The global outcry of ecological degradation by mankind has been the thematic focus in the creative oeuvres of writers and eco-critics in the literary domain as regards the degraded Niger Delta region of Nigeria and its consequent activism amongst her people. In view of the foregoing, this research in distancing itself from previous studies, seeks to examine the politics in the representation of ecological degradation and activism in the Niger settings of Tanure Ojaide's The Activist and Christie Watson's Tiny Sunbirds Far Away . Furthermore, this study equally examines points of similarities and differences within the dynamics of degradation of places and characters as well as resultant reactions among characters in both novels. This study deploys an eco-critical approach as its theoretical framework. Based on the findings of this study, it is evident that the unguided oil exploration activities by multinational oil companies as well as self-induced actions among characters spell doom on the environment as both living and non-living things become negatively affected in all ramifications. This study also reveals various forms of eco-activism ranging from radical, liberal, civil, conservative to revolutionary standpoints among characters in both texts. It is concluded that the two authors, though from different socio-cultural backgrounds used both texts as channels of creating global awareness towards promoting environmental conservation and various means of entrenching peace in the fictional devastated Niger Delta environment. Keywords : Eco-degradation, Activism, Politics, Environment, Niger Delta Region DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/52-06


Growing acceptance of passive bond exchange traded funds (ETFs) and actively managed bond mutual funds has exposed the need to find a divide between these two comparatively similar types of instrument. This paper provides a comparative analysis of actively managed bond funds and passive bond ETFs in the context of multiple criteria. The research of risk-adjusted performance of a sampled group of bond funds and ETFs using the TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making method revealed that actively managed bond funds have a modest advantage over passive bond ETFs. Moreover, the final findings indicate the funds' performance dependability on portfolio composition by fixed income sector.


The hepatocelluar hyperthermic were performed by the methods of local hyperthermia or systemic chemotherapy.The local hyperthermia always combind with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with Lipiodol.This is interventional hyperthemic treatment.It has a expansive applying value and a good clinical treatment.This paper summarized the theoretical basis,techniques,present research and therapentic effect of the hepatocellular carcinoma hyperthermic treatment.


This work aims to demonstrate and benchmark different model-based nonlinear control design techniques for elementary controls education. A standard, two-link planar robot arm (Fig.1) is chosen to be the plant due to its nonlinear system dynamics and relatively simple inverse kinematics considering the math level of complexity of a typical senior-level mechanical engineering class. To facilitate model-based control design, the system dynamic model is derived through Lagrange's equations in non-conservative form. An inverse kinematic analysis is also performed to extract the target joint variables to match for a circular motion executed in the task space. Finally, the system dynamic model is incorporated with feedback control designs based on the computed torque and sliding mode control methods. The tracking performance of the proposed nonlinear controllers are validated in closed-loop numerical simulations based on the same target trajectories to compare the performances achieved by the different algorithms.


Charlotte Pegman (career development April 8) draws welcome attention to employees' rights in relation to violence at work, but her advocacy of actively enforcing a policy of zero tolerance to violence is questionable.


Stimulus-induced rhythmic, periodic or ictal discharges (SIRPIDs) are EEG epileptiform periodic discharges (PD) induced by arousal. SIRPIDs lie along an ictal-interictal continuum with debate regarding urgency of treatment. In a patient with SIRPIDs, aphasia and confusion, i.v. lorazepam during EEG resulted in improved level of consciousness, return of verbal interaction and regression of SIRPIDs. This suggests that some forms of SIRPIDs may be associated with an ictal confusional state.


The role of universities in the development of entrepreneurship is increasing. Within this context, universities are introducing specialized programs and disciplines aimed at developing students' innovative and entrepreneurial competencies. This article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the level of development of students' entrepreneurial competencies in Russia and the Czech Republic. To implement the key task, the authors analysed approaches to the classification of entrepreneurial competencies. On the basis of relevance and objectivity, the authors selected the EntreComp classification from 2016, which subsequently formed the basis for the developed methodological tools for the empirical research. The method was tested in three universities in the Russian Federation and one in the Czech Republic. The total number of participants was 436. The results of the analysis of the entrepreneurial competencies revealed significant statistical differences between the respondents from the two countries for 10 out of 15 evaluated competencies. At the same time, 68% of respondents in the Russian Federation and 64% in the Czech Republic were found to have an advanced level of development of one entrepreneurial competence. This fact is indicative of the similarity of the vast majority of the final results for the respondents from both countries and confirms the hypothesis that most students participating in the test did not have a lower than average level of competence development. The results of the study may be of interest to scientists and practitioners who study the assessment and development of entrepreneurial competencies in students and specialists.


There are not many studies that discuss land subsidence and try to measure it in historic areas. This paper will take an inventory of historical areas that have existed since the early growth of cities such as Semarang Chinatown, which has existed since the 17th century. This paper is part of the results of research on land subsidence in coastal cities in Java, which have left many historical areas. Semarang City is one of the case studies because it has a high land subsidence rate of around 20 cm/year in the North Semarang area. Indeed, this area in the past was an ocean. However, due to sedimentation, on the old 1700s map, this area has become a marsh. After becoming mainland, several historical areas stood on young alluvial land. The purpose of this paper is to make an inventory of old buildings in the historic area of Chinatown. On the map from 1695 to now, after 305 years, the area has experienced land subsidence, which can be seen visually in several buildings. The research method used old photos, old maps, and field surveys by taking samples of several old residences that still exist. To strengthen the data, the use of Google street view is very helpful in seeing conditions in the field. The recommendation of this research is to provide directions for an inventory of the list of buildings that need to be conserved due to the hazard of subsidence, which is currently not being felt by the local community.


During the seed development of Nicotiana tabacum, appreciable accumulation of the soluble protein fraction started to occur at around the 6th day after anthesis and finally reached 12% on the basis of dry weight when seed maturation was accomplished. In the soluble fraction of mature seeds, four protein fractions were observed on analytical ultracentrifugation, and the protein having a sedimentation coefficient of 11.7S was the major one. The 11.7S protein was isolated and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the protein consisted of at least five subunits with molecular weights of 49,000, 31,000, 29,000, 21,000 and 19,000. The 11.7S protein was rich in glutamic acid or glutamine and arginine, and the presence of carbohydrate was confirmed.During development, all of the five subunits started to appear during the period between the 12th and 15th day after anthesis.


The latest guidelines suggest considering home treatment or early hospital discharge in low-risk mortality pulmonary embolism (PE) patients, identified through widely validated clinical prediction rules [1, 2]. Nevertheless, it is still not clear if these patients are really treated on an outpatient basis in clinical practice. Real-life data from the RIETE study suggest only a few patients with pulmonary embolism at low risk of complications were treated at home or hospitalised for ≤5 days. Management of PE appeared quite variable in different countries. http://ow.ly/o2b230mD8EY


The invention provides a method for reducing image crosstalk of a cylindrical-surface grating stereoscopic display by adopting a color filter. A cylindrical surface grating, a color filter and an image display screen are sequentially arranged, wherein the focal plane of the cylindrical surface grating is provided with the color filter to filter light rays leading to corsstalk among view points, thereby reducing the image crosstalk among view points. The invention further provides a cylindrical surface grating stereoscopic display device, which comprises the cylindrical grating, the color filter and the image display screen, which are sequentially arranged, wherein the color filter is arranged on the focal plane of the cylindrical surface grating so as to filter the light rays leading to the crosstalk among the view points, thereby reducing the image crosstalk among the view points.


The present invention relates to a production method of a masterbatch for deodorization, and a production method of a film or a container using the same and, more specifically, to a production method, comprising the following steps: producing a masterbatch using a masterbatch composition for deodorization, comprising sodium bicarbonate and polyethylene; and producing a film or a container using the masterbatch.


This paper we present a new design of hollow out of plane titanium microneedle array for aminioic fluid extraction. The structural analyses have been made to determine the mechanical strength of microneedle array. The analysis has involved simulation of three-dimensional model of microneedle array. This analysis predicts the deformation when bending and axial loads are applied to the needle. Successful penetration into skin was verified by measuring the insertion force of the microneedle. The lumen region is made hollow such that the fluid extraction is more reliable than the tapered needle. The extracted amniotic fluid is used for analysis of down syndrome in the fetus. This needle is more reliable than the normal hypodermic needle which has less insertion pain, skin clogging effect is less, no blood loss and safe procedure for the mother and the fetus. This microneedle is designed and simulated using COMSOL Multi physics simulation software.


Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of percutaneous cryosurgery combined with iodine-125 (125Ⅰ) seed implantation on stage Ⅳ pancreatic cancer patients.Methods Eighty-one patients with stage Ⅳ pancreatic cancer were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups according to method of treatment.Group Ⅰ consisted of 50 patients,who underwent percutaneous cryosurgery combined with 125Ⅰ seed implantation therapy for both primary and metastasis tumors.Group Ⅱ consisted of 31 patients,who underwent 125Ⅰ seed implantation therapy for primary sites and cryosurgery combined with 125Ⅰ seed implantation therapy for metastasis tumors.The patients were followed for 2.5 years,and the adverse event rates,median survival time (MST) and the effect of treatment episodes on MST were compared.Results The MST of Group Ⅰ and Ⅱwere 8 and 4 months,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001).In Group Ⅰ,the MST of patients who received multiple treatments was significantly longer than those received single treatment (11 vs.7 months,P=0.0389).In group Ⅱ,the MST of patients who received multiple therapy was not significantly longer than those received single treatment (4 vs.3 months,P =0.99).Conclusions Compared with controls who receive 125Ⅰ seed implantation for primary sites and cryosurgery combined with 125Ⅰ seed implantation therapy for metastasis tumors,multiple treatment of percutaneous cryosurgery combined with 125Ⅰ seed implantation in both primary and metastasis tumors can prolong stage Ⅳ pancreatic cancer patients' survival.

Key words:
Pancreatc neoplasms ;  Cryotherapy ;  Iodine radioisotopes;  Treatment outcome


First, (1) a definition of religion is offered in order to articulate what constitutes a quasi-religion, then the study moves on to (2) identifying one of the dimensions of proper religion in Commmunism, and underline the crucial role of doctrine. By appling these two theories, it is possible to make some valuable comparisons between Christian religion and communism. It is also argued that (3) eschatology is one of the most essential aspects of the doctrinal dimension not only of a religion proper, Christianity but that of a quasi-religion, Marxism and its inculturated form communism. My intention is to shed light on how remarkably similar (4) characteristics exist between an atheist ideology, dialectical materialism of communism and theist religion, Christianity. These can be discerned when the researcher scrutinizes their fundamental 'doctrinal' teachings about the (4.1) conditions of life and human beings in the world and (4.2.) the kind of solutions both, a religion proper and a quasi-religion offered to save the world from evil in the last days, the eschaton of Time. Some selected texts and songs of international and Hungarian communism will be used to show how they understood (a) crucial issues of life, (b) the role of believers (proletariat or church), and (c) the kind of the solutions they offered as a remedy to the issues they identified as problems. All of these will be placed under the framework of "end of times" notion which may be comparable to Christian eschatological expectation of the end of times.


The rhythm of life in general, and that of the heart in particular, has always been of interest to physicians and lay people all over the world. Ancient Chinese physicians examined the pulse of the patient's radial artery as a part of their diagnostic procedure. Through interpretation of the pulse the physician could get access to knowledge, somehow tacit, in terms understood then as the primary disharmonies in patients. In ancient times, advice and treatment were given accordingly, and later an anticipated change in the pulse should be seen as necessary for a noticeable change in the patients' health. Balance is still, as in old times, an important aspect of acupuncture, but now formulated with questions like 'Does acupuncture regulate auto


The fishing industry is a very important source of food and will be also used in the future. Therefore it is essential to study the impact of fishery on marine mammals. Whales (cetaceans) interact ...


The eradication of Helicobacter pylori plays a pivotal role in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. Metronidazole resistance, common in Iran, is claimed to be a major reason for the failure of metronidazole‐containing regimens. Both clarithromycin and furazolidone are potential alternatives for metronidazole.


The present study was carried out to determine the morphological structure and the branches of the lumbosacral plexus in the indigenous duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus). Six mature indigenous ducks were used in this study. After administering an anesthetic to the birds, the body cavities were opened. The nerves of the lumbosacral plexus were dissected separately and photographed. The lumbosacral
plexus consisted of lumbar and sacral plexus innervated to the hind limb. The lumbar plexus was formed by the union of three roots of spinal nerves that included last two and first sacral spinal nerve. Among three roots, second (middle) root was the highest in diameter and the last root was least in diameter. We noticed five branches of the lumbar plexus which included obturator, cutaneous femoral, saphenus, cranial coxal, and the femoral nerve. The six roots of spinal nerves, which contributed to form three
trunks, formed the sacral plexus of duck. The three trunks united medial to the acetabular foramen and formed a compact, cylindrical bundle, the ischiatic nerve. The principal branches of the sacral plexus were the tibial and fibular nerves that together made up the ischiatic nerve. Other branches were the caudal coxal nerve, the caudal femoral cutaneous nerve and the muscular branches. This study was the first work on the lumbosacral plexus of duck and its results may serve as a basis for further investigation on this subject.


During the Internet era, millions of users are using Web-based Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter for communication needs. Social networking platforms are now considered a source of big data because of real-time activities of a large number of users. In addition to idiosyncratic personal characteristics, web-based social data may include person-to-person communication, profiles, patterns, and spatio-temporal information. However, analysis of social interaction-based data has not been studied from the perspective of person identification. In this chapter, the authors introduce for the first time the concept of using interaction-based features from online social networking platforms as a novel biometric. They introduce the concept of social behavioral biometric from SNSs to aid the identification process. Analysis of these novel biometric features and their potential use in various security and authentication applications are also presented. Such applications would pave the way for new directions in biometric research.


The conversion occurrence of agricultural land has a significant effect on the decline in soybean production, so that the use of coconut land with a double cropping system to increase national soybean production. Soybean cultivation in agroforestry systems can be applied to soybean cultivation systems under shade with shade-tolerant varieties. This study aims to determine the growth and yield of soybean varieties at various levels of shade of coconut trees. The research was carried out in Paru Keude Village, Bandar Baru District, Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh, carried out in April – September 2019, with a Split Plot Design. The main plot is shade (N) consisting of no shade (N1), 25% shade (N2) and 50% shade (N3), and the variety plot (V) consists of Dena 1 (V1), Anjasmoro (V2) and Fan Red (V3). The study was analyzed by ANOVA, if the F value was greater than the value in the F table, it was continued with Duncan's Multiple Range Test at a significance level of 95%. The results showed that the Kipas Merah variety had higher plant height than Dena 1 and Anjasmoro, but Dena 1 had higher production at each shade level compared to Anjasmoro and Kipas Merah. Thus, the Dena 1 variety was able to maintain production at all shading conditions.


The conventional dichotomy of "commodity" and "fiat" base monies overlooks a third possibility that shares some features of each. This third type, which I call "synthetic commodity money," resembles fiat money in having no nonmonetary value; but it resembles commodity money in being not just contingently but absolutely scarce. I discuss some actual examples of synthetic commodity monies, and then argue that special characteristics of synthetic commodity money are such as might allow such a money, if properly designed, to supply the foundation for a monetary regime that does not require oversight by any monetary authority, yet is able to provide for a high degree of macroeconomic stability.


Models are tools widely used in the prediction of hydrological phenomena. The present study aims to contribute to the implementation of an automatic optimization strategy of parameters for the calibration of a hydrological model based on the least action principle (HyMoLAP). The Downhill Simplex method is also known as the Nelder-Mead algorithm, which is a heuristic research method, is used to optimize the cost function on a given domain. The performance of the model is evaluated by the Nash Stucliffe Efficiency Index (NSE), the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), the coefficient of determination (R2), the Mean Absolute Error (MAE). A comparative estimation is conducted using the Nash-Sutcliffe Modeling Efficiency Index and the mean relative error to evaluate the performance of the optimization method. It appears that the variation in water balance parameter values is acceptable. The simulated optimization method appears to be the best in terms of lower variability of parameter values during successive tests. The quality of the parameter sets obtained is good enough to impact the performance of the objective functions in a minimum number of iterations. We have analyzed the algorithm from a technical point of view, and we have carried out an experimental comparison between specific factors such as the model structure and the parameter's values. The results obtained confirm the quality of the model (NSE = 0.90 and 0.75 respectively in calibration and validation) and allow us to evaluate the efficiency of the Nelder-Mead algorithm in the automatic calibration of the HyMoLAP model. The developed hybrid automatic calibration approach is therefore one of the promising ways to reduce computational time in rainfall-runoff modeling.


University lecturing is changing as a result of larger class sizes, a more diverse student body, and the advent of technologies that could be used to enhance classroom instruction (i.e. Tablet PCs, personal response systems, etc.). One of the newest technological developments is screencasts, which are recordings that capture audio narration along with computer screen images. This study documents the strategic use of screencasts in an introductory Material Science and Engineering (MSE) course, and examines the impact on student learning and satisfaction in the large lecture environment. This course has an average of 200 students per semester representing all class levels and more than eight engineering majors. One teaching challenge is that the background and motivation of the students are quite diverse. Another is that the course content spans the entire range of a very multidisciplinary field. This paper analyzes the use and benefit of screencasts across the social and academic diversity of the students. As a way to address these challenges, the instructor develops and posts several types of screencasts to the course management website to supplement the typical course resources. These types include lecture recordings; explanations of homework, quiz, and exam solutions; and explanations of topics that students identified as being unclear. To assess screencast effectiveness and design course refinements to enhance their use, we collected data for two terms on student perceptions of screencasts, their screencast usage, their course performance, and student demographics. The results from the first term were used to make revisions to the course design for the second term. The data were also used to correlate students' success in the course with their demographic and academic backgrounds. The responses from an online survey show that the vast majority of students believe these screencasts are "helpful" and used the screencasts to clarify misunderstandings, to supplement the lecture material, and to review for exams. Our initial analysis of screencast usage shows that the class is evenly divided between students whose use of the resource is low, medium, and high. Analysis showed further differences by gender, race, and student major. Analysis to date does not correlate screencast usage with performance in the course; however, more detailed analysis is underway. Results from 2007 are being compared with those from 2008 to determine the impact of course refinements on these statistics. This study suggests that the use of screencasts maybe be an effective way to supplement lecture material in large courses for all students.


Quantitative in vitro methods using commercial cellulase (CEL), pectinase (PECT), and hemicellulase (HCEL) preparations were developed to simplify prediction of digestibility of cool- and warm-season forage grasses. Samples of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L. var. Pennlate), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. var. KY 31) (cool-season grasses), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi Vitman var. NY 1145), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L. var. KY 1625) (warm-season grasses) were taken at advancing stages of maturity. Isolated cell-wall material (CWM) was prepared by repetitively extracting lyophilized, ground tissue with aqueous and organic solvents. Relative solubilities of CWM digested individually with CEL, HCEL, or PECT were 100:30:40, respectively. When enzyme preparations were used sequentially, the influence of CEL, HCEL, and PECT on CWM solubility depended on the order in which the enzyme preparations occurred in the sequence. The fraction of CWM solubilized with CEL was similar to that obtain...


The introduction of technologies such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Broadband Fixed Wireless (BFW), and Cable modems in "last mile" access networks has enabled the development of user applications that require large bandwidth along with low delay and jitter. Some of these applications include streaming audio/video, online games, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. While a variety of applications have surfaced in the last decade that challenge the new capabilities provided by broadband access network, not much has been done to understand the nature of such traffic in view of their impact on the access. The common belief is that users on one broadband access generate traffic that is not intrinsically different from users on other broadband accesses with different underlying technologies. This belief, if incorrect, could lead to suboptimal or bad network design. Moreover, there has been no analysis using real traffic data to verify this assumption; one reason being that such data is hard to get. In this dissertation we introduce post-processing methodologies to generate meaningful information to be analyzed, from the scattered raw data sets provided to us by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that were collected at different times using different data collection tools. The first part of our analysis shows that the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection arrival process depends on the underlying Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol and the error control mechanisms, which differ for different access schemes. Since the network resource allocation problem arises at the connection level, the design of a broadband access network should take into account the influence of the underlying technology on the user traffic. The second part of our analysis is focussed on understanding the behavior of an application (a network game) with stringent QoS (Quality of Service) requirements on broadband access network. We found that the latency (QoS requirement) was well within the boundaries suggested for this application. Our analysis shows that the user duration is no longer exponential but rather heavy tailed, which reflects a change in user behavior with broadband access that accounts for the popularity of such applications.


We report on polarization-resolved resonant photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy of bright (spin-1) and dark (spin-2) excitons in colloidal CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots. Using high magnetic fields to 33 T, we resonantly excite (and selectively analyze PL from) spin-up or spin-down excitons. At low temperatures (<4K) and above ~10 T, the spectra develop a narrow, circularly polarized peak due to spin-flipped bright excitons. Its evolution with magnetic field directly reveals a large (1-2 meV), intrinsic fine structure splitting of bright excitons, due to anisotropic exchange. These findings are supported by time-resolved PL studies and polarization-resolved PL from single nanocrystals.


A diabetic smart device is a smart insole that is exclusively developed for diabetic patients in Malaysia. This device focuses on displaying the foot plantar pressure of its user and the temperature of the foot through smartphone. Diabetic foot wounds are caused by uncontrolled activity and repetitive stress to the foot that can cause some damage to the skin. Hence, this device aims to limit its user in certain amount of pressure while they are doing other activities. User can download Blynk application in their smartphone and connect it with the device via Bluetooth. The system provides the wearer with real-time warning message that allows them to take actions immediately in keeping their feet healthy as well as preventing from diabetic foot ulceration. In this work, the pressure with temperature data from foot plantar has been displayed via smartphone and the feedback system that can warn the user has been completed. In conclusion, the smart insole system has gone through several testing and it needs some improvement in ensuring good stability and accuracy of the hardware used in future works.


Introduction: As registered music therapists in South Africa, we have developed a training program to equip community healthcare workers to utilize the arts in their work. Music affords potential in counselling due to its creative and communicative nature, possibilities for expressing the full range of human emotions, its projective qualities, opportunities it offers to re-compose meanings, and the way in which people engage with it in a holistic manner.Aim: The workshop will highlight the importance of developing innovative interventions for training and support that blend creative thinking with ethically responsible practice. This is crucial when working in complex contexts where psychosocial needs are overwhelming and the numbers of care workers are insufficient. The training courses are run with resource-oriented convictions and with a commitment to collaborative mutual learning.Methods/activities: This workshop will provide a description of the techniques that are experientially presented during this...


Precise measurements of the secondary cosmic ray fluxes and of secondary-over-primary flux ratios as functions of rigidity are essential for cosmic ray propagation study. We report the properties of heavy secondary cosmic ray fluorine (F) nuclei in the rigidity R range 2GV to 3 TV observed by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment (AMS-02) on the International Space Station. The secondary-over-primary ratios fluorine-to-silicon and boron-to-oxygen (or boron-to-carbon) will be discussed, showing that the heavy cosmic rays, from fluorine to silicon, have different propagation properties compared to those of light cosmic rays, from helium to oxygen. The properties of cosmic-ray sodium and aluminum nuclei, which are partly secondary and partly primary, will also be presented.


Octyl acetate was synthesized from acetic acid and n-octanol using sodium bisulfate as catalyst without solvent under ultrasonic.The optimal reaction conditions were as follows:mole ratio of n-octanol to acetic acid of 1∶2.0,1.0% catalyst based on the total mass of the reactants,reaction time of 20min and reaction temperature of 84℃.Under these conditions,the yield of octyl acetate is up to 80.1%.The catalyst could be repeatedly used.


Catalysts play a pervasive and indispensible role
in industrial processes used to produce many
essential chemicals and fuels. Heterogeneous
catalysts, solid catalysts that promote reactions
among gaseous reactants, are particularly
important in refining conventional fossil fuels
and in efforts to develop new renewable fuel and
feedstock resources.


This study compares the high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of the high-strength β titanium alloys β−Cez and Ti-6246 (in two distinctly different α+β processed and β processed conditions) with the conventional α+β titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (in a α+β processed condition). The first part of the work addresses the superior fatigue-crack initiation resistance and smooth-bar HCF strength of β−Cez and Ti-6246 compared to Ti-6Al-4V. In the second part, the problem of foreign-object damage on jet engine fan blades is used as an engineering example of potential HCF applications for β titanium alloys.


Efficient query processing in XML database has attracted extensive research efforts. However, majority of existing approaches for XML query processing do not exploit semantic information in the underlying database. In this paper, we address the importance of using semantics for XML query processing. In particular, we consider two common types of queries in XML, twig pattern query and keyword search query. We discuss how semantics can be used for optimizing twig pattern queries. Then, we discuss the usage of semantics to interpret keyword queries in order to retrieve and rank the most relevant results to users.


Purpose: There havc becii few reports on thc seimre rocus lateralimtion in temporal lobe epilcpsy (TLE) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ('H‐MRS) or studics that investigated the hippocampal function in TLE patients using 'H‐MRS. We examincd hippoampal 'H‐MRS studies, clinical symptoms, BEG investigations, and memory tests in TLE paticnts, to investigate whethcr 'H‐MRS is useful to decide the sciz.urc focus and whethcr it reflects thc clinical rcdturcs or the hippocampal function.


Graphene layers grown on 6H-SiC(0001) were irradiated with 1 MeV electron beam to functionalize its surface. A surface analysis using atomic force microscopy, the near edge X-ray adsorption fine structure spectra of C K-edge, and photoemission spectroscopy suggests that the electron beam irradiation in ambient condition can induce oxidation of the graphene layer.


The purpose of this research is to identify the students' interest in vocational schools as the dimension of being in a well-being model school. A questionnaire was used to measure students' subjective perceptions. Suitability Vocational interests are assessed using a standardized test known as a modified vocational interest scale from the SDS (Self-directed search). Eleven vocational schools in Indonesia, comprising of 362 students from the manufacturing program contributed in the survey. The computer-based statistical data analysis system was used to examine the raw data collection. The results showed that 49% of the students felt satisfied and enjoyed the learning process they followed at school. Considering the students' interest in the vocational school, which conforms to the personality typology, 41% of the students were confirmed positively. The two statistic figures suggest that when a student has strong motivation and has a high interest in the vocational school, they feel positive about the education process. Besides student also enjoy and follow the system accordingly. The development of well-being in school can then be shaped. This paper provides the implementation of a well-being model to cater to the education process, considering the conformance of students' interest in their selected course programs in vocational schools.


Influence of the previous antihypertensive therapy on the course of cerebral stroke was analyzed in 188 hypertensive patients. Stroke course features and treatment outcome were analyzed in patients receiving regular antihypertensive therapy before stroke and in those not treated or treated irregularly. Direct influence of previous antihypertensive therapy on the rate of hemorrhagic stroke development, its course severity, and subsequent functional recovery was revealed.


We report the results of descriptive and functional analyses of a representative forest and watershed in the southwestern Alps, where the Forest Service has attempted reforestation of badlands for erosion control since 1860, relying on the non‐native Pinus nigra ssp. nigra (Austrian black pine). One hundred twenty years after the first tree plantings, the plant communities are still early seral assemblages for the most part, with Austrian black pine occurring alone in the canopy. In contrast, most of the marly soils have physically recovered part of their total depth, with layers of fragmented and altered material equal to 50 cm, but their structure and chemical fertility is still poor. Autogenic soil restoration is proceeding however, largely engineered by earthworms (up to 49 individuals and 27 g/m2). Two dominant species are presumed keystone: Lumbricus terrestris and Octolasion cyaneum (Lumbricidae). The reestablishment of indigenous tree species is apparently not inhibited by site fertility or lack of nearby seed pools. We hypothesize that excessive stand density is responsible for the poor regeneration because it discourages the birds and rodents that control seed dissemination. Mortality of pines due to infestation by Viscum album subsp. austriacum (mistletoe) is creating large openings and should be specially managed. One hundred twenty years after the first plantings, the nineteenth‐century vision that restoration of badlands was ecologically feasible is validated, as is the strategy to establish pioneer tree species. Here Austrian black pine acts as a nurse stand and enables the return of indigenous broad‐leaved trees and a wide array of herbaceous species as well. However, our results clearly indicate that appropriate silvicultural tactics should now consist of tree thinning to promote the true restoration of native biodiversity and ecosystem functions.


We consider the escape dynamics of an ensemble of Bose-Einstein-condensed atoms from an optical-dipole trap consisting of two overlapping Gaussian wells. Earlier theoretical studies (based on a model of quantum evolution using ensembles of classical trajectories) predicted that self-similar fractal features could be visible in this system by measuring the escaping flux as a function of time for varying initial conditions. Here, direct numerical quantum simulations show the clear influence of quantum interference on the escape data. Fractal features are still evident in the data, albeit with interference fringes superposed. Furthermore, the nonlinear influence of atom-atom interactions is also considered, in the context of the (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Of particular note is that an attractive nonlinear interaction enhances the resolution of fractal structures in the escape data. Thus, the interplay between nonlinear focusing and dispersion results in dynamics that resolve the underlying classical fractal more faithfully than the noninteracting quantum (or classical) dynamics.


Lies are considered bad, immoral, and reprehensible. Yet there is considerable evidence that prevarication is a ubiquitous feature of human social interaction. Psychologists, as well as others in society, often use deceptive techniques for the "social good," and there are a number of conditions under which lying is seen as acceptable. There are also numerous situations in which the "truth" cannot be discerned. This article argues that a psychology of lying needs to be developed that is focused on understanding how actors and observers come to view the world and particular situations, rather than on the detection and punishment of lying.


Structures composed of physical nonlinear finite elements under bending and compression or tension are considered in this paper. Material nonlinearity is considered as linearly hardened. In case of material hardening, plastic strains do not concentrate in one point but distribute in the certain volumes of finite element. Volumes of plastic strains zones in frame structure elements impact on elasticity modules of these elements sections by decreasing them. Technique of such elasticity modules decrease in finite elements sections is suggested. To realize such structure analysis, a treatment of strains in mathematical model is changed. Now strains are treated not as rotation angles and elongations of finite elements, but as longitudinal strains. Mathematical model including above mentioned modifications is presented. Solving algorithm based on a modified Newton-Raphson method is particularly explained and employed for numerical example.


BACKGROUND
Ospemifene hasbeen authorized for the treatment of vulvovaginal atrophy(VVA). This study wasto evaluate adverse events (AEs) associated with ospemifene by data mining theUS Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

METHODS
The signals of AEs linked to ospemifene were measured using disproportionalityanalyses, such as the reporting odds ratio (ROR), the proportional reportingratio (PRR), the Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN), andthe multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS) algorithms.

RESULTS
There were 2283 events of ospemifenebeing the 'primary suspected (PS)' AE out of the 12,692,824 reportsfrom the FAERS database. Ospemifene-induced AEs hit 25 organ systems. Therewere 726 severely disproportional preferred terms (PTs) that complied with thefour algorithms. The investigation turned up a number of anticipated adversedrug reactions (ADRs), and significant unanticipated ADRs linked to eye andrenal problems were found, indicating potential side effects not yet includedin the prescription instructions.

CONCLUSION
We detected novel AEs signals forospemifene, and the results of our investigation were compatible with clinicalobservations. This suggests that further prospective clinical trials arerequired to confirm these findings and demonstrate their link. Our findingsmight be useful supporting data for ospemifene safety research in the future.


Differentiated sex chromosomes are accompanied by a difference in gene dose between X/Zspecific and autosomal genes. At the transcriptomic level, these sex-linked genes can either lead to expression imbalance, or gene dosage can be compensated by epigenetic mechanisms and results into expression level equalization. Schistosoma mansoni has been previously described as a ZW species (i.e. female heterogamety, in opposition to XY male heterogametic species) with a partial dosage compensation, but underlying mechanisms are still unexplored. Here, we combine transcriptomic (RNA-Seq) and epigenetic data (ChiP-Seq against H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and H4K20me1 histone marks) in free larval cercariae and intravertebrate parasitic stages. For the first time, we describe differences in dosage compensation status in ZW females, depending on the parasitic status: free cercariae display global dosage compensation while intra-vertebrate stages show a partial dosage compensation. We also highlight regional differences of gene expression along the Z chromosome in cercariae, but not in the vertebrate stages. Finally, we feature a consistent permissive chromatin landscape of the Z chromosome in both sexes and stages. We argue that dosage compensation in schistosomes is characterized by chromatin remodeling mechanisms in the Z-specific region. 2 D ow naded rom http/academ ic.p.com /gbe/advance-articleoi/10.1093/gbe/evz133/5527757 by C entre IR D de M onellier (x. O rtom ) user on 15 uly 2019


This paper examined the impact of national holidays on job performance of  commercial bank employees in Anyigba, Nigeria. The study adopts cross sectional survey research design. It also utilized multi-stage sampling approach and purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire and oral interviews. The data collected through questionnaire were analysed using descriptive techniques such as frequency counts and percentages while the data obtained through interviews were content analysed. Results of the study showed that respondents have high level of job performance and this was found to be due to national holidays' which had positively impacted  on the respondents. Based on these findings, the study recommends that  the Federal Government of Nigeria should create more holidays for workers as this will not only give them opportunity to recover from work strain but also help to ensure their long term workability  with improve performance.
Keywords: National holidays, Job performance, Commercial banks, Anyigba, Nigeria


This paper deals with the unsupervised domain adaptation problem, where one wants to estimate a prediction function $f$ in a given target domain without any labeled sample by exploiting the knowledge available from a source domain where labels are known. Our work makes the following assumption: there exists a non-linear transformation between the joint feature/label space distributions of the two domain $\mathcal{P}_s$ and $\mathcal{P}_t$. We propose a solution of this problem with optimal transport, that allows to recover an estimated target $\mathcal{P}^f_t=(X,f(X))$ by optimizing simultaneously the optimal coupling and $f$. We show that our method corresponds to the minimization of a bound on the target error, and provide an efficient algorithmic solution, for which convergence is proved. The versatility of our approach, both in terms of class of hypothesis or loss functions is demonstrated with real world classification and regression problems, for which we reach or surpass state-of-the-art results.


ABSTRACT Purpose The use of attentional resources is an important cognitive indicator of reading engagement but it is unknown how this is influenced by linguistic cues. We designed two experiments to investigate whether shifts in narrative perspectives occupy more of the attention of readers and engage them more in the text. Methods Experiment 1 employed a dual-task paradigm to explore how shifts in narrative perspective influence the attention that readers allocate to the text. Experiment 2 used the same methods but replaced sentences with whole chapters to examine the effects of shifted perspectives on readers' ability to allocate attention and engage in reading. Results Experiment 1 found that shifts in perspective delayed the participants' responses to the tones. Experiment 2 found that perspective shifts enhanced the participants' self-reported attentional focus and overall reading engagement. The results of Experiment 1 were not replicated by Experiment 2 but both experiments found that attentional engagement was deeper at the initial than the later stage of reading. Conclusion Perspective shifts in novels constitute valid language cues that can fully utilize readers' attentional resources and improve their engagement in reading. Attentional resources play a more important role when readers initially process texts than at later stages.


Ziziphus Mill belong to family Rhamnaceae. The present paper deals with traditional practices of Ziziphus Mill in Haroti plateau, south east Rajasthan. Edible, religious belief and medicinal values of the plant species in this area are considered in this communication. Key word: Deciduous; Plateau; Sacred; Traditional; Ziziphus. Research Article Cite this article: Sharma, O.P., Traditional Practices of Ziziphus Mill in Haroti Plateau, Rajasthan, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5(5): 1252-1254 (2017). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.5259 Sharma Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (5): 1252-1254 (2017) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 Copyright © Sept.-Oct., 2017; IJPAB 1253 Flowers in axillary clusters, greenish yellow, drupes globose to avoid, fleshy, smooth, yellow or orange when ripe, edible, stones 1-2 celled. Flowering and fruiting : September – February Common name : Bada bor / Pemlibor Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.F.) Wight & Arm a much branched thorny erect or straggling bushy shrubs, branches zigzag bark ashy-grey leaves orbicular or ovate rounded at both the ends, densely woolly beneath, stipular spines paired, flowers in axillary, sessile, pubescent cymes, greenish yellow, drupes, globose, glabrous, red when ripe, edible. Flowering : August-September Fruiting : October-January Common name : Bordi The present study is an addition to the knowledge of Ziziphus Mill plant species, utilized by local people of the area. This paper communicates information about general practices, traditional, sacred belief and economic uses of both species of Ziziphus Mill in Haroti plateau, south, east Rajasthan. Fruits of the both species of Ziziphus has highly nutritious value. The fruits of Z. mauritiana and Z. nummularia is a perennial features of the local fruits market of Haroti region. Traditional practices of both species of Ziziphus Mill are given below: Ziziphus mauritiana. Medicinal use : Leaves are taken to cure diarrhoea, cough and mouth ulcers. Seeds are sedative and relieve abdominal pain during pregnancy. Fruits are cooling anodyne and used as tonic, digestive and blood purifier. Edible : Fruits are eaten Sacred belief : This species is important component of some sacred groves of the area. Ziziphus nummularia Medicinal use : Bark is used in dysentery, acidity, leucorrhoea and anemia. Dried leaves are applied in cough and cold paste of leaves is prescribed for healing cuts. Edible : Fruits are eaten. Sacred belief : Fruits are used in worship of goddess laxmi, it comprise an important part of laxmipuja during Deepawali. The plant and fruits is worshiped also on the day of 'Dev Uthani Gyaras'. Fodder uses : The grazing communities uses the leaves of this species to feed their cattle. It is considered to be highly beneficial for the goats and the goats thrive on it. Plants and their parts are associate with faith and tradition. Plant species have become an integral part of tribal and rural life Sharma Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (5): 1252-1254 (2017) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 Copyright © Sept.-Oct., 2017; IJPAB 1254 and culture. Over grazing, human settlement, encroachment and deforestation have disturbed habitat of Ziziphus species particularly in the last decads. REFERENCES 1. Basu, R. Role of sacred groves in Biodiversity conservation in Bankura district of West Bengal. J.Econ. Taxon. Bot. 34 (1):13-17(2010). 2. Ghose, A.K. The floristic elements of the Flora of Bengal, Orissa pre., 25. Indian Sci. conc. pt.111-140 (1938). 3. Kumar, D. and Kaseva, M.S. Medicinal plants of Muzaffarnagar district used in the treatment of urinary tract and Kidney stones. Ind. J. Tradi. 8(2): 191-195 (2009). 4. Sharma, N.K. Tree flora of Jhalawar district (Rajasthan) with reference to floristic diversity and phytogeography Bull. Bot. Surv. India 44 (1): 25-60 (2002). 5. Sharma, O.P. Studies on biological spectrum of Bundi (south-east Rajasthan) and environs. Life Science Bulletin. 7(2): 173-175 (2010). 6. Shetty, B.V. and Singh, V. Flora of Rajasthan. 1(3): B.S.I. Howarah (1987-93).


Maize ( Zea mays ) is one of the staple foods in many third world nations. Its production has increased over years as people change their consumption trends. Maize has evolved from a purely substance to a successful commercial crops. Maize is sold mainly for food in schools, relief by World Food programme (WFP). Maize Production has improved with the adoption of innovative technologies in farmer fields. These technologies include Organic acid based biotech formulations, Integrated nutrient management, improved seeds like hybrid and Longe varieties, timely planting, proper spacing and timely harvesting.  Organic farming enhances soil carbon and its benefits (Hepperly, 2007).Adoption of Organic farming practices and usage of Lacto-gluconate based organic manures, vegetable protein and sea-weed based amino-acids, gluconic acid and lactic acid formulations enhanced the soil fertility, soil organic carbon (SOC) and increase in grain yield in Maize crop. As all these products are made from natural ingredients with microbial actions through fermentation, the formulations are ideal substitutes of inorganic nutrients in organic farming.


The IEEE Computer Society's policy limits the terms of the members of its Editorial Board. This allows new people and expertise to come in and benefi ts the growth and vitality of the journal. The success of the journal relies on the quality of the submissions and reviews, and the work of the associate editors. The dedication of associate editors is essential to the continuing growth of the journal. On behalf of the IEEE TVCG's Editorial Board, it is the Editor-in-Chief's pleasure to introduce Gennady Andrienko and Steve Marschner, who have recently joined the TVCG Editorial Board as Associate Editors. Below are the biographical sketches listing their accomplishments and areas of expertise. The TVCG Editorial Board is pleased to welcome these outstanding researchers to their new role.


In many cities, incentives and regulations lead developers to integrate low-income housing into market-rate buildings. How cost-effective are these policies? I study take-up of a tax incentive in New York City using a model in which developers trade off between tax savings and pre-tax income. Estimating the model using policy variation and microdata on development from 2003 to 2015, I find a citywide marginal fiscal cost of $1.6 million per low-income unit. Differences in neighborhoods, not developer incidence, explain the cost premium over other housing programs. Weighing costs against estimates of neighborhood effects, I conclude middle-class neighborhoods offer "opportunity bargains."


Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of data from environmental hazard monitoring, and human exposure and health effects surveillance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a cooperative agreement with 17 state and local health departments, is leading the initiative to build a national tracking network by drawing on expertise from federal, state and local agencies. As part of this effort, a national workgroup was formed to identify appropriate drinking water quality data and measures for inclusion in the tracking network. In order to identify current gaps in data and information, and assess the feasibility of developing measures of drinking water quality, the EPHT drinking water workgroup assessed existing statewide and local water quality data sources. This assessment documented the availability and quality of centralized and electronic water quality and water system data that could be used to generate useful, nationally consistent measures for tracking spatial and temporal trends in drinking water quality. The results indicate that the data elements needed to generate public health based measures are centrally reported to the state agency responsible for regulating public water supplies, and are available in electronic format to EPHT programs. The most crucial data gap is the lack of information on the geographic extent and spatial distribution of water systems, making the linkage of these data with population based census estimates and other health effect data virtually impossible. The entire assessment process benefited EPHT as it provided a better understanding of the data available from different states and the feasibility to generate measures to assess drinking water quality.


Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a genetically determined disorder with several pulmonary complications. A case of an 18-year-old male suffering from this entity and having empyema thoracis and azoospermia is presented here.


Development of a Program Evaluation for a Preceptor Preparation Program by Olivia H. Hagos MSN, Jacksonville University, 2004 BSN, University of Santo Tomas, 1966 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University August 2017 Abstract A significant nursing shortage exists in the United States, which is compounded by high turnover rates. Skilled nurse preceptors are needed to train and assimilate nurses, which would improve retention of nurse preceptors, facilitate transition of nurses to the practice environment, and increase the number of preceptors within the organization. A preceptor preparation program in a 300-bed hospital was developed to promote nurse preceptor success while enhancing learning outcomes and creating a supportive work environment.A significant nursing shortage exists in the United States, which is compounded by high turnover rates. Skilled nurse preceptors are needed to train and assimilate nurses, which would improve retention of nurse preceptors, facilitate transition of nurses to the practice environment, and increase the number of preceptors within the organization. A preceptor preparation program in a 300-bed hospital was developed to promote nurse preceptor success while enhancing learning outcomes and creating a supportive work environment. The organization's leaders are interested in the successes of the program and its longterm role in retaining nurse preceptors who completed the preceptor preparation program. Therefore, the purpose of this doctor of nursing practice (DNP) project was to develop a program evaluation model where the institution could assess the retention rate of preceptors and the overall effectiveness of the program. The evaluation framework consisted of the Benner's Model Skill Acquisition, from novice to expert, which will assist in assessing outcomes of retention of nursing preceptors as they evolved through the program. The project question for this DNP project asked whether a program evaluation to identify methods to capture current rate of retention of preceptors and overall program effectiveness could be developed. A survey tool was successfully developed and the pilot study was accepted by the facility to capture and evaluate the program information. This project provides a model for program evaluation and may increase the nursing literature on preceptor retention programs. Preceptor program outcomes are important to evaluate and can create positive social change regarding the number of quality preceptors available to train new nurses in practice. Development of a Program Evaluation for a Preceptor Preparation Program by Olivia H. Hagos MSN, Jacksonville University, 2004 BSN, University of Santo Tomas, 1966 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University August 2017 Dedication "Commit and dedicate my works of my nursing profession and vocation to God, then my plans will succeed." – Proverbs 16:3 Dedicated to my family. Acknowledgements Thank you, Carliss Anderson, RN, MSN, an outstanding nursing educator and mentor who inspired and allowed me start this project study—may you rest in peace. Thank you to my sister, Eden Hagos-Reuter, RN, BSN, whose life was taken by our Lord when I started this project. I know and I believe that she is in heaven and continuously watches the progress of my nursing profession—may you rest in peace. Thank you, Dr. Nelly Stone, for your untiring support and endless encouragement, for being willing to be, and always being, my exemplary nursing role model. Thank you for your commitment to help me accomplish this project study. Thank you, Dr. Sharon Smith, for always standing by me, especially in needed repeated reviews and editing my DNP project! Thank you to Tara Willis, RN, BSN, CCRN, for your informatics expertise and supportive determination so I could produce an impeccable written document! And most of all, I deeply appreciate Professor Patricia Schweickert for her steadfast and deep reassurance in accomplishing this project study!


In this paper, we proposed a novel supervised feature extractor named as class-augmented independent component analysis (CA-ICA) whose performance can be maintained even after the input variables are varied, only if new input variables are still linear combinations of the same independent sources as old input variables were. This property can be useful in implementing an sEMG decoder robust to the position changes of sensors (electrodes), since the electrodes attached at a position on human skin is not easy to be maintained for a long time. Experiments show that the sEMG decoder with the proposed method decodes human intentions from sEMG with a high accuracy and this performance is maintained even if the electrode position changes.


An introduction is presented to the nature of polarized and non-polarized transient spin resonance signals, produced by flash-photolysis e.s.r. , followed by a description of the equipment used for experimental work. Theories of Chemically Induced Dynamic Electron Spin Polarization are reviewed and various models introduced to illustrate these concepts. A description is given of the first thorough investigation into the effect of CIDEP polarization transfer down a free radical chain and expands upon the consequences of hyperfine-dependent relaxation and the relative signs of coupling constants in various radical species. It concludes with an account of two methods of kinetic analysis which are the first practical demonstrations of their kind, and employ extension of expressions developed in earlier chapters. Studies are made of the CIDEP behaviour of radicals in high viscosity paraffins. A reassessment of previous published work is made: anomalous polarization behaviour was found to have been over-compensated for. A new method of extracting values for T 1 and T 2,/sub> is demonstrated for strong transient e.s.r. signals. A collection of experimental data relating to the previously unexplained absorptive polarization observed in the spectrum of ketyl radicals and the longer-time phase inversion of hyperfine-dependent CIDEP is given. The operation of Triplet Mechanism CIDEP in the ketyl radical systems is ruled out and a division of radicals into geminately formed and free-encounter pairs is shown to be incapable of explaining the observed phase changes. In its place a cross-relaxational mechanism, drawing upon simultaneously generated nuclear spin polarization is advanced. Conclusions are drawn that this may account for both anomalies. Lastly a photochemical application of CIDEP is demonstrated; two different reaction intermediates are identified upon photolysis of ortho phthalaldehyde, depending upon the quenching conditions. A reaction scheme consistent with all experimental data is proposed. A brief comment upon the photo-chemistry of indan 2-one concludes this work.


Background: Platelet-rich plasma has been extensively used in several clinical settings. However, there still a lack of conclusive evidence concerning the benefits of platelet-rich plasma in the field of wound healing. We aimed to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma in acute wound healing. Methods: This prospective study enrolled forty adult patients of both sexes and aged between 18 - 50 years. All patients in need for split-thickness skin graft were included in our study. The donor sites were randomly divided into two equal halves: the platelet-rich plasma side, which was injected with recently activated platelet-rich plasma; and the control side, in which the conventional method of dressing was used. Measurement of the platelet count and transforming growth factor-B1 concentration in each platelet-rich plasma preparation and the whole blood was done for all patients. Clinical monitoring of the donor sites was done every 7 days for 3 weeks, regarding pain perception, epithelialization surface area and possible side effects of the platelet-rich plasma. Histopathological monitoring was done on the 7th postoperative day. Results: The platelet count was increased about 3.5 folds and transforming growth factor-B1 was increased 2.4 folds in the platelet-rich plasma compared to the patients' blood. The platelet-rich plasma side had significantly lower pain scores at day 7 (4.8 ± 0.18 vs 5.9 ± 0.07) and day 14 (1.4 ± 0.11 vs 1.9 ± 0.09) postoperative (p = 0.002 and p = 0.004, respectively) and had significantly higher rate of epithelialization at day 7 (9.8 ± 0.35 cm2 vs 7.5 ± 0.32 cm2) and day 14 (38.4 ± 0.36 cm2 vs 36.9 ± 0.42 cm2) postoperative (p < 0.001 and p = 0.039, respectively), while at day 21 postoperative, there was no significant difference between both sides. There was no significant difference between both sides regarding the incidence of complications. The platelet-rich plasma side showed intact epithelium, differentiation of the cells in stratum spongiosum and stratum granulosum, neovascularization and earlier collagen deposition. Conclusion: The platelet-rich plasma is safe and effective adjuvant in the management of acute wounds. However, we recommend for larger clinical trials for standardized method for PRP preparation and better understanding of the efficacy of this blood product.


In the dynamical gauge-Higgs unification, it is shown that the mass of the Higgs boson (4D scalar field) in U(1) gauge theory in $M^4 \times T^n$ ($n=1,2,3,...$) is finite to all order in perturbation theory as a consequence of the large gauge invariance. It is conjectured that the Higgs boson mass is finite in non-Abelian gauge theory in $M^4 \times S^1$, $M^4 \times (S^1/Z_2)$ and the Randall-Sundrum warped spacetime to all order in the rearranged perturbation theory where the large gauge invariance is maintained.


We investigate the optical nonlinearity of a Bi2Nd2Ti3O4 ferroelectric thin film using the top-hat Z scan technique at a wavelength of 532nm with 35ps duration pulses. The film exhibits the fast and giant optical nonlinearities having the two-photon absorption coefficient of 3.1×104cm∕GW and the nonlinear refraction coefficient of 0.7cm2∕GW, respectively. The mechanism of the optical nonlinearity is discussed in detail. In particular, we also give two important formulas for the top-hat Z scan, which are very valuable and helpful for estimating the nonlinear optical coefficients when the material possesses the simultaneous nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction.


Quality of reconstructed images in digital holography is evaluated in terms of structural similarity (SSIM) index. Digital holograms of a diffused coin are recorded at different exposure times of recording digital sensor for different source powers.


Lighting retrofit is a common technique to reduce lighting energy use and to improve lighting quality. It is usually performed by replacing the lamps in the existing luminaires with more efficient lamps. Despite the high potential to enhance lighting performance by improving other parts of the luminaires such as reflectors, lighting retrofits usually keep their designs unchanged and focus on the change of the lamps. In this case study, an alternative lighting retrofit method - the replacement of reflectors using a nano optical coating - was tested in a typical office in Hong Kong. The case study used a luminaire with a highly reflective nano optical coating. The pre- and post-retrofit illuminance level, illuminance uniformity, glare and lighting energy use were measured. The results show that the use of the nano optical coating enables the reduction of light tubes in the office and thus the lighting energy consumption without lowering the lighting quality. The lighting retrofit enhances the illuminance uniformity in the office by 14.6% while keeping the illuminance level and discomfort glare within the satisfactory level. It also lowers the lighting energy use of the office by 37.5%.


With respect to syntactic and semantic processing in sentence comprehension, traditional modular models assume that syntactic processes appear prior to semantic processes and dominate the process of sentence comprehension. However, this point of view has been recently challenged by a number of ERP studies, which demonstrate that semantic information plays an important role in both syntax and sentence integration processes. In light of these findings, researchers propose that the relation between semantics and syntax is not invariable: on one hand, syntactic processing might guide semantic processing, on the other hand, semantic processing might guide syntactic processing.


In the face of clear limitations of the current economic model, the formation of a long-term vision of its development is of particular importance in each country. It is essential to decide on two issues on a purely pragmatic basis: the relative importance of internal and external factors and the role that the state should play in the economy. The strategy developed on this basis should determine the specifics of economic policy. Russia has developed an original holistic model of macroeconomic policy aimed at countering the "Dutch disease." Within its framework, the financial component is used not only for classical functions, but also as a tool to influence the monetary sphere. The "division of labour" in this area between the monetary and financial authorities is aimed at targeting not one but two indicators - the level of inflation and exchange rate - to simultaneously maintain the high efficiency of fuel and raw materials exports and to protect from competition domestic production oriented to the national market. But the implementation of this model entails serious costs - the freezing of significant resources in international reserves, with the impossibility of using them as a "safety bag", high interest rate and, ultimately, prolonged stagnation. To move towards a sustainable development and modernization strategy, a whole range of interconnected changes to fiscal and monetary policy, on the one hand, and industrial policy, on the other, are proposed. At the same time, the author advocates a return to the classical division of functions between monetary and financial power, and in the sphere of monetary policy - for the transition to the regime of "dirty float" of the ruble and the use of economic instruments limiting the cross-border movement of speculative capital. The importance of implementing structural reforms, primarily concerning the economic behavior of the state, is emphasized.


I had spent 25 years as a nurse when in 1997 I became one of only two nurses ever to be elected as MPs. Ann Keen and I were later to be joined by Ann Picking in the 2001 election.


Abstract: As the time goes by, a rapid growth of human population would eventually lead to the increase of daily waste. A lack of awareness of the community to dispose of waste properly might further harm the surrounding environment. Many people have limited knowledge as to where the garbage is dumped. In regard to that case, an Android-based waste management application system is designed. The prototype method is built for the system. This application is meant to carry out waste disposal transactions that can be accessed on Android. Hopefully, this application could increase user's interest in disposing the waste and able to increase public insight in distinguishing organic and non-organic waste. The purpose of this research is to keep the community environment clean and healthy.


The effect of coadministration of omeprazole on the bioavailability of oral garenoxacin was evaluated in an open‐label study in 14 healthy subjects. Single‐dose pharmacokinetics of garenoxacin were determined with and without steady‐state omeprazole. Following an oral dose of garenoxacin 600 mg on day 1, serial blood samples were obtained over the next 72 hours. Omeprazole 40 mg once daily was administered from days 4 to 10. A second pharmacokinetic assessment of garenoxacin was conducted on day 8. Geometric means for the maximum observed concentration and area under the concentration‐time curve from time 0 extrapolated to infinity were 9.6 μg/mL (18.2%) and 132.0 μg·h/mL (18.9%), respectively, for garenoxacin alone and 9.3 μg/mL (21.6%) and 140.4 μg·h/mL (22.1%), respectively, for coadministered garenoxacin and omeprazole. The 90% confidence interval for the ratio of geometric means (with/without omeprazole) for both variables was contained within 0.80 to 1.25, and the bioavailability of garenoxacin was not affected by the concomitant administration of omeprazole.


The purpose of this investigation is to study the effect of inclusion steel fiber on microstructure and some properties of lightweight geopolymer concrete. Lightweight geopolymer concrete containing, Fly Ash, alkaline liquids (mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions) and steel fibers were produced. Mixtures were prepared with, alkaline liquid to fly ash ratio of 0.4, sodium silicate: sodium hydroxide solutions of 2.5, using artificial local lightweight aggregate and steel fiber in volume fractions of 0.25%, and 0.5% with aspect ratio of 60. Reference lightweight geopolymer concrete not containing steel fiber was also prepared. Properties studied including, density, compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength; also the microstructure of lightweight geopolymer concrete was investigated. Steel fibers increase the splitting and flexural tensile strength. Specimens with steel fiber volume fraction of 0.5% achieved increase in flexural strength of 6.3% relative to specimens without steel fiber at 28 day age.


Abstract: Lostness refers to the disinterested and detached state of mind when it has no goal or aim to project upon. In this state of mind, a person remains floating depending upon the gust of wind. He believes in enjoining only momentary things of life and thereby evading his reality including the sense of transitoriness of life. Under this state of mind, a man's existence is marked more with unauthenticity and 'bad faith'. Jake Barnes has lost much before the opening of the novel. The war has rendered him sexually wounded and that causes his alienation from the society. He remains cut off from the main stream of life and remains hanging around cafes that marks his unauthentic mode of life. All the characters have lost themselves in deluding things of life such as alcohol, dancing, sex, travelling different places. All this causes them anguish.


On the basis of an investigation into the tourist resources in Akesai Kazak Autonomous County,this paper makes a scientific evaluation of them by the "336" evaluation method.It proceeds to put forward suggestions for the development of local tourist industry,including the construction of a mutually-benefited tourist circle,the development of special-feature tourist products to form sightseeing brands,the improvement of tourist service,the cultivation and introduction of professional tourist talents,the enhancement of policy support,the strengthening of infrastructure construction,and due attention paid to the protection of ecological environment and Kazak ethnical culture.


The structures and vibrational spectra of dimethylzinc and dimethylcadmium complexes with o-phenanthroline (PHEN), 2,2′-bipyridine (BIPY), and tetramethylethylenediamine (TMED) have been calculated by DFT methods. The unexpected deviations in the dihedral angles between the plane of the o-phenanthroline ligand and the planes of the dimethyl-metal groups are due to low wavenumber twisting vibrations and the previously unknown locations of the metal–nitrogen stretching motions have been established. The results indicate that the ligands are not strongly bound, suggesting that the complexes may indeed be useful nontoxic precursors to Me2Zn and Me2Cd for use in the electronics industry.


A "quantum-like" analogy, introduced in 1998 by Rakocevic in his study of the bio-synthetic amino acid precursors, with the prime "quantum O37" in the background, is also considered in this paper as a guiding line of thought. We use and extend his results to derive (i) the multiplet structure of the standard genetic code, in a completely new and original way and (ii) several physicochemical quantities, as the number of nucleons in the 61 coded amino acids, the number of nucleons in 20, 23 and 61 amino acid biosynthetic precursors, the number of nucleons in 23 amino acids signals (AASs), the number of atoms in the 64 DNA-codons and in the 64 RNA-codons, and several other interesting quantities. In this way, we show that the fundamental set of seven fundamental amino acid precursors grouped into six amino acid families appears more informative than the larger set of twenty canonical amino acids. In a second part, we find once more a conspicuous numeric "manifestation" of serine, its protonated/neutral octamers and several other serine clusters; these clusters, in particular the serine octamer are thought to have been key players in the origin of homochirality. Also, we find, encoded, water (H2O), and, interestingly, the exact number of its characteristic water-water Hydrogen-Bond Contact/Non-Contact configurations (or "degeneracies") according to the body-centered cubic (bcc) lattice gas model for water.


Today's communications service providers are under increasing pressure to take advantage of the lower costs and increased flexibility of a unified Internet protocol (IP)-based communications network. Today there is no doubt that network elements based on IP can provide reduced costs, converge multiple network services, and collapse communications layers into a common IP/MPLS based network backbone. However, end-users have become accustomed to service quality expectations developed over the course of decades based on the circuit-switched communications network for their basic communication needs. Quality of Service schemes developed by industry standards bodies and router technology vendors, while important to meeting the quality expectations of customers, are alone insufficient to provide a satisfactory customer experience. The crux of the problem is that the routing equipment deployed by carriers today in the public network are based on routing equipment developed for enterprise applications. Enterprises have valued data integrity and fast system recovery as opposed to a standard of always-on/never down, carrier-class reliability. Enterprise applications are tolerant of routine, non-trivial, downtime maintenance windows, a concept alien to the public network downtime goals. The public network requires continuous operation, where routine maintenance is designed to occur without downtime. This paper examines the needs of service providers as it relates to meeting and exceeding customer satisfaction levels by offering high availability solutions based on applying non-service affecting upgrade capabilities, or service assured upgrade capabilities, to the new class of data routers used in service provider networks. With a service assured upgrade, service providers can ensure that software-related maintenance upgrades do not adversely affect their existing revenue stream. With the service assured upgrade, service providers can make changes to their network infrastructure with minimal disruption to their end-customer traffic. This paper defines the parameters that influence the network availability and looks at how service assured upgrades can help address outage concerns during software maintenance. It discusses the objectives and requirements for performing a service assured software upgrade and the steps taken to complete the software upgrade process. Finally, to truly appreciate the benefits of service assured software upgrade, a comparison is made with the existing software upgrade solutions offered today by the current generation of routers.


Odontoblasts are responsible for the dentin formation. They are suspected to play a role in tooth pain transmission as sensor cells because of their close relationship with nerve, but this role has never been evidenced. We demonstrate here that human odontoblasts in vitro produce voltage-gated tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ currents in response to depolarization under voltage clamp conditions and are able to generate action potentials. Odontoblasts express neuronal isoforms of α2 and β2 subunits of sodium channels. Co-cultures of odontoblasts with trigeminal neurons indicate a clustering of α2 and β2 sodium channel subunits and, at the sites of cell-cell contact, a co-localization of odontoblasts β2 subunits with peripherin. In vivo, sodium channels are expressed in odontoblasts. AnkyrinG and β2 co-localize, suggesting a link for signal transduction between axons and odontoblasts. Evidence for excitable properties of odontoblasts and clustering of key molecules at the site of odontoblast-nerve contact strongly suggest that odontoblasts may operate as sensor cells that initiate tooth pain transmission.


As the Worlds energy demand is increasing we need more of our energy to be generated from resources that affect the climate as little as possible. Solar power could be the solution if there were so ...


The DNA and ISSR-PCR amplification of Guangxi Catamopsis hystrix was extracted and optimized respectively.The factors which affected the ISSR amplification such as annealing temperature,template DNA dosage,Mg2+ concentration,dNTPs concentration and unit of Taq DNA polymerase were selected and optimized.The results showed that the reaction system being suitable for ISSR-PCR of Castanopsis hystrix was as follows : 1×Taq buffer(10 mM/ L Tris-HCl,pH 9.0,50 mM/L KCl and 0.1 % Triton X-100),1.25 U Taq DNA polymerase,0.2 mM 4×dNTP,0.4 μM primers,2.0 mM/L MgCl2 and 50 ng template DNA in total 25 μL reaction volume.


ing essential messages from their non-essential (i.e., audienceand situationdriven) verbal contexts and a written eloquence that replicated oral performance and allowed for precise analysis of verbal communication (x). According to Cole, these developments provided the two assumptions necessary for the formulation of a rhetorical metalanguage: "the absolute separability of a speaker's message from the method used to transmit it" and the existence of "a number of equally available and, so far as the message itself is concerned, equally adequate means of transmission" (12). In this account, "rhetoric" originally meant "a speaker's or writer's self-conscious manipulation of his medium with a view to ensuring his message as favorable a reception as possible on the part of the particular audience being addressed" (ix). Cole's "rhetoric" is less tied to politics than either Schiappa's or Garver's; but like them, he refuses to detach the word from the specific historical context in which it was first used. Another target of criticism has been the word's use in contemporary science studies. Dilip Gaonkar, for example, has argued that the appropriation of "rhetoric" for the interpretation of modem scientific discourse is problematic on several counts: first, the vocabulary of rhetoric was originally fashioned for "directing performance rather than facilitating understanding" and is therefore too "thin" for serious critical work; second, the use of that vocabulary implicates the new studies in a "humanist paradigm" whose ideology of human agency is incompatible with the object of their scrutiny; and third, contemporary deployments of the word "rhetoric" make its range so universal that rhetoricians are constantly in the position of having to uncover something which no one else sees ("Idea"). The reaction to Gaonkar's critique has contributed two (perhaps unfortunate) terms to the debate: "big rhetoric" and "little rhetoric" (McCloskey, "Big"). "Big rhetoric" is a globalized metadiscourse oriented to the interpretation and criticism of symbolic inducement in all its forms and settings; "little rhetoric" is a supplemental art directed to performance and confined to the presentation of political content. By the standards of "big" rhetoric, restrained uses of the word are always trivializations of it. For Chafm Perelman, rhetoric is a "general theory of persuasive discourse" covering all "nonformalized thought" (161-62), the only alternative to which is a verbal method destined to be denigrated by mathematical and scientific reason. Similarly, McCloskey has argued that all non-global rhetorics are susceptible to the charge of "mereness" (Knowledge 39-41). The only way to avoid the charge is to make the word This content downloaded from 22.214.171.124 on Fri, 4 Apr 2014 12:34:05 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions


The structural setting of the buried Apulian Chain, below the allochthonous units of the Southern Apennines, shows several analogies with the outcropping fold-thrust belt of the Central Apennines, that implicates a same evolution of the Central and Southern Apennines foreland fold-thrust belt during the Pliocene-Quaternary shortening.


With the continuous development of high-speed railway construction, traction power supply technology has also been rapidly developed. Due to the nonlinearity and high power of the traction load, the power consumed by the high-speed EMU may adversely affect the voltage and current of the regional power grid during the operation of the high-speed railway. In this paper, the positive sequence, negative sequence and zero sequence components and spectrum of high speed EMU under different operating conditions are analyzed according to the measured data of traction power supply institute. According to the actual data, the root mean square value, imbalance degree and harmonic distortion rate are analyzed and calculated. The graph is drawn by MATLAB, and the relevant literature is consulted and combined with the relevant data obtained by drawing the graph and calculating to analyze the imbalance degree and harmonic to evaluate the power quality.


Letter to Amon Carter from Tom Gooch thanking him for mementos from the celebration of the first non-stop flight around the world


Multiculturalism is seen as an ideology that emphasizes cultural diversity in equality or egalitarianism. The diversity creates superior andinferior, majority and minority, and dominance and non-dominance, so all parties must put the citizen's equality as the main thing. The difference between the basic concepts of multiculturalism and plural societies is that the existence of a plural society occurs naturally (given), while the multicultural society is seen as the result of a cultural process that develops as an ideology. The structure of plural society is characterized by two basic characteristics which are in horizontal and vertical perspective. Horizontally, it is characterized by the reality of social unity based on ethnic differences, religion, customs, and regional differences, while vertically, the structure of Indonesian society is characterized by the sharp differences between the top layer and the underlay. The difference in the basic concept of multiculturalism and pluralism remains rooted in the local culture of Indonesian society that supports the spirit of nationalism with the motto 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika'. The shared values and history of the nation's journey provide a great spirit to maintain solidarity and social unity.


The invention discloses a preparation method of a nano reinforced and toughened PA6 modified alloy. Firstly inorganic nano particles and a silicane coupler are mixed to be uniform, ultrasonic dispersion is carried out for 10-30 minutes, then ethanol and water are added, stirring is carried out for 1-2 hours in an aqueous solution at the temperature of 60-80 DEG C, then ammonia water is used for regulating pH value to be 8.5-9.5, cooling, filtering and washing are carried out, and drying is carried out at the temperature of 100-120 DEG C, so that the inorganic nano particles with the surface modified by the silicane coupler are obtained; then nylon, the inorganic nano particles with the surface modified by the silicane coupler, grafted PP (polypropylene), a lubricating agent and an antioxidant are mixed for 15-30 minutes at a high speed of 1000-2000r/min, so that premix is obtained; and finally the premix is fed into a double screw extruder, glass fiber is added, wherein the temperature of a screw region is 220-270 DEG C, rotating speed of a screw is 200-500r/min, and extruding and pelleting are carried out, so that the target product is obtained. The prepared method disclosed by the invention can achieve the aims of reinforcing and toughening at the same time, the comprehensive performance of the material can be improved, and the requirement of multiple uses can be met.


As a simple and efficient speech enhancement algorithm,improved spectral subtraction is applied widely.But it is hard to be found that the realization of DSP is explained in detail.Based on above all,the DSP realization of improved spectral subtraction is explained in detail.First of all,the basic theory is introduced.Then data flow and program flow is designed on hardware.Finally,the system is tested.The results show that this algorithm can produce the musical noise.But it can give full pay to its advantages in environment of tightly real-time requirement,because of its simple efficient and softly requirement on system.At the same time,the realization of DSP in this paper gives the valuable reference for engineering practitioners.


A quad-band low noise amplifier (QB-LNA) based on multisection impedance transformer designed and evaluated in this research. As a novelty, a multisection impedance transformer was used to produce QB-LNA. A multisection impedance transformer is used as input and output impedance matching because it has higher stability, large Q factor, and low noise than lumpedcomponent.The QB-LNA was designed on FR4 microstrip substrate with e r= 4.4, thickness h=0.8 mm, and tan d = 0.026. The proposed QB-LNA was designed and analyzed by Advanced Design System (ADS).The simulation has shown that QB-LNA achieves gain (S 21 ) of 22.91 dB, 16.5 dB,  11.18 dB, and 7.25 dB at 0.92 GHz, 1.84 GHz, 2.61 GHz, and 3.54 GHz, respectively.The QB-LNA obtainreturn loss (S 11 ) of -21.28 dB, -31.87 dB,  -28.08 dB, and -30.85 dB at 0.92 GHz, 1.84 GHz, 2.61 GHz, and 3.54 GHz, respectively. It also achieves a noise figure (nf) of 2.35 dB, 2.13 dB, 2.56 dB, and 3.55 dB at 0.92 GHz, 1.84 GHz, 2.61 GHz, and 3.54 GHz, respectively. This research also has shown that the figure of merit (FoM) of the proposed QB-LNA is higher than that of another multiband LNA.


The following conference paper, written in 1994, is the first draft of an article eventually published in 2010 in Renaissance Quarterly, entitled "Open Elite? Social Mobility, Marriage, and Family in Florence, 1282-1494." This introduction discusses the methodological justifications for publishing a first draft, written sixteen years before the final, more sophisticated article. By unveiling some steps of the actual process of research, it allows a discussion of the relationships between the two styles of "interpretation" in history and "testing hypotheses" in social science.


1PERITOX UMR-I-01 University of Picardy Jules Verne, 80025, Amiens, France 2Laboratoire Rammal Hassan Rammal, équipe de recherche PhyToxE, Faculté des Sciences (section V), Université libanaise, Nabatieh, Lebanon 3Hematim Laboratory, EA4666, University of Picardy Jules Verne, 80025 Amiens, France 4Lebanese Institute for Biomedical Research and Application (LIBRA), International University of Beirut (BIU) and Lebanese International University (LIU), Beirut, Lebanon Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Metabolism


Having long been stigmatized as one of the most inegalitarian countries in the world, Brazil has shown a decrease in income inequalities since the second half of the 1990s. The fall in regional disparities as well as income inequalities appears to be the result of the deindustrialization process Brazil has undergone since the end of the 1980s. Unlike what is sometimes argued, President Lula's coming to office cannot explain these changes.


At one time or another, every state branch of the Australian Labor Party has been committed to abolishing its parliamentary upper house. The party universally and correctly regarded these chambers as having been deliberately created by Imperial officials to inhibit the growth of genuine democracy in the colonies. Queensland alone succeeded in eradicating its Legislative Council in 1921. But its achievement was no triumph of democratic socialism. Rather, Labor attained the constitutional means to abolish well before acquiring the political will to proceed. In all probability, abolition occurred only when it became apparent that retention even with a Labor majority was potentially disruptive of the party's internal workings.


Abstract Apalotacarus new genus in the mite family Canestriniidae is erected for sixteen species recovered from passalid beetles* Australasian and South Pacific regions. These species are generally spindle-shaped, with legs II and III widely separated and one pair of very long, flagelliform setae (L 1) set above or close to the apex of trochanter III, The species described are: fusulus (type species), paxillus, petilus, trullus, glaber, cidaris, rigescens, aristatus, protensus, scaurus, fulgens, fusticulus, gracilis, echinatus, luroris and scissus.


We describe in this paper a special polarimeter for measuring linear birefringence in transparent optical samples. The polarimeter employs two photoelastic modulators that operate at different frequencies (50 KHz and 60 KHz). The resulting electronic signal at the detector is processed using two methods: demodulation by lock-in amplifiers or using Fourier analysis of a digitized waveform. We compare the results obtained by using the two signal processing methods in this special polarimeter and discuss how each method benefits selected applications.


Background: Radioimmunotherapy combines irradiation of tumor lesions with immunotherapy to achieve local and abscopal control of cancer. Most immunotherapy agents are given systemically, but strategies for delivering immunotherapy locally are under clinical scrutiny to maximize efficacy and avoid toxicity. Local immunotherapy by injecting various patterns of molecules shows efficacy both preclinical and clinically. BO112 is a viral mimetic based on nanoplexed double stranded RNA (poly IC) which exerts immune-mediated antitumor effects in mice and humans upon intratumoral delivery. BO112 and external beam irradiation were used to make the proof-of-concept local immunotherapy plus radiation therapy combinations.
 Methods: Murine transplantable tumor cells lines (TSA, MC38 and B16 ova) were used to show increased immunogenic features under irradiation as well as bilateral tumor models in which only one of the lesions could be irradiated. Flow cytometry on cell suspensions from tumor draining lymph nodes and multiplex tissue immunofluorescence were used to determine mechanims of antitumor immunity. Depletions of immune cell populations and knock out mice for IFNAAR and BAFT3 genes were used to delineate the immune system requirements for efficacy.
 Results: In cultures of TSA breast cancer cells the combination of irradiation and BO112 showed more prominent features of immunogenic tumor-cell death including type I interferon reléase. Injection of BO112 in the tumor lesions under radiation achieved excellent control of the treated tumors whilst modest delays in contralateral tumor progression were observed. Local effects were associated with more prominent presence of antitumor CTLs and cDC1 dendritic cells in the tumor and regional lymph nodes. Importantly, local irradiation plus BO112 in a tumor lesion enhanced the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy on distant uninjected tumor lesion.
 Conclusions: This study demonstrates that local BO112 immunotherapy and external beam radiation therapy can exert synergies to achieve local tumor control. This beneficial effect can be extended to non-injected lesions as long as they are also irradiated, suggesting strategies to treat oligometastatic patients with lesions susceptible to radiotherapy and at least one of them accessible for BO112 repeated intratumoral injections.
 Citation Format: Maria.E. Rodriguez-Ruiz, Irantzu serrano, Eneko Garate, Inmaculada Rodriguez, maite alvarez, Carmen Molina, Miguel Fernandez de Sanmamed, Leire Arbea, Marta Moreno, Marisol Quintero, Ignacio Melero. Intratumoral B0112 in combination with radiotherapy synergizes to achieve CD8 T cell mediated local tumor control [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 6216.


In a series of papers \cite{LSJR16, PP17, LPP}, it was established that some of the most commonly used first order methods almost surely (under random initializations) and with step-size being small enough, avoid strict saddle points, as long as the objective function $f$ is $C^2$ and has Lipschitz gradient. The key observation was that first order methods can be studied from a dynamical systems perspective, in which instantiations of Center-Stable manifold theorem allow for a global analysis. The results of the aforementioned papers were limited to the case where the step-size $\alpha$ is constant, i.e., does not depend on time (and bounded from the inverse of the Lipschitz constant of the gradient of $f$). It remains an open question whether or not the results still hold when the step-size is time dependent and vanishes with time.
In this paper, we resolve this question on the affirmative for gradient descent, mirror descent, manifold descent and proximal point. The main technical challenge is that the induced (from each first order method) dynamical system is time non-homogeneous and the stable manifold theorem is not applicable in its classic form. By exploiting the dynamical systems structure of the aforementioned first order methods, we are able to prove a stable manifold theorem that is applicable to time non-homogeneous dynamical systems and generalize the results in \cite{LPP} for vanishing step-sizes.