Paddy, a critical global staple food and economic resource, faces significant challenges in cultivation due to diseases that have devastating effects on crop yield and quality. Accurate and valid classification of these diseases is essential for their effective prevention, management, and timely treatment. Traditional identification methods, which are manual, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to misclassification, fail to efficiently address these concerns. In response to these limitations, this research focuses on designing a lightweight neural network model for rice disease classification, leveraging the power of MobileNet-V2. This deep separable convolution-based neural network architecture is optimized for efficiency and accuracy in image classification tasks, making it well-suited for mobile devices. The approach enables real-time identification of rice diseases in the field, facilitating prompt intervention and treatment, ultimately minimizing the impact on crop yield and quality. The proposed model has undergone rigorous testing and benchmarking against state-of-the-art methods in paddy disease classification. Sufficient and multifaceted results demonstrate that the designed method achieves superior performance, outperforming the state-of-the-art in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The utilization of MobileNet-V2 in this research offers a valuable solution for the rapid and precise diagnosis of rice diseases, significantly contributing to the minimization of their spread and impact on crop yield and quality.


The increasing penetration of converter-based generation in many power systems around the world has sparked a discussion about how to operate these power systems with the usual levels of efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Current grid-following converter-based generators have proven to run stably in parallel to one another, even if there are thousands of them connected in a power system, and even in very small isolated power systems with extremely low system inertia. Discussions around the necessity of additional converter performance, usually under the 'grid-forming' and 'Virtual Synchronous Machines' concepts, have recently been transferred from the academic sphere to national and international industry fora. Formal discussions have started in Great Britain, in Germany and at ENTSO-E level. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the real and not simulated performance of grid-forming converters, whilst the needs case for requiring this radically different control method has not been adequately justified. With the present paper we raise key questions that will serve towards an objective discussion about power system needs, grid infeed technologies and their interaction.


Raman spectra of the basic copper chloride minerals atacamite and paratacamite have been obtained at 298 and 77K using a Raman microprobe in combination with a thermal stage. Four distinct regions involved with hydroxyl stretching, hydroxyl deformation, CuO stretching and CuCl stretching and bending have been identified. The implication from the study is that Raman spectroscopy can be a useful tool for identifying corrosion products of copper, brass and bronze objects of archaeological or antiquarian significance. In addition, the technique may be a useful aid in the restoration degraded pigment products from old paintings.


Annual fiscal incidence studies have found that income taxes and cash transfers are highly progressive and that their net effect is to redistribute income from rich to poor. Yet many argue that such studies overstate the redistribution achieved by governments and that lifetime analysis is needed. New results suggest that both income taxes and cash transfers are progressive on a lifetime basis, although they are much less progressive than annual studies suggest. The Australian tax-transfer system thus generates some lifetime redistribution from rich to poor, while also enforcing intrapersonal redistribution across the life cycle of individuals. Copyright 1993 by The Economic Society of Australia.


Stem-mapped forest stands offer important opportunities for investigating the fine-scale spatial processes occurring in forest ecosystems. These stands are areas of the forest where the precise locations and repeated size measurements of each tree are recorded, thereby enabling the calculation of spatially-explicit metrics of individual growth rates and of the entire tree community. The most common use of these datasets is to investigate the drivers of variation in forest processes by modeling tree growth rate or mortality as a function of these neighborhood metrics. However, neighborhood metrics could also serve as important covariates of many other spatially variable forest processes, including seedling recruitment, herbivory and soil microbial community composition. Widespread use of stem-mapped forest stand datasets is currently hampered by the lack of standardized, efficient and easy-to-use tools to calculate tree dynamics (e


The bounded-variance filtered estimation of the state of an uncertain, linear, discrete-time system, with an unknown norm-bounded parameter matrix, is considered. An upper bound on the variance of the estimation error is found for all admissible systems, and estimators are derived that minimize the latter bound. We treat the finite-horizon, time-varying case and the infinite-time case, where the nominal system model is time invariant. In the special stationary case, where it is known that the uncertain system is time invariant, we provide a robust filter for all uncertainties that still keep the system asymptotically stable.


This study deals with bioleaching of the low grade uranium ore of Saghand mine in Iran using a mixed culture of mesophilic bacteria (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans). Experiments were carried out in shaking flask examining the effect of temperature, initial ferrous ion concentration, pulp density and particle size. Variations of pH, Eh, ferrous ion concentration, cells growth and uranium extraction were monitored. The highest rates of leaching and extraction were obtained at 35oC, 2.5% (w/v) pulp density, 4 g/l ferrous ion and - 106µm particle size.


Accumulating evidence shows that people of color suffer disproportionately from a number of health and social conditions as compared to their White counterparts. Numerous studies related to the overrepresentation of people of color among those with HIV infection, cancers, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and other conditions have been conducted.1 People of color are often overrepresented among those affected by poverty, unemployment, and involvement in the criminal justice system, which increases risk for various adverse health conditions and the ability to access treatment. The Healthy People 20202 initiative emphasizes the importance of eliminating health disparities as one of its four overarching goals. Still, in discussions of health disparities, the unique factors contributing to health disparities faced by boys and men of color are too often overlooked. This editorial proposes important considerations in defining a research and action agenda to address health disparities among boys and men of color.


This report details the borehole examination and inspection results of process tube 2959 following a massive fuel failure and a low flow trip which scrammed the reactor.


several sets of length frequency data (1991 to 1995) of the six species were used to estimate the growth parameters and to discuss the results in relation to possible influence of data structure on the parameter estimates


In actual assignment problem, the question is often met which some duty needed first to consider. This article establishes the assignment problem mathematical model with the priority. In this mathematical model, the priority higher duty obtained first considered. Finally, expound this question's solution with an example。


Third party litigation funders provide non-recourse loans to plaintiffs who repay these loans if and only if they prevail. This means that the interest rates funders charge reflect the funder's information about the strength of the plaintiff's case. We analyze a signaling model in which the plaintiff can introduce its funding contract as evidence. If the funder's information or evaluation is informative, then funder's have an incentive to signal that the plaintiff has a strong case to increase their chance of recovery. We show that there exists a separating equilibrium in which the funder's information is fully-revealed. Furthermore, under some conditions, the need to signal forces the funder to charge plaintiffs a lower interest rate and increases the probability of efficient loans taking place.


We present radio-continuum observations of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) candidate, G308.3‐1.4, made with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope and the Parkes radio-telescope. Our results combined with Chandra Xray images confirm that G308.3‐1.4 is a bona fide SNR with a shell morphology. The SNR has average diameter of D = 34± 19 pc, radio spectral index of α = −0.68± 0.16 and linear polarisation of 10 ± 1%; We estimate the SNR magnetic field B ≈ 29 μG. Employing a Σ− D relation, we estimate a distance to G308.3‐1.4 of d = 19± 11 kpc. The radio morphology, although complex, suggests a smaller size for the SNR than previously implied in an X-Ray study. These results imply that G308.3‐1.4 is a young to middle-aged SNR in the early adiabatic phase of evolution.


Age-related neurodegenerative diseases have drawn the interest of the scientific community due to the gradual increase in the average age in the world's population. Recent studies have indicated an altered cell cycle in the triggering of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). This process seems to involve nuclear tau, a protein which we have previously shown to have a central role in neuronal in vitro differentiation. In this work, we studied the role of the nuclear tau protein, specifically of the AT8 epitope, in the onset of AD to evaluate its possible use as an early molecular marker. The immunolocalization in neurons of the CA1 region of the human hippocampus from normal, senile, and AD subjects showed that the AT8 epitope decreases in senile neurons with respect to younger ones, indicating its possible role in the ectopic activation of the cell cycle in differentiated cells. Here, we show data that improve knowledge on the role of nuclear tau in neuronal differentiation and cell degeneration in AD, involving the presence/absence of AT8 in the nucleolus of neurons related to re-entry into the cell cycle. The molecular mechanisms related to the start of AD are not yet clear, so their understanding is relevant if we consider the social impact of this disease in human populations.


Person re-identification (Re-ID) has drawn increasing attention from both academia and industry due to its great potentials in surveillance applications. Most existing research efforts have attempted to tackle cross-view variation in single-domain person Re-ID. However, there is still a lack of effective approaches to cross-domain person Re-ID problem. In this paper, an unsupervised joint subspace and dictionary learning (UJSDL) framework is proposed to address the cross-domain person Re-ID problem, where both cross-view (i.e., across different cameras in the same network of cameras) and cross-domain (i.e., across different network of cameras) variation are jointly addressed. In particular, to reduce the impact of cross-view distribution variation, the graph Laplacian approach is used to project the images from different camera views in each domain into a shared subspace. To alleviate the impact of cross-domain distribution variation, a shared dictionary is learned from all the projection subspaces such that the discriminative information from both the labeled source datasets and the unlabeled target dataset are well encoded. To efficiently solve the joint subspace and dictionary learning task, an alternating optimization algorithm is presented. We used multiple different feature sets and conducted experiments on multiple benchmark datasets as the target domain. The results demonstrate that UJSDL outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.


The utility model discloses a double-wheel labor-saving synchronous brake assisting device. The double-wheel labor-saving synchronous brake assisting device consists of middle equipment and a pivoting device, wherein a detent block is inserted into the middle equipment; the middle equipment is pivoted and connected to the pivoting device and an external front wheel brake clamp of a bicycle through a first brake line; a second brake line is connected to the front end of the pivoting device; a third external brake line is pivoted and connected to an external rear wheel brake clamp of the bicycle at the back end of the pivoting device. The effect of controlling to brake a rear wheel and a front wheel in sequence through the first brake line after separate operation is achieved, and the rear wheel brake action can be controlled through the second brake line after separate operation.


Machine Concepts : Manufacturing of LWC-papers has changed during the last years and is still undergoing changes. The driving forces were economic reasons in terms of manufacturing cost. Moreover, several machines were switched over to LWC production. These were machines which were no longer competitive in their original product range due to speed/width limitations. The addition of a coating applicator enabled them to conquer a certain share in the coated grades market. The above reasons led to two developments : firstly concept which is suitable for rebuilding crowded machines was developed. Simultaneous coating application on both sides of the paper followed by a web run which remains above the machine floor helps to ensure good visibility at a good runnability. For high speed machinery or when applying very high coat weights, it may be beneficial to separate the indirect coating application into two stations. This will allow a sale design of the web run up to the point where no picking takes place any more. Secondly development was focused on improving operational efficiency, runnability and productivity of fast running LWC machines. The Jet-Flow, which has performed successfully in art paper production, offers the best qualifications to fulfill the requirements. These requirements are in a nutshell : low mechanical load applied to the web - as compared to flooded nip coaters. Experiences : MD Papier reports the pilot tests which were carefully carried out and evaluated prior to the decision to rebuild the off-line coater at the Plattling mill. All this work was done using original base paper as well as original coatings when comparing the roll applicator with the JetFlow coater. Since at the time of the tests, no experience was available on the suitability of this application system for rotogravure papers, a variety of operating speeds was tested. The papers obtained were carefully evaluated with respect to printability and coat surface appearance. Finally, first production results after rebuilding the 7.6 m wide coater from roll applicator to JetFlow F will be discussed. Both coating application systems will be compared with regard to coated paper quality, speed, coating colour supply, change in solids content, splice passage and runnability.


Two possible arrangements of a system able to produce high resolution images of the retina are analyzed. The system acquires OCT and Confocal images and correct them for aberrations using an Adaptive Optics closed-loop.


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Get comprehensive coverage of Windows XP Home Edition with this one-stop resource. You'll learn to set up and configure XP on your PC or laptop, work with multimedia applications, connect to the Internet, optimize your system for maximum performance, and much more.


Abstract Introduction Graves disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis represent the two ends of the autoimmune thyroid spectrum. Spontaneous conversion from one to the other is a rare phenomenon, especially in children, and the underlying mechanism is unknown. Changes in the predominance of stimulating versus blocking TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb) has been proposed as a potential etiology.Method: We describe a series of cases of autoimmune thyroid disease in children that converted from one end of the biochemical spectrum to the other Result: Eleven patients of whom 55% were girls and 36% had Down syndrome (DS) were identified. Five (46%) presented with hyperthyroidism (hyper) that spontaneously converted to hypothyroidism (hypo). Four patients (36%) had hypo which converted to hyper while the remaining 2 (18%) presented with Hashitoxicosis (HT) with negative TRAb titers which later converted to hyper. In those who went from hyper to hypo, mean duration of antithyroid drug therapy was 1.8 ± 1.4 years and mean age at initial presentation was 11.0 ± 4.8 years (5-16). Before conversion, all 5 patients had positive TRAb titers with mean of 15.0 ± 4.2 and a mean thyroid peroxidase antibody level of 287.5 ± 389. A period of euthyroidism lasting 2.0 ± 0.8 years was present prior to the development of hypo with a mean TSH of 17.0 ± 25 mU/L (5.8-62). Mean duration of hypo in the second group was 5.0 ± 5.2 years and mean age at initial diagnosis was 6.7 ± 2.8 years (3-10). TSH became suppressed in all 4 patients, TRAb was elevated, and mean free T4 off levothyroxine was 3.3 ± 1.2 ng/dL (2.4-4.6). The two patients with initial HT were 12 ± 2.8 years at diagnosis and converted to hyper after 6.5 ± 0.7 months. Initial mean free T4 was 1.3 ± 0.2 ng/dL and after conversion was 4.6 ± 0.4 ng/dL along with strongly positive TRAb titers (mean of 6.9 ± 6.5). TSH became further suppressed after conversion to hyper (<0.01). More of our patients with DS converted from hypo to hyper than the other direction (75% vs 20%, p=0.01). However, two of them proceeded to have a wavering course between hyper and hypo requiring intensive monitoring and frequent changes in management. Conclusion Although oscillating thyroid function in children with autoimmune thyroid disease is uncommon, it is important for parents and providers to be aware of this entity. The natural history of these cases is extremely variable and clinical management is challenging. Our findings suggest that DS may be a risk factor for the phenomenon of vacillating thyroid function in pediatric patients. Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:42 p.m. - 12:47 p.m.


Objective To explore whether emodin would inhibit H2O2-induced COX-2expression via inactivation of p38 MAPK in neuron PC12 cells.Methods PC12 cells were divided into 3control group,emodin+H2O2 group and H2O2 group.After 4hours H2O2 intervention,RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of COX-2.Meanwhile,western blot was performed to detect the protein expression of COX-2and the ratio of phospho-p38 MAPK/total p38 MAPK,which was used to analyze the activation of p38 MAPK.Results After 4hours H2O2 intervention,the mRNA and protein expression of COX-2 was noticeably up-regulated,and the phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK was sharply raised.Moreover,H2O2-induced the up-regulation of COX-2and the raised level of phospho-p38 MAPK were both ameliorated by emodin in PC12 cells.Conclusion Emodin down-regulates the expression of COX-2possibly via inactivation of p38 MAPK in PC12 cells.


This paper presents initial analysis results of ambient noise measurements from an active ice pressure ridge over a 3‐day period in April 1979. The site was a research ice camp 180 miles from the pole in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. The ridge was instrumented with calibrated hydrophones paired in both the horizontal and vertical directions. Their distance from the ridge was about 100 m and their outputs were tape recorded. Dimensional surveys of the active portions of the ridge were made at the surface. Source level linear density is deduced from ambient noise measurements near the pressure ridge by assuming the ridge to be a line source of spatially incoherent point sources. Measured Arctic transmission loss data are used to deduce an active pressure ridge average separation compatable with previously measured omnidirectional ambient noise data statistics for the month of April. The effects of surface/image interference are present in the data and allow a preliminary estimate of acoustic sourc...


Multi-component OBC data relies on mode conversion from p- wave to s-wave in the subsurface to obtain information about the elastic properties of the earth. Since the energy converted to s- wave is now missing from the p-wave, an alternative to recording OBC multi-component data is to examine p-wave data for the missing energy. The conversion is dependent upon the incident angle and occurs most at wider angles of incidence; thus, estimation of shear wave properties can be achieved by wide angle or long offset AVO analysis. Note that since s-wave velocities are typically less than p-wave velocities, then for a given conversion point, the p-wave energy reaches the surface at a longer offset than the corresponding s-wave. Consequently, if we are to obtain the same information from wide angle AVO as from multi-component recording, we need longer offsets for pure p-wave than for multi- component recording. A non-linear, wide-angle (including post critical) AVO inversion has been developed that allows elastic properties to be extracted from long offset p-wave data. In order to extract amplitudes at long offsets for this inversion it is necessary to image the data correctly, including correcting for higher order moveout. In addition, the higher order moveout may itself be inverted to yield additional information about the anisotropy of the sub-surface.


This essay begins with an exploration of the extent of the Irish language community in Northern Ireland and questions the validity of the census results of 1991. The author pays particular attention to the concept of a mother tongue and its relevance for speakers of Irish in the United Kingdom. Brief consideration is also given to the association of the language with the Catholic nationalist tradition. According to the Good Friday Agreement, linguistic diversity is an invaluable asset to society and this Agreement proposes some measures to improve the status of Irish. The merit of these propositions is assessed and set within the context of other Celtic communities in Britain. In conclusion, the use of Irish at the initial meeting of the new Assembly in Northern Ireland is reviewed.


The spectral subtraction and watermark embedding algorithm are combined with audio perceptual encoding algorithm efficiently to achieve better performance than the traditional methods and perfect the software encoder by means of reasonable utilization of the transforms and controls in the encoding process. The experiments show that the noise reduction algorithm can improve the SNR and get better subjective impression. By using the new watermark-embedding algorithm the imperceptibility can be ensured, the loss in the following compression and encoding process can be avoided at the same time.


The constant growth in road traffic, especially in large cities, leads to a significant increase in the cost (travel time, fuel consumption) spent by users to complete their trips, as well as to an increase in harmful emissions into the atmosphere and a deterioration in the environmental situation. One of the possible solutions to improve this situation is the optimization of the existing transport infrastructure in order to increase the efficiency of its use. Among many new techniques developed for traffic control recently, traffic signal control remains one of the most popular problems. In this paper, we evaluate an agent-based traffic control model, in which each intersection is operated by one agent. We use a reinforcement learning approach to estimate the traffic signal control policy taking into account the traffic signal phase and the observed information about vehicle movements. Experimental study of the developed algorithm is carried out in a multi-agent environment for large-scale city traffic scenarios CityFlow. Experimental results confirm that the proposed model is superior to classical approaches.


Work has begun on new champagne tasting bar The Champagne Concept on Oxford Street following planning consent from Harrogate Borough Council. The ...


President Rafael Correa (2007–17) was the leader of the Ecuadorian Citizens' Revolution advanced by his movement Alianza País. Although a former critic of indefinite presidential re-elections, in 2014 Correa asked his bloc of parliamentarians to abolish presidential term limits. His request was approved and the constitution was amended. How can we account for Alianza País' sudden decision to abolish presidential term limits, considering it had ratified these limits as recently as 2008? This article conducts a discourse analysis of the argument in favour of indefinite presidential re-elections in Ecuador. Courtesy of Lacanian psychoanalysis, in this article I argue that the Citizens' Revolution's shift can be fruitfully explained if we consider how the transgressive logic of enjoyment operates in ideology.


Glaciers may contribute a significant fraction of the runoff in Alpine headwaters. Their importance for the Alpine water cycle is illustrated with the annual and daily hydrographs from Austrian gauging stations at various altitudes and with various degrees of glacierization. Under present conditions, highly glacierized basins display low winter water and meltwater peaks of up to four times the annual mean in July and August. In a model study, the runoff from 20 Alpine basins was simulated for various temperature scenarios. From the whole spectrum of reactions found in this investigation, three basically different types were distinguished: (a) higher runoff throughout the year due to increased glacier melt, (b) an early runoff peak from the melting of seasonal snow and a secondary summer peak from glacier melt, and (c) a runoff peak in summer when precipitation becomes more important than snow and ice melt.


The teaching-learning process is a challenge for everyone who is involved. It becomes even more interesting when you find a new perspective along the way. This paper aproaches the adaptation of materials and artistic techniques as methodology and pratice for teaching photography from the need to create na iconographic language for a blind student and adjusting techniques for taking pictures. As affordances (GIBSON, 1979), several materials were used, like glue, embossed glue, cardboards, box card, EVA sheets, string, rice, sago, and others materials for the development, design and production of "learning machines" in order to the student create his own iconography  and the possibility of perceiving shapes, sizes, quantity, thickness, composition and framing through touch. In respect with federal law number 13.146/2015 (Brazilian Law for the Inclusion of People with Desabilities), with the evolution of studies, collaboration of students, technicians and teachers, it was possible to verify that the teaching process (CAMARGOS; ANASTASIOU, 2003) was completed starting from the knowledge and effort of everyone who was involved.


One of the important questions lies in the interpretative research on the syntax-rhetoric in Tang poetry is that what relationship between syntax-rhet oric and aesthetic effect is. The syntax-rhetoric acted as an important role in Tang poetry when forming the epoch-style and works-style. With the successful c hoice, variation and configuration of syntax, the syntax-rhetoric unified the sy ntax-form with the emotion-content perfectly.


Effect of Growth Opportunities and Environmental Uncertainties To Profit Management The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinant of firm's earning management by food and beverage industry in Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) during 2010-2015. The impact growth opportunity and environmental uncertainty may induce greater manager's use discretionary accruals as earning management. Furthermore, this study also examines the effect auditor quality on the relationship between growth opportunity and earning management. Using purposive sampling, the sample of this study consist 8 companies are listed on IDX (48 firms-year). The result indicated that firm's situation under growth opportunity and environmental uncertainty had an impact on the earning management. However, auditor quality proven has an impact on the relationship between growth opportunity and eaning management. DOI: 10.15408/ess.v6i2.3572


Institutional approach has been frequently used in the last decades in explaining the transition process of the former command ("socialist") economies and societies in East Europe to market ("capitalist") economies and societies. Namely, institutions have been conceived as a basic framework for human interaction in a society or, in other words, "the rules of the game". These rules can be formal (constitutions, laws, statutes) and informal (beliefs, values, norms). Formal rules in the longer period change depending on the aforesaid deeply rooted informal frameworks. The transition in Eastern Europe has been primarily the process of institutional political and economic change. However, the transformation of political and economic institutions has always been embedded in informal rules or social and cultural institutions. The main goal of the paper is to discuss the existence and possible characteristics of East European cultural cluster as a general informal framework for the transition process.


The long-term aim of this pup marking programme is to provide data on dispersal, and information about age specific fecundity and mortality rates. lies Kerguelen's Elephant Seal population represents nearly 20 per cent of the global population of this species—600 000 ± 100 000 (Laws, 1960). Having documented fluctuations in numbers since 1952, and recently (1970-77) observed a decrease (Van Aarde, in press), paralleled by decreases in the Marion Island (Condy, 1977) and ile de la Possession populations (Barrat and Mougin, 1978), this single large population is likely to reflect the general status of Elephant Seals in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean. The tagging effort, which forms an integral part of the research programme on the ecology of this population, would therefore be continued, most likely as a co-operative programme between SASCAR and TAAF.


Firearms are reportedly present in a third of U.S. households with children. At least 10% of weapons are estimated to be loaded and unlocked, a danger that is easily accessible to children. In recognition of this risk, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended in the early 1990s that firearm-safety education …


In this paper, we explore a compression algorithm for long-term continuous data based on fractal interpolation, and apply it to driving behavior data as types of respiration rate, skin conductance and blood volume plus. On basis of affine transform and compression mapping, iteration function system parameters of continuous data regarded as fractal and their data coordinates are acquired and available to be reproduced. Then, by dividing the fractal as data set into sections with the box-counting dimension value, the best compressing ratio can be speculated gradually. Before those calculations, digital filter on those electrocardiogram data such as finite impulse response (FIR) is introduced to get general outlines of those curves, and the actual unit impulse response of FIR filter is applied. Experimental data were derived from some biological signal collecting devices worn on a male test driver while he was driving a real vehicle on highways. Partial time series curves of those data are used to test the validity of the proposal algorithm. Results show that it makes the original data be compressed at least 51 times, and make sure the normed root mean square (NRMS) error is less than 0.23%. Compared with the traditional method of data compression, the algorithm based on fractal interpolation proposed in this paper is proved to be more accurate and efficient.


A regenerative braking system and method for a battery-less fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell stack, a plurality of side loads, and a regenerative braking device which is coupled to at least one wheel of the vehicle. The regenerative braking device operates side loads when the vehicle is coasting or braking. The fuel cell operates the loads when the vehicle is accelerating or running at a constant speed. The regenerative braking device dissipates energy in an air supply compressor, when the vehicle is traveling downhill, in order to provide a brake support. The compressor can be operated with high air flow and high pressure to produce an artificially high load. A bypass valve is modulated to adjust the artificially high load of the compressor. A check valve protects the fuel cell stack before the high air flow rate and pressure. A controller controls a braking torque of the regenerative braking device as a function of vehicle speed and modulates the bypass valve.


In this paper, the motion estimation technique used in video compression is extended to still image compression, for which we called it the Block-Matching based imagecompression. Using a small amount of sampled data in thespatial domain, an approximate image of the original image is reconstructed. Then each block of the original image isobtained by searching the approximate image. The best matchis selected with the minimal prediction error. This gives motion vector and the residual coefficients are obtained. Finally the sampled data, residual coefficients and block position are coded as the output bit-stream. Experimental work has been done and compared with JPEG,JPEG2000 and H.264 to show the validity of proposed algorithm.


Porous carbon materials have been applied in a tremendous amount of fields recently for their various pore structures and larger specific surface area compared to other materials. They can be synthesized with low pollution and well controlled in pore size and channel. Particularly, they have high use period in cycle, chemical inertness in interface, strong mechanical strength in structure and good performance in electrical conductivity. This review summarizes several synthesis methods of porous carbon materials and applications in electrochemistry, hydrogen storage, catalyst support and gas adsorption and separation of porous carbon materials. Porous carbon materials have been further explored on using ecofriendly methods to synthesize porous carbons and directions for future research on porous carbons. The tip of the iceberg with respect to the application potential of them is just emerged. A base help was provided for further investigations into applications of porous carbons.


The stelar pattern along the seminal and nodal roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is gradually simplified due to a decreasing frequency of longitudinal cell division in the apical meristem. The decrease involves the proportion of stelar parenchyma, the number of vascular strands on the periphery of the stele and, in nodal roots with a more complex structure, the number of central metaxylem files. In spite of the fact that the stelar parenchyma is reduced in distal parts of the roots to approximately one half, the discontinuity of central and peripheral metaxylem is preserved. Reduction of the number of central metaxylem files is due to fusion. In the reduction of peripheral xylem and phloem strands, the development of certain xylem strands is discontinued and they are terminated blindly. Two phloem strands that had alternated radially with them, approach each other, coalesce and a single phloem strand continues to develop. In this way the regular alternation of phloem and xylem is re-established. The importance of fusions ensuring reduction of the functional continuity in vascular tissue by formation of a network structure must be stressed. This reduction mechanism is involved not only in files of the wide central metaxylem but also in phloem strands which are thus preferred over blindly terminating peripheral xylem strands.


The 2-methoxycinnamylidenepyruvic acid (2-MeO-HCP) was synthesized and characterized for nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The application of DSC for purity determination is well documented in literature and is used in the analysis of pure organic compounds. The molecular geometry and vibrational frequencies of 2-MeO-HCP have been calculated.


Investigation of renewable energy in Iowa is centering on the use of agricultural crops to generate electricity. Switchgrass, a native grass of Iowa, is one of the most promising biomass producers. Chariton Valley RC and D Inc., a USDA affiliated rural development organization based in southern Iowa and Alliant Power, a major Iowa energy company, are leading a statewide coalition of public and private interests to develop a sustainable biomass industry. Chariton Valley RC and D is working with local producers and the agricultural professionals to develop a biomass supply infrastructure. Alliant Power is working to develop the technology to convert agricultural crops to energy to serve as the basis for sustainable commercial energy production. Iowa State University and others are assessing the long-term potential of gasification for converting switchgrass to energy. Plans call for modifications to a 750 MW Alliant Power coal plant that will allow switchgrass to be co-fired with coal. A 5% co-fire rate would produce 35 MW of electrical power production and require 50,000 acres of dedicated biomass supply in southern Iowa. Growing biomass crops on erosive lands, then using them as a substitute fuel in coal-fired boilers can potentially reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion and water pollution.


Objective To investigate the clinic value of serological screening and ultrasonic measurement of fetal nuchal translucency for Down′s syndrome(DS).Methods The fetal nuehal translucency was assessed by ultrasound scan after 11-14 weeks.The maternal serum alpha fetoprotein(AFP),human chorionic gonadotrophin(β-HCG) and free estriol(u-E3) were examed after 15-21 weeks.A combined risk was estimated.When the risk was 1∶380,it was regarded as the cut-off value of high risk.Results 48 high risk gravidas were found from the 4 271 gravidas screened by ultrasonographic measurement and the positive rate in DS screening was 1.12%.3 fetuses with DS were diagnosed and 1 case with DS failed for sereenig.The detection rate of DS was 75.00%.226 high risk gravidas were found from 4 271 gravidas screened by serological screening and the positive rate in DS screening was 5.29%.3 fetuses with DS were diagnosed and 1 case with DS failed for screening.The detection rate of DS was 75.00%.Conclusion Combined serum markers detection with ultrasound scan may play an important role in the screening of DS.


Most graduates of different training areas will be in their professional work in one or another way exercise managerial (administrative) functions. Management experience in domestic and foreign enterprises and organizations shows that the best results achieve production organizers, able to demonstrate social and personal competence. In this article we consider the use of a process approach when training to work under modern economy conditions The. process approach, as declared by ISO 9000, became the basis of any professional activity. It is especially necessary to be applied in the system of education being a complex and lengthy production process. The paper provides recommendations for systemic construction of the educational process. It begins with setting the model of a competent graduate , development of training plan and working program for each discipline with defined links between different disciplines' content and road maps of performing. Presented are results, how students evaluate the importance of the social – personal competence playing a key role in the implementation of managerial functions in professional activity of a specialist.


Harmful or carcinogenic solvents such as CH2Cl2, Et2O, MeCN or acetone can be successfully replaced by the more eco-friendly medium dimethylcarbonate in nucleophilic ring-opening reactions of oxiranes and aziridines.


This paper studies the operational optimal control problem for the industrial flotation process, a key component in the mineral processing concentrator line. A new model-free data-driven method is developed here for real-time solution of this problem. A novel formulation is given for the optimal selection of the process control inputs that guarantees optimal tracking of the operational indices while maintaining the inputs within specified bounds. Proper tracking of prescribed operational indices, namely concentrate grade and tail grade, is essential in the proper economic operation of the flotation process. The difficulty in establishing an accurate mathematic model is overcome, and optimal controls are learned online in real time, using a novel form of reinforcement learning we call interleaved learning for online computation of the operational optimal control solution. Simulation experiments are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed interleaved learning method and to show that it performs significantly better than standard policy iteration and value iteration.


The main question is whether a given surface S admits nontrivial infinitesimal bendings in a neighborhood of p. By nontrivial infinitesimal bendings we mean those bendings that are not induced by the rigid motions of the ambient space R3. The study of this question and related problems is very old and goes back at least to Darboux ([D]). Local and global aspects of such problems, as well as the physical applications (elasticity of thin shells for example), have been studied in [A], [BG], [C], [D], [E1], [E2], [EU], [K], [P], [S1], [S2], [S3], [S], [U1], [U2], [V]. Let K(u, v) be the gaussian curvature of S. WhenK(0) = 0, the infinitesimal bendings of S are well understood (see [D] or [V]). The case K(0) = 0 leads to equations with singularities. In 1948, Efimov [E3] proved that the surface (u, v, u9 +λu7v2 + v9), with λ ∈ R a transcendental number, is rigid under real analytic bendings. Later on, he proved that most real analytic surfaces are rigid under real analytic bendings.


This paperdescribesthe useof Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for theshorttermpredictionof maximumozoneconcentrationsin the EastAustrianregion. VariousMultilayer Perceptrontopologies(MLPs), Elman Networks (EN) and Modified ElmanNetworks(MEN) weretested.The individual modelsusedozone,temperature, cloud cover andwind datataken from the summermonthsfrom 1995 and 1996. Theachievedresultsweresatisfactory. Comparisonswith alternati ve modelsshowed that the neuralapproachesusedin thisstudyweresuperior .


Introduction: The increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics provides an opportunity to obtain antibacterial compounds from natural ingredients.  Porang is a plant belonging to the Araceae family that has potential against Propionibacterium acne. Aims: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the preparation of porang tuber extract gel against Propionibacterium acne.  Methods: The porang were extraction by maceration using ethanol. The extract porang were made gel with various concentration and evaluation their stability and antibacterial activity using disc diffusion method. Result: The hedonic test showed no significant differenece each of formula and stable during storage in two weeks. On the other hand, only formula F2 and F3 can inhibit of Propionibacterium acnee. Conclusion: The porang extract can made of gel and good stability. The formula F2 and F3 have antibacterial activity.


. Through tidal deformation of the equilibrium state, the p-mode oscillations may show apparently complicated features. I discuss the fundamental characteristics of the tidally forced oscillation, and show the possibility that it leads to a triplet fine structure in the frequency spectrum of p-modes.


The invention relates to a core (10) and a method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic semi-finished product, wherein the core (10) having an outer surface (11) come out on the fibers to the support, characterized in that on the outer surface (11) at least a groove (12) is provided.


This unit describes preparation of two groups of chiral acyclic nucleosides that are N‐alkyl derivatives of adenine with hydroxyl group(s) on the alkyl chain. As an example of the neutral group, the synthesis is presented for (S)‐(2,3,dihydroxypropyl)adenine (DHPA), a compound with multiple biological effects in proliferating systems. Its synthesis consists of alkylation of adenine with a suitable chiral synthon based on 1,2‐O‐isopropylideneglycerol. Another group of structurally related biologically active compounds are the 9‐alkyladenines bearing both hydroxyl and carboxyl functions. Large‐scale cyanohydrin reaction of the adenine‐containing acetaldehyde intermediate yields 3‐(adenin‐9‐yl)‐2‐hydroxypropanoic acid (AHPA). Lastly, one of the alternative syntheses of its homolog, the nucleoside antibiotic eritadenine (with a d‐erythro‐2,3‐dihydroxybutanoic acid side‐chain) is described starting from d‐ribose. Procedures for preparation of all intermediates as well as the purification of the resulting crude material are described in detail. All these adenine derivatives inhibit SAM‐dependent methylation reactions via inhibition of SAH hydrolase.


Experimental evidence is presented for trapping of Sb by TaC and Cu precipitates in Fe. These processes were studied during annealing at 873 K of Fe ion‐implanted with either Ta, C, and Sb, or Cu and Sb. For both precipitates the derived binding enthalpy is ∼0.4 eV when referenced to an Sb solution site in the bcc‐Fe phase. It is argued that this trapping occurs at the precipitate‐host interface, and that it is due primarily to the associated structural discontinuity. In the Fe‐Cu‐Sb alloys, trapping was accompanied by two other processes which immobilize Sb, namely, dissolution into the fcc‐Cu phase and formation of β‐Cu3Sb. The trapping effects observed in these studies are of potential significance for the control of Sb embrittlement in ferritic steels.


Objective To summarize the early postoperation complications and treatments in children with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC).Methods Thirty TAPVC children who were treated with corrective operation and transferred into PICU were collected.Patients were monitored routinely for electrocardiogram,blood pressure and SpO2.The routine treatment measures included mechanical ventilation,sedation,hemostasis,positive inotropic agents,diuresis,vasodilator,antibiotics and symptomatic treatment.Adrenaline or isoproterenol was used when low cardiac output syndrome appeared and temporary pacemaker was employed in the case of bradycardia.Alprostadil and sildenafil were added instantly after corrective operation when severe preoperative pulmonary hypertension or reactive postoperative pulmonary hypertension was present.Results The early postoperation complication was found in 30 cases of TAPVC,which included 13 cases of pneumonia (43.3% ),8 of arrhythmia (26.7% ),7 of low cardiac output syndrome (23.3%),6 of respiratory failure (20.0% ),4 of pulmonary hypertension ( 13.3% ),3 of pulmonary edema or atelectasis( 10.0% ) and 1 of pneumorrhagia ( 3.3% ).Two cases died postoperatively.The interval of stay in PICU was 1 ~ 21 d and the mean time was (5.95 ± 4.94) d.Conclusion Occurrence of respiratory complications is high among early postoperative complications of TAPVC.Therefore,preventing pulmonary infection and maintaining pulmonary function should be viewed as the key points in early postoperative monitoring and managing.In addition,more attention should also be paid on correction of arrhythmia,prophylaxis and treatment of low cardiac output syndrome and pulmonary hypertension crisis,which may improve the postoperative survival rate and care quality of TAPVC.

Key words:
Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection;  Postoperation complication;  Treatment strategy;  Children


Atomic clocks are our most accurate indicators of time. Their applications range from GPS systems to synchronization of electronics, astronomical observations, and tests of fundamental physics. Here we propose a protocol that combines an atomic clock with a quantum memory, realizing a stopwatch that can be paused and resumed on demand. Taking advantage of the quantum memory, the stopwatch can measure the total time elapsed in a sequence of time intervals with the ultimate precision allowed by quantum mechanics, outperforming stopwatches that use only classical memories. The working principle of the quantum stopwatch is a new type of information compression,tailored to store the state of the quantum clock into a quantum memory of exponentially smaller size. Our protocol can be used to generate quantum states with Heisenberg limited sensitivity and to efficiently synchronize clocks in quantum communication networks.


We investigated inner ear barotrauma in humans and in guinea pigs. The shapes of audiograms in patients with inner ear barotrauma were varied, such as high-tone hearing loss, profound loss, low-tone hearing loss, dip type, etc. In inner ear barotrauma in guinea pigs, damage to the organ of Corti was observed in various parts of the cochlear turns in varying severity. Some animals showed rupture of the round window membrane and/or reduction of endocochlear potential following the barotrauma but the rupture healed and EP recovered spontaneously within one week. We consider that irreversible hearing loss in patients with inner ear barotrauma depends on the extent of damage to the organ of Corti.


Automated serum kappa (κ) and lambda (λ) free light chain (FLC) immunoassay may be used as a rapid screening tool for multiple myeloma and other light chain diseases as it is more sensitive and robust than serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) and urine immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE). Serum FLC enables earlier diagnosis and evaluation of tumour response to therapy. Serum FLC testing has been incorporated into an international guideline for all newly diagnosed plasma cell cancers for diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and assessing treatment.


Currently, active work is conducted on developing the element base for high-current generators. In this effort, a new type HCEIcsa 160-0.1 capacitor-switch assembly (CSA) has been designed and manufactured, and its test operation has identified the need for a new triggered gas switch as an element responsible for the operating voltage, pressure, and jitter of a CSA, and eventually for the output parameters of an LTD generator. The paper describes the design of a new switch for the HCEIcsa 160-0.1 capacitor-switch assembly and presents the results of its tests along with electric field calculations and experimental data on its switching characteristics, spark gap pressure, and discharge circuit parameters.


Objective To determine the entrapment efficiency of ciprofloxacin liposomes. Methods Cation exchange resin was used to separate the free ciprofloxacin (CPLX) from the liposomes. A first order derivative spectrophotometry was developed to determine the entrapment efficiency of CPLX liposomes, which can diminish the interference of phosphatidyl choline on CPLX in UV spectrophotometry. Results By flowing through the cation exchange resin, CPLX in solution was adsorbed completely, while in the mixture of blank liposomes and CPLX, more than 97.6% of CPLX was adsorbed. The calibration curve was linear ( r=0 999 8 ) with the range of 4~14 mg/L for CPLX. The precisions of interday and intraday were less than 1 81%, the recoveries of the method were 98 12%~100 58%( n =5), and the average recovery of CPLX with blank liposomes was 100 43%(RSD=1 08, n =6). Conclusion The method was quick, accurate and feasible.


The present invention discloses a method of bus arrival prediction information based on real-time traffic, belonging intelligent transportation technologies, comprising: preprocessing of the data bus lines, data bus lines in accordance with the pre-processing, the real-time collection point matching GPS bus to the bus lines; the line of bus driving behavior to judge, conduct bus arrival prediction based on real-time traffic information based on the result. Bus station according to the present invention provides a prediction method by the GPS matches the fast path based on the sampling points, reducing the complexity of line matching and GPS positioning points and improve the processing speed from the station, there is provided a large-scale real-time matching the GPS data kinds of simple and effective way. The present invention uses the bus arrival prediction model based on real-time traffic information, the bus can be dynamically predicted based on real-time traffic conditions change, better real-time and accuracy.


In order to research the vibration velocity responses of surface building under the condition of blasting excavation in tunnel, the vibration velocity of surface building was monitored by taking Kui-qi 1# highway tunnel in Fuzhou city as an example. Meanwhile, with the actual construction of tunnel, the vibration velocity responses of the surface building under the condition of blasting excavation in tunnel were studied by use of the ANSYS/LS-DYNA dynamical finite-element program. The analysis of field measurement and numerical simulation results shows that: (a) Comparing the different explosive sources, the peak vibration velocities of measuring points in the surface building decrease with the increase of distance to explosive source. The peak vibration velocities of measuring points in the surface building decrease firstly and then highly increase with the increase of distance to explosive source for the same explosive sources; (b) The peak vibration velocities of measuring points in the surface building increase with the increase of the height of measuring points, the higher the measuring points, the more obvious the amplification effect; (c) The peak vibration velocities of measuring points in the surface building have obvious empty amplification, the smaller the distance between building and empty, the more obvious the amplification effect; (d) Considering the peak vibration velocity empty amplification effect of the surface building measuring points, the deeply buried cavern should be excavated before the shallow cavern.


In this article, Herpes simplex virus (HSV} infections are emphesized Primary infections, latent infections, spreading of the virus by asymptomatic patients and findigns of recurrence are looked over. Meanwhile, clinical findings of gingivostomatitis, Keratoconjunctivitis, vulvovaginitis and neonatal forms are summarized, principles of treatment and prevention are defined.


Fog computing (FC) is a promising approach that address a computation-extensive tasks and delay-sensitive applications issues in the dense network environment. FC distributed as nodes that provide computation, networking, and storage close to the network edge with aim to reduce the data traffic and support the delay-sensitive applications. The Device-to-Device (D2D) communication is defined as direct communication between mobile users in vicinity, without involvement of the Base Station. D2D users can form share a similar content in proximity of each other in form of clusters. This work studies the fog computing placement problem for the D2D networks, the placement problem considers both the number of fog nodes required to satisfy the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and the candidate location (Base Station) so as the access delay between D2D clusters and fog nodes reduced. A simulation experiments conducted to analysis the proposed framework under different density of the D2D clusters in the network.


We are reminded constantly — by funders, by policy makers, and by our own researchers — of the need to incentivise a positive research culture. There is no question that we all want this, but how do we make it happen in practice? Changing culture requires a range of aligned approaches, a lot of patience, as well as creative ways of measuring whether we are moving in the right direction.

This paper summarises the outcome of an event that brought together around 60 researchers, funders, policy makers, research managers and representatives from the publishing industry to identify the practical actions that promote a positive research culture; that is, one in which good practice and collegiality are the norm.

This briefing is based on the experience of the University of Glasgow of assessing and furthering research culture, but our observations are relevant to all institutions. The question set for our first survey on research culture is also open for others to use or adapt.


Personalisation in e-learning systems has become a major research area in recent times, as online learning is gradually evolving to become a major part of formal education. While there exist several learning management systems with a wide range of capabilities, one thing that remains inefficient is a standard framework for sharing knowledge across different platforms and, also, the inability of such systems to provide personalisation to the learning process by default. A large number of systems that have been implemented to provide personalisation apply few parameters and are course-specific; thus, flexibility, reusability, and scalability are greatly reduced. In this paper, we propose a framework for personalised learning, Weighted Agent System for Personalised E-learning Curriculum (WASPEC) implemented with Moodle, which is independent of the learning management system and provides the possibility of incorporating multiple personalisation parameters. This is accomplished with the combined use of web services, semantic web ontologies, and pedagogical agents, providing dynamic personalisation in the background of the e-learning system. This also provides added advantages of the possibility of sharing knowledge with other systems and reusability.


DESCRIBED benzoylguanidines of formula I with R (1) EQUALS AR (4) -SO {SUB, M}, R (5) R (6) N-SO SUB {2} -; Or SUB {P} (CH SUB {2}) {SUB, Q} - (CF SUB {2}) {SUB, SUB {R} -CF, 3}; -SR (10), -OR (10) or -CR (10) R (11) R (12); R (2) EQUALS - (CH SUB {2}) {SUB, U} (CF SUB {2}) {SUB, SUB {T} -CF, 3}; R (3) EQUALS REGARDLESS AS DEFINED hydrogen or R (1); And pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. SE obtained by reaction of a compound of formula II with guanidine. COMPOUNDS ARE VERY EFFECTIVE IN THE SYSTEM OF HEART AND CIRCULATION.


Apparatus and methods for enhancing knowledge of the angle of attack of a streamer steering device are described, one apparatus comprising a seismic streamer having an orientation member including a body and at least one control surface; a sensor of the body adapted to measure a parameter indicative of angle of attack of the body; and a controller for adjusting the control surface based on at least the measured parameter. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.


Transit times of 30-MHz ultrasonic waves in (V/sub 1-//sub x-italic/Cr/sub x-italic/)/sub 2/O/sub 3/ single crystals with nominal x-italic values of 0.015 and 0.03 were measured as a function of temperature between 300 and 650 K. The results were used to determine the temperature dependence of the elastic constants. C-italic/sub 11/ and C-italic/sub 12/ each go through a broad minimum centered at about 560 K while C-italic/sub 13/ exhibits a similar but much shallower minimum. On the other hand, C-italic/sub 33/ decreases nonlinearly with increasing temperature but has a change in slope where C-italic/sub 11/, C-italic/sub 12/, and C-italic/sub 13/ go through their lowest values. It is found that the anomalous components of these C-italic/sub ..mu..//sub ..nu../'s can be attributed to the electronic contributions involving the ultrasonic-strain-induced transfer of 3d-italic electrons between e-italic/sub g-italic/(..pi..) subbands which are separated by a temperature-dependent energy gap. It is also found that this electron-transfer mechanism can account for some of the anomalous pressure dependences of the elastic constants reported earlier.


This paper is the third in a series examining the linguistic choices made by American and Venezuelan female Speakers in various English language speech events (see Garcia 1989; Garcia 1989a). In this article, I examine participation of native Speakers and non-native Speakers in a role-played Situation responding to a request. The analysis shows that the participants made linguistic choices reflecting their different sociocultural background: Native Speakers participated within a 'business' frame, underlining their preference for the expression of deference, while non-native Speakers participated within a 'friendly' frame, underlining their preference for the establishment of camaraderie. As a consequence, the interchange was disharmonious mainly due to a 'frame clash'. The results of this study reinforce what was found in previous research and lead to the conclusion that it is important for non-native Speakers to understand and learn the appropriate frames of participation and the different linguistic choices that are associated with it, to avoid cross-cultural miscommunication.


The rapid urbanisation of the world leads, i.a., to dynamic development of metropolitan areas. The functional relationships between territorial units which make up a metropolitan area mean that in order to prevent negative effects of metropolisation and to ensure sustainable development of such an area, the preparation of economically, spatially and environmentally coherent strategies needs to be co-ordinated on the metropolitan level. This in turn requires that the approach towards managing development shifts in favour of governance. Using London and Copenhagen as case studies, this paper explores whether the concept of governance is used in managing metropolitan areas and weather metropolitan authorities integrate sustainable development principles in their policy documents. Research is based on the analyses of form of governance and strategic programmes adopted in metropolitan areas..


The source of Haiti's ongoing cholera epidemic did not originate on the island, and the strain is very similar to those currently circulating in south Asia, says a report by an independent expert panel. The outbreak has so far claimed nearly 5000 lives.

The report says, "The evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that the source of the Haiti cholera outbreak was due to contamination of the Meye tributary of the Artibonite River with a pathogenic strain of current South Asian type Vibrio cholerae as a result of human activity."

The report, commissioned by the United Nations' secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, after it was claimed that the epidemic had …


Various three-dimensionally (3-D) complex MEMS structures are fabricated using multidirectional ultraviolet (UV) lithography, which includes reverse-side exposure through a UV-transparent substrate, inclined exposure with or without simultaneous substrate rotation, and the combination of these pro- cesses. A reverse-side exposure scheme through UV-transparent substrates (e.g., glass, sapphire, or quartz) has been exploited for implementing high-aspect-ratio structures (greater than 20:1), repeatable self-alignment photoresist patterning with subsequent metallization on a BST/sapphire substrate, and unconventional patterning using substrate optics such as proximity patterning or integrated lens techniques. Inclined exposure has been applied to a SU-8 substrate with differing inclination angles and inci- dence directions. The refractive index of SU-8 is experimentally determined to be 1.68 by means of test structures fabricated using this approach. Implemented structures using the inclined exposure include vertical screen structures, inclined tubes, and conical shape structures. Dynamic mode operation, in which the substrate is continuously rotated and tilted during exposure is also discussed. Examples of achievable 3-D structures using dynamic mode operation are presented. (1581) Index Terms—Inclined exposure, multidirectional ultraviolet (UV) lithography, reverse-side exposure, rotational exposure, SU-8.


Among the hybrids developed using male sterile line msml, three pollen parents BH 75, BH 85 and Bonlra 10 were found good fertility restorers as the per cent seed set in the hybrids produced by these pollen parents was 86.03, 88.98 and 80.90 and 20 pollen parents were observed to be maintainers as the per cent seed set ranged from 0.00 to 0.55. Among the 30 pollen parents used to produce the hybrids with msm2 male sterile line, eight pollen parents viz. BH 75, BH 85, BH 326, DL 100, ICARDA 105, PL 424, Bonlra 10 and UBE 380 restored more than 90 per cent fertility genes and ten parents maintained sterility. Thus these male sterility g:mes present in male sterile lines msml and msm2 can be transferred in maintainer lines to develop desirable male sterile lines.


Photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy studies were performed for anodically etched porous Zn, which exhibited a PL in the blue/violet spectral range peaking at 420nm (2.95eV), and oxidzed porous Zn at 380℃ for 10min and 12 h. A broad absorption band was observed at 4.07eV (305 nm), 3.49 (355 nm) for anodically etched porous Zn. In contrast, both the oxidized porous Zn and sintered ZnO exhibited an almost identical one broad absorption band at 3.85eV (322 nm), when PLE spectra were measured at 378 nm (3.28eV). The oxidized porous Zn and sintered ZnO, which displayed both UV and green luminescence band, showed an additional absorption band at 389 nm (3.19eV) and 467 nm (2.66eV). In contrast, no significant absorption band was detected for a 10-min oxidized porous Zn, which only displayed one UV luminescence void of deep-level luminescence. These absorption bands determined by PLE studies enabled a clear understanding of an emission mechanism for the UV and green luminescence from ZnO.


Paratagalis zikani sp. nov. from Brazil is described. A revised diagnosis of Paratagalis Monte, 1943, is provided. Morphological variation and sexual dimorphism of Paratagalis spinosus Monte, 1943, are described for the first time. A key to the Saicinae genera of the New World is provided.


The measurement of gas pressure with low detection limit is of great significance and remain challenging. In this work, a gas pressure sensing system with a low detection limit is proposed based on Fabry-Perot interferometer and intracavity sensing of fiber ring laser. A miniature pressure-sensitive fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer is fabricated with polyimide film by a 3D printed resin shell. Then, it is coupled in a fiber ring laser. The reflection loss of the Fabry-Perot interferometer is modulated at different gas pressures. With the intracavity gas pressure sensing induced, the gas pressure can be measured by the output power of the fiber ring laser. The detection limit of the gas pressure sensing system has been greatly optimized from 0.155 KPa to 0.01 KPa. The temperature cross-sensitivity and measurement stability of the gas pressure sensing system are also analyzed. The proposed sensing method can be applied to similar sensors to optimize measurement detection limit.


Zamboanga City is one of the city in the Philippines that experiences outbreak of dengue. Dengue is a viral disease that is endemic in the city caused by the bite of dengue carrier mosquitoes. Secondary data analysis was utilized by the researcher to establish the prevalence rate of dengue in the city. Data available is from 2006 to 2017. It was observed the 2013 has the highest number of dengue cases recorded, while 2006 has the lowest. Within the time frame, highest number of death was recorded in 2014. However, high case fatality rate was recorded in 2011, but the rate decreases from 2012 to 2017. It indicates that the strategies used by the city government is effective. In addition, there are other strategies that must be implemented in the city so that the dengue cases and case fatality rate will totally decrease.
Keywords: Dengue, Prevalence Rate, Cases Fatality Rate, Secondary Data Analysis


*A brief summary or synopsis of a paper delivered to a conference of the Baptist school men of the Southern States at Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 25, 1913.


After a comprehensive analysis on failure coreless carbon fiber heating elements,the result of failure characteristics and microstructure show that there is a direct influence of high temperature heat treatment and core leach technology on the life and electro-thermal behavior of the finished products.The high temperature heat treatment equipment for coreless carbon fiber electro-thermal materials and new core leach technology have been developed,the results show that the uniformity of surface temperature and work life can be improved for the optimized coreless heating element.


Sir, Vancomycin resistance among enterococcal bloodstream isolates in Europe is relatively low (0.1–3.5%). Among isolates from non-sterile body sites in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia rates of 1–3% have been reported, whilst resistance in Austria is minimal (0–1%). The first signs of an increasing incidence of vancomycinresistant enterococci (VRE) was reported from University Hospital Haematology and Oncology departments in Olomouc and Ostrava in 1999, where the proportion of VRE in Enterococcus faecium increased to 10%, whilst E. faecium represented 12.5% of all isolates. However, VRE screening was not performed in these studies (Table). A nationwide survey of enterococcal bacteraemia in Slovakia was therefore undertaken. All episodes of enterococcal bacteraemia between 1 January 1997 and 1 January 2000 (3 years) in all six university hospitals were reviewed. Two of six university hospitals were patient specific (cancer, respiratory), whilst the other four were general hospitals. One-hundred and thirty-two enterococcal bloodstream infection episodes were identified and 45 of 132 patients (34%) died. Antibiotic susceptibilities in VRE were confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory of Antibiotic Resistance of the Ministry of Health. The National Committee for Clinical and Laboratory Standards (NCCLS)-recommended disc diffusion method for testing of antibiotics was used in all local laboratories and in the reference laboratory. Strains from blood cultures were isolated by a semiautomated system (Bactec or Bact-Alert) and identified with the Vitek Jr system (bioMérieux, Hazelwood, MI, USA). E. faecium were identified with API 20 STREP (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). DNA fingerprinting was not performed. Among 132 enterococcal bacteraemias detected, VRE accounted for 6.8% and teicoplanin resistance was found in 5.3% of all enterococcal bloodstream isolates (88.6% Enterococcus faecalis, 9.1% E. faecium, 4.3% Enterococcus gallinarum). However, vancomycin resistance in E. faecium was 33.3% and teicoplanin resistance 16.7% (Table). Resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ampicillin and gentamicin was higher among strains of E. faecium than in E. faecalis (Table). Our survey has shown 6.8% vancomycin resistance and 5.3% teicoplanin resistance among bloodstream isolates. Therefore nationwide surveys in other Central/Eastern European countries including Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic republics, on the epidemiology of glycopeptide resistance are needed.


There are few studies about corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis in children. This study investigated the effects of corticosteroid therapy on clinical features such as bone mineral density, back pain and pathological fractures in pubertal children.Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and total body were measured using DEXA in eight patients treated with prednisone. All patients were female ranging in age from 10-15 years. Remarkable bone loss was evident in their lumbar spine. The mean L2-4 Z score was -3.38SD. Total body bone mineral density slightly decreased. The mean total body Z score was -1.00SD. The patients with a lower bone mass in the lumbar spine tended to experience low back pain. Two patients suffered from pathological fractures due to osteopenia; one with L1 and L2 compression fractures and the other with a 4th metatarsal fracture of right foot.Corticosteroids reduce bone mineral and have and effect on various organs in multiple ways, making the treatment for osteoporosis complicated and difficult. A substantial protocol for corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis in childhood needs to be established, not only to prevent back pain or fractures but also to ensure normal growth.


In the course of introducing grinding ring of cylindrical roller bearing without oil groove,forming infeed grinding method and gimprovement scheme of rinding wheel dressing in the 3M1420 groove grinder were elaborated with emphasis.Practice has proved that using formation infeed grinding processing method can process raceway without oil groove.


Semiconductor devices (S1, S2) are connected together by a connecting layer (5). A terminal contact layer (17) is connected through a metallization (11) connected in a contact hole (14) with a connection metal layer (12). The terminal contact layer and the connection metal layer can be connected to a metal plane (7) of a wiring or with a contact surface for connection of a further semiconductor component.


Abstract Infrared spectra (4000–200 cm−1) have been reported for Ni(DPE)X2 where X is Cl, Br and I and DPE is 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane. The Ni[sbnd]X and Ni[sbnd]P stretching bands have been assigned based on the observed isotopic shifts due to the 58Ni-62Ni substitution. The Ni[sbnd]X stretching frequencies are always lower and the Ni[sbnd]P stretching frequencies are always higher in the cis-complexes such as Ni(DPE)X2 than in the corresponding trans-complexes such as Ni(PEt3)2X2. These differences between cis and trans configurations have been attributed to the strong trans-effect of phosphine ligands.


Background: Resistance of Candida species to antifungal agents has potentially serious implications for management of infections. Candida species are now the fourth most common organisms isolated from hospitalized patients. Prevention and control of these infections will require new antimicrobial agents. Plant-derived antifungal agents have always been a source of novel therapeutics. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal effect of pomegranate peel and pulp extracts against Candida species. Materials and Methods: Pomegranate pulp and peel were dried and powdered separately. The dried powders were extracted using a soxhlet extractor. The antifungal effect of pomegranate peel and pulp extracts were determined in vitro by using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against five standard species, including Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), Candida parapsilosis (ATCC 22019), Candida tropicalis (ATCC 750), Candida glabrata (PTCC 5297) and Candida krusei (PTCC 5295). Results: Maximum inhibitions were attributed to peel extract of the pomegranate cultivar against Candida species. The greatest antifungal inhibition among the eight different cultivars was observed for sour malas, sour white peel and sour summer extracts respectively, against the five Candida strains. The antifungal activity of pulp extracts against Candida species was somewhat negative. Conclusions: Our work suggested that pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel has potential antifungal activity against Candidiasis, and it is an attractive option for the development of new management strategies for candidiasis.


Laser annealing is being studied as an alternative dopant activation technique to form the ultrashallow, low resistivity junctions required in future generations of integrated circuits. This method benefits from the ability to create uniform, box-shaped dopant profiles with concentrations that can exceed equilibrium solubility values. These supersaturated dopant concentrations, however, exist in a metastable state and deactivate upon subsequent thermal processing. Electrical measurements show that antimony deactivation becomes increasingly severe as the concentration increases. High-resolution x-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), secondary ion mass spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the deactivation process. Under most conditions, Sb deactivation occurs through the precipitate mechanism in which the inactive dopant forms precipitates, leading to a decrease in the substitutional dopant concentration. However, the HR-XRD data reveal that at high concentrations above 6.0×1020 cm−3 du...


A 17-month-old boy came to our attention for a left hemiparesis, without any other neurologic disorder. Brain MRI revealed a remarkable hypertrophy of the left thalamus. There were no differences with the right thalamus before and after using contrast, either a hypersignal in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery or restriction at diffusion-weighted imaging. In the same way, the spectroscopy showed normal metabolite peaks (choline and N-acetylaspartate)1 (figure, A and B). This hemithalamus leaves a mark on the left anterior ventricle with a dilation of the opposite one that could explain the clinical sign.


We report on the combination of biopsy-proven idiopathic livedo reticularis and mononeuropathy multiplex, mild to moderate in severity and remitting-relapsing in course, observed in a young otherwise healthy woman. Neurologic relapses were always accompanied or preceded by exacerbation of the skin lesion. After 18 years followup we did not detect clinical or instrumental evidence of brain or visceral involvement. This excludes the classical Sneddon's syndrome and points at an unusual variant of this syndrome in our patient.


In this work, a low-complexity architecture of the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) using the serial-input-parallel-output data flow is designed for digital subscriber line for any class (XDSL). Since input data in the XDSL are symmetric, the computation of the IFFT can be reduced to multiplication accumulation operations in the real part. Furthermore, consideration is taken to process all multiplication operations together to lower hardware complexity. By separating all multiplication and accumulation operations into two groups, only an interface is needed to be the bridge between the two. The coefficients of the IFFT are represented by the canonic signed digits (CSDs) so that their shared terms are derived to reduce the number of adders for accomplishing multiplication operations. By using multiplexors to do the interface, the computation results from the multiplication part are distributed to their corresponding accumulators according to a time sequence. In addition, the size of the word length can be adequately selected to match the required signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). As compared to the conventional IFFT architectures, the proposed IFFT architecture can have the least hardware complexity at the same throughput rate and SNR performance.


The authors show an efficient room-temperature visible photoluminescence source obtained by combining silicon nanowires (SiNWs) and silicon oxide (SiO2) defect states. The SiNWs are synthesized by a Vapor-Liquid-Solid mechanism and then covered by SiO2 deposited by standard deposition techniques. SiNW samples have been observed by scanning electron microscopy. The photoluminescence spectra of SiO2/SiNWs samples exhibit a blue-green-light emission centered at 500 nm attributed to the carrier recombination at oxygen relative defects at the SiNWs/SiO2 interface and defect centers in the SiO2 layer. Such structures are very promising for optoelectronic devices in order to achieve an efficient silicon-based source under electrical injection.


Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together or Publicity - publicity - publicity is the greatest moral factor and force in our public life. Quoting perpetual proverbs of the most responsible profession of the millennium, Communication vis-a-vis Media. Ignorance will not be treated as bliss if you ignore the importance of this sector and the people they serve. Unquestionably the mentioned sector is the most dominant in today's perspective. Trillion dollars are invested across the globe and million dollars are coming as Return on Investment. A colossal chunk of world population is the consumer of this domain and India is not an exception. An astute rightly said, if your "consumers" are contented you are the emperor otherwise will grind no doubt. Many believe the doctrine in theoretical perspective but seldom implement in reality. No body bothers about any corporate social responsibility. The paper will try to identify the pain of the consumers in media industry - how they are deprived, cheated and used as an instrument of extracting money and on the contrary what media is suppose to do for protecting its consumers and the society.


world, public administrators seem to act as the servants of their diverse masters. Perhaps the reason for their subservience is that their political bosses realise the potential possessed by civil bureaucrats, and take care to control them. It may also be that those who go into public administration are psychologically deferential and not inclined to be masterful. The comparative psychology of civil servants would be well worth further investigation.


Effective postoperative pain control is an essential component of the care of the surgical patient. This is a prospective hospital based study conducted at the Surgical Ward of the University Hospital Centre "Mother Theresa" and Lung Diseases Hospital at Tirana, Albania over the period 2013-2014. Postoperative pain management is initiated by a surgeon who operated the patient. A total number of 141 patients were included, 82 (58.2%) were males and 59 (41.8%) females. The mean age was 63.4 ± 11.4 years with a range 55-76 years. Based on assessment done at 24 hours, the largest percentage of individuals had a moderate pain during movement, 86 (61%). position changes or physiotherapy; which was not significantly greater than scores obtained during rest 68 (48.3%) (p=0.1).The analgesics may be used in combination taking advantage of their synergistic effect so that we optimize pain control to postoperative patients.


Myanmar, 2005: More than half a million people were infected with malaria. So it was not surprising when, in February, a young man went to a local hospital with a high fever. He complained of headaches, chills and nausea. The doctors diagnosed malaria right away and prescribed artesunate, an antimalarial agent1. The young man's symptoms should have disappeared after a few days – but not in this case. The concentration of parasites in his blood rose even further. He went into a coma and suffered kidney failure. The doctors tried to save him, but it was too late. The infection was too far advanced.


We propose to use the large-scale structure (LSS) of the universe as a cosmic standard ruler. This is possible because the pattern of large-scale distribution of matter is scale-dependent and does not change in comoving space during the linear-regime evolution of structure. By examining the pattern of LSS in several redshift intervals it is possible to reconstruct the expansion history of the universe, and thus to measure the cosmological parameters governing the expansion of the universe. The features of the large-scale matter distribution that can be used as standard rulers include the topology of LSS and the overall shapes of the power spectrum and correlation function. The genus, being an intrinsic topology measure, is insensitive to systematic effects such as the nonlinear gravitational evolution, galaxy biasing, and redshift-space distortion, and thus is an ideal cosmic ruler when galaxies in redshift space are used to trace the initial matter distribution. The genus remains unchanged as far as the rank order of density is conserved, which is true for linear and weakly nonlinear gravitational evolution, monotonic galaxy biasing, and mild redshift-space distortions. The expansion history of the universe can be constrained by comparing the theoretically predicted genus corresponding to an adopted set of cosmological parameters with the observed genus measured by using the redshift–comoving distance relation of the same cosmological model.


Contets of rare earth impurities in Dy-Fe alloy were determined by ICP-AES.Fast automated cruve-fitting technique was used to eliminate matrix interference.The measurement range is 0.0050%~0.50% for La,Ce,Pr,Nd,Sm,Eu,Tm,Yb and Lu,and 0.010%~0.50% for Gd,Tb,Ho,Er and Y.The RSD is 0.40%~10.32%.


A fusion protein antibody with dual specificity comprising a Fab or Fab 'fragment of antibody having specificity for an antigen of interest, said genetically fragment fused to two antibodies one domain having specificity for human serum albumin being, where a antibody single domain is fused to the C terminus of the light chain of the Fab or Fab 'fragment by a binder and the other antibody single domain is fused to the C terminus of the heavy chain of the Fab or Fab' fragment by a binder and where an antibody single domain is a VH domain and the other antibody single domain is a VL domain and the VH and VL domains are a complementary VH / VL pair which bind the antigen selected cooperatively and antibody one VH domain is fused to the C terminus of the heavy chain of the Fab or Fab 'fragment and the VL domain is fused to the C terminus of the light chain of the Fab or Fab' fragment and (i) the VH domain comprises the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 56 for CDR-H1, the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 57 for CDR-H2 and the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 58 for CDR-H3 and the VL domain comprises the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 59 for CDR-L1, the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 60 for CDR-L2 and the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 61 for CDR-L3 or (ii) the VH domain comprises sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 62 for CDR-H1, the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 63 for CDR-H2 and the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 64 for CDR-H3 and the VL domain comprises the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 65 for CDR-L1, the sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 66 for CDR-L2 sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 67 for CDR-L3.


Through analyzing the status quo of informationization in Taiyuan science and technology system,the au-thor specified the development concepts and important task.Also the author made a plan of the framework and long-term strategic of informationization in Taiyuan science and technology system.


This study aims to present empirical models of gasdynamic characteristics of microturbines rotor wheels, namely the ratio of the rotor wheels speed and the angle of exit gas stream from the rotor wheel. The paper was studied rotor wheels with a large angle of rotation flow Δβ=180°–(β1к+β2к)=151°...164°. Empirical models of gas-dynamic characteristics of rotor wheels microturbines need to model and analyze the characteristics of the rotor wheels. Empirical models were subjected to regression analysis. Impact of the studied factors on gas dynamic characteristics driving wheels was estimated.


This article presents a method to assess the sustainability of concrete based on three elements: service life, performance and environmental impact. The method proposes - to achieve similar performance and service life times, regardless of the component materials used, so that the sustainability assessment ultimately depends on the environmental impact criterion. To this end, specific experimental methods are used to determine the performance of concrete in terms of compressive strength and carbonation resistance for concrete cast with two blended cement types. The procedure needed to classify the concrete through carbonation resistance is detailed, in relationship with the performance obtained for compressive strength. The obtained results highlight the concrete formulations to be used to ensure similar performances regardless of the cement type used. In conclusion, the simplicity in the application of the method, which is closely related to the performance approach on concrete durability in the revision proposals of the European standards, is highlighted. The method is also a useful tool to encourage the widespread use in concrete formulation of blended cements with low environmental impact, without reducing the performance or service life time of the constructions.


Aim: This study aims to quantify the extent of DNA damage in lymphocytes of patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid reactions (OLRs) using comet assay. Methodology: Lymphocytes from peripheral blood were subjected to alkaline comet assay. Comet length (CL), head diameter (HD), percentage of DNA in head, tail length (TL), percentage of DNA in tail, tail intensity, tail mean and tail moment were compared between study group (OLP and OLR) and control group using Student's t-test. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to examine the linear association between the variables. Results: Significantly higher levels of DNA damage was present in study group as reflected by CL, HD and TL, tail intensity and tail moment with P = 0.0001; percentage of DNA in head and tail with P = 0.02 and tail mean with P = 0.012. Conclusion: This study brings out the fact that DNA damage measured by comet assay was greater in the study group when compared to the control group. As a reflection of uniqueness, this study crowns the scenario with respect to early detection and prevention of potentially malignant disorders and the process of malignant transformation.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess how much difference it makes for US firms to use the two-factor ICAPM to estimate their cost of equity instead of a single-factor CAPM. Design/methodology/approach - For a large sample of US companies, the authors compare the empirical cost of equity estimates of a two-factor international CAPM with those of the single-factor domestic CAPM and the single-factor global CAPM. Findings - The authors find that the cost of equity estimates of the two-factor ICAPM are reasonably close to those of either single-factor model for US firms with low-to-moderate foreign exchange exposure; and second, perhaps surprisingly, for US firms with extreme foreign exchange exposure, that the cost of equity estimates of the two-factor ICAPM tend to be very close to those of the domestic CAPM, and even closer than to those of the single-factor global CAPM. Research limitations/implications - The paper's findings might prove useful to academic researchers wanting to resolve the seemingly contradictory empirical results on the pricing of FX risk. Practical implications - The findings will hopefully help managers decide whether they should go to the trouble of estimating a US firm's cost of equity with the two-factor international CAPM instead of a traditional single-factor CAPM. Originality/value - The paper extends the existing literature by focusing on the two-factor ICAPM, and finds some new and surprising empirical results.


We present results from timing and spectral analysis of the HMXB X-ray pulsar IGR J19294+1816 observed using AstroSat during its recent Type-I outburst in October, 2019. AstroSat observations sampled the outburst at the decline phase right after the outburst peak. We carried out timing analysis on the light curves obtained using the Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) instrument on board AstroSat and measured a spin period of 12.485065±0.000015 s. The peak in the power density spectrum (PDS) corresponding to the spin period of 12.48 s also shows a broadened base. We also detected a Quasi Periodic Oscillation (QPO) feature at 0.032±0.002 Hz with an RMS fractional amplitude of ∼18% in the PDS. We further carried out a joint spectral analysis using both the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) and the LAXPC instruments and detected a Cyclotron Resonant Scattering Feature (CRSF) at 42.7±0.9 keV and an Fe emission line at 6.4±0.1 keV. IGR J19294+1816, being an intermediate spin pulsar, has exhibited a plethora of spectral and timing features during its most recent 2019 outburst, adding it to the list of transients that exhibit both a QPO as well as a CRSF.


Teratoma of the nasopharynx is a very rare lesion with a high mortality rate due to severe airway obstruction, especially in the neonatal period. We report the case of a newborn child who presented with an inspiratory distress and apneic episodes due to a mass in the nasopharynx. Preoperative evaluation and imaging showed a solid-cyctic nasopharyngeal mass without intracranial extension. The swelling was excised surgically under general anesthesia. Histopathological examination showed an immature teratoma of the nasopharynx. The postoperative course was uneventful. Teratomas of the nasopharynx are rare and are treated by surgical excision. If respiratory distress accompanies the lesion, priority must be given to securing the airway. Early diagnosis and particularly prenatal diagnosis has greatly improved their prognosis.


The notions of central and sign-central matrices have been studied for some time in the literature. In this paper, we introduce and study some similar, but stronger, notions: strict central and strict sign-central matrices. The investigation is motivated by some basic questions in mathematical finance, and this connection is discussed.


To investigate the effect of a high‐fat diet and aerobic exercise intervention and its related mechanism on rat germ cell apoptosis. Forty male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, high‐fat diet group, control exercise group and high‐fat exercise group. Rats were fed with high‐fat diet or were given weight‐free swimming. The levels of TG, TC, HDL, LDL and IL‐6 in serum of rats were measured. The body weight, body length and inguinal fat weight were measured to calculate the Lee's index and lipid/body weight ratio. The expression of IL‐6 mRNA in inguinal fat and IL‐6R,Bcl‐2 and Bax mRNA in testis was detected by RT‐PCR. The morphological structure of testis was observed, and the Johnsen's ten‐point score was calculated by HE staining, and the germ cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL method. We got from the experimental results: a high‐fat diet induces obesity and lipid metabolism disorder, alters testis morphological structure and increases germ cell apoptosis in rats. Aerobic exercise improves the lipid metabolism disorder and interferes with germ cell apoptosis by reducing interleukin‐6 and interleukin‐6 receptor expression.


K-means clustering algorithm and its variants have many drawbacks and one of the major one is getting stuck at local optima while calculating centroids over random values. Algorithms that optimize computation are iterative in nature for speeding up the process of creation or search of data by multiple search agents. Swarm intelligence (SI), is a primary aspect of artificial intelligence that comprises of high complexity problems and proposed solutions that are sub-optimal and achievable in a given time span. SI adopts cooperative character of an organized group of animals that are formed on the phrase: strive to survive and in this paper we provide a detailed survey of eight different SI algorithms that are related to insect and animal based algorithms and provides initial understanding and exploring of technical aspects of algorithms.


With the deep going of the electric system, power generation enterprise will be the main body of market competition, and the select result is price dominant on network. At the same case, price dominant is competition dominant of power generating enterprise, which influences it's living and development. The cost is the fatal factor of the price. Traditional cost management method is not adapted for the requirement of market competition, so new cost management view and method should be cited. This paper deals with the aforesaid question.


(Note: With the exception of the correction of typographical or spelling errors that could be a source of ambiguity, letters and reports are not edited. The original formatting of letters and referee reports may not be reflected in this compilation.) Thank you again for submitting your work to Molecular Systems Biology. We have now heard back from the three referees whom we asked to evaluate your manuscript. As you will see from the reports below, the referees raise substantial concerns on your work, which, I am afraid to say, preclude its publication. The most substantial concerns were raised by the second reviewer who clearly indicated that they were not convinced that this work currently presented a decisive advance in our understanding of gene expression patterns associated with inflammation, and the overlap and novelty of this inflammatome expression signature compared to previous works remained to be rigorously demonstrated. The other two reviewers had more specific, but important concerns, regarding the manner in which consensus networks were constructed and key aspects of the expression profiling methodologies. These two reviewers both rated the validity of the conclusions reached in this work and its suitability for publication as "medium," indicating that they felt that these concerns were important enough to cast some doubt on the conclusions reached in these work. Given these concerns, we feel we have no choice but to return this manuscript with the message that we cannot offer to publish it. Nevertheless, the reviewers expressed interest in the subject matter, and they make constructive