect to minimizing
side lobes, while maintaining or improving on resolving ability and the other significant operating
characteristics of the system. It is shown that the method provides many opportunities of
the concept for configure of non-uniform array with non-redundant aperture of array systems,
including acoustics and hydroacoustics.


Diabetic Retinopathy is a consequence of prolonged unaddressed diabetes. It is currently diagnosed by the subjective clinical examination and manual grading of the fundus images by the ophthalmologists. This disease is progressive in nature. Hence early detection and treatment go a long way in helping the patients fight the dire consequences of the disease. Given the fact that number of ophthalmologists is very less as compared to the patients, a cost-effective, computer assisted, automated retina analysis system is highly desirable for the rural health care. This paper proposes an automatic Diabetic Retinopathy detection system based on the presence of bright lesions on the retina which is one of the symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy. Initially the optic disc is removed from the fundus image as its brightness is similar to that of the bright lesions. Exudates are extracted and its various features are obtained. Later, feature based hierarchical classification is performed for detection of different stages of the disease. This method is based on the same logical steps as followed by the ophthalmologists and hence assures more accurate classification results. Two methodologies, Random Forest algorithm and Artificial Neural Network are explored and accuracy, sensitivity and specificity are evaluated at each stage of classification. The former outperformed the latter. The accuracy obtained using Random Forest are 100%, 85.71% and 87.5% and Artificial Neural network are 100%,78.5% and 66.67% for Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 respectively.


The relative poor outcome with surgery alone or radiation alone has prompted the development of combined modality therapy for esophageal cancer.Recent clinical trials have evaluated the use of preoperative(neoadjuvant)chemotherapy followed by surgery,combined concurrent preoperative chemo-radiotherapy,or chemo-radiotherapy alone without surgery for local disease,and postoperative(adjuvant)chemotherapy for the patients with high risk of recurrence.Combined modality therapy for esophageal cancer is the one of the most important methods to improve the survival and quality of life.This article reviews the current progress of the comprehensive therapy for esophageal cancer.


Effects of vulcanizing agent TCY on the properties of NBR/CM125B blend were studied.The results showed that the maximum torque and minimum torque of the blend increased,and the scorch time decreased.The properties of the blend were good by adding in 1.5 phr of TCY.The heat aging stability and oil resistance of the NBR/CM blend were increased by adding constant TCY.


In this paper, based on the model test,numerous deductions and calculations have been done, which was about the settlement of single pile and pile group in homogeneous foundation. With minimum complementary energy of elastic mechanics on the basis of the ritz variational method, through the MATLAB programming, theoretical calculation results were obtained, then comparison and analysis with the model test results were made to verify the feasibility of theoretical calculation.


Iron is an essential nutrition element of human body and participates in a wide range of physiological functions and biochemical procedures.Along with the improving medical services and better living standard,excessive supply of iron in the body that arise from psychological or pathological factors or use of iron supplements(for therapeutic or preventive purposes),known as iron overload,has been increasingly linked to a variety of diseases.Iron overload can be harmful to endocrinal metabolism,cardiovascular system,nervous system,liver and other organs in the body,and may induce or deteriorate a number of diseases.Updates in etiology,pathogenesis,tissue injury and treatment of iron overload were reviewed in this paper.


Significant changes that are currently taking place in the external environment are objective prerequisites for emergence of new management methods that predetermine the practical period of transition of enterprises from strategic planning to strategic management (transfer of thinking based on the future to the thinking based on the present following the principle «here and now»).So, for example, large production structures focus on stability, therefore they react slowly to changes in the external environment, take little risks, and tend to traditional solutions. Modifying options developed at large enterprises are developing what is, as well as complementing and differentiating the existing situation, where the limited possibilities of any kind of evolution of any system can exist solely within its limits.Efficiency reflects the results of development, but is not identical with the results, because no saving of some factors of production can be achieved without additional costs of others. The strategy turns here into real one only if it based on the concept of developing new specific products or processes subject to the following indicator of progress: the maximum earned with the minimum of expenditures.The objective of the study is to identify modern regulatory factors in social systems in transport sector concealed in the goals and risks of such activities, while the main object of study is road transportation. The article uses methods of theoretical and empirical research in relation to goals and risks that can be determined and observed in the activities of transport sociotechnical systems.Goals and risks are defined as factors that allow regulating key performance indicators of socio-technical systems that affect their effectiveness.


In the purpose of solving the problem of poor economic benefit using vertical well to recover heavy oil in Jing55 Block reservoir,numerical simulation technologies were used to evaluate the development effect of steam stimulation using horizontal well and optimize the injection and production parameters.The numerical simulation results showed that well pattern 1 and well pattern 2 had a close development effect in steam stimulation of horizontal well,which could be chosen on the basis of actual situation.The more the well distance was,the lower the degree of reserve recovery was.When the well distance increased quadruple,the degree of reserve recovery decreased by 10%.125 m was determined to be the best well distance in accordance with numerical simulation and theoretical calculation.3 600 m3 was determined to be the best injection amount of steam with the degree of reserve recovery and oil/steam ratio taken into account.Steam quality and stimulation time are determined to be 0.4 and 15 d,respectively.


This research focuses on two examples of young adult literature—Young Hunters in Porto Rico; or, the Search for a Lost Treasure, and A Yankee Lad's Pluck: How Bert Larkin Saved His Father's Ranch in the Island of Porto Rico—published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and the syndicate's league of mass-market imitators immediately following the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. These imperialistic adventure novels coincided with the U.S. implementation of the doctrine of Americanization, or the American colonial mission to instruct Puerto Ricans in self-government and democratic values in anticipation for some uncertain future form of economic and political sovereignty for the island. Edward Stratemeyer built his vast fiction empire, the publishing house for such series as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, upon imperial romances which glorified the events of the Spanish-American War and presented recently-acquired U.S. territories—such as Puerto Rico—as sites of adventure beyond mainland confines to a predominately male, teenage audience. Borrowing from an English literary tradition, these novels energized young, white, American men to act as willing participants in the imperial imagination while simultaneously instilling in them expectations for Puerto Rican behavior and identity.


A novel β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) functionalized by a mercaptopropionic acid that was attached to a single 6-deoxyaminoglucose unit has been synthesized in the disulfide form. The flexible single-thiol spacer allows the formation of a monomolecular film by self-assembly onto gold, yielding a high packing density with a surface coverage of 99.6% and a capacitance of 9 μF/cm2, determined by impedance spectroscopy. MALDI-MS and XPS analysis clearly showed that the modified cyclodextrin is chemisorbed on the gold surface by Au−S bonds. Addition of 3-mercaptopropionic acid to the preformed β-CD monolayer considerably improved the intensity of the MALDI mass spectra signals. The incorporation of anilinonaphthalenesulfonates into the β-CD cavity was observable by impedance spectroscopy using the electroactive markers [Fe(CN)6]3-/[Fe(CN)6]4-.


$Cmcm$ $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is isostructural to the newly discovered high-pressure postperovskite polymorph of $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$. Due to the high transition pressure in $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ over $100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$, low-pressure analoglike $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is substantial to investigate physical properties of the postperovskite phase experimentally. Here we perform ab initio density functional calculations of structural and elastic properties of $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ phases and compare them with the results reported for $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ phases in detail. Local spin density approximation produces a Pauli-paramagnetic metallic ground state for $Pbnm$ $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, while a very weak but finite antiferromagnetic moment appears in $Cmcm$ phase at $0\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$. We also find that each component of the normalized elastic stiffness constants of $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is largely discrepant from that of $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ particularly in shear components, though $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ shows the compression behavior roughly similar to $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$. Those contrasts in shear constants cause the different shear wave anisotropy style. Results suggest that at least regarding shear wave polarization anisotropy, $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is unlikely to be a good low-pressure analog of $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, and care must be taken when one extrapolates the elastic property of $Cmcm$ $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ to the $\mathrm{Mg}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ postperovskite.


The paper presents a monitoring system applied to an existing steel tubular wind tower located in Italy, having almost 45 meters of total height. The monitoring system was comprised by strain‐gauges and thermal couples, mounted on the tower shell at 21 meters of height, and few accelerometers, located along the tower's height. The monitor system was used for two main reasons: i) to understand the nature of the resonance problem experienced by the tower and ii) to evaluate the effective stresses distribution on the shell with different rotor velocities. Finally, a debate about the extension of the life of the wind tower is proposed.


Due to the rapid expansion of the leisure industry, there were about 32,000 golf caddies in South Korea in 2020, an increase of 18.5% compared to 2016. Consequently, they face an increasing industrial accident rate, which is presumed to be the result of exposure to various harmful factors. Through a survey and oral interview of 221 caddies across more than 20 golf courses, health protective measures, protective measures for caddies, preparation for golf cart operation, physical burden, compliance with golf cart safety during games, and golf course responses to emotional labor were investigated in this study to identify safety and health problems of caddies and suggest prevention measures. Preliminary interviews were conducted to confirm golf courses' safety and health status and participants' characteristics. Golf caddies' health and safety were confirmed using frequency analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that caddies' workplaces were relatively vulnerable to safety and health issues and caddies were exposed to various harmful risk factors. In addition, it was confirmed that golf caddy protective measures, golf cart safety compliance, physical burden, and health protection affect golf courses' response level to caddies' emotional labor.


Abstract Small and medium-sized ports (SMSPs) in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) are caught in a dilemma of less financial support by the European funding programmes due to their peripheral position in the TEN-T Core Network. Most of the BSR ports belong to the TEN-T Comprehensive Network, which is rationally less important in the topical financial, infrastructural and policy discourses. Despite this, BSR ports are of a colossal importance for the regional economic development serving as gateways for the individual regions and drivers of socio-economic and environmental transition. In addition, ports are essential in pursuing new innovation avenues. The environmental targets published by the European Commission for maritime sector in 2030 and 2050 are applicable for SMSPs as well, creating further obstacles and future challenges on the one hand, but opening new horizons to grow and innovate on the other one. A successful environmental and digital transformation going hand in hand in SMSPs enable sustainable boost of sustainable development. Thus, as a first step, the assessment of sustainable readiness in SMSPs is incumbent in order to implement tailor-made solutions on individual basis, by ensuring efficient usage of available resources and capabilities. In line with the Connect2SmallPorts project, part-financed by the INTERREG South Baltic Programme, 38 SMSPs in the BSR were approached to mapping their digital readiness according to the methodology of the Digital Readiness Index for Ports (DRIP), published within the project in 2020. Building upon this, this paper introduces the idea of digital and environmental twinning to conclude on sustainable development potentials in SMSPs with an adaptation of the DRIP score. Hence, the research contributes to the sustainable port concept and illustrates the positioning of SMSPs in the progress of sustainable development.


This study discusses the issues of ṣukūk (Islamic bonds) default surrounding its transaction structures and potential for restructuring the default. By explaining the basic concept of ṣukūk structure, this study further provides a classification of ṣukūk from the perspectives of the standard-setting bodies and credit-rating agencies. Since the structures that underpin ṣukūk vary and technically ṣukūk is neither debt nor equity, this study provides the potential restructuring of ṣukūk in cases of default. The contingent approaches such as extending maturity, haircut and debt-equity swap are based on the classification of ṣukūk structures and require a case-by-case approach.


Abstract Water-stress in young apple trees potted in sandy soil caused a six-fold retardation in Panonychus ulmi (Koch) population growth during two generations in a greenhouse. A considerably smaller retardation effect on the population growth occurred on water-stress trees growing in a compost-sand soil mixture. The leaves from moist compost-sand soil trees contained nearly the same percentage of nitrogen as those from water-stress trees, thus it is believed the detrimental effect of water-stress is caused by the inability of the mites to secure sufficient food supplies for maximum reproduction and growth.


Abstract Some key physical processes that impact the evolution of Earth's atmosphere on time-scale from days to millennia, such as the EUV emissions, are determined by the solar magnetic field. However, observations of the solar spectral irradiance are restricted to the last few solar cycles and are subject to large uncertainties. We present a physics-based model to reconstruct short-term solar spectral irradiance (SSI) variability. The coronal magnetic field is estimated to employ the Potential Field Source Surface extrapolation (PFSS) based on observational synoptic charts and magnetic flux transport model. The emission is estimated to employ the CHIANTI atomic database 8.0. The performance of the model is compared to the emission observed by TIMED/SORCE.


Newly developed wireless mesh network is of great application value.Based on the newest wireless communication standards and in combination with the features of wireless mesh network,this paper focuses on the basic research of multi-layer optimization and security mechanism for wireless mesh networks,with the purposes to improve its capability and performance,and provide theoretical and technical support for the construction and application of wireless mesh network.


Glottal stops pattern differently than other consonants in a number of languages spoken on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. In the Makassar languages of South Sulawesi, glottal stop alternates with [k]; in the Kaili-Pomona language Uma of Central Sulawesi, stem-final glottal stop is mobile, apparently metathesizing with material suffixed to the stem; and in the Central Sulawesi Saluan language Balantak, glottal stop is invisible with respect to a particular affix which is normally suffixed to vowel-final stems but infixed to consonant-final stems. I will argue that the various anomalies of the glottal stop result from the fact that glottal stops lack oral place specification; this lack of oral place allows consonants to coalesce with neighboring vowels without loss of place information, and makes glottal stops undesirable onsets in languages (like these) which prefer to locate place contrasts in syllable onsets. 1. Glottal Stop Alternation: Makassar languages The Makassar languages of South Sulawesi include Standard Makassarese (Lakiung), Selayarese, Konjo, Bantaeng, and Turatea. These languages are mutually intelligible but differ in some vocabulary and exhibit some systematic differences in structure. Our focus here is on Makassarese, Selayarese, and Konjo. All three share a restricted syllable structure, allowing only [] and [] in syllable coda, and all three exhibit an alternation between [ ] and [k]. In Makassarese, these two segments are in complementary distribution, [] appearing in coda and [k] in onset position: (1) Makassarese baji 'good' bajik-a 'better' bajik-a 'I am good'


Monte Carlo simulations were undertaken of the orientational herringbone phase transition of N2 adsorbed on graphite in the complete monolayer (✓3 × ✓3) R30° structure. The non-universal aspects (c...


Call a semantics for a language with variables absolute when variables map to fixed entities in the denotation. That is, a semantics is absolute when the denotation of a variable a is a copy of itself in the denotation. We give a trio of lattice-based, sets-based, and algebraic absolute semantics to first-order logic. Possibly open predicates are directly interpreted as lattice elements/sets/algebra elements, subject to suitable interpretations of the connectives and quantifiers. In particular, universal quantification ∀a.φ is interpreted using a new notion of "fresh-finite" limit Λ #a ⟦Φ⟧ and using a novel dual to substitution. The interest in this semantics is partly in the nontrivial and beautiful technical details, which also offer certain advantages over existing semantics. Also, the fact that such semantics exist at all suggests a new way of looking at variables and the foundations of logic and computation, which may be well suited to the demands of modern computer science.


Diets rich in olive oil, which contains up to 80% oleic acid, reduce blood pressure, studies have shown. Now, researchers have demonstrated that oleic acid itself is responsible for the oil's hypot...


In practice, multi-task learning (through learning features shared among tasks) is an essential property of deep neural networks (NNs). While infinite-width limits of NNs can provide a good intuition for their generalization behavior, the well-known infinite-width limits of NNs in the literature (e.g., neural tangent kernels) assume specific settings in which wide ReLU-NNs behave like shallow Gaussian Processes with a fixed kernel. Consequently, in such settings, these NNs lose their ability to benefit from multi-task learning in the infinite-width limit. In contrast, we prove that optimizing wide ReLU neural networks with at least one hidden layer using (cid:96) 2 -regularization on the parameters enforces multi-task learning due to representation-learning – also in the limiting regime where the network width tends to infinity. We present an exact quantitative characterization of this infinite width limit in an appropriate function space that neatly describes multi-task learning.


The activities of the Hawker Siddeley Nuclear Power Company fall into three main categories. Project studies, design and construction of in-pile and out-ofpile experimental facilities, and research work in the physics, metallurgy, and material fields. (W.D.M.)


The belief in the Trinitarian God belongs to the decisive characteristics of Christianity, developed in the course of its first centuries. It distinguishes Christian faith in a distinctive manner from Jewish belief in the one God and departs in another way also from pagan veneration of many gods. Christian faith in the Trinitarian God can therefore be described as a specific modification of Jewish monotheism, based on the perception of Jesus Christ as God's decisive revelation. In order to take this process into sharper focus, this chapter begins with a look at the earliest traces of faith in the Trinitarian God in New Testament texts. One should speak with Larry Hurtado of a "binitarian monotheism" because the early Christians did not regard Jesus as a "second God" nor as an angelic figure but rather as God's representative who acts in his name and reveals him in the world. Keywords:binitarian monotheism; Christian faith; Larry Hurtado; New Testament; Trinitarian God


Airplane engines use sophisticated technologies to improve their efficiency, reduce their weight, reduce fuel consumption, limit NOx generation and reduce the generated noise. On another hand, airlines want to decrease their maintenance costs. These changes may have an effect on engine reliability and there is a greater need to understand and control the behavior of the engine. This is the goal of PHM algorithms. However if such algorithms are "easy" to build, V&V stay a challenge. To increase their readiness level, Snecma, as engine manufacturer, tests all engines on bench cells during development phases and before reception. Now Snecma chooses also to use PHM algorithms on bench tests. It helps the maturation of the code itself but it is also a way to monitor the bench cells. The present document describes an implementation on a partial bench test cell of a generic abnormality detector. The first section gives an outlook at the implementation of some algorithms on a real test cell. The second section is the description of the main algorithm: an online abnormality detector able to automatically update when new recurrent usual observations appear. Finally the last section sketches some results obtained during the execution of the algorithm.


The search for new antibiotics continues in a rather overlooked hunting ground. In the course of screening for new antibiotic-producing microorganisms, seventy-nine isolates showing antimicrobial activity were isolated from soil samples from various habitats in the KwaZuluNatal midlands, South Africa. Existing methods of screening for antibiotic producers together with some novel procedures were reviewed. Both modified agar-streak and agar-plug methods were used in the primary screens. The use ofselective isolation media, with or without antibiotic incorporation and/or heat pretreatment, enhanced the development of certain actinomycete colonies on the isolation plates. Winogradsky's nitrite medium (Winogradsky, 1949), M3 agar (Rowbotham and Cross, 1977), and Kosmachev's medium (Kosmachev, 1960), were found to be selective for actinomycetes. Statistical analysis showed highly significant interactions between isolates, assay media and the test organisms. The diameters of inhibition zones were found to be larger on Iso-sensitest agar (ISTA)[Oxoid, England] than in nutrient agar plates. Of the 79 isolates that showed antimicrobial activity, 44 isolates were selected for confirmatory screening. Of these, 13 were selected for secondary screening. Criteria for selection were based on significant inhibition of at least two test organisms and/or the inhibition of the specifically targeted organisms, Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas species. Following secondary screening eight isolates were considered for further investigation. The isolates were tentatively identified . on the basis of morphological features, using both light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM); their ability to utilize various carbon sources; and selected physiological and staining tests. Suspected actinomycetes were further characterized on the basis of selected chemical properties using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques. High pressure liquid chromatography analysis (Beckman 6300 analyzer) detected the presence ofdiaminopimelic acid (DAP) in whole-cell hydrolysates


The index appearing in Gutzwiller's trace formula for quantum systems with classical chaotic analogue is the Conley–Zehnder index for symplectic paths, familiar from the theory of periodic Hamiltonian orbits. That index is notoriously difficult to calculate for repetitions of prime periodic orbits. In this paper we use recent results of ours (the product formula and the relation with Morse's index of concavity) to give explicit and rigorous results. We apply our calculations to give, in addition, the Weyl representation of some metaplectic operators.


There is paucity of scientific information on sex differences in heart rate (HR) responses during and after a sub-maximal exercise test in young adults. We assessed sex differences in normal HR responses during and after a sub-maximal-effort cycle ergometer exercise test in apparently healthy young adults. One hundred young adults (50 males and 50 females) participated in the study. Subjects performed a sub-maximal exercise at an intensity that produced 60–85% of a pre-determined age-predicted maximum HR. Measurements of subjects' HR were done at rest, during exercise and post exercise recovery periods. The present data indicated that after adjusting for covariates, greater (P<0.05) HR responses (delta HR 2 min, delta HR 5 min, delta peak HR) were observed in men relative to women. Males also indicated significantly higher (P<0.05) %HRmax and %HRreserve compared to females. Variables of HR response during post-exercise recovery did not differ between males and females. HR responses during exercise were gr...


This paper proposes a design and modeling of grid connected hybrid renewable energy power generation. The energy system having a photo voltaic (PV) panel, Srg wind turbine and fuel cell (sofc) for continuous power flow management. Fuel cells (storage & generating) are added to ensure uninterrupted power supply due to the discontinuous nature of solar and wind resources. Renewable energy generated during times of plenty can be stored for use during periods when sufficient electricity is not available. But storing this energy is a difficult task: batteries and similar technologies perform well over short timescales, but over periods of weeks or months a different approach is necessary. Energy storage in the form of hydrogen is one such possibility: excess electricity is fed into an electrolyser to split water into its constituent parts, oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is then used in fuel cells to produce electricity when needed which will overcome the problem of storage. This work is mainly concentrated on the design, analysis and modelling of Fuel cells and Analysis and modelling of Switched Reluctance Generator (SRG) in the application of Wind Energy Generation and pv cell. Also an effective approach is proposed in this thesis to ensure renewable energy diversity and effective utilization. The pv cell, wind and fuel cell renewable energy system is digitally simulated using the MATLAB/SIMULINK software environment and fully validated for efficient energy utilizations and enhanced interface power quality under different operating conditions and load excursions