1067Background: ASCO/CAP recommends 1% as the cutoff value for ER positivity. However, several studies show that tumors with 1% ≤ ER < 10% behave similarly to those with ER < 1%. Whether ER expression will impact the pCR rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in HER2- primary breast cancer is unknown. Our primary objective was to determine whether the quantitative ER value is predictive of pCR rate for newly diagnosed HER2- early stage breast cancer treated with NAC. The secondary objectives were to identify the optimal cutoff of ER to stratify patients who are less likely to achieve pCR and to test this cutoff in terms long-term benefits of hormonal therapy. Methods: A total of 3237 patients with early stage HER2- breast cancer were included in analysis. Logistic regression models were used to determine the association between each variable and pCR. Kaplan-Meier curves along with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard models were used for survival analysis. Martingale residual plots, recursive part...


A novel technique for image encryption is established based on a two-dimensional generalization of a one-dimensional fractional Hartley transform that has been redefined in recent times in exploration of its inverse transform. The author encrypts the image by two fractional orders and random phase codes and substitution box transformation. Computer simulations are also presented to verify the possibility of the proposed scheme.


PURPOSE
To investigate the appropriateness of Gaussian detector response function in SRS profile measurement.

METHODS
In-air profile data for a 6MV beam were collected by using ionization chambers and radiochromic film. Two ionization chambers (FC65-G(IBA) and PinPoint(PTWTW31009)) were used to scan the beam profile. Film was used to measure the beam penumbra. A half-blocked beam was acquired with stepping size of 0.2mm and gradient of the measured profile represents the detector response function. The field widths of 2cm and 3cm were measured at SAD. Two detector response functions were evaluated, i.e. a traditional single Gaussian and a three-Gaussian symmetric function. Two corresponding models were used to fit measured data. One was error functions with one shaping parameter. The other model was a symmetrical superposition of three sets of error functions with fixed separation and two different shaping parameters. In both fitting, resultant Gaussian kernels and corresponding σs could be calculated analytically. SNR of the fitted curves were obtained and compared.

RESULTS
Our measured data indicated that the ionization chambers had a three-peak response function. From the first modeling, SNR for FC65-G were 36.0dB and 38.3dB for 2cm and 3cm field respectively. The corresponding SNR for the PinPoint were 43.6dB and 42.5dB. From the second modeling, SNR for FC65-G were 42.5dB and 47.4dB for 2cm and 3cm field respectively. The corresponding SNR for the PinPoint were 44.0dB and 44.5 dB. Three-gaussian model had an observable improvement for FC65-G chamber. Film measured penumbra was 3-5 times smaller than that of ionization-chambers.

CONCLUSION
Superposition of three Gaussian kernels resembles the detector response due to central electrode and chamber wall and results in a better fitting to the measurement data than a single Gaussian kernel. Our study indicated that the Three-Gaussian model was more suitable for the detector with sigma comparable to penumbra width.


Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a promising alternative for the development of new antibiotics that could potentially counteract the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the AMP structure–function relationships remain unclear and detailed studies are still necessary. The positively charged amino acid residues (Arg and Lys) play a crucial role in the activity of most AMPs due to the promotion of electrostatic interactions between the peptides and bacterial membranes. In this work we have analyzed the antimicrobial and structural properties of several Trp-rich AMPs containing exclusively either Arg or Lys as the positively charged residues. Their antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action were investigated, showing that Lys residues give rise to a reduced antimicrobial potency for most peptides, which was correlated, in turn, with a decrease in their ability to permeabilize the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli. Additionally, the presence of Arg and Lys renders the peptides susceptible to degradation by proteases, such as trypsin, limiting their therapeutic use. Therefore, modifications of the side chain length of Arg and Lys were investigated in an attempt to improve the protease resistance of AMPs. This approach resulted in enhanced stability to trypsin digestion, and in several cases, shorter sidechains conserved or even improved the antimicrobial activity. All together, these results suggest that Arg-to-Lys substitutions, coupled with side chain length modifications, can be extremely useful for improving the activity and stability of AMPs.


Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is a potentially serious clinical condition caused by maternal alloantibodies directed to human platelet antigens (HPA), inherited from the father and expressed on fetal/neonatal platelets. We report a case of an otherwise well, full term child, with a profound thrombocytopenia (33 x 109/L). There was no bleeding or obvious explanation for the low platelet count. Samples were sent for the investigation of NAIT.


In recent years, with an increasing number of requests, energy, power and temperature have been important keys in embedded systems, which decrease the lifetime of both CPUs and hard disks. The energy consumption is an important issue in computer systems, particularly real-time embedded systems. The frequency and the Revolutions Per Minute are major factors in the reduction of energy consumption in both processors and hard disk drives. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to present a scheduling mechanism for a real time periodic task that can save more energy. This mechanism is based on increasing, as much as possible, the execution time of the CPU and/or the Read/Write time of the hard disk without passing the task deadline. This will be done by dynamically changing the CPU frequency and/or the RPM of hard disk. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm manages to lower energy consumption by an average of 25% and to reduce the number of missed tasks by 80%.


(57) ABSTRACT Disclosed is an anion-exchange membrane which does not easily deteriorate even when used at high temperatures in a strong alkaline atmosphere. Also disclosed is a method for producing the anion-exchange membrane. The anion-ex change membrane is a microporous membrane which is com posed of a water-insoluble resin and an anion-exchange resin filling the pores of the microporous membrane. The anion exchange resin is composed of an anion-exchange resin wherein a quaternary ammonium salt group serving as an anion-exchange group is directly bonded to an aliphatic hydrocarbon chain, said anion-exchange resin being obtained by polymerizing and crosslinking a monomer composition which contains a crosslinking agent and a monomer compo nent including a diallyl ammonium salt.


Work Space on construction sites is a crucial resource as other resources depend on it. Work space planning for various construction activities is of utmost importance especially when safety and productivity at construction sites have to be enhanced. Work space planning involves identifying various types of spaces needed for different construction activities in four dimension (4D) i.e. three dimensions along with time. The generation of these work spaces leads to a spaceloaded production model. Work spaces know to which activities and construction methods they belong, when, where and for how long they exist and how much volume they occupy. Since a construction schedule consists of number of activities requiring variety of spaces, it is not always possible to specify the time space conflicts corresponding to various workspaces in four dimensions manually. In order to identify time space conflicts, potential loss-ofcontrol events for various construction activities. A GIS-based Methodology is developed and implemented for a case study building Keywords—GIS, WIA (Workspace Identification and Adjustment), SCF (Space Capacity Factor), MCWR (Minimum Comfortable Working Range), SDA (Space Demand for Activity), TSN (Total volume of conflicts between 3D execution Spaces of Activities)


Transition-metal carbides in bulk form have historically been of technological interest primarily due to their excellent mechanical and refractory properties. As electronic materials these ceramic compounds are also particularly intriguing in that their electrical resistivity is relatively low compared to other ceramics and shows metallic temperature-dependent behavior. Some compositions also have superconducting transitions temperatures above 10°K. However, the synthesis of such materials in the form of one-dimensional nanostructures, which may be of interest for various nanoelectronic applications, is relatively difficult due to their refractory nature (Tmelt⩾2000°C). Here we report the synthesis of well-defined Mo2C nanowires and ribbons using a two-step approach in which we catalytically grow metal oxide nanostructures followed by in situ carburization. The growth mechanisms, microstructure, and initial electrical property measurements are discussed.


Objective To observe the effect of humanistic nursing care in the emergency patients in nursing work. Methods Randomly selected 60 cases of emergency patients in our hospital, were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, in 30 cases. The control group was given conventional nursing, humanistic nursing implementation of the experimentalgroup on the basis of this, the two groups before and after nursing after SAS,SDS score and nursing satisfaction with the comparison. Results The two groups of care before the SAS, the SDS score had no significant difference(P0.05), nursing were significantly decreased(P0.05), while the experimental group decreased significantly than that of the control group(P0.05); the total satisfaction of nursing in the experimental group rate was 96.67%,significantly higher than the control group of 73.33%, there are statistically significant differences between groups(P0.05). Conclusion Emergency nursing workers in the application of humanistic nursing care can significantlyimprove the mental state of the patients, and improve nursing satisfaction of patients, the higher the value of clinical application.


Identifying Arabic errors among students is important for teaching staff, to determine the right lag in choosing the next learning strategy. The purpose of the study was to analyze the forms of Arabic errors at the syntactic level in writing insya' students in Arabic Language Education at IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo. This research is descriptive research with a type of qualitative research, which is to obtain an overview of syntactic errors on worksheets insya' by students. The results of the analysis found errors at the syntactic level which include: 1) errors in the use of the number of ismiyah, 2) errors in the number of fi'liyah, 3) errors in the use of na'tu and man'u>t, 4) errors in the arrangement of at}fu and ma't}u>f ilaih.


Polymeric nanofibers have appeared as unique one-dimensional nanomaterials. Nanofibers possess exceptionally high specific surface area and essential properties. Various polymeric nanofibers and nanocomposite nanofibers have been developed using thermoplastic and thermosetting matrices and organic and inorganic nanoparticles. This review documents the worth of nanofiber technology regarding the synthesis, morphology, physical properties, and applications of the nanostructures. The nanofiber surface morphology and diameter directly influence the physical characteristics such as electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and thermal stability. Fiber processing techniques and related parameters also affect their texture and properties. In this regard, electrospinning is frequently used to form polymeric nanofibers and nanocomposite nanofibers. Electrospun nanofibers having large surface area and excellent fiber orientation, alignment, and morphology. The polymer nanocomposites with different nanofillers (carbon nanotube, graphene, carbon nanofibers, and other nanoparticles) have been processed into high performance electrospun nanofibers. Electrospun nanomaterials have been applied in engineered structures, nanofibrous membranes, electronic devices, tissue engineering, drug delivery, antibacterial materials and other biomedical applications. Henceforth, this is a comprehensive review on physical characteristics, morphology, processing aspects, and application areas for polymeric and nanocomposite nanofibers.


This study evaluated surface water quality changes in Ben Tre province using multivariate statistical analyses. The water monitoring data were collected from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ben Tre province in 2020, which 13 water parameters have been measured, including pH, water temperature (T), salinity (Sal), turbidity (Turb), total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium (NH4+_N), nitrate (NO3-_N), orthophosphate (PO43-_P), iron (Fe) and coliform bacteria. Water quality was assessed using national technical regulations on surface water quality of QCVN 08-MT: 2015/BTNMT. Spatiotemporal variation of water quality was evaluated using cluster analysis (CA) while potential pollution sources and key water variables influencing water quality were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). The findings showed that the water parameters of turbidity, salinity, TSS, DO, BOD, COD, NH4+_N, PO43-_P, Fe and coliform exceeded the allowable limits of QCVN 08-MT:2015/BTNMT. The water parameters of BOD, COD, NO3-_N, PO43-_P in the rainy season tended to be higher than those in the dry season. Cluster analysis divided surface water quality into 7 clusters, thus reducing 8 sampling sites, and 2 monitoring times of frequency. Principal component analysis identified 13 potential pollution sources affecting surface water quality in the study area, in which, 76.10 % of the variation in surface water quality were contributed by PC1, PC2, PC3, PC4 and PC5. PCA results also showed that 13 observed water parameters significantly contribute to the variation in water quality. The current study results could be very useful in reducing sites and frequency of surface water quality monitoring in Ben Tre province.
HIGHLIGHTS

The water quality in the study area was polluted by suspended particulate matters, organics, nutrients, heavy metals and salinity. Thirteen potential water pollution sources have been identified by principal component ananlysis (PCA), in which, 76.1 % of surface water quality variations were explained by five key sources sources of PC1-PC5
The water quality parameters of BOD, COD, NO3-_N, PO43-_P in the rainy season tended to be higher than those in the dry season
Cluster analysis (CA) suggested the current surface water monitoring sites and frequency of the sampling could be reduced by 8 and 2, respectively, thus, saving the monitoring cost

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


The characteristics of two wood pulps used in autoclaved fibre cement composites with specific differences in fibre coarseness and aspect ratio were compared under varied mechanical treatments. A pilot refining study was conducted as a guide to establish effects and benefits of adjusting refining parameters to suit individual pulps according to their unique fibre morphology. A fine, SPF pulp characterised with a high fibre aspect ratio contained 60% more fibres per gram of pulp, was easier to refine and optimally treated with a low refining intensity of 1.0 W.s/m. A coarse radiata pulp with lower aspect ratio and fibre density was best treated using a higher refining intensity of 2.5 W.s/m. Optimum refined properties were achieved with the fine pulp delivering longer, stronger fibres with a 20% higher stiffness. Refining the fine pulp at a higher 2.5 W.s/m intensity provides an opportunity to reduce energy costs by up to 35%.


sarily prevent the subsequent formation of one or more Branches of the British Medical Association within the area of the new federation. The advocates of the federation proposals urged on the South African Committee at the Eighteenth Session of the South African Medical Congress, which was held in Johannesburgh from September 18 to 23, 1922, to take immediate steps to give effect to the result of the 1921 referendum by determining the existence of the Branches and by applying to the Council of. the British Medical Association for the privilege of federation and affiliation. Prior to the Congress the South African Committee had come to the conclusion that it would be necessary to ascertain from the members of the several Branches of the British Medical Association in South Ati-ica whether a majority was in favour of dissolution and the formation of a new society. The discussion at the business meeting of the Congress is published in the South African Medical Record of October 14, 1922. From this debate it is apparent that unanimity and unity do not exist at present. Many members appealed to the members of the Branches of the British Medical Association to purchase peace by agreeing to the new proposals. This appeal and the subsequent resolutions appear to be somewhat irregular. In the first place, the total number of members attending the Congress was considerably under three hundred. In the second place, the business meeting of the Congress was not a democratic meeting and consequently . the opinions expressed represent merely those of the majority of a chance conclave. In the third place the members of the Congress have dictated to the members of an independent body the course they should ·adopt. On the other hand, it seems that the South African Committee is prepared to adopt the instructions of the Congress and to act upon these instructions in its capacity as a recognized committee of the Branches. of the British Medical Association in South Africa. The resolutions are to the effect that a referendum is to be taken at once of the members of the Branches on the question whether or not a new association to be affiliated with the British Medical Association should be formed, that the South African Committee appoint a special committee to deal with the taking of the plebiscite and add to this committee one representative not a member of the British Medical Association from each province. Congress also pledged every member of the medical profession to accept the result of a further referendum of the whole profession, provided that not less than 66% of the registered medical practitioners in the South African Union record their votes. The position would become complicated if the referendum of the members of the British Medical Association were to result in a refusal to destroy the Branches and if the second referendum determined to form a new body t(} be affiliated with the British Medical Association. It is clear that unity is not to be attained in this way and that there is urgent need of the sound constitutional position of the British Medical Association to save the medical profession in the Union from disruption. The lesson to be drawn from this turmoil is that a strong organization based on tradition and sound principles can be relied on to secure unity, while revolutionary methods will inevitably fail. The Branches of the British Medical Association in Australia have shown the 'way. •


Humans and animals developed a sophisticated motor control apparatus and there is much evidence that it has a modular structure. The modularity offers a range of benefits, e.g. ability to learn dissociable motion styles without interference and forgetting, fast adaptation and de-adaptation to changes conditions. However in robotics, building a controller that can efficiently incrementally learn new motion styles and provide switching between them is a formidable challenge. In this paper we address the problem by proposing a novel biologically inspired compositional neuro-controller. We have shown that the compositional controller is able to reproduce a set of trajectories more efficiently comparing to a simple controller, exploiting incremental learning benefits. Second, we have demonstrated that the proposed controller is able to learn different locomotion styles and switch between them in a simulated robot-snake.


The size and quality of the activity as well as the usage mode of the economic resources by the economic agents is materialized in a set of economic and financial results which define the company's efficiency. It constitutes the main principle of efficiency and prosperity of any company and on global scale, the commerce integration condition in the requirements of a modern economy. The market through the demand mechanism needs products in the quantity, structure and quality desired, deviations from these issues showing a mismatch between demand and offer with immediate repercussions in realizing economic interests, both of the producers of maximizing the profit, as well as of the consumer of maximizing its satisfaction. The analysis of the production structure starts from the share of each assortment or product in total production seen as the realized activity of the company in order to transform the available resources corresponding to their objectives, following the creation of goods and services designed to be consumed, with the view of satisfying different categories of need. Starting from the request of maximizing the outputs of the company system which has in the upstream the inputs of the production factors, we encounter the issue of that their use should be done in a quantitative and structural-qualitative combination which ensures such a demand. We mention that the maximization of outputs, mainly of the profit, must not contradict the parameters of the sustainable development.


The biometric system is an automatic identification and authentication system that uses unique biological traits, such as fingerprint, face, iris, voice, retina, etc. of an individual. Of all these systems, fingerprint biometric system is the most widely used because of its low cost, high matching speed, and relatively high matching accuracy. Due to the high efficiency of fingerprint biometric system in verifying a legitimate user, numerous government and private organizations are using this system for security purpose. This paper provides an overview of the fingerprint biometric system and gives details about various current security aspects related to the system. The security concerns that we address include multiple attacks on the system, associated threat models, biometric cryptosystems, current issues, challenges, opportunities, and open problems that exist in present day fingerprint biometric systems


ABSTRACT In the distant-water fishing industry, the catching of fish is extremely unpredictable, which leads to great uncertainties regarding timely amounts of fish in port cold storage. Therefore, research dedicated to capacity optimization of port cold storage is conducted under the scenario of distant-water fishery yield uncertainties. A two-stage stochastic programming model is established to optimize the cold storage capacity allocation considering pelagic fishery yield uncertainties. The first-stage decisions of the proposed model are related to the determination of port cold storage capacity, and the second-stage decisions are related to the daily amount of total catch in cold storage. First-stage decisions are made using the expected value of the penalty function, the objective of which is to minimize the cost due to the unsatisfied constraint condition. A case study in northern China is then presented to investigate the specific influence of uncertainties on the port cold storage capacity allocation.


In the VLSI macro-cell placement problem routing areas are typically included within the perimeter of the cells. We present a genetic solver for the placement problem where the routing area is considered separately from the cell area. This allows us to explicitly account for power dissipation. We demonstrate efficient placements in short cpu times.


The automatic detection of abnormal elements in chest Xrays (CXR), such as pneumothorax, is important and challenging problem. Screening for unexpected findings or any surveys in the complicated conditions are the common scenarios for the radiologists in their clinical workflow, where the automated solutions are required. The pneumothorax can be caused by a blunt chest injury, damage from underlying lung disease or it may occur for no obvious reason at all [1]. This is one of the complex problems for the experts manual detection, which can be solved automatically and simplify the clinical workflow. Proposed method presents new segmentation pipeline for the CXR images with the multi step conditi oned post-processing. This approach leads to the significant improvement compare with any "baseline" by the reduction of the totally missed and false positive detections of the pneumothorax collapse regions. Obtained results demonstrate very high accuracy and strong robustness due to very similar performance on the double-stage test dataset. Final Dice scores are 0.8821 and 0.8614 for "stage 1" and "stage 2" test datasets respectively, what is resulted in top 0.01% standing of the private leaderboard on the Kaggle competition platform. Code is available at https://github.com/n01z3/kaggle-pneumothoraxsegmentation.


Abstract The fault detection and isolation problem is studied for a class of nonlinear systems. Under structural conditions, a bank of High-Order Sliding-Mode observers is proposed. The value of the equivalent output injection is used for detecting and isolating particular faults in the system. The proposed method provides finite-time isolation of actuator and plant faults. Simulation results support the proposed approach.


Objective To object therapeutic effect and Security of applying Naoxintong Capsule and aspirin to secondary prevention of ischemic cerebral stroke.Methods 90 patients with ischemic cerebral stroke were randomly divided into the Naoxintong Capsule group(n=45) and the aspirin group(n=45).Patients in Naoxintong Capsule group received Naoxintong Capsule once 2 grain,three times a day.Pationts in aspirin group received aspirin enteric-coated tablets once 75mg,one time a day.Two group patients were followed up one year,and recurrences rate of ischemic cerebral stroke and The adverse drug reaction rates in two group patients were compared.Results Recurrences rate of ischemic cerebral stroke and The adverse drug reaction rates are low in Naoxintong Capsule group than aspirin group.Conclusion Therapeutic effect and Security of Naoxintong Capsule in secondary prevention of ischemic cerebral stroke is better than aspirin,which is worth spreading and applying.


This study was designed to develop a rapid, sensitive, accurate, and inexpensive Fourier Transform Infrared Reflectance (FT-IR) Spectroscopy coupled with Principle Component Analysis (PCA) as a detection technique to evaluate the solubility of 11-Keto-β-Boswellic acid (KBA), from the gum resin extracted from the Omani frankincense, (Boswellia sacra) in the liver of STZ induced diabetic mice. This study also investigated the effect of KBA on the histological changes of hepatocytes of diabetic mice. Liver tissue samples from three groups of mice included normal control group, diabetic control group and diabetic group treated IP with KBA were scanned with FT-IR spectrophotometer in the reflection mode. FT-IR Spectra were collected in the wavenumber range from 400 to 4000cm-1 using ATR accessorry. The results of FT-IR Spectra were analyzed by using multivariate method Principle Component Analysis. The PCA score plot is an exploratory multivariate method indicated that there was a complete segregation among the three groups of liver samples based on change in variation of position of wavenumber in FT-IR spectra, which revealed that there is a clear effect of KBA solubility on treatments. The histological features showed an improvement in the liver tissues with normal structures of hepatocytes with exhibiting mild vacuolations in their cytoplasm. In conclusion, reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with PCA could be deployed as a new detection method for rapid, low cost and non-destructive method for evaluating of treatment effects in diseased liver tissue based on the solubility of KBA. Histological findings demonstrated the protective effective of KBA on improving the morphology of liver tissue in diabetic mice which resulted in complete recovery to the damage observed in diabetic control group. Summary Statement Reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with PCA has been deployed as a new rapid, inexpensive and non-destructive detection method to examine the solubility of 11-keto-β-Boswellic acid (KBA) in streptozotocin (STZ) induced-diabetes mice liver tissue following intraperitoneal treatment. Moreover, microscopic study of liver tissue histopathology revealed that KBA has a protecting effect against STZ damage.


Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 47(7) We do know that longer-term therapy carries opportunity costs; that is, time spent in this activity is not available for others. 3. Concerns about potential loss of autonomy. Harari (2013) worries that Zoe will ultimately become powerless if the whole range of her psychodynamic issues is not addressed. But prolonging patient status undermines autonomy, and defining her as somebody who needs therapy might exacerbate her sense of powerlessness. 4. Recognition of a point of diminishing returns in pursuing detailed explanations. Some of the therapist's ideas may be better left unsaid. There is no doubt that anger and aggression played a part in Zoe's overdose, but little may be gained from saying so, when issues of sadness and loss seemed more relevant to her predicament. Sometimes the family is not yet amenable to reflecting on the particular issue. Sometimes there is no explanation at all (some things are just bad luck) or no explanation that is accessible to patient or therapist. Not knowing is preferable to glib unexplanations (Jureidini, 2012), and watchful tolerance of uncertainty may be better than 'irritable reaching after fact and reason' (Keats, 1899).


Even with the establishment of Eurocode 7 in the European Union and its accompanying national application documents and standards for geotechnical investigation and testing there are still outstanding problems with the various national practices of pile design. This paper presents a revised interpretation of the prediction exercise for pile bearing capacity and settlement originally presented at ISP5 in August 2005. The field tests with the Menard pressuremeter, the static cone penetrometer, and the SPT performed at the site, the answers to the exercise and a detailed investigation of the practice are discussed. The results are compared to the predictions of other national codes and of customarily used design methods and to the results from an instrumented CFA drilled shaft tested on the site. ABSTRACT : Even with the establishment of Eurocode 7 in the European Union and its accompanying national application documents and standards for geotechnical investigation and testing there are still outstanding problems with the various national practices of pile design. This paper presents a revised interpretation of the prediction exercise for pile bearing capacity and settlement originally presented at ISP5 in August 2005. The field tests with the Menard pressuremeter, the static cone penetrometer, and the SPT performed at the site, the answers to the exercise and a detailed investigation of the practice are discussed. The results are compared to the predictions of other national codes and of customarily used design methods and to the results from an instrumented CFA drilled shaft tested on the site.


The performance simulation of aluminum micro-channel condenser for air-conditioners has been conducted with variation of refrigerant flow pass structures and flow depths of heat exchanger. Effectiveness NTU method for cross flow heat exchanger was used for calculating heat transfer rate. The heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop for two phase flow inside micro channel tube were calculated by the Shah and the Friedel correlations respectively. The heat transfer coefficients for Louver fin were measured experimentally. The performance of condensers depended on the structures of refrigerant flow passages.


Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) are clonal diseases that affect hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells within the erythroid, megakaryocytic, and granulocytic lineages. Blood cells from patients with MDS exhibit an excess rate of blast divisions, a high rate of dysplasia, and increased apoptosis. Patients with MPDs exhibit predominant proliferation of one cell lineage within the marrow. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a new classification system for malignant hematologic conditions that includes a hybrid category referred to as MDS/MPD that takes into consideration dysplastic and proliferative characteristics. The new MDS/MPD category includes three clonal MPDs: atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). The prognosis for patients with clonal MPDs varies depending on severity but is usually considerably shorter than for patients with CML because these diseases are refractory to treatment. These hematologic disorders can be associated with chromosomal translocations that involve genes encoding protein kinases. Constitutive kinase activity of the resulting fusion protein is the underling mechanism of oncogenesis. Examples in which fusion protein kinase activity is sensitive to imatinib provide the rationale for targeted therapy with the drug. Treatment with imatinib of patients with clonal MPDs carrying ABL, platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα), or PDGFRβ fusion kinases has resulted in significant hematologic and cytogenetic remissions. Therefore, diagnosis of clonal MPDs should include cytogenetic and molecular screening for therapeutically relevant chromosomal rearrangements involving imatinib-sensitive targets.


The magnetic-induction and current-density distribution in the nonmagnetic coaxial shells of high-frequency ac cable is considered. Using the formulas obtained, it is relatively simple to calculate the harmonic electromagnetic processes in long nonmagnetic cylindrical and plane conducting shells, as well as the ohmic losses and the screening coefficient.


Though sunlight is by far the most abundant renewable energy source available to humanity, its dilute and variable nature has kept efficient ways to collect, store, and distribute this energy tantalisingly out of reach. Turning the incoherent energy supply of sunlight into a coherent laser beam would overcome several practical limitations inherent in using sunlight as a source of clean energy: laser beams travel nearly losslessly over large distances, and they are effective at driving chemical reactions which convert sunlight into chemical energy. Here we propose a bio-inspired blueprint for a novel type of laser with the aim of upgrading unconcentrated natural sunlight into a coherent laser beam. Our proposed design constitutes an improvement of several orders of magnitude over existing comparable technologies: state-of-the-art solar pumped lasers operate above 1000 suns (corresponding to 1000 times the natural sunlight power). In order to achieve lasing with the extremely dilute power provided by sunlight, we here propose a laser medium comprised of molecular aggregates inspired by the architecture of photosynthetic complexes. Such complexes, by exploiting a highly symmetric arrangement of molecules organized in a hierarchy of energy scales, exhibit a very large internal efficiency in harvesting photons from a power source as dilute as natural sunlight. Specifically, we consider substituting the reaction center of photosynthetic complexes in purple bacteria with a suitably engineered molecular dimer composed of two strongly coupled chromophores. We show that if pumped by the surrounding photosynthetic complex, which efficiently collects and concentrates solar energy, the core dimer structure can reach population inversion, and reach the lasing threshold under natural sunlight. The design principles proposed here will also pave the way for developing other bio-inspired quantum devices.


In the last 20 years we have witnessed an enormous change in all aspects of the mechanism of health care delivery including chronic disease management. In many countries, this has focused on both a transfer of responsibility from secondary care specialists to general practitioners (GPs), as well as the increasing role of appropriately trained and qualified primary and secondary care nurses. The management of chronic respiratory diseases – in reality, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – fits this model well. Due to the high prevalence of asthma and COPD and (in most cases) the lack of requirement for specialist tests or invasive interventions, patients with these conditions can, and often must, be managed in primary care. In the UK, credit for facilitating this transfer of management from secondary to primary care can be shared by visionary drivers in the General Practitioners in Asthma Group (now the Primary Care Respiratory Society UK, PCRS-UK), the National Asthma Training Centre (now Education for Health), and the support of some wise, thoughtful and nonthreatened secondary care opinion leaders. In this issue of the Journal, Kuethe et al. develop the evidence base for alternative models of health care delivery for the management of chronic asthma in children by clinicians of different crafts – paediatrician, GP or (hospital-based) specialist nurse. The rather technical primary endpoint, airway hyper-responsiveness as measured by methacholine challenge, demonstrated non-inferiority between the groups. A number of secondary outcome measures more appropriate to routine care showed a similar result. The headline outcome was a substantial and significant reduction in the planned reviews in the GP-led arm of the study, which may have some health economic implications. So what does this study tell us? This was a randomised study in children with asthma age 6 to 16 years, but there were important inclusion and exclusion criteria. Firstly, selection of a patient for inclusion was based on "a doctor's diagnosis of asthma". Secondly, children with severe asthma – on high dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) plus long acting β2-agonist (LABA) or montelukast – were excluded. Finally, the asthma nurse "worked strictly according to guidelines". Although "in most cases the asthma nurse was able to provide care without consultation with the paediatrician", a small but important number of patients (8%) in this cohort were deemed to require additional specialist support. A shortage of published clinical studies comparing different models of chronic care in asthma management hampers evidence-based guideline writers in publishing recommendations. This is understandable; identifying useful outcome measures is problematic since these could range from hard, traditional endpoints such as exacerbation rates, to softer patient-related evaluations such as convenience of appointments or staff empathy. Delivery of asthma care is a complex intervention and therefore the importance of individual components of a package of care can be difficult to interpret. Advice on the structures and processes of a system-wide approach to asthma management are available, however. In Scotland, clinical standards for asthma services for children and young people were published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland in 2007. These standards, mandatory in Scotland, call inter alia for systems to identify and manage high risk children and young people with asthma, such as those with frequent visits to emergency centres or out-of-hours contacts, or those who are prescribed or appear to require above-licensed doses of ICS. This *John Haughney a Senior Lecturer, Centre of Academic Primary Care, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK b Former President, International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG)


Based on the restrictions of the stratigraphic characteristics of Chengdao oilfield and sea conditions,according to the PI decision theory,water plugging and profile adjusting was implemented in four wells using phonemic resin as gel type plugging agents,and polymer solution of high viscosity as displacing fluid.Through analysis of water-plugging and profile-adjusting effects,and summarizing the existing problems and the measures of the next step,a helpful research on stabilizing oil output and controlling water content was proceeded,which has practical significance for water shut-off and profile control in other offshore oilfield.


A modification of the usual apparatus for photoelastic measurements is described in which the large convex lenses on both sides of the specimen are replaced by concave mirrors. The advantages lie in the absence of chromatic aberrations (isochromatic method) and inhomogeneities due to local anisotropies in the lenses; furthermore the price of the apparatus is cut to a fraction. The aberrations of the mirrors—astigmatism and coma—can be made negligible by the symmetrical arrangement of the optical paths and by proper choice of the optical ratio.


Anthropogenically altered media are characterized by complex pollution, which contains a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants, including halogen compounds. The influence of halides on transformed ecosystems, in particular, on their sulfidogenic and photosynthetic microbiota and its properties, remains insufficiently studied. The influence of sodium fluoride and potassium bromide at concentrations that are equal and 0.5–4.0 times differed from the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) (MPC of fluorides and bromides are 0.0789 and 0.0025 mM, respectively) on the reduction of sulfate ions or sulfur (3.47 mM) by sulfidogenic bacteria of Desulfovibrio and Desulfuromonas genera, as well as on the use of thiosulfate or nitrite ions (4.167 mM) as electron donors of anoxygenic photosynthesis by phototrophic purple and green sulfur bacteria of Thiocapsa, Lamprocystis and Chlorobium genera, isolated from the Yavorivske Lake, was investigated. The biomass of bacteria was determined by the turbidimetric method, the content of H2S, SO42-, NО2ˉ and NО3ˉ in the cultural liquid – by the spectrophotometric method, the concentration of S2O32- – by the titrometric method. The intracellular glucose and glycogen content was determined enzymatically in cell-free extracts, using the analytical kit "Diagluc-2". It was found that sodium fluoride and potassium bromide at concentrations 3.0–4.0 times higher than the MPC repress the biomass accumulation by bacteria Desulfovibrio sp. in the medium with sulfates 2.7−5.8 and 2.1−4.2 times, respectively, and inhibit the hydrogen sulfide production by them 1.8−3.4 and 2.0−3.2 times, respectively. NaF and KBr at concentrations that are equal and 2.0–4.0 times higher than the MPC repress the biomass accumulation by bacteria Desulfuromonas sp. in the medium with sulfur 2.2–6.9 and 2.1–5.6 times, respectively, and at concentrations 3.0–4.0 times higher than the MPC inhibit the hydrogen sulfide production by bacteria 1.9−3.7 and 2.0−2.7 times, respectively. Sodium fluoride and potassium bromide at concentration that 4.0 times exceeded the MPC inhibit the biomass accumulation by bacteria of Thiocapsa, Lamprocystis and Chlorobium genera in the medium with thiosulfates 2.0–2.3 and 1.7–2.0 times, respectively, reduce thiosulfate ions oxidation by them by 31.9–38.5 and 27.1–33.7%, respectively, compared to the control, but stimulate glycogen synthesis by cells of green sulfur bacteria by 106.7 and 64.0%, respectively. NaF and KBr at concentration 4.0 times higher than the MPC inhibit the biomass accumulation by phototrophic bacteria in the medium with nitrites 2.1−2.4 and 1.8−1.9 times, respectively, slow down nitrite ions oxidation by bacteria by 23.5–26.1 and 17.1–20.1%, respectively, compared to the control, but stimulate glycogen synthesis by cells of green sulfur bacteria by 134.7 and 115.0%, respectively. Glycogen content in Chlorobium limicola IMV K-8 cells grown in the media with Na2S2O3 or NaNO2 and NaF at concentration that 4.0 times exceeded the MPC was 81.33 and 84.13 mg/g of dry weight of cells, respectively. Fluoride ions showed a greater toxic effect on bacteria than bromide ions. The resistance of all tested bacteria strains to inorganic pollutants at high concentrations indicates their high biotechnological potential.


In urban cities, management of solid -waste has become a mammoth task for cih' administrators. With the hurgeonmg population, rapicH urbanisation, massive migration, increased consumerism, thro%s avvav life stvle, apathy of Government and callousness of citizens towards common concern, the issues of solid waste management are bound to become further complicated. Waste Management cannot be anymore perceived as just clearing the rubbish from one place and dumping as waste at some other place. Its implications ha\'e multiple consec^uences on public heaU'i, environment, socio-economic development, natural resources, business and aesthetic values of thecit\-. The current practices of waste management in India and most other developing countries are bv anti large unscientific and unsustainable. There is a desperate need to think beyond conventional ar'.ri-MC'I-'S with a hc^listic view rather tlian piecemeal ambitions. The present paper deals with some of the current aspects in solid waste management and suggests a few alternative solutions. Key 'li'ord'i : Municipal solid vva.ste. Zero vwiste, Extendeti produc'-r r'.-'̂ ponsibilitv


The fixed money wage assumption along with a flexible commodity price is often used to characterize the "complete Keynesian model." This asymmetry means that firms are on their demand schedules for labor, as implied by equation (1) of my article, p. 631, but that labor is not on its supply schedule except when the system is in a full employment position. Alternatively, it could just as well be assumed that both the commodity price and the money wage are inflexible during the period of analysis under consideration; then firms are not on their demand schedules for labor nor are laborers on their supply schedules when the system is at less than full employment positions. This assumption is implicit in all of the pure quantity adjustment type Keynesian models (i.e., where both prices and wages are assumed fixed), and it is therefore implicit that the real wage is assumed fixed. Gordon Tullock suggests that under these circumstances my argument that anticipated inflation keeps the system closer to a full employment position "would not follow." I will show that under these circumstances the argument still holds, and therefore is not the consequence of the asymmetric assumption about the fixity of the money wage and the perfect flexibility of the price level. This follows from the kind of period analysis which Axel Leijonhufvud (pp. 36-39 and ch. 2) has emphasized in his interpretation of Keynes: "The standard 'Keynes and the Classics' analysis places great stress on the restrictive nature of the 'wage rigidity' assumption. But this strong assumption is not necessary in order to explain system behavior of the Keynesian kind. It is sufficient just to give up the equally strong assumption of instantaneous price adjustments" (p. 37). My contention, p. 631, that anticipated inflation moves the system closer to a full employment position does not depend on the rigid money wage assumption, as Tullock asserts, but rather on the effects which anticipated inflation has on the demand for real monev balances. Consider once again the model of my article, but now assume that the price level as well as the money wage are inflexible. Using the same notation and equation numbers, the model now consists of equations (4) and (6), pp. 632-33; equation (1) no longer holds since firms are not on their demand schedules for labor. Assuming the anticipated rate of inflation p to be given, the model is


Summary form only given. Doped nanotube is a possible candidate of a nano diode for the nanoelectronic device. In order to dope the N or P type elements into a carbon nanotube (CNT), it is necessary to carry on the deformation of the tube such as opening the end of the tube or cutting the side of the tube. After filling the elements, those opening areas of the tube should be closed through the reconstruction and welding processes. Here is introduced the ion irradiation method to open and close the tubes and to fill the tubes with elements. An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) was used as the process source, operating the pressure 1 mtorr of Ar or N2 for opening and closing the nanotubes, and adding Cs into the plasma for the doping process. Such low pressure kept the collisionless plasma condition which may help to control the direction of the irradiated ion onto the tube. Plasma density increased linearly with increasing 1 to 2 kW of the input RF power, resulting that the dose rate of the irradiated ions was controlled. Target nanotubes, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were laid on a metal substrate in the ICP, which was biased with 0~200 V DC. The irradiated ions were accelerated with the sheath potential, defined as the potential difference of the space potential and the substrate potential. The space potential was controlled with an inserted metal grid which was grounded. The energy of irradiated ions was estimated precisely by measurement of a sheath potential using the emissive probe and the ion energy analyzer (IEA). Plasma density was measured by a Langmuir probe. The morphology of ion irradiated CNT was observed with the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The structural analysis of filled CNTs was carried out with the high resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM). Then the change of crystalline structure due to the ion irradiation was characterized by a Raman spectroscopy. Preliminary results show that the length of MWNT decreases with increasing the energy of irradiated ions. At low energy of irradiated ions ( 150 eV) and high dose. More results will be presented


The interfacial behavior of PP fiber reinforced cement composite was improved by plasma generation technique. Interfacial optimize was verified by filament pull out test. The micro morphology of fiber surface was analyzed by SEM, and the active functional group on the fiber's surface was analyzed by XPS.


In this letter, a high-current kink effect free Z-gate polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistor (ZG-TFT) is proposed and demonstrated. The ZG-TFT, which is formed by a raised source/drain (RSD) region and a split channel (SC) structure, reveals better device performance. Our experimental results show that the ON-current of ZG-TFT is about two times higher than that of a conventional single top gate TFT, and the leakage current is greatly reduced simultaneously. In addition, the high drain electric field is considerably reduced by the RSD structure, and the SC design can further effectively suppress the kink effect. Therefore, a better ON/OFF current ratio and a higher drain breakdown voltage can be achieved.


This study aims to compare the anthropometric characteristics and the biomotor ability variables of the athletes in boxing, taekwondo, and wrestling and examine the relationships of the research variables in terms of branches. A total of 83 voluntary male athletes who took part in the national teams participated in the research in the branches of boxing (n=28), wrestling (n=33) and taekwondo (n=22). The mean age of the participants was 20.4, and the mean weight and height were 75,5 and 174,9. The mean BMI of the participants was 24,5. Indirect VO2max values of the athletes were obtained based on their height, weight, BMI, grip strength, squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ), anaerobic strength obtained from a vertical jump, standing long jump, 30 meters speed test and 20 meters shuttle running test. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding grip strength, anaerobic power and VO2max abilities. When the groups were compared regarding sprint values, there were significant differences between the athletes in the taekwondo and wrestling branches (p


This paper investigated the extent to which test option keys exhibit middle and edge bias in four-option type of multiple choice items. This was with a view to improving the quality of objective test items. The paper used scoring keys of WAEC for five consecutive years. The data for the study was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that correct answers were placed in the middle positions more than edge position in four-option type of multiple choice tests. The study concluded that the test developers tend to exhibit middle bias in placing correct keys in four-option MC format and item keys positioned in the middle hand a tendency to weaken the quality of multiple choice tests.


This article aims to analyze the formation of ecological citizenship articulated to environmental education at school as a proposal for the change of attitudes and values about social and environmental issues. The research was carried out based on a descriptive study of document analysis type (books, book chapters and academic articles). The school is COSTA, F. W. D; AGUIAR, P. R. A formação da cidadania ecológica articulada à Educação Ambiental na escola Revista Cerrados, Montes Claros/MG, v. 18, n. 02, p. 245-274, jul./dez-2020. 255 considered the main space to acquire and disseminate knowledge on the use of Environmental Education activity that enables the formation of ecological subjects, reflective, critical and proactive attitude, in order to act on mitigation of environmental impacts. Therefore, the practice of environmental education in school aims at the formation of Ecological Citizenship in favor of environmental protection.


We consider evaluating the UK Monetary Policy Committee's inflation density forecasts using probability integral transform goodness-of-fit tests. These tests evaluate the whole forecast density. We also consider whether the probabilities assigned to inflation being in certain ranges are well calibrated, where the ranges are chosen to be those of particular relevance to the MPC, given its remit of maintaining inflation rates in a band around 2 1 % per annum. Finally, we discuss the decision-based approach to forecast evaluation in relation to the MPC forecasts. Every quarter since August 1997 the Bank of England Inflation Report has published density forecasts of the annual rate of retail price inflation (excluding mortgage interest repayments, the RPIX measure) made by the Monetary Policy Committee. This marks an important departure from the traditional concern with the central tendency or most likely outcome of the future value of the variable, and is in line with the increasing recognition that an assessment of the degree of uncertainty surrounding a point forecast is generally indispensable. The particular form of the forecast densities emphasises possible asymmetries between upside and downside risks, presumably because these are foremost in the minds of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) during their deliberations over the base rate. The Bank of England's own assessment of these forecasts has tended to focus on the closeness of some measure of the central tendency and the outcomes, 1 although Wallis (2003) shows how the Christoffersen (1998) likelihood ratio goodness-of-fit statistics for evaluating interval forecasts can be interpreted as Pearson 'chi-squared goodness-of-fit' statistics, and evaluates the Bank density forecasts within this framework. This paper pursues a number of approaches to the evaluation of the MPC's forecasts. First, they are evaluated as forecast densities using goodness-of-fit tests based on the probability integral transform. Tests based on the probability integral transform have recently been used to evaluate probability distributions of macroeconomic variables, such as the distributions of expected inflation from the Survey of Professional Forecasters, see Diebold, Tay and Wallis (1999) and Clements (2003), and have been applied to the evaluation of joint densities by Diebold, Hahn and Tay (1999) and Clements and Smith (2000, 2002). Because the MPC forecasts provide a complete description of the expected probabilities with which future inflation will fall in any given range, a comprehensive evaluation requires an * Financial support from the UK Economic and Social Research Council under grant L138251009 is gratefully acknowledged. Helpful comments were received from Jurgen Doornik, David Hendry and Ken Wallis. Detailed comments from three anonymous referees of this Journal are also gratefully acknowledged. Computations were performed using code written in the Gauss Programming Language, and Givewin 2 (Doornik and Hendry, 2001) was used to produce the graphs. 1 For example, along with the parameter values of the RPIX density forecasts the Bank gives one and


Based upon the advantages of individual showing form of real-coded,it makes the inheriting calculation method to back analyze the parameters of surrounding rock rheological models and combines with FLAC analysis, simulates the dynamic change of surrounding rock in construction to test the feasibility of this calculation method,and the result shows this calculation method can satisfy the need of projects.


: Expert system is a system that is trying to adopt human knowledge into a computer, so that the computer can resolve the issue as was done by experts. The purpose of this study to design an application of expert system for diagnosis the human skin diseases by using forward chaining method as one of inference technique that aims to discover symptoms of the disease that is displayed in the form of questions. The skin organ chosen because in the interaction between humans, skin is the first organ that used to shake hands, touch, kiss, etc, so that some diseases can be transmitted only through touch or by interaction of skin with skin, and many cases of skin diseases that resulted in death due to delayed handled. The expert system application design consists of seven stages: preliminary studies, data collection, data analysis, system design, system implementation, system evaluation (testing) and the last, drawing conclusions. Expert system software application built to recognize the type of skin disease after consultation by answering a few questions displayed by the system, and can infer the type of skin diseases suffered by the patient. Based on the results of black box testing, the expert system application has been running with good.


The paper presents a numerical study of the transient response of a rectangular radiation heat shield inserted between two planes, grey, diffuse, parallel, rectangular surfaces. The radiation shield is assumed to have different emissivities on its top and bottom surfaces, and both are assumed to be linear functions of temperature. A specific configuration is investigated in detail to highlight the transient as well as the steady state thermal characteristics of the system. The paper derives an equation to calculate the steady state shield temperature for minimum entropy generation. Results are presented in graphical or tabular forms.


A service that provides for setting up game sessions for a plurality of game players. A number of game players that each have a computing device capable of playing a computer game are linked together by the service. The service allows a player to set up a common game session so that a subset of the players can simultaneously start playing the game at the same level. Additionally, the service allows game competitions to be structured and played among a subset of the game players.


This paper discusses the computational efficiency of some procedures for solving the inverse kinematics problem of serial-link manipulators with redundant DOF. Two procedures that the author has newly developed, are compared to the most widely used SVD methods. One is called the fast similarity factorization (FSF) method, in which the symmetric matrix JJ/sup T/ J is the Jacobian of the manipulator) is factorized to GDG/sup T/ (G is the orthogonal matrix and D is the diagonal matrix). Another procedure, that the author also developed, is a recursive formulation, in which the joint-variable variations are obtained n (the number of DOF of the manipulator) times recursive calculations. Both methods are fast and robust. The computer simulation for a seven DOF anthropomorphic type manipulator reveals the proposed methods are several times faster than the conventional algorithms based on the SVD.


A model following control system (MFCS) can output general signals following the desired ones. In this paper, a method of nonlinear MFCS will be extended to be a nonlinear descriptor system in discrete time. The nonlinear system studied in this paper has the property of norm constraint $||f(v(k))||\le \alpha +\beta ||v(k)||^\gamma $, where $\alpha \ge 0$, $\beta \ge 0$ , $0\le \gamma <1$. In this case, a new criterion is proposed to ensure the internal states be stable.


Expert finding is the task of identifying persons with expertise on a given topic. Existing methods try to model the dependencies between candidates and terms with distance measure or sequential measure, which have been proven to be effective. However, to the best of our knowledge, no work has been conducted on the combination of the two dependencies. In this paper, we propose a language model based method to combine both dependencies under a unified framework. Specifically, we first propose an order kernel based document representation for incorporating the sequential dependency, and then we combine it with the proximity kernel based document representation which is designed to model the distance dependency. Our experiment results demonstrate the effectiveness of the order kernel and show that a linear combination of both dependencies can improve the performance significantly over the baseline method.


The environment factors in plastic greenhouses and the photosynthesis characteristics of pepper were studied by shading using coating and shading-nets.The results were showed as the following: the effects of sun-shading and cooling of coating had relation to the dilution ratio.Smaller was the ratio,better was the effect.The shading-nets also had significant effects on sun-shading and cooling except the ground temperature in cloudy and rainy days.Compared with the shading-nets,the coating with 1:3 dilution ratio would be helpful to enhance the luminance and prolong time of illumination in greenhouses in the morning and the evening or in cloudy and rainy days.Of course,it also had a better effect on temperature-lowering than that of the shading-net.It would be decreased for Pn,Gs,Tr and increased for Ci distinctly when the shading-nets were used on greenhouses,which would be disadvantage for the photosynthesis of peppers.However,the paint coating could be propitious to improve the Pn,Gs and weaken the Tr of pepper,which was good for photosynthesis under stronger light at noon.


The average person breathes indoor air 75% or more of the day. Yet existing regulations are based solely on outdoor concentrations. Indoor levels of many contaminants are typically higher than outdoors, and common household items such as gas stoves, paint, cigarettes, bath towels, fireplaces, cleaning chemicals, even glued furniture joints and the walls themselves, can produce significant amounts of regulated substances. Efforts are now under way to create a total-exposure air-quality model that will improve epidemiologic studies of human health. 4 figures.


This invention provides a preparation of "Yazhong" heathy nourishment and the usage thereof. It uses many kinds of Chinese herb medicines, after processing to make into an alcoholic (less than 50 degree) oral liquid to be taken 0.5-2ml/kg wt. of a human body daily. It may regulate the mechannism of human body, improve physical strength, raise the sport record and enhance the endurance of heavy physical workings such as space flight, aviation, sailing, high temp. and under shaft working. It can also promote blood circulation, enrich blood, enhance immunoloic functions, correct metabolic disorder,eliminat fatigue, anti-senility and can be used as an adjuvant for tumors, senile diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system, gyneological diseases, traumatic injury and iron-deficiency anemia.


Abstract— The quantum yield of bleaching of isorhodopsin relative to that of rhodopsin was measured by irradiation of both pigments with a steady light source or a picosecond laser pulse. The each pigment was prepared by incubation of 11‐cis or 9‐cis retinal with opsin, respectively. The ratio of isorhodopsin to rhodopsin in the quantum yield was estimated to be 0.37 using irradiation with a steady light, while with a weak picosecond laser pulse (excitation photon density: below 20 μ.J/1.8 mmφ), it was estimated to be 0.39. Both values are in good agreement with each other. On the other hand, excitation with a strong picosecond laser pulse (above 20 μ.J/1.8 mmφ) produced a larger ratio than 0.39, indicating that saturation effects can be easily observed by irradiation with strong picosecond laser pulses.


Because of the impact of precipitation facies and lithogeny,there are many complex reservoirs in Nanpu oil field with characteristics of high bond water saturation,high cation exchange capacity and complex pore structures.The reservoir's electrical parameters are different from that of conventional sandstone reservoir so that we can't use Archie's equation to do reservoir evaluation.By analyzing the core electrical properties,it is found that m and n in Archie's equation are mainly influenced by cation exchange capacity(QV) when cation additional conductivity is high,and exponential with QV;They are mainly influenced by pore structures when the cation additional conductivity is low,and logarithmic with K/.The adjusted model reflected the influences of cation exchange capacity,pore structures and formation water salinity.Actual data processing of the complex sand reservoir has proved the new model is much better than the conventional one.


As one of the earliest open coastal cities,Xiamen city has a desirable environment for developing exhibition tourism.But still some problems exist in its exhibition tourism.To solve these problems and suggest corresponding measure,Masures should be adopted according to its interior and exterior environment.For example,to be active in attending related national exhibition organization,enhancing exhibition business marketing,strengthening the collaboration of exhibition industry and tourism;To build up the exhibition management bureau,improve the management mechanism,reinforce the training of talent in professional exhibition,boost the quality of exhibition services,train the exhibition brand mind,cultivate the powerful brand,find the exact position,implement the diversified development,integrate the small enterprise and culture the enterprise group in exhibition tourism.With both ways,exhibition tourism of Xiamen can come to a stage of an orderly,healthy,and fast development.


In this article we emphasize the manner in which this statistical indicator the variation coefficient (v) could help the inference on measurable characteristics generated by technological processes. Our interest lies upon the so-called SPCStatistical Process Control; the main result obtained is the following: if the coefficient of variation is known, then the statistical distribution of capability index is of ALPHA-type distribution (Družinin). We also put into light some links between (v) and Taguchi's quality loss function.


Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacteria found on the skin of approximately 20–30% of healthy subjects, but on 30–100% of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).1 Recent reviews2,3 have eloquently detailed a myriad of S. aureus-secreted toxins, enzymes, and cell-surfaceassociated antigens which contribute to AD pathogenesis (Figure 1). In brief, proteins, such as clumping factor B and fibronectin binding proteins, promote the adhesion of S. aureus to the stratum corneum. Staphylococcal Protein A can activate proinflammatory nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling through direct engagement of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1).2,3 Lipoprotein and lipoteichoic acid induce TSLP in human keratinocytes via Toll-like receptors (TLR-) 2 and 6,2 and phenol-soluble modulins also induce proinflammatory cytokines in human keratinocytes.2,3 Additionally, secreted δ-toxin promotes mast cell degranulation via phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Ca2+ influx-dependent mechanisms.4 Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins and toxic shock syndrome toxin can influence disease in many ways such as: acting as superantigens, promoting clonal T-expansion and inflammatory cytokine release; inducing IgE isotype switching in B-cells; directly activating mast cells and basophils; or stimulating secretion of itch-inducing interleukin 31 (IL-31).2,3 Staphylococcal α-toxin not only


Abstract Insurance companies are currently carrying out tasks related to building trust, image creation and giving distinctive features to intangible insurance services, which is associated with paying more attention to the packaging of the service than to the service itself. The packaging of the insurance service consists of people, the appearance of branches, the availability of insurance services and flexibility in customer service. For insurance companies, the knowledge of not only marketing practice, but also the knowledge about customer behaviours or factors affecting their loyalty is becoming important. The purpose of the article is to review the loyalty on the insurance services market in Poland and to examine the factors influencing it. The article discusses the methods of testing customer loyalty on the insurance services market. On the other hand, based on the results of the survey, factors affecting customer that may affect customer loyalty satisfaction are presented.


In 1947, when the whole of the Indian subcontinent was reeling under the frenzy of communal hatred, the appalled Mahatma Gandhi could, however, see a 'ray of hope in Kashmir'.' Kashmir did not only remain violence-free amidst its violence-tom neighbourhood, it also went against the current trend by refusing to exercise the choice of shaping its political future dictated by religious considerations. Kashmir also took the lead in abolishing the 'feudal' system in the Indian subcontinent.' In fact, the socialist policies were followed with such vigour in Kashmir immediately after 1947 that Joseph Korbel, a Czechoslovak member of the UN Commission on Kashmir, and an arch enemy of Communism, found 'danger' in Kashmir because of 'communization' of the state.' These distinguishing traits of Kashmir society, polity and economy were not fortuitous should we consider that the freedom movement of Kashmir was thoroughly informed by secular and socialist ideology, though the ultimate cause of its successful permeation into the arteries of the movement lies in the Kashmiri ethos as fanaticism and inhumanity never quite caught on Kashmiri collective mentality.'


To improve product disassembly efficiency and aiming at disassembly line balancing problem,a mathematical model was established with optimization objectives of minimum line idle rate,workload equilibrium and minimum disassembly cost. Then,combining characteristics of disassembly line balancing problem,an improved multi-objective ant colony algorithm based on Pareto set was developed. In this algorithm,niche technology was used to guide the ant colony to search the well-distributed Pareto optimal set,and the heuristic rules about dominated degree and dispersion degree were applied to appraise the ant. The effectiveness of proposed algorithm was proved by testing result. Finally,an application case was provided to illustrate the proposed model and algorithm.


Internet of Things (IoT) technologies allow an internetworking of physical devices for machine to machine communication. Now, there is a more effective method for devices, objects, and "things" to communicate electronically with the world around them. This has been enabled by an increase in the number of connected devices, the continual exponential growth of data, increased bandwidth, shorter latency, and the huge increase of address space from IPv6.


Abstract In previous work we showed that sulfur vulcanizates of polybutadiene rubber (polysulfide and thiuram vulcanizates), which differ in their type of crosslinks, also differ in their stability to light. The best light stability is shown by a polysulfide vulcanizate. The action of ultraviolet light in this case is accompanied by decomposition of sulfur bonds with the formation of a type of free sulfur which, in contrast to elemental sulfur, does not take part in photovulcanization processes, i.e., remains "inactive". Just what the nature of this inactive sulfur is, and the change in length of the polysulfide chains in the sulfur structures of the above-mentioned vulcanizates under the action of light, had not yet been established. Hence it was impossible to give a well-defined answer to the highly important question of why a polysulfide vulcanizate has greater stability to light than a thiuram vulcanizate. The present work is devoted to a study of this question. Although the study of the types of sulf...


This report includes a table that provides access to names and contact information for CRS experts on policy concerns relating to emergency preparedness and hazard mitigation. Includes a number of policy areas, such as: emergency preparedness and protection missions, functions, and structures; emergency authorities; preparedness plans; communications networks; warning systems; and state and local homeland security funding, training, and standards.


Serine palmitoyltransferase 1 (473 aa, ~53 kDa) is encoded by the human SPTLC1 gene. This protein plays a role in the biosynthesis of sphingolipids.


The present work aimed to classify the irrigation water quality of surface water (Pond) and groundwater (shallow), Collected from different sources and different seasons in Canning Block, 24 South Parganas, West Bengal. Thirty water samples were collected in Pre-monsoon and post- monsoon for analysis of physico - chemical parameters like pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Chloride (Cl−), Carbonate (CO3−-). Bicarbonate (HCO3−-), Sulphate (SO4−), Calcium (Ca++), magnesium (Mg++), Sodium (Na++), Potassium (K+), Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Residual sodium carbonate (RSC). Analysed water samples of shallow tube well were found in pre- monsoon rated as 73.33% (C3-S1) under high salinity and 23.66% (C4-S1) under very high salinity water, but after post- monsoon were found of shallow tube well were 46.66% (C2-S1) water samples converted in under medium range and 53.33% (C3-S1) water under high range found. In respect of Pond water samples were found in pre monsoon 93.33% (C3-S1) samples under high salinity water and 6.66% (C2-S1) under medium range. After post monsoon of pond samples found 73.33% (C2-S1) in medium range and 26.66% (C3-S1) in high range.


approved: AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF for the MASTER OF SCIENCE (Name) (Degree) presented on JUNE 5, 1980 (Date) Title: SEASONAL VARIATION IN LEAF WEIGHT AND NITROGEN CONTENT OF DOUGLAS-FIR PLANTATIONS IN THE COAST RANGE AND CASCADE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN OREGON Signature redacted for privacy. Professor Alan Berg Seasonal variations in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) leaf weight and nitrogen content were measured in Oregon's Coast and western Cascade Ranges. Current and older foliage from thinned and unthinned stands were sampled monthly from October, 1978 to September, 1979. Changes in leaf weight per unit area of foliage and percent nitrogen were determined in order to calculate net changes in nitrogen content of foliage, expressed as grams of nitrogen per unit of projected leaf area. Coast Range stands consistently maintained foliage weights around 400 g/m2 with nitrogen contents of 4-5 gN/m2. In Cascade stands, foliage weight and total nitrogen fluctuated seasonally. Leaf weights of 200 g/m2 and nitrogen contents of 2 gN/m2 characterized the period from November through March. During summer months, foliage weight and nitrogen content averaged 325 g/m2 and 3 gN/m2, respectively. These findings correlate well with the higher levels of productivity observed in the Coast Range and support views that wintertime photosynthesis there is significant. In response to thinning at the Cascade site, newer foliage increased in weight and nitrogen content. Similar responses were not evident at the Coast Range site which showed little variation in either weight or nitrogen content seasonally.


best-selling plant-based in used in medicine and veterinary medicine for immunocorrection. However, publications on the effect of trace elements on the yield and content of biologically active substances in the medicinal raw materials of the E. purpurea are very few. Our study presents the results confirming the role of copper fertilizers in increasing the content of biologically active substances in the medicinal raw materials of E. purpurea , as well as in its enrichment with certain trace elements. The work aimed to assess the influence of essential microelement (Cu) on the accumulation of certain biologically active substances (tanning substances, carotene, vitamin C) and chemical elements (zinc and copper) in the medicinal raw material of E. purpurea variety Znakhar. The plot tests were run in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia (an experimental field of Omsk Stolypin State Agrarian University, Omsk, May-September 2016-2018). The experiment design was as follows: absolute control (without fertilizers), N 125 (N-based fertilizer), N 125 + 0.25MAC Cu (the maximum allowed concentration) (2.3 kg a.m./ha), N 125 + 0.5MAC Cu (4.7 kg a.m./ha), N 125 + 0.75MAC Cu (7.0 kg a.m./ha), N 125 + 1MAC Cu (9.4 kg a.m./ha). The soil of the test site was meadow chernozem, low-power, low humus, medium loamy with a 5.2 % humus content, 10.0 mg/kg nitrate nitrogen, 394 mg/kg mobile phosphorus, 749 mg/kg exchange potassium; pH 6.5-6.8. The mobile copper level in the soil was 0.3 mg/kg. The experiment was arranged in four replicates, plots were systematically located in several tiers, with a size of 10 m Copper acetate (CH 3 COO) 2 Cu (32 %) Cu fertilizer, ammonium nitrate (34.4 %) an N-based fertilizer. The crop was planted the end of May 2016, 70½60 cm spacing. manually the 10-15 tilling), plot Plants were collected in during E. purpurea mass flowering phase. Tannings, carotene, and ascorbic acid were quantified in the raw material of E. purpurea . The concentration of trace elements (copper, zinc) in herb samples was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. We have found out that a single application of copper fertilizers contributed to accumulation of tanning substances, ascorbic acid and carotene in the herb raw material. On average, over three years of our research, the level of bioactive substances in the raw material (grass) increased reliably (p < 0.05), to 16.6 mg% for tanning, to 5.8 mg% for ascorbic acid, and to 51.2 mg/kg for carotene. A copper acetate dose of 9.4 kg a.m./ha resulted in maximum concentration of the bioactive substances. Each 1 kg of Cu fertilizer the content of tannins by 0.51 mg%, ascorbic acid by 0.29 mg%, and carotene by 2.56 mg/kg < 0.05). 3 COO) raw material by 0.23 and 1.15 mg/kg, respectively. These values are b coefficients that evaluate the effects of copper fertilizers and, together with the regression equations we obtained, allow practitioners to draw up protocols for applying mi-cronutrient fertilizers in meadow chernozem soils at an early stage of E. purpurea plant development in specific growing conditions.


Aim To survey the epidemic features of influenza A(H1N1) in Jiangyin City.Methods Epidemic data of influenza A(H1N1) in Jiangyin of Jiangsu Province in 2009 were analyzed.Results In 2009,a total of 22 influenza A(H1N1) cases were confirmed,among them there were 5 severe cases,1 deaths.The morbidity rate was 1.25/100000 population.There were 2 outbreaks all in schools.124 nasopharyngeal swab samples of Influenza-like patients were tested.The positive rate of nucleic acid influenza A(H1N1) was 11.29%.Conclusion The control measuers in combot against influenza A(H1N1) in Jiangyin is effective and the epidemic of influenza A(H1N1) in Jiangyin is at a low level n 2009.


DISCUSSION EED is a rare dermatosis, a variant of leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV). It usually presents in the middle to older age group with no gender predilection. Lesions characteristically present on the acral and extensor surfaces as violaceous, redbrown or yellow papules, nodules, or plaques. There may be associated arthralgia, but extracutaneous manifestations are otherwise rare. Ocular complications such as peripheral keratitis, pan-uveitis, and blindness have been described in the literature (Figs. 1–6).1,2 The pathogenesis is poorly understood, but EED is believed be a variant of LCV, a form of immune complex– mediated vasculitis where immune complexes are deposited within the postcapillary venules. The subsequent activation of complement and neutrophils may explain the petechial eruption and cutaneous findings seen. To support this theory, direct immunofluorescence studies have shown perivascular deposition of complement, fibrin, and immunoglobulins: IgG, IgM, and IgA in cases of patients with EED.3 EED has been associated with infection, for example, tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, and beta-hemolytic streptococcus.4 EED has also been associated with autoimmune disorders; celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as hematological malignancies; myeloproliferative disorders, IgA monoclonal gammopathies, and myelodysplasia.5 As regards the histopathological features of EED, in cases of early disease, the pathology may demonstrate the features of an LCV with neutrophilic infiltrates and fibrin deposited in a perivascular distribution within the dermis. A mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, histiocytes, and seldomly eosinophils can be observed. As the lesions progress, the presence of histiocytes and granulation tissue become more prominent with older lesions exhibiting fibrosis and fibrinoid necrosis with an array of interspersed spindle cells.6,7 The index case is unusual in that the histology showed a predominant pattern of interstitial granulomatous infiltrate with palisading, a feature more typically seen with interstitial granulomatous dermatitis (IGD) or PNGD. IGD and PNGD were previously considered as separate entities but now are viewed along the same spectrum of granulomatous dermatitis. The entity is believed to be an immune complex–mediated disease and is seen in association with autoimmune diseases; RA, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic vasculitis. The clinical presentation of IGD/PNGD is varied. The classic description was of a linear erythematous palpable cord on the lateral aspect of the trunk called a "rope sign." However, the clinical spectrum is recognized now to be much wider. This can range from urticarial-like eruptions (in the early stages) to skin colored to erythematous to violaceous plaques, papules, and nodules on multiple body sites.8 The histopathological spectrum has also expanded. Interestingly, early PNGD can show a predominant neutrophilic infiltrate with focal areas of LCV, a feature typically described with EED. As lesions of PNGD evolve, more classical findings develop, that is, palisaded histiocytes surrounding individual collagen bundles with associated neutrophils and karyorrhectic debris. The latter histological finding has only rarely been described in cases of EED. Muscardin et al published their case of a 45-year-old male patient with RA who presented with EED clinically and with the histological features of PNGD.9 This report parallels our case. To summarize, it is important to be aware of the overlap in the clinical and histological spectrum of EED and PNGD. Both are associated with underlying immune complex– mediated diseases, can present with erythematous nodules on extensor aspects, and can show histological overlap (LCV in early PNGD and interstitial granulomatous infiltrate with palisading in rare cases of EED). This supports the hypothesis that the 2 entities may lie on a continuum. From the *Department of Dermatology, St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, St Helens Hospital, St Helens, United Kingdom; †Department of Pathology, Warwick Hospital, Warwick, United Kingdom; Departments of ‡Dermatology, and §Pathology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS trust, Liverpool, United Kingdom. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Karen Eustace, MB, BCh, BAO, LRCPI+SI, Department of Dermatology, St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, St Helens Hospital, Marshalls Cross Road, St Helens WA9 3DA, United Kingdom (e-mail: email@example.com). Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.


Where can we obtain energy most ethically? How much energy do we need to live an ethical and good life? The gaps between the rich and the poor with regards to access to and use of energy are critical ethical issues facing global society. The logic of biofuels is simple – namely use of the renewable energy of the sun in photosynthesis to produce plants that can be used as fuel to counter the rising prices of petroleum and oil that our global society depends upon. There has been a lot of rhetoric about biofuels, so let us consider the ethics of decisions made about them. There are a number of ethical principles that are applied to assist in decision making about the use of science and technology. These include beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy and justice. The foundation of research into biofuel technology is beneficence – to make the world a better place. Beneficence is the foundation of most scientific research, although each application can benefit (or harm) different groups within society. If we can reduce the predicted climate change associated with pollution from the use of fossil fuels, we will benefit a number of species that would have otherwise gone extinct. The principle of non-maleficence is to avoid harm. It is the reason why we need to closely examine any pollution produced as a result of biofuel use, and compare it to alternatives. Within biofuel options there is variation about the types of negative impacts, which include land and water use, and social impact. Some biofuel options, such as biogas, can reduce the effluent pollution stemming from agriculture, and utilize outputs of agriculture once considered as waste. These would be an example of reduction of harm being caused by alternatives, and seem to be very favorable for our ana lysis. The positive and negative effects of biofuels depend not only on which feedstock is used, but also on how that feedstock is produced, how it affects landuse change and to what extent its production is scaled up. Phalan argued that control of land-use change associated with biofuel production 'resembles traffic control in an anarchic state: that is, there are traffic laws but they are rarely observed' [1]. What sort of controls work and what should the ethical basis for these be? Ethics is more than simply examining the pluses and minuses of an action, but an important issue is the extent of the circle within which the moral community lies. Who is a moral agent? A moral agent possesses Ethics and biofuels Editorial


T he classic pathogen-fighting functions of our microbe sensing systems, such as the TLRs, the Nod-like receptors, and several proteins of the complement system, had been defined relatively rapidly after their discovery (1, 2). A more recent trend, however, clearly indicates that some of these evolutionarily ancient systems also serve additional, noncanonical roles in normal cell physiology. In this article, we highlight how the functions of the complement component CD46 have expanded dramatically beyond its initial discovery as a regulator of complement activation. We now recognize this ancient molecule as a biological focal point for our continuously evolving understanding of the diverse roles of complement as a key orchestrator of (immunological) health. Although identified in the early 1900s, complement traces its origins to more than a billion years ago, when primitive proteins evolved to protect cells from pathogens and to engage in other intracellular processes (reviewed in Refs. 3–5). The contemporary complement system consists of three independently triggered activation pathways (classical, alternative, lectin) and a terminal cytolytic pathway common to all. It engages both innate and adaptive immunity. Complement component C3, the most abundant of its proteins, is the nexus where all three activation pathways converge. The proteolytic cleavage of C3 generates C3a (an anaphylatoxin) and C3b (an opsonin and critical component of the convertase complexes). Unbridled complement activation, however, would just as powerfully attack self-tissue as it does pathogens. Thus, activation must be strictly controlled to maintain appropriate homeostasis while avoiding damage to self. In this Pillars of Immunology article, Cole et al. (6) focused on the regulatory side of complement: in particular, on proteins that bind C3. During the 1980s, a family of structurally, functionally, and genetically related regulators was being elucidated as inhibitors of complement activation via their interactions with fragments of C3 (and/or C4). The regulators of complement activation (RCA) family, consisting of serum and cell-anchored proteins, employed two key processes: decay accelerating activity and cofactor activity. The former refers to the permanent dissociation of activating complexes (i.e., convertases), whereas the latter refers to a role as cofactor for the proteolytic cleavage of C3 (or C4) fragments in association with the serine protease, factor I. The Atkinson laboratory had been studying polymorphisms of two such regulators, complement receptors (CR) CR1 and CR2 using C3 (i.e., C3b or iC3) affinity chromatography of surface-labeled peripheral blood cells (7). However, they routinely observed a third group of molecules when studying human leukocytes. The study by Cole et al. (6) delved into this phenomenon by examining the cell distribution, relative mobility, and antigenic specificity of ". . . a heretofore unrecognized group of 45,000–70,000 Mr C3-binding molecules." The authors found that every tested cell population possessed this new factor as a broad band or doublet pattern. They dubbed the new protein gp45–70. A year later, Tsukasa Seya, of the same group, developed a purification scheme characterizing two distinct species, "upper" and "lower," each of which possessed cofactor activity for C3b cleavage (8). Interestingly, the C3b cofactor activity was unique when compared with CR1. To reflect the growing structure/function information, the Atkinson group renamed the molecule as "membrane cofactor protein (MCP)," later designated as CD46 (reviewed in Ref. 9). Since these pioneering studies, we have learned that CD46 is ubiquitously expressed on all cells, except erythrocytes, and is a cofactor for C3b and C4b cleavage. Its cloning and characterization revealed that CD46 is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein coexpressed on most cells as four isoforms, which arise by alternative splicing of a single gene that lies within the RCA cluster on chromosome 1q32.2 (10–13). The structural heterogeneity is in part accounted for by alternative splicing in an extracellular region for O-glycosylation (BC region) and by having one of two intracellular cytoplasmic tails (tail 1 or tail 2; *Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110; Immunology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom; and xInstitute for Systemic Inflammation Research, University of L€ubeck, 23562 L€ubeck, Germany


The lagoon El Sauce is located in the San Martin Region, 51 kilometers south of
the city of Tarapoto, framed by ranching, farming, tourism, fish and population
activities, which year after year are accelerating and altering their environment
and leading aging to accelerated eutrophication, for which the current level of
eutrophication or trophic level of the lagoon El Sauce, where two samples, one in
dry season and another in the rainy season, in order to make an assessment
performed was evaluated trophic level more objective. The key variables that
were considered to determine the trophic level of the lake were El Sauce total
phosphorus, nitrogen as nitrate, transparency and chlorophyll "a".
The main objective of the research was to assess the leve! of eutrophication of
the lagoon El Sauce - Tarapoto, in November 2015; and propase a mitigation
plan to remedy the damage ca u sed to the lagoon.
The research study corresponds to the applied type, level and quasiexperimental
design (evaluativa - explanatory ), the shows presentad sixteen
liters of pond water willow, the techniques used far this process were:
observation, data collection and evaluation; Research instruments were: analysis
and calculation sheet, data sheet and laboratory tests, concluding that the level
of eutrophication of the lagoon El Sauce is Eutrophic to Hypertrophic where are
the main causes waste generated by livestock, direct dumping of domestic
sewage, solid waste disposal into the lagoon, agrochemical pollution of
surrounding rice crops and growing tourism.


Of interest to the Intelligence (INTEL) community in its focus of the Global war on Terror (GWOT), is a capability to assist reasoning about events in the context of emerging patterns of behavior. An event ontology that decomposes event interactions into (actor, action, target) triplets is proposed for this purpose. Within this ontology battlespace objects (actors, targets) and their interrelationships (including actions) are formulated as graphs. The vertices represent the building blocks comprised of the individuals or capital assets necessary for war-fighting. The links or edges represent relationships between the coupled nodes that identify a specific type of association. Different links within a graph may represent different types of associations2. The increasing importance of human intelligence (HUMINT) and open source intelligence (OSINT) in combating asymmetric threats requires a capability to extract and reason about events described in free text. Attribute-based entity correlation - Level I Data Fusion (Hall and Llinas, 2001) - and inexact pattern matching techniques (e.g., subgraph isomorphism) may be sufficient to reason about the actor and target components of an event interaction triplet. Processing event description extracted from free (unstructured) text, however, requires semantic normalization and correlation to discern commonality among reported activities. A semantic comparator function is proposed to measure the similarity between the action components of extracted event triplets. The paper reviews existing work in this area such as Jiang and Conrath (Jiang and Conrath, 1997), who combine a lexical taxonomy structure (such as Princeton's WordNet) with corpus statistical information to quantify the semantic, distance between concepts. The Jiang and Conrath measure combines an edge-based approach of the edge counting scheme with a node-based approach based upon information content calculation. This paper investigates the feasibility of replacing a distributional analysis of corpus data with the Lavalette distribution (a Zipfian distribution). A prototype free text, event analysis system was developed to process simulated human intelligence information reports based on this investigation. The system was able to identify event relationships from semantic comparisons of extracted and decomposed events


A hypothesis that a mechanism similar to that of Graves disease occurs in chronic anovulation syndrome was studied by assaying for antibodies which interact with luteinizing hormone (LH) in sera of women with chronic anovulation syndrome. Sera from 20 patients were analyzed along with 14 age-matched controls both male and female to assess the immunoglobulin fraction and see whether it inhibited the receptor binding of tritiated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The receptor binding assay based on inhibition of binding of tritiated hCG to ovarian receptors by serial dilutions of sodium sulfate precipitates of the sera of anovulation patients with estrogen production did not demonstrate any significant (P < .05) effect compared with results from male and female controls. A separate analysis of only female controls ruled out cycle phase as a variable. Therefore the cause of anovulation appears not to be an autoimmune response involving LH receptor in human ovaries.


Correspondence Address: A system and method for generating a clock signal is dis HAMILTON & TERRILE, LLP closed. In various embodiments of the invention disclosed IBM Austin herein, a global clock signal is generated and provided as an P.O. BOX 203518 input to local clock circuitry operable to generate a local clock AUSTIN, TX 78720 (US) signal therefrom. The local clock circuitry comprises logic components that are susceptible to negative bias thermal instability (NBTI) effects resulting in degradation of the local (21) Appl. No.: 11/959,907 clock signal. Clock propagation adjustment circuitry is used to modify the duty cycle of the global clock signal to com pensate for the degradation resulting from NBTI effects (22) Filed: Dec. 19, 2007 thereby providing an optimized local clock signal.