To assess interannual changes in ocean-to-land advection, we extract zonal winds for February and March, 1949-2002, from NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis. Winds are analyzed at pairs of locations (55 deg N and 35 deg N) in the N. Pacific (15 deg W), N. Atlantic (30 deg W) and Baltic/Mediterranean (30 deg E). The monthly means at the northern and southern sites are negatively correlated. For N. Pacific, winds at 55 deg N show negative trends at all levels (magnitude increasing with altitude), versus positive at 35 deg N. An opposite scenario is observed over N. Atlantic, positive (negative) trends at 55 deg N (35 deg N) and similarly, but weaker, over the Baltic/Mediterranean. The geographic variability of trends is attributed to displacement of the polar vortex wave pattern. Increasing storm strength/frequency over N. Hemisphere oceans is inherently related to the strong positive trends in wind speed and vertical shear.


The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome. By THOMAS ASHBY. Edited by I. A. RICHMOND. o.f x 6J. Pp. xvi + 342. Oxford : at the Clarendon Press, 1935. 63*. The unkind fate that has put an end to so many attempts to do justice to the aqueducts of ancient Rome is at last baulked : though Thomas Ashby is dead before his time, the study of them that required his skill and devoted labour and scholarship will remain, another monument to that great man. The book is dedicated, as its author wished, to the memory of Lanciani; but Sir George Clausen's drawing of Ashby, reproduced as the frontispiece, and Mr. Higham's moving elegiacs on the title-page, combine with Mrs. Ashby's prefatory lines to let the reader add to the dedication the name, and realize something of the greatness, of Ashby himself. Mr. Richmond, as editor, contributes an introductory note, that reveals the meticulous care with which Ashby drafted and revised the material that has become welded into this harmonious and masterful study, while it justifies his own recasting of the first part of the book; in addition he has contributed, on lines suggested by Ashby's notes, the concluding two sections of the first part of the book; otherwise, apart from minor corrections of the kind that proof-reading always brings, the book is as Ashby himself wrote it. That in itself is sufficient warrant for its excellence; and the present reviewer (who has no qualifications, even if there were cause, to criticize) must content himself with an indication of how the subject is treated, and a reference to those parts of the book that he himself has found of particular interest.


Otter Tail Power Company, et al., applied to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on January 9, 2006 for a Route Permit for the Big Stone 230 kV and 345 kV transmission lines project in Southwestern Minnesota. The companies applied to the PUC on September 30, 2005 for a Certificate of Need (CN) for these transmission lines. The lines are proposed to provide Minnesota customers with the output of the Big Stone II large electric power generating plant. The lines are also proposed to improve the reliability of the regional system, given the addition of approximately 600 MW of power to the grid.


Water-washed coconut-shell activated carbon was ground to diameter of less than(0.08 mm),compressed into cylinders with diameter of 3-5 mm and length of 3-10 mm,dried at(120 ℃),thermally-treated at 1 900 ℃,treated in O_2-N_2 mixed gas and used as the support for Ru/AC ammonia synthesis catalysts.Compression strength of the activated carbon was enhanced from 40 N·cm~(1) in unshaped form to 91 N·cm~(-1),and attrition rate lowered from 5% in unshaped form to 0.05%.Activity of the ruthenium catalysts supported on shaped activated carbon was comparable to those supported on unshaped activated carbon.The Ru/AC catalysts feature higher activity under low temperature,low reaction pressure,low H_2/N_2 ratio,higher activity under high inlet ammonia concentration and good thermal resistance.


Mixing and decoherence are both manifestations of classicality within quantum theory, each of which admit a very general category-theoretic construction. We show under which conditions these two 'roads to classicality' coincide. This is indeed the case for (finite-dimensional) quantum theory, where each construction yields the category of C*-algebras and completely positive maps. We present counterexamples where the property fails which includes relational and modal theories. Finally, we provide a new interpretation for our category-theoretic generalisation of decoherence in terms of 'leaking information'.


Corruption is a phenomena which regards every society in both, geographical and historical context. Information on the phenomena in question occurs in many sources in writing and in legends told from generation to generation. Contemporary observations prove there is no society without the corruption. Some differences regarding scale and intensity of the phenomena exist, however, it is present in every country irrespective of economic and legal systems. Corruption is widely regarded as a negative phenomenon for the economy and unfair from the social point of view. Criminalization of this phenomenon has not, however, led to its disappearance. In some countries, contrary to the current regulations, it has become widespread, displacing other forms of exchange. This applies particularly to countries with weak institutions. Their weakness may result from changes in political or cultural factors. Goal of the paper is to point out the institutional determinants of corruption. A tool used to complete a goal is examination of indexes picturing corruption level as well as a case study — including countries characterized by serious and little concentration of the phenomenon in question. Because of formal restrictions regarding volume of the paper, just the most crucial facts and relations are demonstrated.


The performance study shows the result using two different methods which are used to control missile or aircraft. One is the Thrust Vector Control(TVC) method for the aviation of next generation and the other is the present effective Shroud Jet-vane System(SJVS) method for the satellite effector development. The research was done through the performance estimation using the numerical simulation analysis, the modelling, the performance measuring using the model, the investigation of the flow visualization and aerodynamic performance with the enforced power to the vane and the result comparison.


In this paper, we propose a GOSST(Grade Of Services Steiner minimum Tree) heuristic mechanism for the design of a physical multiple security grade network with minimum construction cost. On the network, each node can communicate with other nodes by its desiring security grade. Added to the existing network security methods, the preventing method from illegal physical access is necessary for more safe communication. To construct such network with minimum cost, the GOSST problem is applied. As the GOSST problem is a NP-Hard problem, a heuristic with reasonable complexity is necessary for a practical solution. In this research, to design the physical multiple security grade network with the minimum construction cost, the reformed our previous Distance Direct GOSST heuristic mechanism is proposed. The mechanism brings average 29.5% reduction in network construction cost in comparison with the experimental control G-MST.


Renewable Energy Sources (RES) showed enormous growth in the last few years. In comparison with the other RES, solar power has become the most feasible source because of its unique properties such as clean, noiseless, eco-friendly nature, etc. During the extraction of electric power, the DC–DC converters were given the prominent interest because of their extensive use in various applications. Photovoltaic (PV) systems generally suffer from less energy conversion efficiency along with improper stability and intermittent properties. Hence, there is a necessity of the Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm to ensure the maximum power available that can be harnessed from the solar PV. In this paper, the most important features of the DC/DC converters along with the MPPT techniques are reviewed and analyzed. A detailed comprehensive analysis is made on different converter topologies of both non-isolated and isolated DC/DC converters. Then, the modulation strategies, comparative performance evaluation are addressed systematically. At the end, recent advances and future trends are described briefly and considered for the next-generation converter's design and applications. This review work will provide a useful structure and reference point on the DC/DC converters for researchers and designers working in the field of solar PV applications.


Ranking fuzzy numbers plays a main role in many applied models in real world and in particular decision-making procedures. In many proposed methods by other researchers may exist some shortcoming. The most com- monly used approaches for ranking fuzzy numbers is based on defuzzication method. Many ranking fuzzy numbers cannot discriminate between two sym- metric fuzzy numbers with identical core. In 2009, Abbasbandy and Hajjari proposed an approach for ranking normal trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, which computed the magnitude of fuzzy numbers namely \Mag" method. Then Ha- jjari extended it for non-normal trapezoidal fuzzy numbers and also for all generalized fuzzy numbers. However, these methods have the weakness that we mentioned above. Moreover, the result is not consistent with human intu- ition in this case. Therefore, we are going to present a new method to overcome the mentioned weakness. In order to overcome the shortcoming, a new magni- tude approach for ranking trapezoidal fuzzy numbers based on minimum and maximum points and the value of fuzzy numbers is given. The new method is illustrated by some numerical examples and in particular, the results of ranking by the proposed method and some common and existing methods for ranking fuzzy numbers is compared to verify the advantages of presented method.


Intermittent-motion mechan i sms a r e among t h e o l d e s t and most ingenious mechanica l d e v i c e s , having been u s e d i n w a t c h e s and in va r ious mach ines for many years . With t h e t rend for more intens i v e des ign a n a l y s i s , e s p e c i a l l y computer-aided d e s i g n , t h e e m p i r ica l a r t h a s been supp lemen ted by mathemat ica l a n d k inemat i c a n a l y s i s . Such a n a l y s i s h a s become inc reas ing ly n e c e s s a r y i n t h e l ight of t h e deg ree of performance and opt imiza t ion expec ted i n current des igns . A s e x a m p l e s of re la t ive ly r ecen t a n a l y s e s , w e may cite G. J. Ta lbourde t ' s (1949) comprehens ive a n a l y s i s of intermittent-motion mechan i sms , t h e monograph by 0. L ich twi t z (1953) on geneva mechanisms, and the s e r i e s of a r t i c l e s by S. Rappapor t (1949~1, b, c, 8n 19.50~1, b,). In r ecen t y e a r s , a t t en t ion h a s also b e e n d i rec ted toward intermittent-motion mechan i sms d i f fe ren t from t h e above , in tha t a c h a i n forms a b a s i c component. In t h e b a s i c l i n k a g e t y p e s , a s s u g g e s t e d by S. Rappapor t (1951), Hain (1960), a n d Ha in & Marx (1959), a link dyad (two p in-connec ted l inks) s e r v e s to connec t a point on t h e moving cha in to t h e output shaf t . T h e va r i ab le rotation of t h e l i n k s modi f ies t h e motion of t h e cha in so a s to impart a va r i ab le motion (dwell) to the output shaf t . Such d e v i c e s h a v e found indus t r i a l app l i ca t ion , e.g., a s manufactured by Arnold & Stolzenberg , Gm bh., E inbeck /Hann , West Germany, and as developed by S. Rappapor t (1961) with r e fe rence to s h e e t de l ivery on a printing p res s . In t h e former case, re f inements a n d modi f ica t ions to gain optimum performance h a v e been desc r ibed by E. A. Dijksman (1962, 1964). F I G U R E S la, b, c, and d i l l u s t r a t e t h e b a s i c s chemat i c s . A d i f fe ren t approach , embodied in t h e gea red t y p e s , i nvo lves a cha in mounted on gear-driven and freewheeling sprockets (FIGURES le, f). T h e driving sp rocke t is keyed eccen t r i ca l ly to t h e dr iv ing gea r in s u c h a f a sh ion t h a t t h e p i tch c i r c l e of t h e sp rocke t p a s s e s through t h e c e n t e r of rotation of t h e dr iv ing gear. P rov ided t h e arrangement of t h e g e a r s a n d s p r o c k e t s is s u c h t h a t t h e b e l t l ength


Objective To examine the association between chronic immune-mediated diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or the following chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diagnoses groups: inflammatory bowel diseases, inflammatory polyarthropathies, systemic connective tissue disorders and spondylopathies) and the 6-year coronary artery disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease incidence and overall mortality; and to estimate the population attributable fractions for all four end-points for each chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Methods Cohort study of individuals aged 35-85 years, with no history of cardiovascular disease from Catalonia (Spain). The coded diagnoses of chronic immune-mediated diseases and cardiovascular diseases were ascertained and registered using validated codes, and date of death was obtained from administrative data. Cox regression models for each outcome according to exposure were fitted to estimate hazard ratios (HR) in two models: (1) after adjustment for sex, age, cardiovascular risk factors and (2) further adjusted for drug use. Population attributable fractions were estimated for each exposure. Results Data were collected from 991,546 participants. The risk of cardiovascular disease was increased in systemic connective tissue disorders [Model 1: HR=1.38 (95% confidence interval=1.21-1.57) and 2: HR=1.31 (1.15-1.49)], rheumatoid arthritis [HR=1.43 (1.26-1.62) and HR=1.31 (1.15-1.49)] and inflammatory bowel diseases [HR=1.18 (1.06-1.32) and HR=1.12 (1.01-1.25)]. The effect of anti-inflammatory treatment was significant in all instances [HR=1.50 (1.24-1.81); HR=1.47 (1.23-1.75); HR=1.43 (1.19-1.73), respectively]. The population attributable fractions for all three disorders were 13.4%, 15.7%, and 10.7%, respectively.


### Background

Process performance for both AEX ([1][1], [2][2]) and AEX membrane absorbers ([3][3], [4][4]) is generally effective and robust when performed within a bracketed set of operating conditions ([1][1]). The key process parameters that could affect viral clearance for the AEX step


We report the first observation of clear quantum confined Stark shifts in GaAs-AIGaAs quantum-well devices grown using metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy.


Some new methods for the topologic classification of channel networks are proposed. These methods are all based on the concept of topologic path length, or number of links from the network outlet to a junction or source. Two parameters, the total path length (sum of all path lengths) and the diameter (largest path length) are shown to be useful in network analysis. Some advantages of these parameters are that they are easy to measure, have straightforward topologic interpretations, and are closely related to important geometric measures. Moreover, they are capable of explaining various empirical geomorphic "laws," such as the 0.6 power relation between mainstream length and area. I. TOPOLOGICALLY DISTINCT CHANNEL NETWORKS In the quantitative analysis of drainage networks, it is convenient to choose for study the set of all channels above a given point in the drainage system, i.e., all channels that contribute to the discharge at that point. If the channels are idealized as single lines, the resulting figure is known in the geomorphological * The research for this paper was supported in part by the Geography Programs, Office of C. Werner i s professor of geography at the University of Califom% at Zrvine (Wallace J . Eckert Fellow at the IBM Watson Research Center during the time of the preparation of this paper); J . S. Smart is research stafl member at the Thomas J . Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Naval Research. 272 / Geographical Analysis literature as a channel network (although in the usual mathematical terminology it would be called a planted tree). Figure 1 gives an example of a hypothetical channel network. Sources are the points farthest upstream in a channel network, and the outlet is the point farthest downstream. A point at which two channels combine to form one is called a junction (we make here the usual assumption that confluences of more than two channels a t a single point do not occur). Links are the channel segments between a source and the first junction downstream, between two successive junctions, or between the outlet and the first junction upstream. Links may be classified as exterior or interior depending on whether they have a source or a junction at the upstream end. A channel network with n sources has n 1 junctions and 2n 1 links, of which n are exterior links and n 1 are interior links. The magnitude of a link is the number of sources upstream; from this definition it follows that an exterior link has magnitude unity and that the magnitude of an interior link is the sum of the magnitudes of the two links joining a t its upstream end. The magnitude of a channel network is the total number of sources in the network or, what is equivalent, the magnitude of the outlet link.


One-dimensional silicon nanoribbons (SiNRs) have the potential for application to future electronic devices because of their compatibility with current silicon-based electronic devices and their theoretical outstanding electronic properties, such as the size-dependent band gap. Here we grew SiNRs by the deposition of Si on a Ag(111) surface. We investigated SiNRs on the Ag(111) surface using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The atomic resolution STM and AFM images revealed that SiNRs have the same width and align along the equivalent orientations of Ag(111). The main body of SiNRs was found to be symmetric about the long axes of the ribbons, but the terminals of SiNRs break the symmetry. The DFT calculation results revealed a buckled single-layer structure of SiNRs, which is composed of Si hexagonal and tetragonal rings.


Gas storage facilities are expensive and their siting is determined by the customer not the supplier. Accurate determination of optimum capacity is a "must".


SUMMARY

New evidence is presented for lateral variation of the depth of upper mantle discontinuities. This evidence is derived from an analysis of amplitude of P400P phases (underside reflections from the 400 km discontinuity) for great circle paths with bounce points in the upper mantle near the Hawaii-Emperor hotspot chain. The data are long-period, from WWSSN, SRO and RSTN stations. The epicentral distance ranges from 95° to 115°, which ensures that no other major phases arrive in the time window of interest. Observed P400P amplitudes are compared with synthetic amplitudes for both a laterally homogeneous model and models including 3-D topography on the discontinuities. The observations permit models of topography that can be characterized by undulations of the 400 km discontinuity with wavelengths in the range 600–2000 km, and peak-to-peak amplitude of the order of 30–40 km. Such long-wavelength structure causes quite strong (de)focusing of PdP phases; synthetic PdP waveforms reveal that topography not only affects its amplitude, but also smears out the PdP wave, causing overlap between different PdP phases. This mechanism is proposed as the reason for the lack of well-developed PdP phases reported in the literature. The fact that the waveforms can be seriously distorted prohibits the use of PdP phases in a waveform inversion. The curvature of the discontinuity can be explained as the signature of convection currents crossing the discontinuity. Although the data cover the Hawaii hotspot, no signature of a plume structure can be detected in the data, probably because the resolving power of the data is too low.


The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for handling of rod-like components to a drilling rig. the security is, inter alia, increased by the fact that the storage of rod-like components on a storage device in defined positions and under defined conditions is carried out, a separation of the rod-like components is monitored on the tray device, to securely hold is checked on a gripper and apparatus technical and procedural modifications the completed transfer is confirmed on an elevator.


After sales services (ASSs) are activities that take place after the purchase of the product and are devoted to supporting customers in the usage and disposal of goods. ASS can create sustainable relationships with customers and contribute significantly to customer satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of ASS on customer satisfaction and to establish the influence of chosen ASS attributes on customer satisfaction. For this purpose SERVQUAL model coupled with multiple regression analysis is employed. A case company involved in manufacturing the home appliances is considered, the opinion of customers on its ASS operations were collected and then analysed using the SPSS-AMOS 21. The results of the study revealed that SERVQUAL-based ASS attributes are positively correlated with customer satisfaction and the reliability dimension plays the role of mediator in the effects of ASS quality. Finally the recommendations are presented to improve the performance of ASS operations of the case organisation.


In this paper, we study how word-like units are represented and activated in a recurrent neural model of visually grounded speech. The model used in our experiments is trained to project an image and its spoken description in a common representation space. We show that a recurrent model trained on spoken sentences implicitly segments its input into word-like units and reliably maps them to their correct visual referents. We introduce a methodology originating from linguistics to analyse the representation learned by neural networks – the gating paradigm – and show that the correct representation of a word is only activated if the network has access to first phoneme of the target word, suggesting that the network does not rely on a global acoustic pattern. Furthermore, we find out that not all speech frames (MFCC vectors in our case) play an equal role in the final encoded representation of a given word, but that some frames have a crucial effect on it. Finally we suggest that word representation could be activated through a process of lexical competition.


The paper focuses on a new approach to MATLAB Simulink-based modelling and analysis of hybrid systems whose event-driven part(s) is (are) modeled by the Petri Net (PN) formalism. A Petri Net Simulink Block (PNSB) allows the connection of a PN with other Simulink blocks, by means of events and data regarding the current status of the PN. Some issues regarding the implementation and exploitation of the Simulink blocks included in the Petri Net Library (PNL) are briefly presented. A complex example illustrates the effectiveness of the utilization of PNSBs in simulation-based performance analysis of hybrid systems.


During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was one kind of female orgasm and it was clitoral; there was also only one kind of healthy sexual instinct for a woman and it was for penetrative sex with her husband. When a woman behaved outside of this normality—by masturbating or by not responding to her husband's affections—her sexual instinct was seen as disordered. If healthy women, then, were believed only to be sexual within the marital embrace, what better way to explain these errant behaviors than by blaming the clitoris, an organ seen as key to female sexual instinct? Doctors corrected a clitoris in an unhealthy state using one of four surgeries—removing smegma or adhesions between the clitoris and its hood, removing the hood (circumcision), or removing the clitoris (clitoridectomy)—in order to correct a woman's sexual instinct in an unhealthy state. Their approach to clitoral surgery, at least as revealed in published medical works, was a cautious one that respected the importance of clitoral stimulation for healthy sexuality while simultaneously recognizing its role as cause and symptom in cases of insanity that were tied to masturbation.


Food habits of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) were studied at a Cis‐Andean Locality near Trevelin, Chubut, Argentina. Three hundred and three prey items in 107 pellets were analysed. Rodents were predominant, mainly those from the Patagonian steppe, i.e. Reithrodon auritus (30.6%), Eligmodontia typus (29.3%), and Oryzomys longicaudatus (18.4%). Frogs and birds were represented at low rates. Tyto alba is considered a rodent specialist with a widely foraging trophic strategy in open areas.


Cities have reached a huge magnitude and they represent great potential improvement platforms for wealth, employment and competitiveness creation, but also they involve an enormous amount of complexity that emphasized their future management challenges. Cities evolution could be seen as a strong trend towards the development of more efficient and livable cities that have been called "Smart Cities", where one of key topics is linked to how efficiently scarce resources are managed. This document analyzes the development of Energy Service Companies (ESCO) in Spain, as a type of organization preliminary focused on promoting and managing projects related to the efficient use of energy, being their business success linked to energy savings achieved by their clients and getting their revenue from these achieved savings. Outcome of this study expects to provide information of interest to understand the current development of ESCO model projects in Spain as example of what is happening in several major European Union (EU) countries in relation to Smart Cities development and subsequence ESCO growth, the important barriers they currently face to grow faster, and to find evidences of how collaboration between organizations could facilitate energy efficiency management, which at the end is linked to a better understanding of the future development of "Smart Cities" initiatives in EU countries.


The downhole flowmeter logging system for high temperature geothermal wells developed at Wairakei, New Zealand, is proving to be an invaluable tool for use during workovers to repair or reinstate problem wells. This contribution describes a straightforward example of identifying breaks in plain casing near the top of a productive well.


Hearing loss resulting from overexposure to entertainment-related sounds is a modern concern. "Epic Ear Defence" places the player in the three-dimensional environment of the ear canal and challenges the player to defend the ear from various noises, to delay the onset of noise-related hearing loss.


We present the results of large-scale simulations aimed at studying the propagation and scattering of elastic waves in cross-well seismic experiments and their influence on the migrationinversion algorithms used in processing the data. The objective of this study is twofold: • To understand coupling phenomena in order to better design the experiment and interpret the observed data; • To provide realistic 3D elastic synthetics to be used in algorithmic validation of inversion techniques .


Studying the flow over bodies of revolution is crucial to the design of missiles and obtaining the correct shape which has a large impact on the performance of the missile. Three-dimensional flow simulation over a body of revolution were carried out in order to obtain flow field parameters for different angles of attack namely -4.09, -2.04, 2.06, 4.11, 6.17 and 12.41 ̊ at Mach number of 0.5 (subsonic) and of -4.34, -2.15, 2.17, 4.37, 8.87, and 13.6 ̊ at Mach number of 1.2 ( transonic flow conditions). The software FLUENT with its prepressor GAMBIT were used to model a missile of known geometry. The Computational Fluid dynamics results were validated with a prepublished experimental data measured by a wind tunnel [1] The validated model was used to examine Magnus effect on the spinning missile which improves the effect of the high spinning rate on the side force affecting the missile body.


Micah speaks of the Millennium: "In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it...They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid." (Micah 4:1-4) Upon casual inspection the Feast of Tabernacles would appear to foreshadow this time, because people abide under the leaves of trees. However the leaf of the fig tree is not one of the four species of trees permissible under the regulations of the Feast of Tabernacles. This interpretation does not fit.


Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) is a phylogenetic method widely used to analyze the properties of ancient biomolecules and to elucidate mechanisms of molecular evolution. Despite its increasingly widespread application, the accuracy of ASR is currently unknown, as it is generally impossible to compare resurrected proteins to the true ancestors. Which evolutionary models are best for ASR? How accurate are the resulting inferences? Here we answer these questions using a cross-validation method to reconstruct each extant sequence in an alignment with ASR methodology, a method we term "extant sequence reconstruction" (ESR). We thus can evaluate the accuracy of ASR methodology by comparing ESR reconstructions to the corresponding known true sequences. We find that a common measure of the quality of a reconstructed sequence, the average probability, is indeed a good estimate of the fraction of correct amino acids when the evolutionary model is accurate or overparameterized. However, the average probability is a poor measure for comparing reconstructions from different models, because, surprisingly, a more accurate phylogenetic model often results in reconstructions with lower probability. While better (more predictive) models may produce reconstructions with lower sequence identity to the true sequences, better models nevertheless produce reconstructions that are more biophysically similar to true ancestors. In addition, we find that a large fraction of sequences sampled from the reconstruction distribution may have fewer errors than the single most probable (SMP) sequence reconstruction, despite the fact that the SMP has the lowest expected error of all possible sequences. Our results emphasize the importance of model selection for ASR and the usefulness of sampling sequence reconstructions for analyzing ancestral protein properties. ESR is a powerful method for validating evolutionary models used for ASR and can be applied in practice to any phylogenetic analysis of real biological sequences.


Recently there has been an increasing demand for technologies (automated and intelligent machines) that brings benefits to organizations and society. Similar to the widespread use of personal computers in the past, today's needs are towards facilitating human-machine technology appropriation, especially in highly risky and regulated industries like robotics, manufacturing, automation, military, finance, or healthcare. In this context, trust can be used as a critical element to instruct how human-machine interaction should occur. Considering the context-dependency and multidimensional trust, this study seeks to find a way to measure the effects of perceived trust in a collaborative robot (cobot), regardless of its literal credibility as a real person. This article aims at translating, adapting, and validating a Human-Computer Trust Scale (HCTM) in human-robot interaction (HRI) context and its application to cobots. The Human-Robot Interaction Trust Scale (HRITS) involved 239 participants and included eleven items. The 2nd order CFA with a general factor called "trust" have proven to be empirically robust (

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With the popularity of e-government,the realization of Xinjiang organization code voice automated system,prompted Xinjiang code work management capabilities and service efficiency.This paper describes Xinjiang organization code voice automat ed system based on the basis of focuses on the design and application of this system of social benefits.


Machining of micro parts is very demanding in terms of accuracy and precision of tools and machine components. Concepts for miniaturization of machine tools continuously drive various research fields of engineering. Some of these concepts cannot be realized by simply scaling down existing macro machine tools. In contrast, other concepts can only be realized by the small size itself. In that case the small size acts as an enabler for certain applications [1]. This is especially true in the production of micro deep hole bores, due to the high aspect ratio of hole depth to diameter. In this paper a machine concept for a micro machine to perform axial deep hole drilling in transparent polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) round stock is presented. Target diameters of the round stock of < 400 μm and bore diameters down to 200 μm result in a very thin wall thickness of < 100 μm. Therefore the drilling course has to be coaxial to the round stock. Due to the high aspect ratio of up to fifty, initial tests have shown that the drill tends to drift in the material out of the round stock causing damage to the material and the chuck. For this reason, the central part of the machine concept consists of a correction mechanism that prevents the drift of the drill in the material. Because of scaling effects for small machine tools and small work pieces and due to the material properties the active correction mechanism is implemented on the side of the work piece. The concept of this correction mechanism will be explained and formulated in detail in this paper.


We present in this paper the first reported FPGA implementation of the Position Specific Iterated BLAST (PSI-BLAST) algorithm. The latter is a heuristic biological sequence alignment algorithm that is widely used in the bioinformatics and computational biology world in order to detect weak homologs. The architecture of our FPGA implementation is parameterized in terms of sequence lengths, scoring matrix, gap penalties and cut-off and threshold values. It is composed of various blmocks each of which performs one step of the algorithm in parallel. This results in high performance implementations, which easily outperform equivalent software implementations by one order of magnitude or more. Furthermore, the core was captured in an FPGA-platform-independent language, namely the Handel-C language, to which no specific resource inference or placement constraints were applied. This makes our core portable across different FPGA families and architectures.


Using counterfeit or stolen seals to carry out illegall check transactions poses a great threat to the normal function of the financial order.In order to avoid the potential risks in the process of bank check transaction,the paper proposes a solution that is based on the seal of the Internet of Things(IOT) technology.In the paper,IOT technology is used to monitor the seal usage in a real-time manner,AES encryption algorithm is taken to encrypt the service information,including seals,checks,etc and decryption is implemented at the bank side.Results show that the proposed solution can effectively avoid using counterfeit or stolen seals to carry out illegall check transactions,which offers protection for the safety of bank check transactions.


The high-quality report on sci-tech novelty retrieval plays a very important role in the approval and appraisement of scientific research project.This article expounds the four major factors influencing sci-tech novelty,the personnel in charge,document resources,consultation experts and management system.Aiming at the problems existing in the management system,the author of this article presents a weight grade method of both quality index and quantity index,and proposes to comprehensively evaluate the performance of the personnel who are in charge of sci-tech novelty.


In this research, we open an operations management window over the 16-year performance data of a state-funded teaching-focused business-school (SFTFBS) on graduation rates and time-to-degrees. We implement operations management concepts and tools such as systems thinking, operations strategy, process flow analysis, predictive analytics, inventory management, and descriptive statistics to analyse the time-to-degree problem to find potential improving solutions. Through this process, we have learned that the students' interest and classroom interactions are increased when the teaching material is closer to the real-life of the students. Accordingly, the results of this study are brought into the classroom. They are embedded in the teaching material as real-life problems and assignments to teach and learn operations management. We have observed that this approach has a positive impact on the mental presence and intellectual engagement of students inside the classrooms.


Solid solutions in the Ba(Pb1−xSrx)O3−z system were prepared by aliovalent substitution of Pb4+ by Sr2+ ions to investigate the effect of cation stoichiometry on thermal and electrical properties as x was varied between 0 and 0.4, in the temperature range 300–523 K. The starting compound, barium plumbate (BaPbO3), has a perovskite structure and is known to exhibit metallic conductivity due to an overlap of the O2p nonbonding and the Pb–O spσ antibonding band, which is partially filled by the available electrons. The large difference in the ionic radii between the Pb4+ and Sr2+ ions introduces significant strain into the (Pb/Sr)O6 octahedra of the perovskite structure. Additionally, charged defects are created on account of the different oxidation states of the Pb4+ and Sr2+ ions. Evidence of a metal to insulator transition (MIT) of the Mott–Hubbard type has been observed at a critical concentration of Sr2+ ions.


The implementation of a general finite element system on a parallel environment consisting of a Beowulf-type cluster is described, together with applications to fluid dynamics. Some overall performance and speedup results are reported.


This paper investigates the simple hypothesis that when companies issue more capital, they have a tendency to select the type of capital, all other things being equal, which results in the higher short-term earnings per share (eps). The methodology employs probit analysis to test the hypothesis that the form of issue selected was that which gave the higher eps after controlling for other factors such as leverage and industry classification. The results lead us to conclude that there is evidence in capital issues of functional fixation on eps.


This report documents Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) review of the Transamerica Oelaval, Inc. (TO!) Diesel Generator Owners' Group evaluation of the rocker arm capscrews used on TO! emergency diesel generators installed in several nuclear power plants. The Owners' Group evaluation is described in the Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation report, Emergency Diesel Generator Rocker Arm Capscrew Stress Analysis (March 1984), and in two supplements. Stone & Webster performed stress analyses on the original "straight sec tion" capscrew design and a new necked-down design used by TDI to secure the rocker arm assembly to the cylinder head structure. On the basis of the stress analyses, Stone & Webster concluded that both the original and the necked-down designs are adequate for the intended service. The Stone & Webster document and other information supplied in response to specific questions were reviewed by PNL and its consultants. PNL concluded that the Stone & Webster analysis tended to produce nonconservative predic tions of dynamic stresses in the capscrews. After considering the capscrew's operational history and estimating the amount of nonconservatism associated with Stone & Webster's calculations, PNL concludes that both designs are satisfactory.


Objective To assess the correlation between the optical coherence tomography(OCT) and fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA) in retinal vein occlusion edema.Methods Optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography typing were done in each case of retinal vein occlusion edema.The correlation between FFA typesand OCT types were analyzed,and their associations with the best visual acuity,central foveal thickness were evaluated.Results The prevalence of focal leakage type was higher in the OCT type1 than in the diffuse leakage type and diffuse cystoid leakage type of fundus fluorescein angiography.The prevalence of diffus eleakage type was higher in t he OCT type 2 than in the focal leakage type and diffuse cystoid leakage type.The prevalence of diffuse cystoid leakage type was higher in the OCT type 3 than in the focal leakage type and diffuse leakage type(P0.05).Conclusion The analysis of retinal vein occlusion edema based on both OCT and FFA can provide information that maybe useful to disclose the pathogenesis of the edema and to optimize the treatment for each type.


NHS trusts across England have been advised to age profile their workforce on a team and department level to help safeguard skills.


Appendices to accompany a book chapter: Sulosky Weaver, C. L. "Greater in Death: The Transformative Effect of Convivial Iconography on Roman Cineraria." In The Ancient Art of Transformation, edited by R.M. Gondek and E.M. Molacek. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Appendix I is a catalogue of funerary banquet scenes on Roman marble cineraria, and Appendix II is a catalogue of inscriptions found on the objects listed in Appendix I.


Abstract Background The thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test and the 2‐step insulin sensitivity test are commonly used methods to diagnose, respectively, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and insulin dysregulation (ID). Objectives To investigate the diagnostic value of combining the TRH stimulation test and the 2‐step insulin sensitivity test to diagnose PPID and ID simultaneously. Animals Twenty‐seven adult horses, 10 control horses without PPID or ID, 5 horses with PPID only, 5 horses with ID only, and 7 horses with PPID and ID. Methods Randomized prospective study. Horses underwent a TRH stimulation test alone, a 2‐step insulin sensitivity test alone, and combined testing with simultaneous TRH and insulin injection in the same syringe. Data were compared by 2‐way repeated measures analysis of variance and 2 1‐sided tests to demonstrate equivalence. Bland‐Altman plots were generated to visualize agreement between combined and independent testing. Results The effect of combined testing on plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone, blood glucose concentration, or percentage decrease in blood glucose concentration was not significantly different from the effect obtained with independent testing. One control horse appeared falsely positive for PPID, 2 PPID‐only horses appeared falsely positive for ID, and 1 PPID and ID horse appeared falsely negative for ID when tests were performed simultaneously. Bland‐Altman plots supported the agreement between combined and independent testing. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Combining the TRH stimulation test and the 2‐step insulin sensitivity test appears to be a useful diagnostic tool for equine practitioners in the field, allowing testing of a horse for both PPID and ID simultaneously.


[PROBLEMS] excellent in the mixing and dispersibility in the matrix resin, and resin original without lowering the transparency, excellent lipophilic capable lipophilic to impart the surface modification of the light (to expertise) a cured film obtained from the resin composition It provides a high photopolymerizable composition containing branched polymers and this. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] monomer having a ventilated and at least one radically polymerizable double bond of a monomer having two or more radical polymerizable double bond in the molecule A and the carbon atoms of 6 to 30 alkyl groups or carbon atoms 3-30 in the molecule the B, obtained by polymerization in the presence of 5 to 200 mol% of the amount of the polymerization initiator of C with respect to the number of moles of the monomers a, the lipophilic and the photopolymerizable composition comprises branched polymers, and this.


Much recent work has applied existing fault detectors against attacks in cyber-physical control systems. The results demonstrate effectiveness in detecting simplistic attacks that cause fault-like disruptions. However, they do not address motivated and knowledgeable attackers who craft attacks using knowledge of the system including its method of detecting attacks. In this paper, we analyze the conditions for an attacker to bypass a dissipativity-theoretic fault detector adopted in the prior work. We show that the attacker can use a quadratic programming solver to efficiently compute false data injection attacks to bypass the detector. We show further that, by applying an OR gate to fuse binary detection results from a number of the detectors, with carefully chosen parameters, we can achieve an integrated detector bank that cannot be bypassed by an attacker, if the attacker can tamper with either the sensor or control data of the system. For an n-dimensional linear time-invariant system, the number of needed fault detectors is O(n!). This number can be dramatically reduced to O(n) under a realistic assumption that the system has converged before the attack starts. Simulations for voltage control based on an IEEE 39-bus power system model validate our analysis.


75); during-pandemic1: 0.0 (0–25) p<0.0001, during-pandemic2: 1.0 (0–20), p=0.004). Among those tested both preand during-pandemic2, (n=96) STI prevalence was similar (gonorrhea: 14.1% vs. 15.8%, p=0.847; chlamydia: 7.0% vs. 9.5%, p=0.527). Conclusions Although overall and casual sex partnerships declined significantly duringcompared to pre-pandemic, STI prevalence was similar. The observed decreased sex partnerships may not have substantially altered transmission dynamics or were offset by increased prevalence due to limited access to testing/treatment. Improved understanding of how COVID19 mitigation measures alter STI transmission dynamics is needed.


This study aims to explore how leaders are helping to close gaps of attainment for minority ethnic pupils in English schools, and in particular those pupils who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the primary and secondary sector. This is a comparative study across selected schools using qualitative approaches to help gain an insight into current good practice embedded by leaders, to identify the future needs of EAL pupils and to show how this practice is helping to close the gap. The findings suggest that school leaders are making a difference in raising standards for pupils. However, we argue that schools need to do even more to close the gap, in particular for EAL pupils. Our conclusion is that leaders need to critique their own practice through effective dialogue to accelerate these pupils' progress. Therefore the need for moral courage and conviction to challenge the norm is even more imperative.


Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis are well known for the presence of high titer antibodies against dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase. the E2 subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. We have taken advantage of a cDNA probe for dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase to explore the possibility of polymorphism of the E2 subunit by probing genomic DNA from 38 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and 26 healthy controls. To detect restriction fragment length polymorphism, DNA was digested with ten specific restriction enzymes that often detect polymorphism, including Barn HI, Bgl 11. Eco RI, Hind 111, Hinf I, Msp I, Pst I, Pvu 11, Rsa I and Taq I. A Taq I polymorphism was found in 19 of 38 patients with PBC and 6 of 26 normal controls. In addition, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, the gene for dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase was mapped on human chromosome 11 band q23.1. Interestingly, this region of the long arm of chromosome I I is often associated with cytogenetic abnormalities, including translocations.


The model of parallel guiding compliant mechanism was established,the parametric characteristics of planar compliant mechanism constituted by elliptic flexible hinges were analyzed. The relationships between the inherent frequency of the elliptic compliant hinge and its minimum thickness,geometric parameter of the cut and mechanism thickness were discussed. And some conclusions of regularity were obtained by means of numerical valued example of calculation,thus a theoretical basis was provided for the design and application of the elliptic flexible hinge and a reference was offered for the dynamics study of compliant mechanism as well.


ABSTRACT

Background: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common heterogeneous endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. It is associated with insulin resistance, hyperinsulinaemia and hyperandrogenism, but predominantly caused by factors of genetic disorder. There are plenty of proteins associated with PCOS that are involved in multiple biochemical pathways in stimulating the synthesis of androgen. This study attempted to identify the proteins that are related to the PCOS, and to construct the hypothetical PCOS pathways that composed of many different metabolic processes. This paper highlights an excerpt from the results generated in this study.

Results: Fifty-eight proteins were identified to have an association with PCOS. Each protein was grouped into five main biochemical pathways such as steroid biosynthesis and metabolism, insulin secretion, gonadotrophin hormone action, cardiovascular disease and obesity and energy regulation. These proteins were also classified based on their function into seven main groups as follow: enzymes, transport proteins, effector proteins, defense proteins, electron transfer proteins, receptors and repressor proteins. Detailed analyses showed that they were involved in over-expression of androgen hence transpiring the symptoms of PCOS, even though they occur at the disparate metabolic processes. Forty-eight metabolic processes have been identified to be involved in the cause of PCOS with some of them occur in more than one pathway. For instance, in diabetes mellitus type II pathway, there were two metabolic processes occurred i.e. insulin secretion and action (INS, INSR, IRS1 and IRS2) and the gonadotrophin action (ADIPOQ). This metabolic process also interacted with other metabolic processes such as the insulin signaling pathway and adipocytokine signaling pathway that eventually led to the symptoms of PCOS because of the insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia. Other multiple pathways identified were the adipocytokine signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, cancer colorectal, adherens junction, receptor-ligand neuron interaction and Jak-STAT signaling pathway.

Conclusion: All the information collated from various analyses led to the prediction and construction of a hypothetical PCOS pathway using CellDesigner. This preliminary finding initiates further research to understand the PCOS mechanism towards finding its cure.


The limit of permeability of white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench.] Voss) somatic embryo cell walls to molecules was in the order of 30 A. Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) and dextrans of molecular weights greater than 1000 and 6000, respectively, produced a nonpermeating (non-plasmolysing) water stress which improved embryo development. Somatic embryos converted to plantlets at frequencies of 76-84% following slow drying and storage at − 20°C for 1 year, which was similar to the 77% recorded for control somatic embryos slowly dried then germinated without freezing or storage. Culture for 7-8 weeks with medium containing abscisic acid, 3% sucrose, and 7.5% PEG 4000 yielded somatic embryos with five times the embryo storage lipid content recorded for zygotic embryos. During culture with PEG the moisture content of the somatic embryos decreased from 96% for immature suspension-cultured somatic embryos, to 47% for mature embryos. Somatic embryos cultured for 7-8 weeks survived rapid drying to 5% moisture content, and converted to plantlets at frequencies of 60-70%, but no somatic embryos survived rapid drying when cultured for only 4 weeks; however, slow drying did induce desiccation tolerance in 3-week cultured somatic embryos. Abscisic acid was important to maintain embryos in a developmental state, but ABA alone did not induce desiccation tolerance. In order to induce desiccation tolerance a water stress treatment was required. Tolerance of rapid drying coincided with moisture contents below 55%, which occurred after 5 weeks of culture in the presence of PEG 4000 and abscisic acid


SIGNIFICANCE
Wound repair is a complex biological process that integrates multiple physiologic pathways to restore skin homeostasis after a wide array of gross and anatomical insults. As such, a scientific examination of the wound typically requires broad sampling of numerous factors and is commonly achieved through DNA microarray analysis.

CRITICAL ISSUES
In the last several years, it has become increasingly evident that the granularity afforded by such traditional population-based assays may be insufficient to capture the complex relationships in heterogeneous processes such as those associated with wound healing and stem cell biology.

RECENT ADVANCES
Several emerging technologies have recently become available that permit high-throughput single-cell gene expression analysis in a manner which provides novel insights into the relationships of complex tissue. The most prominent among these employs microfluidic-based devices to achieve a high-resolution analysis of tissue samples.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
The intrinsically heterogeneous nature of injured tissue, in conjunction with its temporal dynamics, makes wound repair and tissue regeneration an attractive target for high-throughput single-cell analysis. Given the staggering costs associated with chronic and non-healing wounds, the development of predictive and diagnostic tools using this technology would likely be attractive to healthcare providers.


Contrib. Nat. Hist. 24: 1–55 A new subgenus Vexillum (Protoelongata) is described and separated from other Vexillum subgenera by shell characteristics and animal colouration. Radula characteristics are shown and links to the COI gene sequence of the type species, published in BOLD and GenBank, are given. Four known species, Vexillum (Protoelongata) corallinum (Reeve, 1845) comb. nov., V. (Protoelongata) bilineatum (Reeve, 1845) comb. nov., V. (Protoelongata) xerampelina (Melvill, 1895) comb. nov., and V. (Protoelongata) loyaltyense (Hervier, 1897) comb. nov., and three new species V. (Protoelongata) dekkersi sp. nov., V. (Protoelongata) rubrotaeniatum sp. nov., and V. (Protoelongata) heleneae sp. nov. from different regions in the Indo-Pacific are assigned to this subgenus. The new species V. (Protoelongata) dekkersi sp. nov. is compared with V. (Protoelongata) corallinum comb. nov., V. (Protoelongata) xerampelina comb. nov. and V. (Pusia) semicostatum (Anton, 1838). V. (Protoelongata) rubrotaeniatum sp. nov. is also compared with V. (Protoelongata) corallinum comb. nov. and V. (Pusia) semicostatum, but also differentiated from V. (Pusia) luigiraybaudii Poppe, Guillot de Suduiraut & Tagaro, 2006. V. (Protoelongata) heleneae sp. nov. is compared with V. (Pusia) microzonias (Lamarck, 1811), V. (Protoelongata) bilineatum comb. nov., V. (Pusia) geronimae Poppe, Tagaro & Salisbury, 2009 and also with V. (Pusia) semicostatum. A lectotype for V. (Pusia) semicostatum is designated and two syntypes are excluded from the type lot.


The purpose of this study is to explore the present status of informal business activities of Central Business District (CBD) area of Dhaka, capital city of Bangladesh and issues regarding socio-economic development of it. Data for the study is collected from a sample of 153 informal business workers within Motijeel area, the CBD of Dhaka city. A semi-structured questionnaire is used to generate survey data and then analyzed through simple statistical methods. Demographics of the respondents show that most of them are young and middle aged with limited educational qualification. They face shortage of capital as majority relies on their own savings. Moreover, maximum workers have monthly income below than BDT 15,000. However, almost all of them are willing to expand current business, though many find it competitive enough. The study will be useful to the policy makers for improving present status of the informal workers. From the government level, policy can be initiated for better environmental planning as well as improving socio-economic conditions of the informal business workers. However, the study opens the scope for further comprehensive study in related development areas. Keywords : Informal Sector, Informal Business Activities, Central Business District, Socio-economic analysis, Bangladesh


Data access storage device is sampled. In response to the sampled data access, the refresh operation is performed in the storage means.


A new version of the dispersion fuel behavior model currently being incorporated in DART, has been generated. The model's description of fuel : swellingmore specifically, tile evaluation of fission-gas bubble morphology is significantly improved. Although some of the assumptions underlying the basic model are derived from systems other than U3Si2, it represents a physically realistic interpretation of the observed irradiation behavior of U3Si2 over a wide range of fission densities and fissLon rates.


In this paper we present an a priori error estimate of the Runge–Kutta discontinuous Galerkin method for solving symmetrizable conservation laws, where the time is discretized with the third order explicit total variation diminishing Runge–Kutta method and the finite element space is made up of piecewise polynomials of degree k ≥ 2. Quasi-optimal error estimate is obtained by energy techniques, for the so-called generalized E-fluxes under the standard temporal-spatial CFL condition τ ≤ γh , where h is the element length and τ is time step, and γ is a positive constant independent of h and τ . Optimal estimates are also considered when the upwind numerical flux is used.


The invention relates to a cylinder for a rotary printing machine, whose peripheral surface has at least two cylindrical segments (07, 08) next to one another, which are separated from one another by a groove (09) located therebetween, wherein the groove can be closed by an inlay element (11, 12) that can be releasably fixed to form a continuos surface area. The inlay element is formed by several parts, especially two inlay parts, whose peripheral surfaces complement each other to form a cylindrical peripheral surface after the inlay part has been placed in the groove.


Volvulus of the cecum is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction. The delay in diagnosis is responsible of high rate of mortality. Here we present a case of a 58 year old male with cecal volvulus.


Background The World Health Organisation established a goal of reducing congenital rubella incidence to <1/100,000 births per year in all 52 countries of the WHO European region by 2010 (WHO 2005). Before the introduction of rubella vaccine in 1970 an estimated 200-300 babies were born with congenital rubella defects every year in the UK and many more in epidemic years. Selective vaccination was introduced in 1970 for all schoolgirls and subsequently extended to susceptible adult women and to health professionals. Although this programme had considerable success, cases of rubella in pregnancy and congenital rubella continued to occur, and in 1988 the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was introduced for all children in the second year of life with the aim of eliminating rubella virus from the UK. In 1994, as part of an attempt to avert a predicted measles epidemic, combined measles/rubella (MR) vaccine was offered to all schoolchildren. Antenatal screening to identify women requiring post-partum vaccination continues, as does immunisation of young children, with the first dose given at about 13 months and a 2 at 35 years. The schoolgirl programme stopped in 1996. Uptake of MMR vaccine by 24 months has never reached the target of 95%, and declined from a peak of 92% in 1995/6 to 80% in 2003/4, recovering to about 85% in England and higher in the rest of the UK by 2008/9 (data available at www.phe.gov.uk ).


This thesis describes the application of the shortest path algorithm in the simulation of cardiac activation.
This method is both used in the forward simulation of an electrocardiogram (ECG) as well as in the non-invasive imaging of cardiac activation and recovery.

Due to the immense number of cardiac cells a source model is required to simulate the electrical cardiac generator. The source model used in this thesis is the equivalent double layer source model. One of the major
advantages of this model is the close relation with electrophysiological characteristics of the cardiac cells.
This enables the introduction of electrophysiological knowledge in the require initial estimate on behalf of the non-invasive imaging method. Knowledge on the propagation of activation within the myocardial tissue was introduced to generate realistic activation patterns, both for the atria and the ventricles.

The inverse procedure described in this thesis proves to be robust, both in respect to the number of leads
used and to the waveform parameterization used in the source model. The robustness is mainly attributed to the
high quality of the initial activation estimate based on the dedicated implementation of the shortest path
algorithm, the fastest route algorithm. This results in an initial estimate that is close to the actual
activation and recovery times, which minimize the risk that the subsequently applied inverse procedure ends
up in an unrealistic local minimum in the parameter space.

The clinical application of this inverse procedure is now coming within reach. Selecting the optimal lead
system might enable the inverse procedure to be executed by using a limited number of leads (15-30). For
specific cases and research applications, like shown for the Brugada patient, the proposed non-invasive
imaging method seems to have reached maturity.


With the evolution of the digital age and consequently with the emergence of new platforms, consumers are more receptive to the shared content on social networks, for instance with YouTube, looking for information that helps them in their decision making. In this way, the fashion and beauty industry is realizing the importance of digital media and investing in communication and advertising campaigns with digital influencers. Therefore, the research focuses on the social network YouTube and vloggers, applied in Portugal and Spain. It is intended to understand the dynamics between the perceptions of consumers to the content of fashion and beauty videos and the intention of purchase as well as between the perceived credibility of vlogger and the intention of purchase.


A multi-perspective expert system approach based on algebraic sum method was developed to deal with uncertain knowledge and provides different perspectives for different experts while dealing with single knowledge base according to experts' interests. However, assertion value for each perspective is calculated and by using the algebraic summation method a conclusion can be determined.


Purpose

Previous research suggests that employees often make family-related career decisions (Greenhaus and Powell, 2012). The authors extend this idea and explore the concept of "home-to-career interference," defined as the extent to which people perceive that their private life has constrained their career decisions to date. The authors expect that home-to-career interference has a negative impact on employees' later career satisfaction via career goal self-efficacy and perceived organizational career support. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected quantitative data at three points in time, each six months apart in a Belgian telecommunications organization. Using the full information maximum likelihood path analysis approach, the authors performed analyses on a sample of dual-earner employees.

Findings

The results showed that employees' home-to-career interference related negatively to their career goal self-efficacy and perceived organizational career support, which were, in turn, positively related to their career satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the work-family literature by introducing the concept of home-to-career interference, by clarifying the mechanisms through which home-to-career interference relates to career satisfaction and by testing these relationships using a three-wave longitudinal design.


AbstractPhotographic emulsions are found to have experimentally-measured detective quantum efficiencies with peak values of less than 3%. Although such low values have been demonstrated to be not far removed from the highest values attainable with high-latitude on/off detectors of the silver halide type, they have nevertheless given rise to widely conflicting opinions concerning the influence on photographic granularity of the photon fluctuations in the exposure. This is essentially due to the complexity of the photographic process, which obscures the statistical processes which are inherent to the input/output relationship of the photon/grain interaction.General arguments are developed which indicate the inevitability of a causal relationship between photon noise and granularity. Calculations are made of the quantitative contribution to detector noise from the photon fluctuations for a hypothetical detector having intrinsic properties which approximate to those of practical photographic emulsions.


Abstract Field tests were conducted on timber floors in three wood-framed buildings in order to obtain their dynamic characteristics and evaluate the vibration comfort. The measured fundamental vibration frequency, damping ratio and root-mean-square acceleration, were used to evaluate human comfort caused by timber floor vibration. The results show that the fundamental vibration period of the thirteen tested timber floors was between 9.96Hz and 18.70Hz, which is sufficiently outside the frequency range of human activities excitation to preclude the resonance of timber floors. The thirteen timber floors in the test program satisfied the vibration control standards when the vibration environments and duration were taken into consideration. The damping ratios of the timber floors show a strong amplitude dependence, with high damping ratios correlated with large vibration amplitude. The average value of the damping ratio obtained from the impulse load tests was 5.05%, which was suitable for timber floors under normal human activities. In practice, vibration should be considered during the design of large-span timber floors.


: The major element composition analysis of lunar mare basalt bulk rock is crucial for understanding the thermochemical evolution of the lunar interior. However, lunar regolith and soils returned by the Apollo and Chang'E-5 missions have small particle sizes (mostly < 3 mm), making quantitative analyses of the bulk rock composition difficult. Herein, we developed a non-destructive technique to determine the bulk composition (comprising SiO 2 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , FeO, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na 2 O, and K 2 O) of rare lunar samples with a small size using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping techniques. In this study, a set of certified reference materials were used to calibrate the spectrometer; the precision and accuracy of the EDS analyses were verified using silicate glass and mineral reference materials. Measurements performed on a lunar meteorite sample with a known composition, NWA 4734, confirmed the reliability of the mapping method. The EDS data for the standard glasses and minerals were consistent with the reference values, within the error limits. A small fragment of NWA 4734 was measured using EDS mapping, and the bulk composition obtained was comparable to that measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Our method is standardized and minimizes the acquisition time compared to other quantitative mapping methods. The non-destructive and quantitative analysis method used in this study can support research on the bulk compositions of Chang'E-5 lunar samples and can be applied to research on both terrestrial and extraterrestrial samples at the micron- to centimeter-scale.


Development of Advanced Nanomanufacturing: 3D Integration and High Speed Directed Self-assembly. (August 2010) Huifeng Li, B.Eng., Shanghai Jiaotong University, China; M.Eng., National University of Singapore, Singapore Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Xing Cheng Development of nanoscience and nanotechnology requires rapid and robust nanomanufacturing processes to produce nanoscale materials, structures and devices. The dissertation aims to contribute to two major challenging and attractive topics in nanomanufacturing. Firstly, this research develops fabrication techniques for three dimensional (3D) structures and integrates them into functional devices and systems. Secondly, a novel process is proposed and studied for rapid and efficient manipulation of nanomaterials using a directed self-assembly process. The study begins with the development of nanoimprint lithography for nanopatterning and fabrication of 3D multilayer polymeric structures in the microand nano-scale, by optimizing the layer-transfer and transfer-bonding techniques. These techniques allow the integration of microfluidic and photonic systems in a single chip for achieving ultracompact lab-on-a-chip concept. To exemplify the integration capability, a monolithic fluorescence detection system is proposed and the approaches


PURPOSE: A display apparatus, a method of manufacturing the same, and an apparatus of bonding substrates are provided to prevent reliability of the display apparatus from being lowered due to lowering of the coupling force between plastic substrates and a combining member. CONSTITUTION: In the first plastic substrate(100), a display area(PA) and a surrounding area(SA) that surrounds the display space are defined. A plurality of pixels(150) are arranged on the display area. The second plastic substrate(300) is opposite to the first plastic substrate. The first plastic substrate and the second plastic substrate are combined each other in the surrounding area. The second substrate(400) includes the second plastic substrate, the first optical shield layer(BM1), the second optical shield layer(BM2), a color filter(CF), a spacer(130) and a common electrode.


Within the past year, substantial media attention has been directed at the potential adverse health effects of long-term computer use. Unfortunately, long-term effects require long-term studies, and much research in this area is either incomplete or inconsistent. Nevertheless, because so many Penn staff, faculty, and students are spending an increasing amount of time---both on campus and at home---working with keyboards and video display terminals (VDTs), and because some health effects are thought to be cumulative, we believe it is important for all computer users, lab managers, and supervisors to be aware of these issues and the protective measures that can be taken "while the jury is out."


Is that described herein, a cost effective product comprising porous carbon having a favorable porous structure for fixing the electrode components, the product, in particular a secondary lithium-sulfur it can serve for use as an electrode material for batteries. Here is described further method, the method includes the steps of preparing the next step, namely: (a) a template made of an inorganic material containing nanoparticles and pores of the spherical, first in the pores of (b) template a step of injecting a precursor for carbon in 1 variants, (c) a step of carbonizing and forming the inner layer having a first porosity to the nanoparticles, the second to the rest of the holes (d) template a step of injecting a precursor for carbon variant, comprising the steps of carbonizing the (e) precursor, forming an outer layer having a second porosity less than the first porosity on the inner surface step a, to form a carbon product having an (f) layer bonded structure has the step of removing the template, the layer coupling structure, and has a surface which is not covered facing cavity side of the larger the first fine of It has an inner layer made of carbon having a rate, and an outer layer made of carbon having a second porosity towards and small have uncovered surface of the opposite side of the cavity.


Katon WJ, Von Korff M, Lin EHB, et al . The Pathways Study: a randomized trial of collaborative care in patients with diabetes and depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2004;61:1042–9.

[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4]

 Q In patients with diabetes mellitus and comorbid major depression or dysthymia, does a pathways collaborative care intervention (PCCI) for depression improve both depression and glycaemic control outcomes?

### ![Graphic][5] Design:

randomised controlled trial.

### ![Graphic][6] Allocation:

{concealed}.*

### ![Graphic][7] Blinding:

blinded (outcome assessors).

### ![Graphic][8] Follow up period:

12 months

### ![Graphic][9] Setting:

9 Group Health Cooperative primary care clinics in western Washington, USA.

### ![Graphic][10] Patients:

329 ambulatory patients (mean age 58 y, 65% women) with diabetes mellitus and comorbid major depression or dysthymia. Exclusion criteria included care from a psychiatrist, confusion suggestive of dementia, or a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

### ![Graphic][11] Intervention:

a PCCI (n = 164) or usual care (UC) (n = 165). The PCCI was an individualised, stepped care depression treatment programme delivered by a depression clinical specialist nurse in collaboration with …

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The invention relates to a test arrangement for testing an intermediate carrier substrate, in particular a backplane with connectors (138, 140), the contact pins (142, 144) are at least partially surrounded by a sidewall, comprising: a converter means (126) having a plurality of spaced converter plates designed are to contain multiple converter pins and support and a rigid with an upper plate of the converter means (126) connected to the device (122) having a plurality of test probes (134, 136) which are disposed in through the apparatus extending holes, the test probes (134, 136) associated with the converter in electrical contact pins to implement test signals from the intermediate support substrate (132) disposed on one of the converter means (126) raster basis. It is preferable that when connected to the top plate of the arrangement converter device is a large-scale probe plate (122) having a plurality of spring probes, or around a guide block assembly.


The search for a perspective which avoids looking at history as mere succession, and which makes it intelligible, is today the heart of the studies of philosophers and theologians. Up to now Protestant authors have been the principal contributors to this effort. The works of Oscar Cullman (Christus und die Zeit, 1946.) and F. C. Rust (The Christian Understanding of History, 1947.) have been especially remarkable in this regard. The most important Catholic work has been achieved by Christopher Dawson (Progress and Religion, 1929). Now we may add the new book of Karl Thieme. It is not a synthesis, but, in its dealing with diverse problems, numerous aspects of the Christian conception of history are envisaged which make this book, even where it seems questionable, an important contribution to this research.


The decision for isolated kidney transplant (KT) vs. combined liver–kidney transplant (CLKT) in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) with compensated cirrhosis remains controversial. We sought to determine outcomes of patients requiring listing for a liver transplant (LT) following either a cadaveric or living donor KT and compare these outcomes to similar patients receiving a CLKT.


Seasonal change of colors and ornamental value of some gardening trees in Xi'an were investigated. Total 110 garden trees species were listed in terms of period of green-colored, flowering periods, fruiting periods, color change periods of leaves, their values for watching and appreciations as well as their functions for gardening.


Abstract Three different amounts (i.e., selector coverages) of ristocetin A macrocyclic antibiotic have been covalently bonded to silica gel, packed in stainless steel columns, and evaluated as chiral stationary phases (CSPs) in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The three columns (i.e., CSPs) were examined and compared in the reversed-phase, polar-organic, and normal-phase modes. The retention behavior ( k ′), selectivity (α), resolution ( R S ), and number of theoretical plates ( N ) for all three columns are discussed and compared in each mobile phase mode. The coverage of the chiral selector had a profound effect on the chromatographic behavior of the more retained enantiomers. A special mobile phase composition (i.e., methanol plus very small amounts of acid and base modifiers) resulted in improved baseline separations, without greatly affecting the analysis times, for all chiral analytes evaluated. The column stabilities were excellent when switching between different mobile phase modes.


We report the results of a study of concurrent, periodic variations in riometer and magnetometer signals in the ULF frequency band. We have found that the riometer signals show azimuthal phase variations consistent with the phase variations observed in the magnetometer signals. Prenoon pulsations show apparent phase motion toward the dawn terminator, while post-noon pulsations show apparent phase motion toward the dusk terminator. The apparent phase motion of the riometer pulses toward dawn in the morning sector is in opposition to the direction of electron drift, indicating modulation of electron precipitation by the ULF magnetic perturbations. In addition, we find the magnitude of the riometer absorption pulsations are linearly correlated with the magnitude of the background riometer absorption level with δA = (0.22±0.04)A when measured in decibels from the quiet day level. This fact indicates modulation of the loss rate of an electron plasma which is at or near the stable trapping limit. These two observations, when combined with other information on variations in electron precipitation, imply that the variations in electron precipitation are controlled by the ULF magnetic perturbations through a ULF-VLF-electron interaction.


Background: Depression incidence is higher in diabetic patients when compared to the non-diabetic individuals and there exist a two-directional relationship between depression and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the frequency of depression and the effect of antidepressant on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.
Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with a sample size of 100. These patients were diagnosed with depression using WHO-ICD10 criteria. All study patients had uncontrolled blood glucose levels and were on an optimized maximal dose of combination oral hypoglycemic agents with stable glycoregulation (HbA1c 8.4 ±0.5) were taken up for the intervention with antidepressant. These patients were started on with antidepressant after enrollment and followed up for fasting blood sugar (FBS), post-prandial blood sugar (PPBS), and HbA1c at the end of 3 months and 6 months. And also Hamilton depression rating scale scores were estimated at the beginning of the study and at the end of 6 months.
Results: The frequency of depression among the type 2 diabetes mellitus patients was found to be 42%. There were reduction of mean FBS levels from baseline value of 177 mg/dl to follow-up value of 160 mg/dl (p<0.001), mean PPBS levels from 251.16 mg/dl to 217.84 mg/dl (p<0.001), and mean HbA1c dropped from 8.41 to 7.57 (p<0.001) after the treatment with antidepressant.
Conclusion: Our study concluded that patient started on antidepressant showed a reduction in the blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels from their baseline values, which was clinically and statistically significant.


Here we present a refractometer for liquids based on a sinusoidal relief grating immersed in a small cuvette. He – Ne light is sent to the cuvette + grating device where it is diffracted. Zero, +1 and -1 orders appear. It is possible to calibrate the device by measuring +1 order intensity, when different liquids with known refractive index are poured in the cuvette. A theoretical study has been developed that supports the experimental results.


To reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and maintain the sustainable development of mankind,it analyzed the characteristic and the development trend of food packaging design in low-carbon environment.According to the system design point of view,it discussed that the food packaging design existed some problems on non universal and comprehensive.Through the combinatory analysis on the life cycle,the hierarchical structure and category of the food packaging,it analyzed and induced the key of packing design.Thus it proposed food packaging design for the optimization model and optimization process.


Laparoscopic and robotic techniques change the view of groin anatomy from inside to outside. The amplification view of laparoscopy extends surgeons′ visual field, with clear and precise anatomy, less bleeding and certain outcome. Robotic flexible joints increase angle of suture to abdominal wall. In this background, hernia surgeons pay close attention to closure of abdominal wall defect, choice and fix of mesh as well as status of robotic technique in hernia filed.

Key words:
Hernia; Defect suture; Mesh; Lapa-roscopy; Robotic technique


The non-invasive, cost-effective malaria tests that minimize the need for blood collection are the need of time. The diagnosis of malaria in biological fluids other than blood would be a valuable approach in case management and epidemiological studies of malaria. Many rapid diagnostic kits are available in the market but till now there is no kit for diagnosing malaria from urine and saliva samples. Keeping these lacunae, this study has given a light to the new non invasive approach for malaria diagnosis for the first time.


Background: Skin temperature is well known to increase after spinal anesthesia due to sympathetic blockade and vasodilation. The purpose of this study is to find the changes of skin temperature in lower extremities during spinal and general anesthesia. Methods: Patients were divided into three groups: SA (spinal anesthesia), GA (general anesthesia) and control (N) group. Skin temperature was recorded in the ventral aspect of mid thigh before induction and 5, 15, 30 min after induction. Results: In all groups, skin temperature increased after 5, 15, 30 min significantly. And temperature gradients between before induction and after 30 minutes did not differ significantly in the three groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The changes of skin temperature in the lower extremities are similar with spinal anesthesia and general anesthesia. (Anesth Pain Med 2008; 3: 241 ∼ 244)


Heterogeneous small cell network is one of the most effective solutions to overcome spectrum scarcity for the next generation of mobile networks. Dual connectivity (DC) can improve the throughput for each individual user by allowing concurrent access to two heterogeneous radio networks. In this paper, we propose a joint user association and fair scheduling algorithm (JUAFS) to deal with the resource allocation and load balancing issues for DC heterogeneous small cell networks. Considering different coverage sizes, numbers of users, and quality of experience characteristics of heterogeneous cells, we present a proportional fair scheduling for user association among cells and utilize interference graph to minimize the transmission conflict probability. Simulation results show the performance improvement of the proposed algorithm in spectrum efficiency and fairness comparing to the existing schemes.


* Presented to the American Mathematical Society, FebruaWy, 1947. 1 The curves defined by setting a harmonic polynomial equal to zero were studied by Briot and Bouquet, Bocher, and Kasner. See Briot and Bouquet, Theorie des fonctions elliptiques, Book IV, Chapter II, p. 226 (1875). Kasner, "On the Algebraic Potential Curves," Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 7,392-399 (1901). Also "'Some Properties of Potential Surfaces," Ibid., 8, 243-248 (1902). 2 The curves obtained by setting any polynomial +(x, y) of this class equal to zero, are being studied by the authors. See Kasner and De Cicco, "Rational Functions of a Complex Variable and Related Algebraic Potential Curves," these PROCEEDINGS, 32, 280-282 (1946). See abstracts in Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 1946-1947.


Abstract 2524 Background: Gene amplifications are usually defined as the presence of more than 6 copies of a gene per cell. These supernumerary copies are located either extrachromosomally in double minutes (small acentric chromosome structures) or intrachromosomally in homogeneously staining regions. Such gene amplifications are rare but recurrent phenomenons in AML and MDS. So far, only small case studies have been reported. Aims: 1) to determine the frequency of gene amplifications in a large AML and MDS cohort, 2) to characterize the amplified regions and accompanying abnormalities, 3) to analyze the impact of specific amplifications on outcome. Patients and Methods: Out of 4,248 AML and 3,689 MDS studied by chromosome banding analysis (CBA) we identified 105 AML patients (2.5%) with gene amplifications (80/3,478 (2.3%) de novo AML, 7/478 (1.5%) s-AML, 18/292 (6.2%) t-AML) and 46 (1.2%) MDS. All cases with gene amplification were studied by 24-color FISH in addition to CBA in order to characterize the amplified regions and the accompanying abnormalities in detail. Further, interphase (IP)-FISH was performed with probes for TP73, HOXD cluster, EVI1, CMYC, JAK2, NUP214, MLL, ZNF4, GLTSCR1, ERG, RUNX1, BCR and CLRF, if 24-color FISH suggested amplification of these genes. In a subcohort of 12 patients genomic arrays (Human CGH Whole-Genome Array, NimbleGen, Madison, WI; Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0, Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) were performed to characterize the amplified region in more detail. Results: In 28/151 pts (18.5%) the amplification was located in double minutes and in the remaining 123 cases intrachromosomally (81.5%). The following regions were found to be amplified: 1p (n=1, containing TP73), 2q (n=1, containing HOXD cluster), 3q (n=1, containing EVI1), 7p (n=1), 8q (n=29, containing CMYC in 28/29 pts), 9p (n=2, containing JAK2), 9q (n=1, containing NUP214), 11q (n=81, containing MLL in 80/81 cases), 13q (n=2), chromosome 19 (n=10, containing ZNF4 in 5 cases and GLTSCR1 in 2 cases), 21q (n=19, containing ERG in 16 and RUNX1 in 6 cases), 22q (n=2, containing BCR) and Xp (n=1, containing CLRF). In median, 8 accompanying chromosomal aberrations per cases were observed (range 0–21). 124/151 (82.1%) cases had a complex aberrant karyotype, defined as 4 or more abnormalities. However, in 2 cases the double minutes were the sole abnormalities. Gene amplifications were not observed in patients with disease defining aberration like t(8;21), inv(16), t(15;17) or those carrying NPM1 or CEPBA mutations (mutation status available in 89 and 37 patients, respectively). However, 2 cases with t(6;11)(q27;q23)/MLL-AF6 harbored an amplification of CMYC. In 88 cases the copy number status of TP53 was determined by IP-FISH. A TP53 deletion was detected in 49 (55.7%) pts. Interestingly, 14/16 (87.5%) cases with double minutes compared to 35/72 (48.6%) patients with intrachromosomal gene amplifications showed a TP53 deletion (p=0.004). Only 3 chromosomal regions were amplified in double minutes: 8q24/CMYC (n=14), 11q23/MLL (n=12) and 13q (n=2). In 6 cases with 8q amplification, 2 cases with 11q amplification and 4 cases with 21q amplification genomic arrays were performed. While the amplified region was quite homogeneous in cases with 8q amplification and contained in all cases the CMYC gene, amplified regions on 11q and 21q were heterogeneous and amplified regions were interspersed with regions of deletions. Interestingly, MLL and CBL were amplified in all analyzed cases with 11q23 amplification. In all analyzed cases with 21q22 amplification ERG was located within the amplified region while RUNX1 was amplified in 3/4 cases and deleted in the remaining case. In AML, overall survival was short in cases with gene amplification (median OS 11.3 months) and was particularly short in cases accompanied by complex karyotype (6.3 mo vs 18.6 mo in cases with non-complex karyotype, p=0.049). Conclusions: 1) MLL is the most frequently amplified gene in AML and MDS. 2) Gene amplifications occur predominantly in complex aberrant karyotypes. 3) Prognosis is poor in this subset of cases, and even more dismal if these amplifications are accompanied by complex karyotype. 4) The association of gene amplifications, complex karyotypes and TP53 deletions suggests that the unfavorable prognosis is due to chromosome instability facilitating the occurrence of additional genetic aberrations triggering resistance to chemotherapy. Disclosures: Haferlach:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Grossmann:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Zenger:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Kohlmann:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Kern:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Schnittger:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Haferlach:MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership.


rise to local concentrations of them. Or is the increased liability the result of the action of a limited number of these factors ? And if so, which of the factors concerned with the development of chronic bronchitis, in addition to smoking, is also concerned in the causation of bronchial cancer ? Is the effect of any such factor or factors simply additive to that of smoking or are the combined factors synergic, specifically reinforcing each other ? Air pollution, genetic predisposition, social environmental factors, and, especially in the later disabling stages, infection are all thought to be important in the pathogenesis of chronic bronchitis. Of these, air pollution certainly must be considered a probable factor in the causation of lung cancer, though far less potent than cigarette smoking; and since carcinogens are present in small concentrations in polluted air the effects of air pollution and of smoking could be synergic. This possibility received some support from the observation that emigrants from the United Kingdom to South Africa and to New Zealand seem to carry with them a higher liability to lung cancer in relation to the amount they smoke than native-born inhabitants of similar European stock. If the factor of infection is concerned in the genesis of lung cancer, it could be by the production of scars, in the vicinity of which it has been claimed that cancer is especially liable to develop' 9; this effect would presumably be simply additive to that of smoking. Many other questions requiring investigation arise from the suggestion that smokers who cough are more liable to develop lung cancer than those who do not. The evidence supporting it is not yet conclusive, though strong. The point is of such importance that it should be decided beyond doubt by further investigation. Meanwhile work confirming the conclusion that cigarette-smoking stands in causal relation to lung cancer and elucidating further aspects of this relation continues. Dr. Eileen Crofton and Professor John Crofton report at page 1161 of the Journal this week that they have made a cohort analysis of male:female ratios of death rates. Their findings are in accord with the view that smoking is an important factor in determining death from lung cancer, from chronic bronchitis, and from respiratory tuberculosis, and suggest that smoking has been exerting its harmful effects longer in England and Wales than in Scotland. Mr. J. Dark and his colleagues, of Manchester, provide evidence (page 1164) that the relighting of cigarettes increases the hazard entailed by the smoking of them. Dr. E. Posner and his colleagues (page 1156) suggest that orthodox routine mass radiography cannot significantly improve the finding of cases with favourable prognosis, though they emphasize the part that general practitioners might play in an organized scheme for serial x-ray examination of men in the critical age groups. It is clear that the problem of lung cancer is to be solved by prevention rather than by expensive attempts to improve the dismal prognosis. A " last-ditch " hypothesis advanced by those unwilling to accept the evidence that cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer is that smokers belong to a special genetic group, and that this group is also predisposed to develop lung cancer. Dr. I. T. T. Higgins and his colleagues, of Cardiff, report, however, that they found no relation between smoking habits and blood group or secretor status (page 1167). Lung cancer now causes nearly a quarter of all deaths from cancer in England and Wales. It is ironic and tragic that, while immense amounts of expensive scientific and technical effort are devoted to research in cancer, it seems impossible to make practical use of the results of some relatively cheap and simple research which have pointed clearly to a way in which a high proportion of this quarter of the total deaths from cancer could be prevented.


1. Saaddine, J. B. et al. Projection of diabetic retinopathy and other major eye diseases among people with diabetes mellitus: United States, 2005-2050. Arch. Ophthalmol. 126, 1740–1747 (2008). 2. Zheng, Y., He, M. & Congdon, N. The worldwide epidemic of diabetic retinopathy. Indian J. Ophthalmol. 60, 428–431 (2012). 3. Yau, J. W. et al. Global prevalence and major risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Care DC_111909 (2012). 4. Adler, A. I. et al. Association of systolic blood pressure with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 36): prospective observational study. Bmj 321, 412–419 (2000). 5. Cardoso, C. R. L., Leite, N. C., Dib, E. & Salles, G. F. Predictors of Development and Progression of Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Importance of Blood Pressure Parameters. Sci. Rep. 7, (2017). 6. Klein, R., Klein, B. E., Moss, S. E., Davis, M. D. & DeMets, D. L. Is blood pressure a predictor of the incidence or progression of diabetic retinopathy? Arch. Intern. Med. 149, 2427–2432 (1989). 7. Long, M., Wang, C. & Liu, D. Glycated hemoglobin A1C and vitamin D and their association with diabetic retinopathy severity. Nutr. Diabetes 7, e281 (2017). 8. Intensive Diabetes Treatment and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 1 Diabetes: The DCCT/EDIC Study 30Year Follow-up. Diabetes Care 39, 686–693 (2016). 9. Holman, R. R., Paul, S. K., Bethel, M. A., Matthews, D. R. & Neil, H. A. W. 10-year follow-up of intensive glucose control in type 2 diabetes. N. Engl. J. Med. 359, 1577–1589 (2008). 10. Holman, R. R., Paul, S. K., Bethel, M. A., Neil, H. A. W. & Matthews, D. R. Long-term follow-up after tight control of blood pressure in type 2 diabetes. N. Engl. J. Med. 359, 1565–1576 (2008). Methods References Results Conclusions