Worldwide, the current pattern of urban development is unsustainable and metropolitan planning and development strategies deliver poor environmental outcomes in relation to energy production. As a result, an increasing number of governments and private sector development companies are initiating projects that aim to deliver enhanced environmental outcomes rather than a 'business as usual' approach. This paper will summarise the findings from a study that explored the link between building orientation and energy efficiencies in sub-tropical and tropical climates. The study used a new thermal modelling software tool developed by CSIRO that responds more accurately to residential heating and cooling energy performance in those climate zones. This software tool responds to industry criticisms regarding cold climate modelling systems that do not make sufficient allowance for natural ventilation. The study examined a range of low, medium and high-density dwelling types and investigated the impact of orientation, insulation, ventilation and shading devices on energy efficiencies. This paper will examine the findings from the medium and high-density case study developments as these are relevant to residential developments in many South East Asian countries, such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Finally, the paper will explore the potential benefits that medium and high-density residential developments have in the development of 'solar cities' and 'solar suburbs'.


In rural areas of developing countries, shocks and financial constraints on households are generally recognized as obstacles to children's schooling opportunities. This paper investigates the effects of income shocks and borrowing constraints on household demand for education in rural Thailand, using the Townsend Thai panel data spanning from 2013 to 2017. Information on annual rainfall at the provincial level is used to estimate a transitory income component for Thai rural households. Estimation results indicate that income risks and borrowing constraints have a substantial negative impact on child schooling outcomes, including educational attainment and the number of years delayed in school. It also finds that transitory income results in increased household education expenditures conditional on children's attendance at school. These findings suggest that in addition to households' socioeconomic status, children's human capital is at risk mainly due to income uncertainty and the absence of well-developed financial and insurance markets.


Criminal pattern is an important topic for Crimes of Bribery. The essence of crimes of bribery is the bargaining between power and money, so completed standard for bribe-taking crimes is taking bribe, for bribe-offering crimes is offing bribe, and for bribe-introducing crimes is briber's offering bribe and bribe receiver taking bribe. Whoever takes bribes continually before and after systemic refosm of state-owned enterprises should be convicted separately and executed combined punishment for bribe-taking crime and employee of a company or enterprise's bribe-taking crime. And for the conviction for state functionaries and their relatives' joint act, we should analyze relatives ' role in crimes and not reach a conclusion simply.


Developing a dynamic model of energy consumption for CNC machines in automotive industries helps to reduce the energy consumption by these machines. Since the last decade, a significant rise in energy usage has occurred due to the growth in the developing world. According to International Energy Outlook 2013, this trend will continue over the next three decades. As for CNC machines, there are various parameters in milling and turning operations that play a significant role in reducing energy consumption. In this study, parameters of machine tools are varied and the energy consumption is measured to identify the parameters that have the greatest impact on energy savings. Energy consumption models for milling and turning processes is developed by using system dynamics in order to comprehend the behavior of complex system and transform the static model of energy demand to the dynamic model.


The use of a core-peripheral model of work arrangement has been cited as an employment strategy which allows organisations to deal with competing demands of simultaneously addressing numeric and task flexibility needs. According to this perspective, organisations use non-standard workers to provide a buffer that allows organisations to utilise more costly high performance work practices with core permanent employees in order to encourage their motivation and commitment. An alternate view is that high performance organisations may be less inclined to use non‐standard workers since differences in work arrangements raises equity concerns that detract from the validity of claims for concerns about human resources as well as hindering interdependent operations. This article reports on a study that explores these differing perspectives. Specifically, the article examines organisations with reputations for high performance cultures and their use of non-standard work arrangements. Using employer-of-choice organisations as a proxy for high-performance organisations, data on their use of part-time and casual/temporary work arrangements are compared with a group of organisations matched for size and industry. Findings suggest that organisations with reputations for high-performance cultures have similar use of non-standard work arrangements to matched organisations. In both sets of organisations, non-standard work arrangements are concentrated at the lower levels although there is evidence of their use within managerial and professional levels which suggests non-standard work at these levels may provide utility as a retention strategy. Overall, the study concludes that decisions regarding the use of non-standard work arrangements are likely to reflect strategic needs of the organisation rather than employee motivational concerns.


For containing abundant polysaccharide resources in ethanol wheat straw pulping,it is value-added utilization of biomass.This paper started with the process of acid-isolated lignin,influences of the factors such as pH and temperature on total saccharide and raw lignin content in black liquor of ethanol wheat straw pulp were discussed.Under the condition of acidic black liquor of pH 2.5~3.5 and temperature of 60~70℃,polysaccharide content in black liquor of ethanol wheat straw pulping was 9.5~9.8g·L-1。


The macroscopic and microscopic studies (in mineral inclusions, stable isotopes, traceelements, etc.) on the Donchuan-Yimen type copper deposits show that the ore material deriv-ed from host rocks and their underlying beds, and Bi, Pb, Zn probably did from deep frac-tures. The ore-forming fluid is hot brine in nature, and the water in it is probably stratumwater in origin. The sulphur derived from bacteria reducing of sulphate in sea water. Thecarbon derived from marine carbonate. The organic carbon plays an important role in themetallogenesis. In the Kangdian Axis, two deep fractures controlled the sedimentation of thecupriferous algal reef carbonate formation. They were ore-, heat-, brine-conducting tectonicsand led to the formation and transformation of many copper ore beds.


Excellent book is always being the best friend for spending little time in your office, night time, bus, and everywhere. It will be a good way to just look, open, and read the book while in that time. As known, experience and skill don't always come with the much money to acquire them. Reading this book with the PDF clinical guide to parenteral micronutrition second edition will let you know more things.


In this paper we review modern methods of optical bioimagingand its capabilities to the cancer detection. Despite of the considerable progress of research technologies, cancer is the globally problem, especially its diagnosis in the early stages, when there is a high probability of complete rehabilitation of the patient. A comparison of modern technologies in the field of microscopic visualization is needed to identify the most promising methods for cancer diagnosis.


Handover is essential for seamless communication since subscribers move from cell to cell. This paper proposes an efficient handover decision based on user mobility to suppress the ping-pong effect. By using GPS positioning, the proposed algorithm adds a hysteresis parameter associated with distance between the mobile and surrounding base stations and a hysteresis parameter associated with the mobile heading direction in Event 1A and 1C. The performance was verified by applying the proposed method to a WCDMA system in urban Taipei city. The result shows that by using the proposed algorithm, handover number and mean active set number are decreased compared to the traditional algorithm


Objective To investigate the effect and status of connexin 43 on myocardial protection in ischemic preconditioning.Methods 48 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: S,IR,IP,5-HD+IP.The myocardial infarct size and arrhythmia score were measured.The expression of connexin 43 was detected by RT-PCR.Results Compared with group IP,arrhythmia score and IS/AAR was higher and the expression of connexin 43 was notablely lower in group IR and group 5-HD+IP(P0.01).Ischemic preconditioning might reduced arrhythmogenesis and myocardial infarct size,meanwhile enhanced the expression of connexin 43.5-hydroxydecanoate acid might interdicted the myocardial protection of IP(P0.01).Conclusion Ischemic preconditioning might play an important role in myocardial protection by activating mitochondrial ATP sensitive potassium channel and preserving connexin 43 posphorylation.


V523 Cassiopeiae is a dwarf contact binary with one of the shortest orbital periods among the nondegenerate systems. Its orbital history is marked by large period changes. The photometrically determined mass ratios have historically been inconsistent with those calculated from radial velocity curves. In 1998 we acquired high-precision and standardized Johnson-Cousins UBV light curves. Our simultaneous BV light curve/radial velocity curve solutions provided good fits to both the light curves and the radial velocity curves using standard gravity darkening coefficients with a mass ratio of ∼0.5. Seven precision mean epochs of minimum light were determined from these observations. We combine these with all available published times of minimum light, along with 50 times of low light found from a search of the archival Harvard plate stacks in the interval 1901–1942 to give us 567 eclipse timings. Our period study covers nearly 160,000 orbits, or ∼102 yr. We find a high-amplitude sinusoidal variation with a period of 101 ± 7 yr, overlaid on a strong continuous period increase. The quadratic term is common in contact binaries, but a sinusoidal one is not. This suggests a hierarchical three-star system. Assuming that this is the case and that the inclination from our orbital solution for the close pair is the same as the larger orbit, we obtain a mass for the third star of 0.41 M⊙. This is similar to the masses of the stars that comprise the contact binary. If this scenario is correct, V523 Cas consists of a trio of late K and early M-type dwarfs having a total mass of ∼1.6 M⊙. We show that high-resolution imaging can confirm this suggestion.


The connotation of engineering risk was illustrated, the bidding price risk characteristics under engineering bill price model were analyzed,the bidding price risk control measures under engineering bill price model were proposed so as to help engineering construction enterprise control risk better and enhance construction enterprise's economic efficiency.


This paper builds on the computational aeroelastic results published previously and generated in support of the second Aeroelastic Prediction Workshop for the NASA Benchmark Supercritical Wing (BSCW) configuration. The computational results are obtained using FUN3D, an unstructured grid Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes solver developed at the NASA Langley Research Center. The analysis results show the effects of the temporal and spatial resolution, the coupling scheme between the flow and the structural solvers, and the initial excitation conditions on the numerical flutter onset. Depending on the free stream condition and the angle of attack, the above parameters do affect the flutter onset. Two conditions are analyzed: Mach 0.74 with angle of attack 0 and Mach 0.85 with angle of attack 5. The results are presented in the form of the damping values computed from the wing pitch angle response as a function of the dynamic pressure or in the form of dynamic pressure as a function of the Mach number.


Patrick discuss an article by by Persaud and colleagues which present guidance for policy-making as Canada begins to negotiate the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic emphasized the harms of social inequities in Canada, and the authors' recommendations call for the post-COVID-19 recovery to centre the principle of equity. Although one might imagine that all people are equally susceptible to a novel virus, it's become clear that some are at much higher risk of infection and death than others, owing to their circumstances. The pandemic has brought huge economic costs to individuals and governments. It may be tempting to think that restoring the economy to health should be governments' top priority before further spending on social safety nets, but failing to prioritize strengthening the fragile social systems in the short term would be a serious mistake.


ABSTRACT: This paper presents key observations on the role of limestone in preventing bed agglomeration during combustion of a high-phosphorous fuel in CFB boilers. Composition of the bed material samples was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscope combined with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (SEM/EDXA). It has been demonstrated that during combustion of the high-phosphorous fuel in CFB conditions, addition of limestone reduces or prevents bed agglomeration and formation of slag by interfering with the ash chemistry, and not by simple dilution of the reacting system. The role of limestone can be summarized as: 1) to provide calcium for the reaction with phosphorous forming high-temperature-melting calcium phosphates instead of low-temperature-melting potassium phosphates, and 2) to coat silica particles preventing the reaction of potassium (calcium) phosphates and silica from fluidizing sand, which can form low-temperature-melting potassium (calcium) silicates, especially relevant for fluidized bed combustion conditions.


Although theenergy intensity of Romania's economy as well as its greenhouse gas emissions steadily declined over the last decade, the country still relies heavily on imports of gas, oil, and coal. Nearly all energy generating and distributing machinery has exceeded its life span and has been poorly maintained; energy saving measures could reduce primary energy consumption by as much as 35 per cent.


Abstract Background As a peak in meningococcal disease often occurs during adolescence, meningococcal vaccination programs are available for this age group in various regions across the globe. Quadrivalent meningococcal (MenACWY) conjugate vaccines are being incorporated in an increasing number of programs in response to changing meningococcal serogroup epidemiology. MenACWY-TT (Nimenrix®) is a MenACWY conjugate vaccine available in the European Union and 50 other countries for preventive vaccination of serogroup A, C, W, and Y disease (Figure 1). MenACWY-TT is licensed in some countries as a 2-dose primary series in individuals as young as 6 weeks of age, while a single dose may be given to previously unvaccinated individuals ≥ 6 months of age, adolescents, and adults. Here, we provide an overview of the 3 primary and 5 extension studies evaluating the clinical development of MenACWY-TT in adolescents (Table 1). Figure 1. Global Registration Status of MenACWY-TT (Nimenrix®) in Adolescents Table 1. Pivotal Clinical Studies of MenACWY-TT (Nimenrix®) Supporting Licensure in Adolescents Methods Immunogenicity and safety data from these 8 clinical studies are summarized. Results Across studies, MenACWY-TT antibody responses against all vaccine serogroups were comparable to those of other MenACWY vaccines 1 month post vaccination (Table 1). Antibody responses to MenACWY-TT persisted for up to 10 years in those vaccinated during adolescence. A MenACWY-TT booster given 10 years after primary meningococcal vaccination in early childhood or adolescence elicited robust antibody responses. MenACWY-TT had an acceptable safety profile, with reactogenicity events most commonly reported. Reactogenicity profiles with MenACWY-TT booster were similar to those seen after primary MenACWY-TT. Conclusion The MenACWY-TT clinical study program demonstrated the immunogenicity and safety of primary and booster dosing in adolescents. Immune responses persisted through 10 years after primary vaccination. Funding Pfizer. Disclosures Paula Peyrani, MD, Pfizer Inc (Employee, Shareholder) Chris Webber, MD, Pfizer Inc (Employee, Shareholder) Cindy Burman, PharmD, Pfizer Inc (Employee, Shareholder) Paul Balmer, PhD, Pfizer Inc (Employee, Shareholder) John L. Perez, MD, MA, Pfizer Inc (Employee, Shareholder)


A new method is proposed for reducing the error of thermocouples in measuring the surface temperature of blades with a cooling film. Both the measurement error and the conduction error of film cooling blade surface temperature were numerically investigated. Benefited from the optimized thermocouple fixation mode, the temperature measurement error can be reduced by 40% at least. The temperature measurement errors of the surface fixed model and groove fixed model were analyzed and compared. Furthermore, the effects of different head gaps, film thickness, and film temperature on the temperature measurement error are described in detail. Under the optimal parameters, the temperature measurement error of thermocouples can be decreased by 99.5%. Finally, the groove fixed model is studied experimentally, and the results show that the temperature measurement error can be reduced by 99.83% under the optimal groove depth, which is in good agreement with the simulation results. This error analysis and reduction method attach great significance to the improvement in the temperature measurement accuracy of turbine blades, as well as the research of new temperature measurement methods.


Category: Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Fixation of the posterior malleolar fragment of an ankle fracture confers stability. Not all posterior fragments are displaced, necessitating open reduction. We hypothesised that a safe anatomic corridor is possible for percutaneous screw fixation in some fracture variants. We conducted an anatomic study to determine if percutaneous fixation was possible and safe. This anatomic assessment of significant structures at the posterior ankle, combined with cadaveric dissection following placement of screw tracts shows that percutaneously fixing the posterior malleolus is achievable in medially positioned fragments. Methods: Multiple percutaneous Kirschner wires were passed into a cadaveric ankle specimen at reproducible anatomic points. The wires were passed into typical locations for posterior malleolus fixation. The specimen was dissected and all wires threatening significant structures were removed. A single safe medial passage was identified. The surface anatomy landmarks for the single safe wire was recorded. Multiple (6) cadaveric specimens were further wired via an entry point using only the surface anatomy landmarks previously determined to be safe. These were dissected to confirm the presence of a safe zone for percutaneous wiring of the posterior malleolus. Image intensifier was used to confirm adequate placement of the wire in the posterior malleolus. Results: A safe medial zone for percutaneous fixation of the posterior malleolus was consistent; this was successfully replicated utilising surface anatomy alone. The entry point for safe percutaneous fixation was found to be 1 cm proximal to the tip of the medial malleolus and immediately lateral to the tendo-achilles. Conclusion: A safe passage for percutaneous screw placement for medially located posterior malleolar fragments (Haraguchi I/II) was identified. A safe zone for percutaneous fixation of the posterior malleolus has been newly defined.


Scrapie is diagnosed antemortem in sheep by detecting misfolded isoforms of prion protein (PrPSc) in lymphoid follicles of the rectal mucosa and nictitating membranes. Assay sensitivity is limited if (a) the biopsy is collected early during disease development, (b) an insufficient number of follicles is collected, or (c) peripheral accumulation of PrPSc is reduced or delayed. A blood test would be convenient for mass live animal scrapie testing. Currently approved techniques, however, have their own detection limits. Novel detection methods may soon offer a non-animal-based, rapid platform with detection sensitivities that rival the prion bioassay. In anticipation, we sought to determine if diseased animals could be routinely identified with a bioassay using B lymphocytes isolated from blood sample volumes commonly collected for diagnostic purposes in small ruminants. Scrapie transmission was detected in five of six recipient lambs intravenously transfused with B lymphocytes isolated from 5~10 mL of blood from a naturally scrapie-infected sheep. Additionally, scrapie transmission was observed in 18 ovinized transgenic Tg338 mice intracerebrally inoculated with B lymphocytes isolated from 5~10 mL of blood from two naturally scrapie-infected sheep. Based on our findings, we anticipate that these blood sample volumes should be of diagnostic value.


Sickle cell disease is an autoimmune hemolytic anemia due to abnormal hemoglobin. Sickling of RBCs occur due to abnormal hemoglobin which leads to vaso-occlusive crisis. This disease manifests as hemolytic anemia, acute chest syndrome, stroke, ischemic leg ulcers and nephrotic syndrome. This patient presented with hemolytic anemia, nephrotic syndrome and acute chest syndrome. This case was diagnosed by electrophoresis of hemoglobin and peripheral smear. This patient recovered with blood transfusion, antibiotics, steroids, diuretics and oxygen inhalation. Sickle cell patients have a known predisposition to bacterial infection, particularly pneumococcal infection. The most significant advance in the therapy of sickle cell anemia has been the introduction of hydroxyurea, but hydroxyurea should be considered in patients experiencing repeated episodes of acute chest syndrome. But in this patient as this is first episode, hydroxyurea was not given and he recovered well.


In Nietzsche's opinion,"the Problem of Science" is of Socratic rational optimism which breaks away from the tragic art that is the symbolization the vigor of Hellene culture and barbarizes itself,making the science replace the theology since Enlightenment,and be a "new religion",which is as the newest and noblest form of asceticism.The scheme of what Nietzsche's disposal of science lies in looking at science in the perspective of artist but at art in that of life.


The propulsion performance, acoustic, structural, and systems changes to a 727-200 airplane retrofitted with a refan modification of the JT8D turbofan engine are evaluated. Model tests, design of certifiable airplane retrofit kit hardware, manufacture of test hardware, ground test of a current production JT8D engine, followed by test of the same engine modified to the refan configuration, detailed analyses of the retrofit impact on airplane airworthiness, performance, and noise, and a preliminary analysis of retrofit costs are included. Results indicate that the refan retrofit of the 727-200 would be certifiable and would result in a 6-to 8 EPNdb reduction in effective perceived noise level (EPNL) at the FAR 36 measuring points and an annoyance-weighted footprint area reduction of 68% to 83%. The installed refan engine is estimated to provide 14% greater takeoff thrust at zero velocity and 10% greater thrust at 100 kn (51.4 m/s). There would be an approximate 0.6% increase in cruise specific fuel consumption (SFC). The refan engine performance in conjunction with the increase in stalled weight results in a range reduction of approximately 15% over the unmodified airplane at the same brake release gross weight (BRGW), with a block fuel increase of 1.5% to 3%. With the particular model 727 that was studied, however, it is possible to operate the airplane (with minor structural modifications) at a higher BRGW and increase the range up to approximately 15% relative to the nonrefanned airplane (with equal or slightly increased noise levels). The JT8D refan engine also improves the limited-field range of the airplane.


Prebiotic Chemistry
Among amino acids, cysteine is highly reactive as a nucleophile, metal ligand, and participant in redox and radical reactions. These properties make cysteine attractive as a component of prebiotic chemistry, but traditional Strecker synthesis of α-aminonitriles, which can serve as peptide precursors, cannot produce free cysteine. Foden et al. found that a simple acylation of the free amine prevented degradation of cysteine nitrile and enabled synthesis of this cysteine precursor from acetyl dehydroalanine nitrile and a sulfide donor (see the Perspective by Muchowska and Moran). When combined with other proteinogenic α-aminonitriles, acetylcysteine or derivative thiols catalyzed efficient peptide ligation in water. These results highlight how prebiotic synthesis of precursors can also generate function by creating a catalyst for polymerization.

Science , this issue p. [865][1]; see also p. [767][2]

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abd5680
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abf1698


While artificial intelligence (AI) in games is often associated with enhancing the behavior of non-player characters, at its cutting edge AI offers the potential for entirely new kinds of gaming experiences. In this talk I will focus on this frontier of AI in games through three examples of games from my research that are not only enhanced by AI, but would not even be possible without the unique AI techniques behind them. In these experimental games, called NERO, Galactic Arms Race, and Petalz, players become teachers, AI creates its own content, and unique creations are explicitly bred and traded by the players themselves. The discussion will focus on the inspiration for the technologies behind these games (including some related applications) and the long-term implications of unique and creative AI algorithms for gaming.


In 1967 the R. V. CORIOLIS undertook five cruises along the 170'E meridian in order to investigate the relationships between the sea-surface conditions and the occurrence of the Equatorial Undercurrent j this paper deals primarily with the March and April cruises. The Equatorial Undercurrent was observed as a double-cell structure. The upper Undercurrent (V max.: 4o,cm/sec at IZO m) was located in the homogeneous surface layer above the top of the thermocline, embedded in the Equatorial Currentj its flow was not in geostrophic balance and it disappeared when the surface equatorial flow became eastward. The lower Undercurrent (V max.: 50 cm/sec at zzo m) was located in the discontinuity layer, under the thermocline top; it was connected to the North Equatorial Countercurrent by a continuous layer of eastward flow. Its flow, in geostrophic balance, appears to be a permanent structure, independent of changes in the upper layer. The upper Undercurrent agrees very well with most of the theoretical models (Fofonoff and Montgomery 1955, Stommel 1960, Charney 1960). Its area of formation is probably around the 16o"E meridian at: the very limit of permanent trade winds throughout the year. The lower Undercurrent belongs to the equatorial countercurrent system, which originates north of New Guinea. I. Accepted for publication and submitted to press IZ March 1970.


The study ascertainedwhether attitudes towards ethnicity-basedemployment selectionwouldbe affected by three variables: scope of justice, information frame, and informant ethnicity. Using a scenario approach, results showed that (1) European New Zealanders with greater scope of justice regarding Maori people were less opposed to an employment practice that involves granting preferential treatment to Maori candidates. (2) The frame of information about ethnicity-based selection (i.e. preferential selection vs. diversity-based selection) and informant ethnicity interacted with scope of justice in exerting a significant influence on respondents' views on ethnicity-based selection. Furthermore, individuals' reactions to moral philosophers' justifications for merit or ethnicity-based selection determined their overall attitudes towards each selection practice. Cette etude evalue dans quelle mesure les attitudes envers l'embauche se lective en fonction de l'appartenance ethnique sont affecte es par trois variabl...


The aim of this paper is to investigate the initial boundary value problem of nonlinear viscoelastic Petrovsky type equation with logarithmic nonlinearity. We derive the blow up results by the combination of the perturbation energy method, concavity method and differantial-integral inequality technique.


In this paper,we systematically study the category QL of quantic lattices.We prove that QL has equalizers and coequalizers,and give the limit and the inverse limit in QL, which implies that QL is complete.


Biliary atresia (BA), though rare, is a life-threatening neonatal cholestatic disorder. It is characterized by inflammatory and progressive fibrosis of the biliary apparatus that results in their obliteration, thereby leading to cirrhosis and liver failure. Its reported incidence varies from five to 32 per 100,000 live births1,2. Its frequency is higher in East Asian countries, including India, where it comprises almost one-third of cases of neonatal cholestasis3-5.


Analysts have historically relied on slate personal income (SPI) as the benchmark for comparing state spending on public goods and services and levels of state taxes. This occurs despite the widely acknowledged shortcomings of using SPI as a measure of fiscal capacity, a state's ability to raise revenues from its own sources. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has developed a more comprehensive measure of fiscal capacity, Total Taxable Resources (TTR). Treasury has generated official estimates of TTR since 1992 and has used two distinct methodologies to do so. The lack of a time series using a single methodology and current estimates of income and production in the United States represents a significant barrier to the widespread use of TTR for analytical purposes. This research note generates a time series (1981-2000) using Treasury's current methodology for estimating TTR and the latest estimates for income andproduction in the United States. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.


In this study, we demonstrate the avalanche multiplication phenomenon in a crystalline-selenium (c-Se)-based heterojunction photodiode. The carrier injection from an external electrode, which is considered to be the major factor contributing to dark current at a high electric field, was significantly decreased by employing a thin n-type Ga2O3 layer with a high hole-injection barrier. The fabricated Ga2O3/c-Se diode exhibited extremely high external quantum efficiency of over 100% in the short-wavelength region at a relatively low reverse-bias voltage of ∼20 V. Furthermore, Sn-doping of the Ga2O3 layer increases the carrier concentration; hence, the resulting device has a lower threshold voltage for avalanche multiplication.


Abbott 0, Dharmarajah B, Davies AH: Varicose vein surgery and deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, 1 (E) Adams EA. seeQuan RW Akay TH. see Aslim E Akkaya I. see Aslim E Aksoy M. seeSivrikoz E AI-Muzaini AF. see Asbeutah AM AI Tarazi L, Kabani I, Hassan AM: How to approach the pelvic congestion syndrome in oriental countries? 228 (Ab) Alback A. seeOinonen A Almeida JI. see Raines JK Altizer JW: Safe introduction of the VNUS closure procedure: a multidisciplinary approach, 142 (L) Arapoglou V. seeKatsenis K Aravind B, Sharp B, Navin BT, Monaco C, Paleolog E, Davies AH: Arm and neck veins are better controls for vein studies than long saphenous veins from bypass, 232 (Ab) Asbeutah AM, Asfar SK, Shawa NJ, Al-Muzaini AF, Cameron JD, McGrath BP: Is venous reflux a common disease in postthrombotic patients with unilateral deep vein thrombosis episode? 8 (OA) Asfar SK. see Asbeutah AM Aslamaci S. see Aslim E Aslim E, Bastiirk B, Akay TH, Ozkan 5, Akkaya I, Aslamaci 5: The role of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in development and following of venous insufficiency and varicosities, 231 (Ab) Assi ZI. seeMartinez Trabal JL Atkin GK, Round T, Vattipally VR, Das SK: Common peroneal nerve injury as a complication of short saphenous vein surgery, 3 (OA)


The concept of "numerical speed of sound" is proposed in the construction of numerical flux. It is shown that this variable is responsible for the accurate resolution of' discontinuities, such as contacts and shocks. Moreover, this concept can he readily extended to deal with low speed and multiphase flows. As a results, the numerical dissipation for low speed flows is scaled with the local fluid speed, rather than the sound speed. Hence, the accuracy is enhanced the correct solution recovered, and the convergence rate improved. We also emphasize the role of mass flux and analyze the behavior of this flux. Study of mass flux is important because the numerical diffusivity introduced in it can be identified. In addition, it is the term common to all conservation equations. We show calculated results for a wide variety of flows to validate the effectiveness of using the numerical speed of sound concept in constructing the numerical flux. We especially aim at achieving these two goals: (1) improving accuracy and (2) gaining convergence rates for all speed ranges. We find that while the performance at high speed range is maintained, the flux now has the capability of performing well even with the low: speed flows. Thanks to the new numerical speed of sound, the convergence is even enhanced for the flows outside of the low speed range. To realize the usefulness of the proposed method in engineering problems, we have also performed calculations for complex 3D turbulent flows and the results are in excellent agreement with data.


PurposePart of the runway at Madeira Airport is a platform above the sea at a 60 m height, supported by a series of frames. When aircraft land on this section, a load is exerted on the structure, resulting in bending of the beams which constitute the frames. A vision-based monitoring system was devised and implemented to measure the deflection of the runway's beams when a landing occurs.Design/methodology/approachAn area on the midspan of two beams, located on the area where aircraft are most likely to land, was prepared with a speckle pattern, and a camera was assembled above a column on each of the adjacent frames, enabling the computation of displacements using digital image correlation (DIC). The camera continuously acquires images of the monitored area and compares them to a reference using DIC. If a displacement is detected, a number of frames before and after this event are saved for further DIC processing.FindingsThe installed systems successfully detected several events corresponding to landings and, for each of those events, measured the deflection of the beams over time and computed displacement fields for critical images, with strain values obtained up to this point being too small to measure using the current system.Originality/valueThis work provides novel insights into the behaviour of a unique structure and constitutes the first use of a vision system in its structural monitoring operations. It is also a valuable development in the implementation of automated DIC monitoring systems in locations of difficult access.


Academic self-efficacy is a construct that could be learned. It is rooted in learning by observation and direct personal experience. This study examines the level of academic motivation and self-efficacy of college students in the online-distance learning utilizing the descriptive – comparative and correlational method of research through adapted and modified questionnaires. It was shown that most respondents were 18-20 years old and were female. Results showed a significant difference in the respondents' level of academic motivation in terms of age concerning intrinsic motivation; a considerable discrepancy exists in the level of academic motivation in terms of gender concerning extrinsic motivation and motivation. Furthermore, a significant difference in the respondents' level of academic motivation in terms of gender concerning extrinsic motivation, and a significant difference exists in the respondents' level of academic motivation in terms of course about intrinsic motivation. In addition, the result showed a significant difference between the respondents' levels of self-efficacy in terms of age. The respondents' level of self-efficacy in terms of online learning tasks showed considerable differences among the respondents' ages. Results showed that a significant difference in self-efficacy lies between ages 27 and above and 18-20. In addition, significant differences were found in the level of self-efficacy in terms of courses with online learning tasks. This study concluded that respondents' level of academic motivation in terms of intrinsic showed a significant relationship with their level of self-efficacy among respondents regarding technology use, online learning tasks, and instructor and peer collaboration. Thus, tertiary school education programs should be designed so that emphasis would be laid on allowing students to participate in school activities and decision-making. The results of this study can be used as a basis for further research in areas related to academic motivation and self-efficacy.


Student-centered instructional practices structure a class so that students interact with each other, engage deeply with the content, and receive formative feedback. These evidence-based practices benefit all students but are particularly effective with underrepresented learners, including women and members of other minority groups. To what extent have computer science (CS) faculty embraced these strategies? We surveyed over 700 U.S. faculty to find out. Results suggest that female faculty, associate professors, and those teaching courses with enrollment above 80 students are more likely to use these student-centered practices. Across all responses, 20% of faculty use student--student interaction on a regular basis during class. In contrast, 38% of faculty rely on lectures for content delivery. Results were also compared with published data for other academic disciplines. CS faculty are less likely to use these practices compared to their non-STEM colleagues but more likely to use these practices compared to other STEM discipline faculty. Overall, CS faculty have adopted student-centered practices to some degree, but our community should strive for higher adoption rates to help as many students as possible learn and remain in computer science.


Seven years ago the co-editor of this special issue put the case in the South African Historical Jolouruaal for 'film and history' studies in South Africa. Inspired by a lively debate within the American academy about this emerging sub-discipline and a decade of experience of teaching history through film at the University of Cape Town (UCT), he hoped 'to encourage the study, teaching and discussion of film and history in South African history departments, as well as to promote the involvement of academics and students in attempting filmic history'. One vehicle for doing so, he proposed, might be the South Aj?ican Historical Journal itself which could provide a regular forum for the discussion of visual history and for the reviewing of 'popular, important or controversial feature films, documentaries and television series (particularly if not exclusively) "about" South African history'.' What has happened since the original appeal in 1996? At UCT the teaching of 'film and history' has broadened substantially. Formerly on the fringes of the more traditional teaching of the history department, it has now moved closer to centre-stage with the establishment of an autonomous semester-length film and history course taught at senior undergraduate level. Despite an overall decline in the numbers of students majoring in history, the number of third-year students electing to study 'film and history' has soared due in significant measure to an interdisciplinary partnership with the burgeoning area of film and media studies at UCT. The course engages with the continuing debate around the presentation of the past on film, focusing on case studies including the representation ofthe holocaust and of apartheid on screen and the long history of the war-film genre, from contemporary (mis)representations of the Spanish-American and Anglo-Boer wars to Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line.2


A retrospective study of neoplasia in a collection of snakes was conducted due to the large number of neoplasms observed in 1991. Individual snake necropsies, medical records, and inventory records at the Sacramento Zoo were reviewed for the period 1 July 1981-30 June 1991. Twenty-nine neoplasms were diagnosed in 20 individual snakes. Nineteen neoplasms were of epi thelial origin, and 10 were of mesenchymal origin. Twenty-two (76%) neoplasms were considered malignant, and five neoplasms had m?tastases. Seven of 10 mesenchymal neoplasms were poorly differentiated spindle cell sarcomas. Five snakes had multiple types of neoplasms. Thirteen neo plasms were detected clinically and diagnosed antemortem. The annual rate of neoplasia for the population ranged from 0% to 14.1% and increased dramatically from 1988 to 1991. No specific type of neoplasm was more prevalent during this increase. The annual rate of neoplasia at necropsy ranged from 0% to 70% and was 23.1% for the 10-yr study period.


Infrarcd detecors using intersubband absorption in multiple quantum well stnrctures have received considerable interest. The detection range of intersubband absorption can easily be controlled by changing design parameters, e.g., doping concentration, band offset, quantum well width, etc. The intersubband absorption has been observed in both GaAs/AlGaAs and Si/SiGe multiple quantum well structures[1-7].The infrared detectors using intersubband transitions built on Si-based material are atffactive as they can be conveniently integrated with electronic devices monolithically for on-chip signal processing. Furttrernore, Si can be doped up to two orders higher than GaAs, and therefore, Si-based structures have a much higher wavelength conffol. Another very important advantage of using n type Si and Ge is that normal incidence detection can be accomplished using energy ellipsoids in the conduction band tilted toward the growth direction. The inverse mass tensorplays very importantrolein the intersubband absorption. The diagonal terms of the inverse mass tensor are related to the intersubband transition caused by the optical field perpendicular to the quantum well plane (i.e., surface). The off-diagonal terms of the inverse mass tensor are related to the intersubband transition caused by the optical field parallel to the quantum well plane, which is normally incident light. For Si (001), the X energy ellipsoids are on the principal axis and the inverse mass tensor does not have off-diagonal terms. However, the energy ellipsoids of Si (110) and Ge (001) are not on the principal axis of the injection direction and the inverse mass tensors have non-zero off-diagonal terms. These off-diagonal terms make the normal incidence detection possible. The electron transitions by normally incident light has been successfully demonstrated already in the conduction band of Si (110) quantum wells[7]. s-l-6-4


ARTICLE INFORMATION ABSTRACT Original Research Paper Received 08 January 2016 Accepted 11 March 2016 Available Online 12 April 2016 In this paper, thermal and vibration response of cross-ply bi-stable composite laminated plates was studied using semi-analytical, finite element and experimental method. In order to evaluate the semianalytical and finite element results, a bi-stable composite plate was manufactured using a special procedure. Next, geometrical characteristics and displacement of different paths on the plate were measured experimentally at room temperature. In semi-analytical approach, the two stable states and the first natural frequency of cross-ply laminates are calculated based on Rayleigh–Ritz approach combined with Hamilton's principle. In this study, a modified shape function was introduced that allows the curvatures to vary in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Using the modified shape function, the displacement of the plate in its stable configuration and the first natural frequency of the plate can be more accurately predicted compared to the Hyer's shape functions. The obtained results from the proposed shape function are in good agreement with the finite element and experimental data. The proposed shape functions can also be used in dynamic and vibration analysis to determine the snapthrough load of the cross-ply laminates.


The invention discloses a high-efficiency oxidation catalyst which is used for oxidizing formaldehyde into H2O and CO2 below the room temperature and a preparation method thereof, and the invention is characterized in that the high-efficiency oxidation catalyst takes a honeycomb cordierite pottery and porcelain coated with poriferous Co-Ce-Sn composite oxides as a carrier, 0 to 10 percent of Pt as active components, and MoO3, CuOx, MnOx, TiO2 and so on as accessory ingredients, and the high-efficiency oxidation catalyst does not need energy resources such as light, heat and electricity, etc. and chemical agents to be additionally provided, has much higher removing efficiency of formaldehyde than the techniques of photochemical catalysis and plasma under the conditions of heavy blast volume and high humidity level, etc., does not have any byproduct, and is applicable to the highly-efficient removing of formaldehyde pollution of enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces such as production departments of man-made boards, living rooms and building material and furniture markets, etc.


Elimination reactions of exo-2-bicyclo [2.2.1] heptyl tosylate and chloride and their exo-3-deuterated analogues are studied in base-solvent systems that induce clean bimolecular 1,2-emiminations. The relative propensities for competitive syn-exo and anti-endo-H elimination modes are assessed from nonkinetically determined deuterium isotope effects and the deuterium content in the bicyclo [2.2.1] hept-2-ene formed from the deuterated substrates. The competition between syn-exo and anti-endo-H elimination is influenced by base association, which stabilizes the syn elimination transition state. Potential steric hindrance by oversized dissociated bases has no effect on the elimination stereochemistry


The climate system can be seen as a thermal engine that generates entropy by irreversible processes and achieves a steady state by redistributing the input solar energy among its different components (ocean, atmosphere, etc) and by balancing the energy, water mass and entropy budgets over all the spatial scales. Biases in modern climate models are generally related to the fact that their statistical properties are not well represented, giving rise to imperfect closures of the energy cycle. Thus, a proper measurement of the efficiency of the thermal engine in each climate model is needed. Moreover, possible steady states (attractors) that can be approached at climate tipping-points are characterised by different feedbacks becoming dominant in the thermal engine.

We apply the Thermodynamic Diagnostic Tool (TheDiaTo) [1] to the attractors recently obtained using the MIT general circulation model (MITgcm) in a coupled aquaplanet [2], a planet where the ocean covers the entire globe. Such coupled aquaplanets, where nonlinear interactions between atmosphere, ocean and sea ice are fully taken into account, provide a relevant framework to understand the role of the main feedbacks at play in the climate system. Five attractors have been found, ranging from snowball (where ice covers the entire planet) to hot state conditions (where ice completely disappears) [2].

Using TheDiaTo, we analyse the five climate attractors by estimating:  a) the energy budgets and meridional energy transports; b) the water mass and latent energy budgets and respective meridional transports; c) the Lorenz Energy Cycle; d) the material entropy production. We consider different coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice configurations and cloud parameterizations of MITgcm where the energy balance at the top of the atmosphere is progressively better closed in order to understand the occurrence of possible biases in the statistical properties of each attractor.

Our contribution will help clarify the thermodynamic differences in climate attractors and their stability to external perturbations that could shift the climate from a steady state to the other.

[1] Lembo V., Lunkeit F., Lucarini V., TheDiaTo (v1.0) – a new diagnostic tool for water, energy amd entropy budgets in climate models, Geosci. Model Dev. 12, 3805-3834 (2019)

[2] Brunetti M., Kasparian J., Vérard C., Co-existing climate attractors in a coupled aquaplanet, Climate Dynamics 53, 6293-6308 (2019)


Results of modeling of a high-current relativistic beam by the finite-difference method are compared with results obtained for a beam with the same parameters using the well-known KARAT code, which is based on the large-particle method. These two methods give similar results, which justifies the use of the finite-difference method for the numerical solution of the equations of motion describing the motion of the beam in its own and an external electromagnetic field.


This work investigated the non-linear behaviour of ancient natural stone columns in the Mediterranean region made from multiple blocks or 'drums'. A two-dimensional custom-made computational model based on the discrete-element method was employed. In the numerical model, the columns were represented as an assemblage of distinct blocks connected together by zero-thickness interfaces, which can open and/or close depending on the magnitude and direction of the stresses applied to them. Through non-linear static analysis, capacity curves and corresponding failure mechanisms of each of the studied models were obtained. The influence of different parameters (the number of drums, geometrical properties and imperfections at columns) was also assessed to observe their influence on the response of drum assemblies. The results of analyses revealed that rigid overturning is the main collapse mechanisms under uniform horizontal forces. A combination of rigid and shear failure mechanisms might also occur, depending on ...


To the Editor: A small outbreak of primary pneumonic plague took place in the Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh State in northern India during February 2002. Sixteen cases of plague were reported with a case-fatality rate of 25% (4/16). The infection was confirmed to the molecular level with PCR and gene sequencing (1). A previous outbreak in this region during 1983 was suggestive of pneumonic plague (22 cases, 17 deaths) but was not confirmed. In India, the last laboratory-confirmed case of plague was reported in 1966 from Karnataka State (2).

The index patient for the 2002 outbreak lived in a hamlet in the Himalayas. He went hunting on January 28, 2002, in a nearby forest at a height of ≈500–600 m from his house. There, he killed a sick wild cat and skinned it. He returned home on February 2 and sought treatment for fever, chills, and headache. On February 4, breathlessness, chest pain, and hemoptysis developed; radiologic findings were suggestive of lobar pneumonia, and treatment with augmentin was begun. He died the next day. Subsequently, 13 of his relatives exhibited a similar illness, although 2 additional patients acquired infection in the hospital. The incubation period for those patients was 1–4 days, which is consistent with that of pneumonic plague.

A team of microbiologists, epidemiologists, and entomologists visited the village after 7 more cases were reported until February 12, 2002, followed by a team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi. The following case-patient definition was used: a person who sought treatment for fever of rapid onset, chills, chest pain, breathlessness, headache, prostration, and hemoptysis. A total of 16 cases were reported from 3 hospitals in the area: a local civil hospital, the state medical college, and a regional tertiary care hospital. Clinical material collected from the case-patients and their contacts was initially processed in the laboratories of these hospitals. Wayson staining provided immediate presumptive diagnosis, and confirmatory tests were performed at NICD. Diagnosis of plague was confirmed for 10 (63%) of 16 patients (1).

NICD conducted the following laboratory tests on 2 suspected culture isolates, 2 sputum specimens, 1 lung autopsy material specimen, and 1 lung lavage sample (Table): 1) direct fluorescent antibody test for Yersinia pestis; 2) culture and bacteriophage lysis test; and 3) PCR and gene sequencing to detect Y. pestis–specific genes (pla and F1). All these tests confirmed that isolates were Y. pestis and met all the World Health Organization's recommended criteria (3).

Table

Epidemiologic characteristics and laboratory findings of patients with suspected cases of pneumonic plague, India, 2002 (1)*

Antibodies against F1 antigen of Y. pestis were detected by passive hemagglutination testing of paired serum samples. Although 5 patients showed a >4-fold rise, 1 patient showed a >4-fold fall in antibody titer. In contrast, samples from 6 patients were negative for Y. pestis, and no change was found in the titers from 1 patient. No serum sample was collected from the index patient; for the 2 other patients who died, 1 of the single serum samples became contaminated, and the other was positive for Y. pestis (4). Paired serum samples from the case-patients were collected on a single day 4 weeks apart during the visit of the NICD team, regardless of the duration of symptoms.

Antimicrobial drug sensitivity testing was carried out by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. All isolates were sensitive to doxycycline, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and amikacin but were resistant to penicillin.

No fleas or other ectoparasites were found on the 6 cats, 8 dogs, 6 cows, 4 calves or 2 trapped rodents in the village. One serum sample, with pooled blood from 3 dogs was negative for antibodies against F1 antigen. Before these infections occurred, a heavy snowfall in the region had reduced the activity of rodents and was unfavorable for the survival and multiplication of rat fleas. The snow also helped restrict the spread of the infection because of reduced movement of the local population (1).

Primary pneumonic plague is acquired by inhaling infective droplets from persons or animals and rarely by accidental aerosol exposure. Y. pestis is a category A agent of bioterrorism (5). It is not truly airborne; person-to-person transmission requires face-to-face exposure within 2 m of a coughing patient (2). During 1977–1998, in the western United States, 23 cases of cat-associated human plague were reported. Bites, scratches, or other contact with infectious material while handling infected cats resulted in 17 cases of bubonic plague, 1 case of primary septicemic plague, and 5 cases of primary pneumonic plague (6).

In our report, close and prolonged contact with the index patient while providing care (for example, wiping his face during hemoptysis, supporting him during a bout of coughing, taking him to the hospital in a vehicle) resulted in secondary cases. Because of the severe winter, poor ventilation in houses further helped the illness spread. All patients acquired infection before plague was suspected. Initially, patients were treated for community-acquired pneumonia, which delayed the proper treatment and led to deaths. A patient admitted for status epilepticus was infected by her attendant, who in turn, acquired infection from a terminally ill plague patient for whom he provided some care. The patient with epilepsy and her attendant shared a common room with the terminally ill wife of the index patient, which was small and poorly ventilated. Surprisingly, the relative of the index case-patient who had accompanied him to the forest survived the infection; whereas, the wife and sister of the index patient died. No spread to healthcare workers was noted.

When plague was suspected immediate preventive measures were taken, for example, fumigation of the index patient's residence and any vehicles used for transporting the patients; active surveillance and education; standard work precautions; chemoprophylaxis for patient contacts and paramedics; and isolation and treatment of patients (1). The transmission rate for primary pneumonic plague is relatively low compared with that of many other communicable diseases; the average number of secondary cases per primary case is 1.3, according to a study done by Gani and Leach (7).

The key element in the control of small outbreaks of primary pneumonic plague could be the intensity of disease surveillance system (7). As a result, the state government has established a Plague Surveillance Unit in District Shimla of Himachal Pradesh in 2002 (1).


A large body of research suggests that high performance work systems (HPWSs) that enhance employees' competencies, and motivate them, leads to competitive advantage. HPWPs are radically not 'new practices'; they have been around for many years and have already been adopted by various organizations. However, the link between HPWS adoption & firm performance is yet blurred. The aim of this paper was to examine the moderating role of employees' HR attributions on the relationship between adoption of HPWSs and firm performance. The current paper argues that human resource (HR) attribution of employees moderates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance such that the effective adoption of high performance work systems in an organization partly depends on the type of employees' attributions (commitment versus control) of HR practices in the company. more specifically, it is proposed that adoption of HPWS can be more effective in organizations where employees' attributions of HR practices is commitment focus than in firms where employees' attributions of HR practice is control focus. The study contributes to understanding the 'black box' of HRM-performance link. Theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are discussed.


The purpose of this study was first to determine the development of an application for early detection of non-medical diseases with the Quran system in the Tumpang Talun Blitar community. Second, knowing the application of non-medical detection applications with the Qur'ani system in cases of household disharmony. This type of research is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Data analysis techniques: data collection stage, data reduction stage, data conclusion stage.  Research Results Preparing the object of therapy, namely someone who is suspected of having a non-medical disorder, namely by means of mass filtering ruqyah. Displaying an android application screen that displays calligraphy of certain verses which have been explained in many hadiths and explanations of scholars' can keep Satan's interference away. After seeing the Android application, usually, someone will experience different reactions, there are screaming, crying, vomiting, burping, fainting, sweating, feeling sick in certain parts, and some are possessed. The next step is to sort and select non-medical cases that can affect household disharmony


Neutron pairing energies of some of the finite nuclei have been calculated to understand how the neutron pairing changes as the neutron and proton numbers change from odd to even values in isotopes. How its value changes for even (N) - even (Z), even (N) - odd (Z), odd (N) - even (Z) and odd (N) - odd (Z) nuclei has been brought out. The values of pairing energies have been calculated for light nuclei (20 ≤ A ≤ 55), medium nuclei (100 ≤ A ≤ 140) and heavy nuclei (190 ≤ A ≤ 238) and found to lie between: -16 ≤ Pn ≤ 14 MeV, -6 ≤ Pn ≤ 6 MeV and -5 ≤ Pn ≤ 5 MeV respectively. Positive pairing energies only occurred in odd (N) - even (Z) nuclei and this indicated the most stable isotopic nuclei.


This paper presents empirical analysis about sexual attitudes, gender and social position. I focus in people idea about what is a valid sexual relationship. For some people, the sexual relationship is valid when it was done with the sole purpose of procreation, but other people are in disagreeing with this. I find differences about sex, social position and other variables: educational level, age and religiosity. I present some hypothesis to explain this empirical evidence with Spanish data set.


We present analyses of Spitzer observations of 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 1 using 16 μm IRS "blue" peak-up (PU) and 24 and 70 μm MIPS images obtained on UT 2003 November 23 and 24 that characterize the Centaur's large-grain (10–100 μm) dust coma during a time of non-outbursting "quiescent" activity. Estimates of ϵ f ρ for each band (16 μm (2600 ± 43 cm), 24 μm (5800 ± 63 cm), and 70 μm (1800 ± 900 cm)) follow the trend between nucleus size versus ϵ f ρ that was observed for the WISE/NEOWISE comet ensemble. A coma model was used to derive a dust production rate in the range of 50–100 kg s−1. For the first time, a color temperature map of SW1's coma was constructed using the 16 and 24 μm imaging data. With peaks at ∼140 K, this map implies that coma water-ice grains should be slowly sublimating and producing water gas in the coma. We analyzed the persistent 24 μm "wing" (a curved southwestern coma) feature at 352,000 km (90″) from the nucleus attributed by Stansberry et al. to nucleus rotation and instead propose that it is largely created by solar radiation pressure and gravity acting on micron-sized grains. We performed coma removal to the 16 μm PU image in order to refine the nucleus' emitted thermal flux. A new application of the Near Earth Asteroid Thermal Model at five wavelengths (5.730, 7.873, 15.80, 23.68, and 71.42 μm) was then used to refine SW1's effective radius measurement to R = 32.3 ± 3.1 km and infrared beaming parameter to η = 1.1 ± 0.2, respectively.


Results of snow avalanches reflected over the roads in a snowy mountainous area were examined by mesns of aerial photographs.The topographic elements regarding usual courses of snow avalanches were interpreted on the aerial photographs taken in non-snow season, and velocity variation and suspending points of snow avalanches on these courses were calculated with various coefficients of kinetic frictions.On the other hand, the suspending points of svalanches on these courses were observed and measured on the aerial photographs taken in snow avalanch season.By using these results, the coefficient of kinetic friction of snow avalanches in the region was estimated, and velocity, kinetic energy per unit volume and impulsive force per unit area of snow avalanche on the roads were estimated for each course of snow avalanche.Moreover, debris depth and volume of snow avalanche at each course were measured by comparing the aerial photographs taken in deepest snow season against those taken in snow avalanche season.Calculation of velocity, energy and impulsive force and measurement of depth of debris and volume of the snow avalanche at each course in the region will give the rank of the snow avalanche, and will contribute to plan the highway course.


Bulk heterojunction solar cells of 3×3 array have been fabricated using a blend of PCDTBT:PCBM as active layer. Among nine devices fabricated, the best device exhibited efficiency 5% with standard deviation ∼ 20% in efficiency. Thermal annealing of the devices resulted in decrease of photovoltaic properties of all devices which was attributable to the change at the active layer/cathode interface of devices as supported by electrical and spectroscopic studies.


The need for aggressive efforts to help tobacco users quit remains a healthcare priority. Brief interventions delivered in the healthcare environment continue to be a valuable component of a comprehensive tobacco control policy. Unfortunately, such treatments are offered less often than desired, and quality is variable. Previous research has demonstrated the value of training experiences in increasing treatment availability, quality, as well as improving clinical outcomes. Less is known about how specific clinical activities and other features are impacted as a function of training. These issues were explored within the context of a standardised 5A's (ASK, ADVISE, ASSESS, ASSIST, ARRANGE) brief intervention training program.


The basic prerequisite for the presented research was research of scientific databases. This theoretical basis is for primary two-level research. The first level consists of quality research for which important companies in the Czech Republic were selected, presenting applied personnel marketing. The result was 13 attributes which HR staff view as the way to conduct personnel marketing. The resulting attributes were the basis for quantitative research. For uncovering of potential latent attributes the results were subjected to factor analysis. The result of the research is a targeted overview of how companies perceive personnel marketing as well as how they use it. Research has been carried out in the Czech Republic, but the results are applicable globally, because all enterprises in survey have a parent company in the EU, USA, Japan or China, and apply their corporate culture. The results of the research are applicable both in the theoretical area where they moved to the examined issues forward and in the practical area where they may serve for better work with human capital.


Through the-spotted inspection and investigation and understanding of the charac-teristics,As one of the four major inkstone of China,Shezhou faces the confusing market.I have summed up a set of simple method of apreciation and evaluation standards,hoping to provide some help for broad collectors and playing a role on Chinese traditional inkstone cultural heritage.


Adverse weather has serious implications for flight timeliness, as well as passenger and aircraft safety. This often implies that alternative flight paths have to be used by aircraft to avoid adverse weather. To reduce the impact of such path re-routes, exact techniques such as artificial potential field model and Dijkstra's algorithms have been proposed. However, such approaches are often unsuitable for real time scenarios involving large number of waypoints and constraints. This has led to the use of metaheuristic techniques that give sub-optimal solutions in good time. In this work, an improved genetic algorithm-based technique has been proposed. The algorithm used an improved mutation operator, reduced passenger inconvenience and considered the schedules of aircraft.


To controlled systems under deterministic and random trade-off state, it is presented by general Langevin gradient equation while dynamic variational rule of the systems is described. The nonlinear differential equation is equivalent to its nonlinear Volterra's integral equation of the second kind, and any order approximate solution of the equation is also obtained, by successive approximation method. Finally, the influence of random effect for system state is discussed.


The assignment of complex behavior of animals to the function of specific genes has seen significant advances in the past decade. The advent of modern tools of genetics and genomics permitted analyses that revealed a good number of neural system enriched genes whose products modulate, and whose polymorphism qualitatively or quantitatively influenced invertebrate feeding behavior. The most prominent of these genes are orthologues of foraging (for) and the neuropeptide Y (NPY)/NPY receptor. The former encodes a cyclic-GMP-dependent protein kinase, which functional genetics have been characterized in Drosophila melanogaster, Apis mellifera and Caenorhabditis elegans. Allelic variations and changes in the expression of the above genes could influence the initiation of particular feeding behaviors or related social phenotype. These genes have provided the first molecular insights towards feeding behavior in invertebrates. Besides detailed investigations into the neural pathways involved and mechanisms of function of the gene products, parallel studies in other animal models is imperative to understand ecological drivers of animal feeding behavior.


Compositio Uludag Fir, C Field sampling 2011 and 2012 The air-flows sunlight. Isopr sixty five BVO (PAR) and CO were normaliz Cilician Fir w 11.4 µg/g/h, r pinene, beta-m caryophyllene compounds w broad-leaved s the third most


In this paper, we explain recent application usin g f re zone control in waste incineration plants using fuzzy logic in industrial automation. This a pplication used the so-called "fuzzyPLC", an innovative hardware platform that merges fuzzy logi c and traditional automation techniques. Following a quick overview on the fuzzyPLC, we discuss the appl ications and focus on how fuzzy logic enabled a superior solution compared to conventional techniqu es. Whenever possible, we quantify the benefit in cost saving or quality improvement. For detailed in formation on the reviewed applications, the respect iv papers are referenced.


Estuaries and the coastal ocean experience a high degree of variability in the composition and concentration of particulate and dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a consequence of riverine and estuarine fluxes of terrigenous DOM, sediments, detritus and nutrients into coastal waters and associated phytoplankton blooms. Our approach integrates biogeochemical measurements, optical properties and remote sensing to examine the distributions and inventories of organic carbon in the U.S. Middle Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine. Algorithms developed to retrieve colored DOM (CDOM), Dissolved (DOC) and Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) from NASA's MODIS-Aqua and SeaWiFS satellite sensors are applied to quantify the distributions and inventories of DOC and POC. Horizontal fluxes of DOC and POC from the continental margin to the open ocean are estimated from SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua distributions of DOC and POC and horizontal divergence fluxes obtained from the Northeastern North Atlantic ROMS model. SeaWiFS and MODIS imagery reveal the importance of estuarine outflow to the export of CDOM and DOC to the coastal ocean and a net community production of DOC on the shelf.


We pursue a scenario where the lighter top squark (stop) mass is accessible for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the near future, while gluinos and first two generation squarks are heavier. At $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV, we investigate the identification of stops which decay predominantly into a top quark and the stable lightest supersymmetric particle. We use a simple kinematical variable, $M3$, to reconstruct two top quarks which are pair-produced from the stops, in the fully hadronic channel. The dominant Standard Model (SM) background for this signal stems from $t\bar t$ plus jets, with one top quark decaying into $ bl\nu$, where the lepton is undetected and the $\nu$ produces missing transverse momentum. The lepton identification efficiency is thus crucial in order to estimate the background correctly. We identify kinematical variables to reduce the SM background. We find that it is possible to achieve signal and background cross-section at similar levels for stop masses around $350 - 500$ GeV for a neutralino mass of 100 GeV.


As a result of the West African region's continuous political and economic instability, various economies have used monetary policy changes to respond to shocks from macroeconomic causes. Scholars disagree on the mechanisms of monetary policy, external shocks, and macroeconomic activity links in an economy, according to the available literature in both inter-regional and intra-regional evaluations. This article promotes understanding and management of external shocks in monetary policy by focusing on two key goals. (1) To investigate external shocks, macroeconomic performance, and the dynamics of monetary policy in Western African countries. (2) Use the S-VAR method of estimate to investigate the impact of these economic indices on monetary policy dynamics in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Niger. The S-VAR method was chosen because it is useful for analysing macroeconomic shocks and monetary policy transmission. The findings reveal that the West African countries are so interconnected, any change in the price of non-oil commodities would have a significant impact on the exchange rate, which will be channelled through policy rates to GDP. We recommend and emphasise the need of diversifying member countries' productive and export bases rather than continuing to rely on one or a few items as the primary source of income.


The article reports observed electrical bistability in thin films of ZnO nanoparticles embedded in an insulating polymer matrix. From the current-voltage and impedance characteristics, they studied transport mechanisms involved in the two conducting-states. The electrical bistability in such films has been associated with a memory phenomenon. The bistability, which is reversible in nature, led to read-only and random-access memory applications in the devices based on such nanoparticles.


The purpose of this study is to show a complete and updated picture of the empirical research focused on the university students' attitudes toward statistics. Firstly, the literature published in English is revised and briefly described. Then the main characteristics of the Spanish research studies are presented and their results are summarized. Finally, a critical appraisal is conducted on the reviewed area and suggestions for the future research are considered.


Objective To explore the changes of plasma endothelin(ET) as well as the effects of Danhong injection on the microcirculation of patients with acute pancreatitis(AP).Methods A total of 64 patients with AP was divided into group A(n=30)and B(n=34),treated with routine method(group A) and Danhong injection added routine method(group B),respectively.Another 18 normal individuals were used as normal controls.The levels of plasma ET were measured by radioimmunoassay.Results The levels of ET in patients with severe acute pancreatitis[(152.68±8.66)ng/L]were significantly higher than those in the cases with mild acute pancreatitis[(88.31±8.44)ng/L,P 0.05 ] and normal controls[(50.22±5.33)ng/L,P 0.05 ].After treatment,the levels of ET in group A were slightly decreased compared with those before treatment(P0.05),while the levels of ET in group B were obviously decreased compared with those before treatment[(65.37±8.66)ng/L vs(107.56±9.44)ng/L,P 0.05 ].The average in-hospital time[(10.56±2.11)d ] and treating time[(8.73±1.87)d ] of group B were significantly shorter than that of group A [(15.24±3.11)d,(13.22±2.16)d,P 0.05].Conclusions Endothelin is involved in the occurence and progress of microcirculation disorder in pathogenesis of AP.Danhong injection is effective in the treatment of AP.


Abstract We study a new quantum cryptography protocol with continuous variables for the construction of secret quantum keys. The protocol is based on pairs of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entangled quadratures of a two-mode electromagnetic field generated by non-degenerate parametric amplification. Instantaneous measurements of the quantum fluctuations provide the random bits of the secret key. The irreversible alteration of the quadrature entanglement due to unauthorized measurements immunizes the quantum key distribution against eavesdropping attacks. Based on two identical non-degenerate parametric amplifiers, the protocol circumvents the usual 50% bits rejection due to base incompatibility during the key generation process, and avoids the need for homodyne detection schemes which are highly sensitive to the mode matching problems.


Abstracet:Diplomatic appropriate is an important carrier in diplomatic work and different from general language with its unique features of paying great attention to tactics and politeness,which is quite noticeable in Zhan Guo Ce.Applying the theory in Grice's conversation to explain its diplomatic appropriate can help us comprehend the wisdom and profundity of our country's ancient culture.


The H1N1 infection hit Rajasthan hard in the beginning of 2015, perhaps because of the high density and higher migratory population. Anticipating the impact, the Honorable Chief Minister constituted a high powered task force under the chairmanship of a technical person, a decision highlighted by New York Times. It must be mentioned that all the resources were provided. The task force initiated and galvanized uniform rapid action system across the state to achieve a remarkable success in reducing the percentage mortality and saving 95% adults and 98% elderly population respectively. The virus continued to spread across the country in majority of the states in India. Rajasthan has achieved gross reduction to less than 5% of OPD and IPD numbers. This incidentally has also been endorsed by the Media.


Background: Background: Non severe aplastic anemia (NSAA) is a rare and heterogeneous disease characterized by different cytopenias and variable severity and possible evolution into myeloid neoplasms. Data on clinical workup and therapeutic strategies adopted are largely lacking due to the rarity of the disease and the limited number of dedicated clinical trials. Aims: Aims: To outline disease features, management and adverse events in 25 NSAA patients followed at a single tertiary hematologic center Methods: Methods: We evaluated all patients diagnosed with NSAA according to Camitta criteria (hypocellular bone marrow with peripheral blood values not meeting criteria for severe AA) at a single tertiary hematologic center in the last 20 years. We collected baseline hematologic features, bone marrow biopsies, flow-cytometry (FCM) of marrow aspirates and mutational status by next generation sequencing (NGS) for 69 genes involved in myeloid neoplasms. Different management strategies were registered retrospectively and categorized in 1) steroids +/- cyclosporin (CyA), 2) eltrombopag + CyA and 3) watch & wait. Responses were evaluated according to 2009 Marsh criteria Results: Results: We included 25 patients, mainly females (64%) and with a median age of 48 years (17-91) (Table 1). The most frequent cytopenia was thrombocytopenia (N=22) and 1/3 of cases were transfusion dependent. Bone marrow samples showed a median cellularity of 15% (range 5-30), with dyserythropoiesis in 44%, dysmyelopoiesis in 16%, and reticulin


Abstract : The United States will spend over $1 billion in FY99 in an effort to combat the illegal flow of drugs into our country. That is money directly attributed to efforts overseen by the Office for National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and does not include the monies spent by local and state agencies throughout the country. It can be argued that as a nation we have attempted several different approaches including diplomatic, economic and informational avenues as we try to deal with Caribbean and Central and South American governments. However, we seem determined on expanding military roles in the region. During the past two decades the administrations in power have continued to escalate the military's involvement in this fight. Our military's presence is so entrenched and permanent that it has become fashionable to refer to the entire process as the war on drugs . This paper will examine the primary instruments of power the United States has applied to the problem in the past and present. It will examine the emphasis placed on the problem from the perspective of our national and military leadership. The research will reveal our country's past involvement in the region referring to several instruments of power. Then it will look at the military's involvement historically and how that role is continually expanding. The research will then consider if any of the military applications are having the desired effect and then provide some alternatives for consideration.


In this paper spherical irradiation measurements are exploited and compared to power output in order to assess PV system generation potential. Not the spherical irradiation as a sum is measured, but irradiation referred to a specific solid angle. This approach enhances generation forecasting for predefined panel orientations within urban areas. In urbanised regions sophisticated shadowing and reflexion patterns result generally in complicated generation predictions.


Abstract. In the infrared spectrum, two contributions to shadows exist: one part is reflective shadows resulting from occlusion of instantly reflected infrared rays, and the other part is thermal (IR) shadows occurring through occlusion of irradiance in the past. The realization of thermal shadows requires a thermal balance calculation in four-dimensions (three-dimensional geometry in one-dimensional time), which is computationally expensive, and therefore mostly used for nonreal-time simulations. We present an approximation of thermal shadows resulting from the occlusion of direct rays from IR emitters. Our approach uses programmable graphics cards to achieve real-time frame rates in scenes with dynamic geometry.


In an effort to select the most promising line(s) out of eight advanced breeding lines of cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) in terms of antioxidative properties, the content of antioxidant constituents and activity of antioxidative enzymes were analyzed from the fruit samples at 'red ripe' stage of harvest in an experiment conducted during November, 2018. The content of lycopene, ascorbic acid and phenol were found to range between 1.89 and 3.31 mg 100 -1g, 21.15 and 39.77 mg 100 -1g and 6.94 and 12.97 mg TE g-1, respectively whereas antioxidant activity under three different systems of assay (DPPHRAC, FRAP and LP) yielded values from 8.16-15.69 mg TE g-1, 2.06-3.82 mg TE g-1 and 7.85-55.29 ì mol MDA g-1 of fresh sample respectively. The activity of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT and POD) varied from 2.11 to 3.28 mg ml-1 (IC50), 0.038 to 0.140 ì mol H2O2 destroyed g -1min-1 and 0.0008 to 0.0044 ì mol guaiacol oxidized g-1min-1. The observed activity of PAL, the key enzyme in phenyl propanoid pathway, was found in the range of 33.70-43.17 ì molt-cinnamate produced g-1hr-1 in fresh harvested sample tissues. On the basis of PCA and average values of all the parameters contributing to antioxidative property, 'Cherry round yellow' was selected as the most promising advanced breeding line followed by 'Cherry round red (big fruit)', '2016 Cherry 4' and '2016 Cherry 3', with better scavenging of ROS and can be used as improved materials for breeding of cherry tomato in future.


The produced water of several drive blocks in Daqing oilfield and Nanyang oilfield were digested by high-pressure digestion pot,and the full ions were analyzed.The contents of Na,K,Ca,Mg,Al,Ba,Sr,Mn,Si in water were determined by ICP-AES.The recoveriss were 95.00%—106.00% and the relative standard deviations were less than 2.15%.The contents of Cl-,SO2-4 were determined by ion chromatography in produced water of each drive block.The recoveries were 96.83%—99.28% and the relative standard deviations were less than 2.28%.At the same time,the contents of HCO-3,CO2-3 were determined by chemical methods to all produced water.Salinity of produced water was so high in Daqing oilfield and Nanyang oilfield which could directly affect oil recovery.Ba,Sr and Si,etc were found in produced water of the drive block also.The anions and cations in oilfield produced water combine with each other,causing the wall scaling.The contents of Cl-,SO2-4 in two oilfield produced water were very high,and they will lead to serious corrosion in oil underground pipeline.


We investigated the fabrication of a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) using GaAsSb/AlAsSb with a large difference in the refractive index. We fabricated a well-defined GaAsSb/AlAsSb periodic structure with high reflectivity and a 135-nm-wide stop band. A cavity structure was subsequently fabricated on the DBR, using a highly stacked quantum dash (QDash) structure, by the strain compensation technique. The modulated photoluminescence spectrum from the QDash was also observed in this sample. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The present is a critical analysis of the public policy for the inclusion of the ex-officio recycler population in the cleaning service of the capital city of Colombia, Bogota. The demands made by a population in conditions of manifest vulnerability give rise to a serie of issues related to the public toilet service in the utilization component. The reference period is between the years 2012 - 2016, in which the assessments on the impact of the Zero Waste programs on indicators such as the formalization of the re- cycling and waste management population are analyzed.


Rhyme used to dominate English poetry since Chaucer's time, but is used less and less in modern poetry. This is largely due to the fact that English is less adaptable to rhyme as compared with languages like Chinese, to the dwindling number of people regarding rhyme as important for poetry, and to the change of times. As rhyme is considered part of rhythm, its waning may be compensated for by other rhythm means, as can generally be seen in 20th-century poetry. Nevertheless, modern developments point to the fact that rhyme is gaining favour and will be in fashion again in the new century.


We develop a field-theoretic approach to massless Dirac fermions in a supercritical Coulomb potential. By introducing an Aharonov--Bohm solenoid at the potential center, the critical Coulomb charge can be made arbitrarily small for one partial-wave sector, where a perturbative renormalization group analysis becomes possible. We show that a scattering amplitude for reflection of particle at the potential center exhibits the renormalization group limit cycle, i.e., log-periodic revolutions as a function of the scattering energy, revealing the emergence of discrete scale invariance. This outcome is further incorporated in computing the induced charge and current densities, which turn out to have power-law tails with coefficients log-periodic with respect to the distance from the potential center. Our findings are consistent with the previous prediction obtained by directly solving the Dirac equation and can in principle be realized by graphene experiments with charged impurities.


The processing of the turbine test results at its work in the GTE with the help of averaging the parameters of irregular gas flow has been carried out. The most feasible way of averaging the parameters of irregular gas flow has been set. The primary efficiency and net efficiency (absolute thermal efficiency) have been calculated. Error estimation of turbine efficiency calculation if using different methods of averaging has been carried out.


Although Portugal is often described as a country where welfare provision and care services are rather precarious, thus requiring important contributions from family and informal networks, some significant changes have occurred during the last 30 years. Portugal, like the other western European countries, is facing the phenomenon of an ageing population. One of the consequences is that care for the elderly has become a major issue on the policy agenda. The policies and services aimed at the elderly have expanded lately, but in the 1980s and 1990s their emphasis was on the development of services (attempts to increase and to diversify what was on offer and improvements in quality). We present some of the main developments since then. 1. The long-term care system in Portugal 1.1 Organization Until very recently, long-term care did not feature public sector involvement and was mainly provided by Misericordias (holy churches). The Misericordias are independent, non-profit institutions with a religious background. Only the Misericordia in Lisbon has a different status; it is a public enterprise with a board nominated jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity (Barros and De Almeida Simoes, 2007). In 2006, owing to the increasing number of elderly persons and the shortage of services, the National Network for Continuous Integrated Care was launched, based on the existing structure of services with a view to bringing them together. In each region, social services are provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity, except for the Lisbon area where the Santa Casa da Misericordia plays this role. Health and social care are provided mainly by private nonprofit institutions (subsidized by the state) and by Misericordias.


This paper presents an experimental investigation on the combined application of Nano- Silica (NS) and Silica Fume (SF) on various properties of concrete. It is observed from the preliminary investigation that the strength of concrete decreases with NS content more than 3% of cement replacement. In the present investigation, NS 3% and 4% and SF 3%, 6% and 9% of cement replacement by weight is adopted. For structural applications the various properties, such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and permeability, of M20 grade concrete containing NS and SF are evaluated and the results are compared with the controlled concrete. Based on the test results, it can be observed that concrete prepared with a combination of 3% NS and 6% SF has better strength and durability properties compared to controlled concrete. Hence, it can be concluded concrete prepared with 3% NS and 6% SF combination can be recommended for the structural applications. The increase in the strength properties of concrete is due to the availability of additional binder in the presence of NS and SF. The improved durability property of concrete is due to proper packing of NS and SF particles results in reduction in voids and leading to dense concrete.


The individual or company assuming the role of contractor automatically undertakes many responsibilities, and the welfare of the contracting system as a whole is greatly influenced by the extent to which these responsibilities are met and fulfilled.


Voices in Ruins (ViR) is the most recent in a series of interactive audio media installations constructed for gallery settings (Brothers 2000), (Cohen 2000). These installations embed a sensory data retrieval system in a mediated space that measures unencumbered human movement. Movement is translated into control signals for sound synthesis, spatial simulation and diffusion. Computer vision technology mediates this interface, gathering and evaluating changes in physical space, and communicating the data to synthesis engines, databases, and the composed environment. The artistic goal is to bring visitors' attention to their own acts of disposition towards a displayed work in an instrumented space, from roles as distant observers to intimate observers.


This paper studies the carrier phase recovery based on pilot symbols in a single carrier system. The system model considered in the paper includes channel additive white noise, phase noise, and device bandwidth limitations. In optical transmission systems based on high-order modulation, the effect of phase noise that affects the phase of the received carrier on system performance may be relevant. We propose an improved pilot symbol aided optical carrier phase recovery (CPR) method, which uses a fixed symbol set for noise suppression in M-QAM. Through the simulation of the 64-QAM system, the performance of this method is studied and compared with the CPR method without a fixed symbol set. The results show that CPR with a fixed symbol set is much better than CPR without a fixed symbol set. In addition, the use of maximum likelihood (ML) phase estimation after pilot symbol assisted CPR can be used to further improve the laser phase noise tolerance. For a dual-polarization system, by inserting pilot symbols in different time slots with different polarization states, the system performance can be further improved.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by steatosis, lobular inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning degeneration and fibrosis, all of which increase the risk of progression to end-stage liver disease. Osteopontin (OPN, SPP1) plays an important role in macrophage (MF) biology, but whether macrophage-derived OPN affects NASH progression is unknown.

METHODS
We analyzed publicly available transcriptomic datasets from patients with NASH, and used mice with conditional overexpression or ablation of Spp1 in myeloid cells and liver MFs, and fed them a high-fat, fructose and cholesterol diet mimicking the Western diet, to induce NASH.

RESULTS
This study demonstrated that MFs expressing high SPP1 are enriched in patients and mice with NAFLD, and show metabolic but not inflammatory properties. Spp1KI Mye or Spp1KI LvMF conferred protection, whereas OpnΔMye worsened NASH. The protective effect was mediated by induction of arginase-2 (ARG2), which enhanced fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in hepatocytes. Induction of ARG2 stemmed from enhanced production of oncostatin-M (OSM) in MFs from Spp1KI Mye mice. OSM activated STAT3 signaling, which upregulated ARG2. In addition to hepatic effects, Spp1KI Mye also protected through sex-specific extrahepatic mechanisms.

CONCLUSION
MF-derived OPN protects from NASH, by upregulating OSM, which increases ARG2 through STAT3 signaling. Further, the ARG2-mediated increase in FAO reduces steatosis. Therefore, enhancing the OPN-OSM-ARG2 crosstalk between MFs and hepatocytes may be beneficial for NAFLD patients.


There are no effective standard treatments for unresectable stage of liver cancer have been established. These insights lead the pursuit of targeted therapeutic strategies for reactivating apoptosis to eradicate cancer cells. It was hypothesized that active compound in the soursop leaves will be able to induce apoptosis. Objective of the study is to explore the role of novel soursop leaves active compound (SF-1603) in apoptosis induction to find a new agent for liver cancer therapy.  This study was use HepG2 cell line culture seeded in DMEM / F12. There were control group and 3 intervention group given SF-1603 with different concentration.  Apoptosis detection was done using Terminal deoxynucleotidyl Transferase-mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) method. Statistical analyses were conducted using linear regression. The result showed the cells undergoing apoptosis in the control group less than treatment groups.  There was a strong positive correlation (r=0.847) between the rate of apoptosis and a concentration of SF-1603, reflected the  apoptotic effect with a dose-dependent manner. The study conclude, the novel  soursop  leaves  active compound SF-1603 had the strong ability to induce apoptosis on liver cancer cell line culture, so it can be used as a candidate for new agent for liver cancer therapy.


This note critically evaluates the judgment of the Labour Court in Simmers v. Campbell Scientific Africa and that of the Labour Appeal Court in Campbell Scientific (Pty.) Ltd. & A. Simmers. In the (former) review, Simmers (S) was found not guilty of sexual harassment but of mere "sexual attention." The author disagrees and argues that the review should have confirmed the award by relying on the sexual nature of the advances, the persistency of same, the impact of the conduct on the harassed person and circumstantial evidence. It must be stated that the Labour Court review had little information and, accordingly, it was sometimes difficult to interpret. In the latter the appeal was upheld and the review was dismissed by a full bench who confirmed S' advances as sexual harassment and, particularly, expanded on the role of power disparity in sexual harassment cases, with which I agree.


Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the major viruses that cause respiratory
infections in all generations, not only in neonates and infants. There is a limited
number of reports on serological epidemiology of RSV subgroups A and B. Neutralizing
test (NT) antibody
reflects protective immunity but bothersome. Sero-epidemiological study should be performed using practical
NT method. Methods: Two wild-type viruses subgroups A and B, isolated in 2013, and the Long strain was used
as the challenge viruses. NT antibody with 100% inhibition of cytopathic
effect (CPE) was examined. A total of 91 serum samples obtained from 0 to 12 years subjects without RSV infection who visited our hospital with some health
problems and 121 sera obtained from healthy subjects in different age groups were
used. Serological epidemiology of subgroups A and B was investigated in this study using new NT methods. Results: 1) A simple and practical NT method was developed.
2) The NT antibody titer was lowest in × 21.70 ± 2.03 against subgroup A and 5 × 20.85 ± 1.31 against subgroup B) and increased in 3 years of age
or older, and high antibody titers were maintained during school age. 3) A slight
difference was observed in the NT antibody titers against subgroups A and Bin young
children Conclusions: A simple NT assay method was developed in the present
study. By the age of 3 years, high NT antibody titers were observed and maintained
until 12 years. The IgG (EIA) values decreased with age. No association was observed
between IgG (EIA) and NT titers.