Slurries of quartz and slaked lime containing various crystal phases of alumina were hydrothermally reacted to synthesize aluminum-substituted tobermorite. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the formation of aluminum-substituted tobermorite during the reaction. The aluminum species were substituted at the Q2 or Q3 sites in tobermorite. The amount of aluminum substituted in the tobermorite depended on the reactivity of alumina. The tobermorite formed showed fiber- and plate-like morphologies. The reactivity of the alumina used as an additive influenced the substitution site and the amount of aluminum substituted into the tobermorite structure, resulting in controlling its morphology.


Objective To evaluate the functional outcome after repair of zone V flexor tendon and to identify the relevant factors affecting the outcome. Methods A total of 52 patients ( 163 fingers) with wrist lacerations involving zone V flexor tendon from September 2003 to July 2009 were retrospectively studied.The average follow-up period was 32 months.The lacerated tendons were repaired by using three suture methods of different strands.Functional outcome was assessed by determining the active range of motion (AROM),and grip and pinch strength of the injured fingers,testing the independent flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) action and employing the disability of arm,shoulder,and hand (DASH) questionnaire.Influencing factors for function of the repaired tendon including laceration section levels,repair methods,surgeons' experience,and injury severity were analyzed statistically. Results Functionally,146 out of 163 fingers (89.6%) achieved excellent or good range of motion and 103 out of 147 fingers with FDS injury (70.1% ) obtained independent FDS action.Grip and pinch strength recovered to about two-thirds of the uninjured level.The mean DASH score was 11.9.Patients had adverse functional outcorme in tendons repaired with the 2-strand Kessler,in the tendons repaired by the surgeons with low level of expertise,or in the wrists with "Spaghetti" injuries,but levels of laceration section had no significant influence on the outcomes. Conclusions Functional recovery of zone V flexor tendon injuries is generally good,but repair methods,levels of expertise of surgeons,and injury severity have significant influences on the outcome.Thereby,advanced levels of expertise of surgeons can effectively improve the postoperative function.

Key words:
Finger injuries; Tendons; Flexor tendon


Despite of the attrition due to retinal toxicity during drug development there are no early reliable predictive biomarkers of retinal toxicity and this is increasingly becoming a concern. Thus far, in pharmacology and toxicology the technologies for assessing retinal side effects are limited to inconvenient visual behavioral tests, invasive electroretinograms or terminal histopathology. To address the lack of convenient early predictive retinal toxicity biomarkers, we explored a set of potential novel retinal enriched miRNAs in rats ex vivo and in vivo with known retinal toxicant pan‐CDK inhibitors to assess circulating plasma miRNAs in rats and non‐retinal toxicants as controls. Rats were administered a single intravitreal (IVT) injection and blood samples were collected pre‐dose, various time points post‐dose and then analyzed for five retinal enriched miRNAs (miR‐96, miR‐124a, miR181a, miR‐182 and miR‐183) by qRT‐PCR. Ophthalmic exam, electroretinogram and histopathology were performed as confirmatory tests. All five miRNAs tested in retinal explants culture were highly expressed after pan‐CDK inhibitor treatment. In vivo the pan‐CDK inhibitors caused elevations of miR‐96, miR‐124a and miR‐183 in blood. These results highly correlated with ocular exam, electroretinograms and microscopic findings. Comparatively, there were no changes in miRNA levels, electroretinograms, or histopathology in the negative control treatment groups. Although these miRNAs need additional confirmatory evaluation whether they truly predict retinal toxicity prior to clinical observations and histopathology, these results provide promise for further testing using additional retinal toxicants. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Introduction:
 The digital transformation of medical data has provided health systems with an opportunity to utilize electronic health records (EHR) for analyzing hypertension trends and identifying areas for improvement.

 Methods:
 We conducted a serial cross-sectional analysis of outpatients of the Sentara Healthcare System using EHR data from 2010 to 2021 to gain actionable insights about hypertension trends and disparities. Hypertension was defined as elevated visit blood pressure (BP >= 140/90 mmHg) or use of antihypertensive medications. We compared four different definitions of hypertension and assessed age-adjusted prevalence, BP control rate, and coded diagnosis rate as outcome measures.

 Results:
 The study included 1,376,325 unique adults. Hypertension prevalence varied by the definition used, ranging from 36.5% to 50.9% in 2010, and steadily increased by approximately 5% over time. BP control rates initially ranged from 61.2% to 71.3% in 2010, stabilized, experienced an increase during 2018-2019, and declined during 2020-2021. The proportion of hypertensive patients with a coded diagnosis ranged from 45.5% to 60.2% in 2010, showing improvement over time. Non-Hispanic Black patients consistently had higher hypertension prevalence, mean age-adjusted BP, and lower BP control rates compared to other racial/ethnic groups.

 Conclusions:
 Over 12 years, hypertension prevalence increased within the regional health system. Although BP control rates improved, they remained below 73% and revealed significant racial disparities. The assessment of EHR data uncovered important trends and highlighted opportunities for enhancing health system performance.


1. Overview The Abstract (page 20312 lines 3-5) summarizes the authors' two main conclusions for the paper: ". . . .the prediction of the distribution of semi-volatile organic component between the gaseous and condensed phases is shown to be highly sensitive to the ambient relative humidity and the formulation of the partitioning model used." Regarding the assertion that organic PM levels in the atmosphere (or in chamber situations) can be sensitive to RH, this has been established in the literature by theoretical


Over fifty countries of the world have taken up shrimp farming during the last one and a half decades consequent upon the high demand for shrimp, coupled with their limited availability in the convinient fishing grounds.


Agroindustry needs novel materials to replace synthetic plastics. This article introduces sodium alginate films with antioxidant properties. The films, which were incorporated with hydroalcoholic extract of Macrocystis pyrifera, were tested on sliced Hass avocados.
The research featured sodium alginate films incorporated with hydroalcoholic extracts of M. pyrifera. Uncoated avocado halves served as control, while the experimental samples were covered with polymer film with or without hydroalcoholic extract. A set of experiments made it possible to evaluate the effect of the extracts on polymeric matrices, release kinetics, and sensory profile of halved Hass avocados.
A greater concentration of hydroalcoholic extracts increased the content of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity. As a result, the bands in the carboxylate groups of sodium alginate became more intense. Crystallinity decreased, whereas opacity and mass loss percentage increased, and conglomerates appeared on the surface of the films. These processes fit the KorsmeyerPeppas kinetic model because they resulted from a combination of diffusion and swelling mechanisms in the films.
The films incorporated with hydroalcoholic extract of M. pyrifera proved to be an effective alternative to traditional fruit
wrapping materials.


Show jumping is a popular equestrian sport in Sweden, where the results on shows are affected by the jumping technique of the horse. There are ways to improve the horse's jumping technique. For example, technical hind limb boots are getting more popular in training and on shows. In 2010, the Swedish Equestrian Federation decided on regulations concerning hind limb boots allowed on young horses up to seven years of age when competing in show jumping. The aim of the rules was to forbid technical hind limb boots on competing youngsters.
The aim of the study was to see how much knowledge there is about the effects of the technical hind limb boots in local 100 cm classes and regional 130 cm classes on shows in Skane, how many riders that are using them, what kind of riders who are using them the most and also if there is a difference between the numbers of users in 100 cm classes compared to 130 cm classes.
The study was made on four different shows in Skane. Two classes in 100 cm was compared to two classes in 130 cm. There was made two different studies on every show. One field study was made, where data was collected on how many riders using technical hind limb boots, back boots and no boots. One survey was made, where all the riders who were using technical hind limb boots answered a questionnaire. The results of the study shows that the usage of technical hind limb boots seems to be more common in the 100 cm classes compared to the 130 cm classes, but that the riders in the 130 cm classes are more aware of the impact of the technical hind limb boots than the riders in the 100 cm classes.


A THEATRE sister who was assaulted and abused by a consultant anaesthetist has won a settlement of £7,500 for the emotional injury that she suffered.


A case is described of Behçet's syndrome in which the active phases of the disease were associated with a profound neutropenia in contrast to the expected finding of normal or raised neutrophil count.


This paper examines the factors underlying the stability of inflation observed following devaluations of the Spanish peseta, which took place during the 1992-93 Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) crisis. The long-run equilibrium relationships between the exchange rate and the aggregate price indices are estimated using the Johansen maximum likelihood-method. The short-run dynamics are obtained from error-correction models. The model is then simulated by calibrating changes in the exogenous variables to their actual values. The results indicate that the cost-push-up effect of devaluations may have been completely offset by determinants of the cyclical position of the economy and the low inflation rate in 1993-94 should not be viewed as unusual.


Numerical simulations are widely used to evaluate the thermal comfort and energy savings in the ret-rofit of historic buildings. In most cases, however, no detailed data are available on the materials and stratigraphy of the building envelopes, and on-site measurements can be expensive and time consum-ing. The present work uses as a case study a university building characterized by a high thermal capacity in the city of Rome to verify whether the use of natural ventilation can be a practice of use in order to guarantee energy saving and natural comfort. To this end, in the summer of 2020, an experimental campaign was carried out aimed at acquiring thermofluximetric measurements through the vertical walls, the air temperature inside and outside the analyzed environment and the air velocity. Measurements were conducted under three different usage protocols, including night ventilation and 24-hour continuous ventilation. These measurements made it possible to identify the thermophysical characteristics of a wall considered "equivalent" to the real wall, allowing the real-ization of thermofluidodynamic computational models. In particular, in the study, 3 different stra-tigraphies were considered and compared, corre-sponding in the first case to the equivalent wall, in the second to


The test mat biomass rapidly sorbed malachite green (MG; a cationic dye) and heavy metals from mono‐component, binary and ternary systems. In mono‐component system, the sorption of Cu, Cd and MG increased when pH was increased from 3 to 4. However, in binary and ternary systems sorption of metals and MG were not substantially influenced by pH within the range 3–5. The presence of Cu or MG in binary or ternary systems reduced the sorption of each other from the solution. However, Cd enhanced the sorption of MG from binary solution and vice versa. Moreover, the ability of mat biomass to rapidly sorb metal ions and malachite green from mono‐component, binary and ternary systems, together with easy harvesting of biomass due to self‐immobilized nature, make it a suitable sorbent for the treatment of wastewaters that concomitantly bear the both heavy metals and dyes as pollutants.


In this study, supervision practices in library and information science departments in Nigeria and South Africa were examined. The sample framework consisted of master's dissertations and doctoral theses, completed from 2009 to 2015, which were available in the Directory of Open Access Repositories. Qualitative content analysis was used to generate the data used for the study. The data was presented in tables. The main findings showed that the majority of the theses and dissertations were sole-supervised. Co-supervision was more prevalent in dissertations than in theses. The major subject areas of the co-supervised theses and dissertations were information sources/studies and user services; while the major subject areas for sole supervised theses and dissertations were user services, records/knowledge management and information sources/studies. A few master's degree holders worked together as cosupervisors, but most co-supervision involved collaboration between professors and doctorate holders. In contrast to sole supervision, cosupervision is recommended because it provides an opportunity to share knowledge and learn by doing while enhancing the learning and research experience of students.


The main aim of this study is to control a multivariable coupled system by choosing sliding mode switching function. A Sliding mode control approach is developed to control a three phase three wire voltage source inverter operating as a shunt active power filter. Hence, no need to divide the system model developed in the synchronous 'dq' reference frame into two separate loops. Furthermore, the proposed control strategy allows a better stability and robustness over a wide range of operation. When sine PWM is used for generation of pulses for the switches, a variable switching nature is exhibited. The pulses for the active filter are fed by a Space Vector Modulation in order to have a constant switching of converter switches. But, the conventional space vector modulation, if implemented practically, needs a complicated algorithm which uses the trigonometric functions such as arctan, Sine and Cosine functions which in turn needs look up tables to store the pre-calculated trigonometric values. In this study, a very simplified algorithm is proposed for generating Space vector modulated pulse for all six switches without the use of look up tables and only by sensing the voltages and currents of the voltage source inverter acting as shunt active filter. The simulation using PSIM and MATLAB software verifies the results very well.


the reconciliation and removal of contradictory canons, not merely in the interests of brevity but in the pursuit of greater doctrinal coherence or selectivity. The mainspring for Ivo's Decretum appears to be not so much an interest in shaping scholastic techniques for reformulating apparent contradictions in inherited legal sources as in collecting texts which pastors, guided by charity, will find to be best fitted to individual cases when they choose between "mercy and justice." Much of the Decretum is about the sacraments, the laws of the church being largely an application of sacramental theology. The polemics of the Berengarian eucharistic controversy of the eleventh century made more of an impact on the writing of the Decretum than did the polemics of the investiture contest. The removal from Ivo's authorship of the Panormia takes out the main plank on which, Rolker argues, Ivo's reputation rests as a champion of the growing centralism of papal government and as a progenitor of scholastic method. As regards the former, although, as Rolker remarks, Ivo was friendly to papal Rome he was far from Hildebrandine for he challenged Pope Gregory VII's strong views on papal authority and on legatine power, particularly as the latter was exercised by the formidable archbishop Hugh of Lyon. In the mid1090s Ivo reinterpreted recent papal decrees against lay investiture and in 1108 he argued that the new archbishop of Rheims should swear fealty to King Louis. He was also very skeptical about the crusade movement. As regards Ivo's contribution to the early scholastic movement, which shaped the development of medieval canon law as much as it did the development of medieval philosophy and theology, this is reduced in the light of the findings about the authorship and success of the Panormia. Rolker's very scholarly book in no way reduces the stature of Ivo as a wise, learned, and influential bishop but it leaves us in no doubt that we now live in a post-Fournier world.


The parameter loss given default (LGD) of loans plays a crucial role for risk-based decision making of banks including risk-adjusted pricing. Depending on the quality of the estimation of LGDs, banks can gain significant competitive advantage. For bank loans, the estimation is usually based on discounted recovery cash flows, leading to workout LGDs. In this paper, we reveal several problems that may occur when modeling workout LGDs, leading to LGD estimates which are biased or have low explanatory power. Based on a data set of 71,463 defaulted bank loans, we analyze these issues and derive recommendations for action in order to avoid these problems. Due to the restricted observation period of recovery cash flows the problem of length-biased sampling occurs, where long workout processes are underrepresented in the sample, leading to an underestimation of LGDs. Write-offs and recoveries are often driven by different influencing factors, which is ignored by the empirical literature on LGD modeling. We propose a two-step approach for modeling LGDs of non-defaulted loans which accounts for these differences leading to an improved explanatory power. For LGDs of defaulted loans, the type of default and the length of the default period have high explanatory power, but estimates relying on these variables can lead to a significant underestimation of LGDs. We propose a model for defaulted loans which makes use of these influence factors and leads to consistent LGD estimates.


One of forward error correction codes that were defined in the IEEE 802.16e standard was the LDPC code. This paper presents the simulation of the LDPC codes using three decoding algorithms, i.e. sum-product algorithm, min-sum algorithm, and min-sum-plus-correction-factor algorithm. Simulation results show the decoding with sum-product algorithm and min-sum-plus-correction-factor algorithm provide BER performances better than the min-sum algorithm.


This research aims to utilize green mussel shell waste as a partial replacement for cement by establishing the best temperature that should be used to obtain the chemical substance if the sehell ashes to optimize the chemical substance for replacement of cement. This research replaces 10% of total weight cement with shell ash which has been combusted with a temperature of 700 ° C, 800 ° C and 900 ° C and control concrete. The compressive strength of the concrete plan is 20 MPa. Concrete mix design is 1:2:3. The results of this study indicate with subtitutes 10% semen with green shell ash with temperature 700 ° C, 800 ° C and 900 ° C is 20,53MPa; 16,76 MPa and 19,74 MPa and for control concrete has compressive strength 20,18 MPa. The maximum concrete compressive strength was obtained on the concrete of green shell ash with a combustion temperature of 700 ° C which is 20.53 MPa. In the concrete the green shells ash with a burning temperature above 700 ° C experience a decrease in compressive strength and cannot meet the compressive strength of the plan.


Background: Alcohol abuse is a risk factor for bone damage and fracture-related complications. Through precise β-catenin signaling, canonical Wnt signaling plays a key role in fracture repair by promoting the differentiation of new bone and cartilage cells. In this study, we examined the effects of alcohol on the Wnt pathway in injured bone using a murine model of alcohol-induced impaired fracture healing. Methods: Male C57Bl/6 or TCF-transgenic mice were administered 3 consecutive daily intraperitoneal doses of alcohol or saline. For biomechanical studies, mice were given 3 consecutive doses, left undisturbed for 4 days, then given an additional 3 consecutive daily injections for a total of 6 intraperitoneal doses. One hour following the final injection, mice were subjected to a stabilized, mid-shaft tibial fracture. Injured and contralateral tibias were harvested at 6, 9, or 14 days post-fracture for analysis of fracture callus size, biomechanical strength, tissue composition, and activation of the Wnt/βcatenin pathway. Results: Acute binge alcohol treatment was associated with a significant decrease in fracture callus volume, diameter, and biomechanical strength at day 14 post-fracture. Histology revealed an alcohol-related reduction in cartilage and bone formation at the


The relationship between gender and language acquisition is a recurrent one in the literature. In the past decades, it has been approached from multiple angles, as illustrated in Sunderland's (2000) review of issues in language and gender in second and foreign language education. Considerable research has suggested that while males are better than females in mathematics and visual-spatial abilities (Linn and Petersen, 1985; Hyde and Linn, 1988; Stumpf, 1995), females generally surpass males at verbal skills (Gordon and Lee, 1986; Boyle, 1987; Stumpf, 1995; Andreou et al., 2005; Kiss and Nikolov, 2005). Moreover, females remember words better than males (Kimura, 1999; Halpern, 2000; Maitland et al., 2004); they exhibit superiority in producing more words of a certain type in a limited period of time (Herlitz et al., 1999; Larsson et al., 2003); and they are also superior in reading tasks (Chavez, 2001). This female verbal advantage appears quite early in first language acquisition, but in many cases it disappears with age (see Ullman et al., 2008; Wallentin, 2009). Despite many results pointing to a general trend of female advantage in language-related tasks, counterevidence is also found. For example, Hyde and Linn (1988) conducted a meta-analysis of 165 studies on L1 verbal skills which showed significant gender differences only in one


Light deflection and diffraction scattering techniques have been used in pump-probe geometries to measure the temporal and irradiance dependences of refractive index changes induced by intense 120 fsec (lambda) equals 620 nm pulses in 100 micrometers thick crystals of bulk CdS and CdS0.75Se0.25 at 295 K. Instantaneous and long lived negative refractive index changes are observed. The instantaneous changes are attributed to optical Stark and two- photon resonance effects while the long lived changes are attributed to free carrier bandfilling effects. The irradiance dependences of the different contributions are discussed in terms of a model in which attenuation is dominated by two-photon absorption. The rise and decay times associated with the bandfilling nonlinearity have allowed us to identify a carrier cooling time of 2 psec, and a carrier lifetime which can be as short as 6 psec for pump irradiances in excess of 300 GW/cm2. Possible mechanisms for the carrier recombination are discussed.


Summary Bloom's taxonomy, which has been influential in underpinning many of the curriculum developments of the last fifteen years, may be criticized on various grounds. It is a mistake to suppose that Bloom's taxonomy, or any other proposed classification of objectives, can ever be wholly independent of questions of value. On the contrary, it appears that Bloom's taxonomy 'suits' the expression of a pragmatic/materialist ethic, and does not particularly suit the expression of ethics either traditionally, or currently, associated with the concept of 'education'. In implementation Bloom's taxonomy‐‐it is argued‐‐is a disappointingly blunt instrument. This is particularly apparent when we try to use it in the analysis of mathematics in the upper school. In history the taxonomy seems to lead to conclusions which invert both commonsense and the judgement of experienced teachers. The major criticism of Bloom's taxonomy which is advanced in this paper∗ is, however, that the taxonomy omits a vital ingredient in ...


. This article discusses linguistic and cultural strategies that can be used while translating phraseological units in the interaction process between the meanings of the original and the receptor's culture. The research methods were a continuous selection of phraseological units from the novel "Lolita" by V. Nabokov in English and Russian and a comparative analysis of their translation. Any lexeme in a phraseological unit can carry a certain linguistic and cultural meaning, and in order to decipher it, novice translators can use linguistic and cultural strategies. The distinguished type of the strategies is associated with the "translation" of the meaning of the original phraseology laid down in it by the author into a system of knowledge, ratings, previous experience, etc. of the recipient, that is, the linguistic and cultural knowledge of the recipient is used in the translation process. In this article, linguistic and cultural strategies are considered on the example of the author's translation of V. Nabokov's novel "Lolita", first published in English in 1955, and only 12 years later, in 1967, appeared in the Russian version in the translation of the author himself. An author's translation is a unique phenomenon, since it is believed to be a new work, which compared with the original, has the specifics of a new language and a new cultural background, without which creation of a work in a foreign language loses its aesthetic significance. Such a translation differs from the usual professionally executed literary translation in completely new stylistic techniques and means, figures of speech, idiomatic units, as well as images and shades of meanings that the original did not reveal. The cases where the author-translator departs from traditional, expected vocabulary matches and offers his own translation options are of particular interest for the study. It is here that the author's features of translation, linguistic and cultural differences and the author's vision of his work through the prism of Russian and English languages are manifested.


Community colleges facilitate most career and technical education (CTE) and workforce preparatory programs nationwide and are considered the premier institutions to administer these programs. This study explores community college administrator perspectives of CTE programs. The study recruited 17 participants representing 12 institutions in Florida's college system. Using the survey research method, a principal component analysis resulted in three factors extracted from the data and three significant correlations. Factors include social cognitive ability, learning outcomes, and curriculum and course content. The study concludes that administrators understand the intended meaning and value of CTE programs but do not appropriately appreciate the rigor or context for which these programs support the stakeholders.


The goal of this study is to contribute to discussions about age-related changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) complexity. Eight characteristics of complexity were evaluated for sleep EEG of 175 healthy subjects. The complexity of the sleep EEG significantly increased up to the age of about 60 years. Over 60 years, the complexity stagnated or slightly decreased. The same tendencies were manifested during all sleep stages and also during the episodes of wakefulness.


The compatibility of Wintermin® fine granules consisting of chlorpromazine phenolphthalinate and magnesium oxide was investigated by sensory test, and the residual amount of chlorpromazine was measured with high-performance liquid chromatography. Although the coloration to pink in the preparation was observed after preservation under medium (20°C, RH 75%) and severe (30°C, RH 92%) conditions, no change in the amount of chlorpromazine under any condition tested was noticed.It was also found from the chromatogram that a slight amount of phenolphthalein was contaminated in Wintermin®fine granules. Moreover, no change was detected in the compatibility test of chlorpromazine hydrochloride and magnesium oxide under the severe condition.It was, therefore, suggested that the interaction between phenolphthalein and magnesium oxide alkalized by moisture was responsible for the coloration in the preparation of Wintermin®fine granules and magnesium oxide.


The dynamical mass generation for gluons is discussed in Euclidean Yang-Mills theories supplemented with a renormalizable mass term. The mass parameter is not free, being determined in a self-consistent way through a gap equation which obeys the renormalization group. The example of the Landau gauge is worked out explicitly at one loop order. A few remarks on the issue of the unitarity are provided.


Creativity is commonly seen as beyond the scope of rationality. In the present paper, it is argued that available insights in epistemology and available results in logic enable us to incorporate creativity within an independently sensible view on human rationality.


PurposeBuilding on the spillover-crossover model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2013), this study aimed to examine the processes through which three forms of social support at work (i.e. from coworkers, from supervisor and organizational family-friendly) were positively associated with an individual's level of work-family balance (spillover effect), and through this latter, with one's partner's family life satisfaction (crossover effect), via the partner's perception of family social support as provided by the incumbent person.Design/methodology/approachThe authors sampled 369 heterosexual couples using a time-lagged design, surveying forms of social support at work and work-family balance at t1 and family social support and partner's family life satisfaction at t2. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results showed that coworkers' support and organizational family-friendly support positively predicted work-family balance. Furthermore, work-family balance mediated the associations between organizational family-friendly support and coworkers' support with instrumental family social support. Moreover, only emotional family social support positively predicted partner's family life satisfaction.Originality/valueThe authors simultaneously examined the direct and indirect associations of three concurrent forms of social support at work with one's work-family balance (spillover effect). Moreover, in line with the spillover-crossover model, the authors adopted a systemic approach and assessed how one's work-family balance is associated with emotional and instrumental family social support as perceived by one's partner and the latter's family life satisfaction (crossover effect).


While investigating dynamic properties of aerial bombs, both the analytical and experimental outcome often find their applications. Analysis of how a series of changes in flight parameters affect flight dynamics is probably one of the most essential efforts throughout this study. Numerical solutions of equations of motion deliver no information on the effect of changes in the aerial bomb's design parameters on flight characteristics thereof. Therefore, the theory of sensitivity has been used in the paper to investigate the effect(s) of external disturbances, drop/release conditions and technical parameters on the aerial bomb's range and flight path. Among other, the elements of the theory of sensitivity, equations of motion, numerical analysis of sensitivity of the bomb-describing mathematical model to changes in some selected parameters, numerical analysis of sensitivity of the bomb-describing mathematical model to changes in some selected parameters, analysis of the effect of changes in drop/release conditions on the aerial bomb's flight path, analysis of the effect of changes in engineering (design) parameters of the aerial bomb on the trajectory thereof, effect of drop conditions on the aerial bomb's range, effect of drop conditions on the side deflection of the aerial bomb's trajectory are presented in the paper.


The avalanche breakdown voltage of an abrupt double-sided junction is a function only of N eff (the doping obtained from capacitance-voltage analysis) in a material in which the ionization rates for electrons and holes are equal or maintain a constant ratio. This doping parameter, together with the published breakdown voltage data for single-sided junctions, immediately gives the breakdown voltage of the more complex structure.


FIELD: medicine, pharmaceutics. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to biomedical compositions and methods of treating skin-affecting diseases, disorders and states. EFFECT: compositions and methods of treating skin states, resulting from production of active forms of oxygen in a subject's skin, include application of local composition, containing an antioxidant compound with a lipophilic, mitochondria targeted cation, and which delivers therapeutically efficient quality of the antioxidant compound to fibroblasts and keratocytes of the skin. 13 cl, 2 tbl, 3 ex, 4 dwg


The conventional approach used for identifying faults in global positioning system (GPS) receivers is based on snapshot algorithms belonging to the class of receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) algorithms. A new approach is presented for alleviating the effects of spoofing disturbances in GPS receivers. Based on the interacting multiple model (IMM) estimator, this approach may be used in stand-alone GPS systems and in integrated systems, such as GPS-embedded inertial navigation systems. The IMM-based method not only provides (implicit) detection and identification of the interference, but also an optimal estimate of the state of the system in the presence of this interference. In addition, contrary to the conventional detect, identify, and exclude RAIM approach, the new method's probabilistically weighted estimate is obtained without excluding any satellite from the solution. Numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach over the conventional RAIM approach in scenarios having unfavorable satellite constellation geometries. The robustness of the new approach is shown for a wide range of spoofing signal types. In addition, the new algorithm is shown to perform adequately with just five satellites, which is below the minimum number of satellites required for RAIM fault identification.


Wrist-worn sensors (microphones, time-of-flight cameras, etc) have gained the attention of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and body sensor researchers for their potential ability to aid interaction with wearable devices. In this paper, we use wrist-worn sensor modalities to evaluate free-hand microgesture usability. Our goal was to determine which microgestures should be included in a potential universal microgesture language and identify any underlying microgestural usability principles. Through a brief pilot user study recording microgesture task time and user accuracy, we were able to explore trends in common usability aspects. Results of the user study showed that free-hand microgestures, even at small physical and temporal scale, have significant effects on task time and user accuracy. Further analysis through multiple comparisons identified which microgestures produce relatively more accurate and efficient interaction. Physical commonalities between such microgestures prompted theories concerning why certain microgestures produce more efficient results. Based on findings and proposed theories, we give suggestions concerning a universal microgestural language and microgestural application development.


This issue sees the final entry for the JWC/Molnlycke Awards and Scholarship in print (see p219). Clearly, some fantastic work is being undertaken in wound care, the most important concentrating on the patient experience. Brenda King, the winner of the scholarship, will be writing in the journal about her experiences and what she has used the prize for on a bimonthly basis. She hasn't been letting the grass grow under her feet to date. Last time I spoke to her, she was reconfiguring most of the services in Sheffield in order to provide a better service.


Larvae of flies belonging to the genus Gasterophilus (Diptera: Oestridae) are common obligate parasites in the gastrointestinal tract of equine (including horses, donkeys and zebras) and cause gastrointestinal myiasis.The aim of present study was to evaluate the role of Gasterophilus in equine gastric ulcer syndrome in Tabriz area.The study was performed during the 2013 and 16 horses were assayed. The age of the animals ranges from 3 –6 years. At first time, animals were examined clinically. Then, the diagnosis was made based on clinical evidences. Then, those animals were died necropsy was followed and larva was seen in the gastric mucosa.Data obtained from present study showed that of 16 horse cases which were referred during one year and were suspected to gastric ulcer (diagnosis based on clinical signs), 5 cases were suffered from Gasterophilus which caused gastric ulcer. Those animals were died because of cachexia, in necropsy 3 cases showed the larva in the gastric mucosa. To decide at about state of gasterophilosis in horses in this region, works conducted on more animals must be done. Gasterophilosis in horses in this region may be probably affected by the perhaps not treatment with antiparasitic drugs, bad management factors such as poor maintenance conditions and to work under severe conditions, free grazing animals, which heighten to contact with female botflies, to live with other equine reservoired to these larvae causing gastrointestinal myiasis.


Since complex mapping relation existed in multi-factors which produce an effect on quality of mix rubber product,and it is difficult to build accurate mathematics models by traditional methods,A RBF neural network based soft-sensing model for mix rubber quality online detecting is presented in this paper,the measurement result of RBF model and Multiple Linear Regression model is compared.The experimental results show clearly that RBF neural network based soft-sensing model has high measurement precision,and can play efficiency effect in practice producing.


Collisionless tearing instability in a sheared force-free magnetic field is considered in the framework of electron magnetohydrodynamics. A rigorous analytical analysis demonstrates that the bulk inertia of electrons is the dominant reconnection mechanism in a sufficiently low-β plasma, when the reconnection current sheet width exceeds the electron gyroradius. Otherwise a fluidlike approach fails, and fully kinetic treatment of the problem is required. A recently raised issue of the role of the electron gyroviscous cancellation in collisionless reconnection is also addressed.


The death of Dr. Lawrence Alson Pomeroy on April 20, 1955, was a great loss to the medical profession, particularly in the field of cancer therapy. Dr. Pomeroy, son of Dr. Harlan Pomeroy, was born in Cleveland on May 10, 1883, and except for four years at Yale University, spent his life in his native city. He received his degree in medicine in 1908 from Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Early in his medical career, Dr. Pomeroy became associated with Dr. George W. Crile, under whose influence he developed a keen interest in the treatment of cancer. Though few physicians at that time had much interest in radium therapy, Dr. Pomeroy's prophetic insight led him to investigate the advantages of this new modality and to train himself in intracavitary and interstitial technics for gynecological cancer. In the early twenties, he started a follow-up clinic in the admitting room at Cleveland City Hospital. In 1930, he spearheaded the formation of the first formal tumor clinic in Cleveland at City Hospi...


There are many state poverty counties in Hebei province and they are almost underdeveloped.By the principal component analysis(PCA),the paper ranged 39 counties in order and put forward some suggestions to develop county economies,such as,emancipating the mind,developing an economy with local characteristics,paying more attention to sustainable development,optimizing the industrial structure,giving more finance support to state poverty counties,and pushing ahead the progress of construction of small towns.


Paul Giles. The Global Remapping of American Literature. New Jersey: Princeton UP, 2010. 340 pp. $39.50.No one knows more about American literature than Paul Giles. Giles's encyclopedic range, though, gets diffused early on in this book amidst what he promises to accomplish: to demystify what was never definitively mystified in the first place and to recover what he calls overlooked but isn't. Despite these promises, The Global Remapping of American Literature provides a capacious, often engaging survey. It reminds us that what we call "American literature" and the way the academy understands "American literature" resembles Henry James's house of fiction, with "a number of possible windows [. . .] in its vast front" subject to "individual vision and [. . .] the pressure of the individual will." Over the past generation, both "literary" and a critical writing, has increasingly grappled with what Giles presents as his "demystify[ing]" and "refractive" (3, 24) " thesis, his argument that "the interrelationship between American literature and geography" is"contested terrain" (1) rather than a natural phenomenon" (267).Where did Giles get the idea that any memorable makers or influential readers of American literature ever treated it as other than contested? Giles's own evidence illustrates the ubiquity and durability of this contestation, as do examples that any student of American writing might adduce.Philip Roth, for example, has always been in the business of "deterritorialzing" (1-25; 23; 266), a concept key to Giles' argument, which he adapts from Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Roth's first book, Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Storie (1959), makes at least two "deterritorializing" moves. Here's how the map-equipped narrator (Roth, Goodbye 9) of the title story pictures the future of a feckless light-bulb peddler he befriends: "He would get off in New London [. . .] maybe further north [. . .] the world was Leo's territory, every city, every swamp, every road and highway [. . .] he could go to Newfoundland . . . Hudson Bay, and on up to Thule, and then slide down the other side of the globe and rap on frosted windows on the Russian steppes (118-19). Few passages in the American canon more vividly practice what Giles calls "geographical materialism" (1). In the third story, "Defender of the Faith," the combat-weary narrator anticipates "flying to a new front" to "push eastward [. . .] until we had circled globe" (161).Roth's later work also exhibits his global grasp (Morley 11, 52, 88, 92) and shows how, in Giles's reading, Roth aims "to relocate American literature within a planetary context . . . disturb the customary demarcation of territory . . . challenge the conventional epistemological framework upon which . . . territorial claims are grounded" (179). Among the later Roth novels Giles considers, American Pastoral features a multinational commercial network, which enables the Levov family's prosperous glove-making enterprise; Dawn Levov's attachment to Swiss Simmental cattle (198); Merry Levov's global notoriety as a fugitive revolutionary (157); and her importation of Indian Jainism to Newark (232; 246).In this respect, Roth is typical among living American novelists-and critics. One of the most telling recent reminders of the durability and ubiquity of this "contest" is reflected in the relationship that novelist Bharati Mukherjee has spent nearly two decades establishing between her own writing and the writing of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Her 1993 novel, The Holder of the World, renders Hawthorne's storied Puritan Massachusetts, England, and its newly seized East India Company's territories, literally, as part of the same global family (Bloom 44-45). Her 2010 contribution of the Scarlet Letter section to The New Literary History of The United States amplifies this affinity by turning the schoolroom classic "multicultural." The year 2010 also saw the publication of Monique Truong's second novel, Bitter in the Mouth, which stretches the idea of "the South" into a global continuum encompassing South America and Vietnam, as well as Dixie. …


Use of compounds derived from betanaftoquinona for the manufacture of medicaments for the treatment of neurological diseases and conditions related to the deleterious effects of glutamate released in excess, said compounds being: (i) either compounds conforming to the formula (I) * * (formula) ** wherein R represents a group -NH-CO-NH2, -NH-CO-CH3, or -OH, (ii) or glucuronide derivatives rather conforming to the formula (II) ** (formula ) ** (iii) or their respective addition salts with pharmaceutically acceptable acids.


Having decided to present the functions of dance as an art and dance as a cultural experience with the aim of studying the concept of dancing in contemporary society, the study has come up with the following contemporary public concept of global dance and choreographed dance in now more diversified historical trajectory.
Global dance refers to the dance as diversified cultural technique in which the historicity inherent in dance reveals itself as an ideology and merely as resistance to a single path of history in the culture that remembers cultural traditions as behaviors.
Different societies that find themselves at different historical trajectories inherit their respective dances as global dance, because global dance functions as data for interpreting the dance that exists as the symbol of the contemporary societies.
Since will and desire engage in succession of global dance and imagination and symbolism are implied in the process of choreographic action, the educational function of traditional dances is discovered in perceiving or utilizing the power inherent in humans, that is, potential.
Choreography has evolved with the aim of recording dance in symbols. In that process, the work of refinement involved in creating simplified signs for the steps and the splendor and subtlety of steps grounded in music reading is referred to as choreography.
In European culture, choreography is about geometrically organizing steps in the musical splendor, whereas in America which has entered into the world through a new historical trajectory, choreography refers to a content authored by a choreographer as an uncontested owner as dance.
The global dance practices in the third-world countries which emerged in the trajectory of culture and history no earlier than in the 20th century when the historicization of culture was highlighted are interpreted not as a produced dance but as one of the contemporary social actions, as a dancing action that is implied in the culture in the form of tradition and succession instead of a concert.
If it is untenable to distinguish art as independently produced choreography from culture as anonymously created dance, nothing that is called dance in the totally different cultural trajectory in the history of the West could last. Therefore, the artistry in the contemporary society should consist in discovery which can award value to things new and strange with an intuitive attitude used to diversity.


Sunflower seed was processed by ultrasonic wave for enchancing the extraction rate of sunflower seed oil. Effect of several factors on ultrasonic wave processing was explored. The optimum conditions for processing was obtained. The results showed that it is under the conditions of ultrasonic wave intensity 200 KW/m2, treatment time 15 min, solution ratio 1:7 (g:ml),treatment 2 times that extraction rate of sunflower seed oil was better.


We present two ternary nonlinear codes showing that A/sub 3/(12,7)/spl ges/45 and A/sub 3/(13,7)/spl ges/87. Codes with such parameters were not known until now.


The invention discloses a network telephone with monitoring function, comprising an infrared motion induction device, a camera, an operation system for the network telephone, an embedded browser and a server at a remote end; wherein when an object moves in front of a sensor, the infrared motion induction device generates a signal; an application program receives the signal through the operation system AP and then controls the camera to shoot quickly; the pictures that are taken are uploaded to the appointed server at the remote end through the embedded browser; and a user can access the appointed server from the remote end through the Internet to browse the pictures or watch the video. The invention develops value-added function of the network telephone and enables the network telephone to make better use of network resources, thus improving practical value and new function of the network telephone.


We investigate the small-scale conformity in color between bright galaxies and their faint companions in the Virgo Cluster. Cluster member galaxies are spectroscopically determined using the Extended Virgo Cluster Catalog and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12. We find that the luminosity-weighted mean color of faint galaxies depends on the color of adjacent bright galaxy as well as on the cluster-scale environment (gravitational potential index). From this result for the entire area of the Virgo Cluster, it is not distinguishable whether the small-scale conformity is genuine or if it is artificially produced due to cluster-scale variation of galaxy color. To disentangle this degeneracy, we divide the Virgo Cluster area into three sub-areas so that the cluster-scale environmental dependence is minimized: A1 (central), A2 (intermediate), and A3 (outermost). We find conformity in color between bright galaxies and their faint companions (color–color slope significance S ∼ 2.73σ and correlation coefficient ) in A2, where the cluster-scale environmental dependence is almost negligible. On the other hand, the conformity is not significant or very marginal (S ∼ 1.75σ and ) in A1. The conformity is not significant either in A3 (S ∼ 1.59σ and ), but the sample size is too small in this area. These results are consistent with a scenario in which the small-scale conformity in a cluster is a vestige of infallen groups and these groups lose conformity as they come closer to the cluster center.


Dams pose serious threats to freshwater biota and water quality due to their negative effects on natural river flow, fluvial habitats, and the maintenance, growth, and reproduction of many aquatic species. Economic development in Brazil continues to further the construction of new dams despite their negative ecological consequences. The objective of this study was to assess the ecological effects of reduced flow downstream of hydroelectric dams in Brazil in two contexts: (i) reduced flow reach and (ii) flow manipulation experiments. Data collection occurred (a) downstream of the Amador Aguiar Power Plant I both before (lotic phase) and after (semilentic phase) the mean flow of the Araguari river was reduced from 346 to 7 m 3 ·s-1; and (b) during discharge manipulations over seasonal (rainy-dry) and daily (periods) time scales, downstream of the Itutinga dam on the Grande River, southeast Brazil. The results show that the reduced flow leads to increases in invertebrate densities within a year and alter taxonomic composition despite considerable overlap in community composition between the lotic and semi-lentic phases. Pollution-tolerant macroinvertebrate groups dominated benthic communities, indicating human disturbance; in addition, alien bivalve species are abundant. The discharge flow experiments resulted in significant changes in water quality (e.g., temperature, turbidity, oxygen, and alkalinity) between the rainy and dry seasons, in daily flow (e.g., turbidity), and in the composition of benthic communities. We discuss the often competing demands of environmental and operation management and energy demands, relevant to human socio-economic development and the need for freshwater wildlife conservation.


The state-of-the-art theoretical description of magnetic materials relies on solving e ff ective Heisenberg spin problems or their generalizations to relativistic or multi-spin-interaction cases that explicitly assume the presence of local magnetic moments in the system. We start with a general interacting fermionic model that is often obtained in ab initio electronic structure calculations and show that the corresponding spin problem can be introduced even in the paramagnetic regime, which is characterized by a zero average value of the magnetization. Further, we derive a physical criterion for the formation of the local magnetic moment and confirm that the latter exists already at high temperatures well above the transition to the ordered magnetic state. The use of path-integral techniques allows us to disentangle spin and electronic degrees of freedom and to carefully separate rotational dynamics of the local magnetic moment from Higgs fluctuations of its absolute value. It also allows us to accurately derive the topological Berry phase and relate it to a physical bosonic variable that describes dynamics of the spin degrees of freedom. As the result, we demonstrate that the equation of motion in the case of a large magnetic moment takes a conventional Landau-Lifshitz form that explicitly accounts for the Gilbert damping due to itinerant nature of the original electronic model.


The total impact of the budworm outbreak on the forest environment is subject to speculation. No one can deny the esthetic impact when in late July and early August each year, vast acreages of fir and spruce type turn brown. Cone production is known to have been adversely affected. In areas of repeated defoliation, tree growth almost certainly has been reduced. While no extensive mortality has been observed, some top killing has occurred, primarily in sapling and pole-size trees.


The article presents the results of the experiment conducted within a series of lectures focused on the issues of "social danger" and "gravity" of offence in September – December, 2018.  Approximately 200 lawyers of different status (students and instructors of law schools, higher education institutions, local prosecutor offices' officials, as well as parliamentary employees) participated in it. The major idea of the experiment was focused on conducting the first anonymous poll of the participants in real time, which has contributed to ascertainment of lawyers' common understanding regarding the essence and functionality of the "social danger" issue; presenting concentrated information regarding the issues in practical application of this issue and on the consequences resulting from its application; a subsequent poll; and the evaluation of the change dynamics in audience attitude to the issue of "social danger". The outcome has proven i.e. the following: lawyers' understanding regarding the essence and functionality of the "social danger" issue is on the one hand based on traditional approaches present in national textbooks, while on the other hand those do not reflect the reality of the contemporary criminal law application practice; these ideas undergo sharp changes  following  the  familiarization  with  the  history  of  the  appearance  of  this  issue  in  the  national legislation, as well as with the contemporary practice of its application. Contrary to the initial poll, the subsequent poll's participants' answers have reflected the negation of a set of claims traditionally present in major Ukrainian Criminal Law textbooks, namely that the characteristic of social danger is being effectively applied  as  an  instrument  of  criminal  liability  differentiation  and  individualization;  the  characteristic  of social danger provides a possibility to distinctly distinguish different types of offences, namely crimes and administrative delicts. Almost all participants also acknowledged the absence of the test (algorithm) allowing unequivocal establishment of the character and degree of a certain deed social danger. Article received 29.03.2019


Medical informatics is concerned with the application of computers in the medical and biological sciences and has been considered a field of research in its own right for more than twenty years. In Malaysia, however, there are very few published efforts in this area. To keep up with research activities carried out worldwide and to create expertise that will be in great demand once the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Telemedicine Flagship project is implemented, it is time that Malaysians involved themselves in medical informatics research activities. For this reason, we are proposing a project that will involve the application of an artificial neural network in the domain of cancer. As a prelude to our own research, we review current research in medical informatics. This paper subsequently proposes the use of an artificial neural networks as an alternative tool for investigating cancer survival.


1. The framers' classical education and world view 2. Classical political models and the founders 3. Constitution-making and ancient history 4. Modern resonances 5. The classical Constitution.


Water scarcity is an increasingly important problem affecting the main wine-producing areas, and therefore, it is of great interest to study the physiological and molecular mechanisms that occur during periods of drought. Based on the stomatal behavior, two different strategies for facing water stress have been described: isohydric and anisohydric. Nevertheless, this classification is still not clear, and the effect of the rootstock on the whole plant response is still unknown. In this context, two assays were carried out, in both plants were subjected to water stress periods of 7 and 14 days and to a recovery period. In the first one, four Vitis spp. own-rooted genotypes were studied, two rootstocks (1103P and SO4) and two cultivars (Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère). Stem water potential, stomatal conductance, and growth rate were evaluated. Near anisohydric behavior was observed in all genotypes studied. The second assay consisted of three scion/rootstock combinations, Cabernet Sauvignon grafted onto itself, 1103P and 101-14. Although no differences were observed in stomatal conductance and stem water potential, near isohydric behavior was observed for the homograft, and near anisohydric behavior was found for the combinations. During the recovery period, significant differences were detected in the leaf expression levels of aquaporin genes VvPIP2;1, VvPIP2;2, VvTIP1;1 and VvTIP2;1. Cabernet Sauvignon plants grafted over 1103P and 101-14- showed higher expression levels. C. Sauvignon combined with rootstocks of different genetic backgrounds, responded better to the water suspension treatment, and its recovery was faster, demonstrating the benefits of genotype interactions in these responses.


The Supreme Court has handed down the long-awaited decision in Samuels v Birmingham City Council [2019] UKSC 28; the latest in a swathe of judgments concerning the duties of local housing authorities in England to those who present to them as homeless under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (HA 1996). When Ms Samuels presented as homeless to Birmingham City Council she was assessed under the main housing duty to secure accommodation. This is owed if the applicant is homeless, eligible for local authority assistance, was not homeless intentionally, and is in priority need (s.193 HA 1996). Samuels considered a key question that arises in the context of intentional homelessness: how should a local authority assess affordability when considering whether it was reasonable to have expected an applicant to stay in their accommodation? In seeking to answer this question with an objective assessment, the UKSC's decision will have significant implications for assessments of 'affordability' elsewhere in the discharge of homelessness duties by Local Authorities.


Ambassador Shamshad Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, spoke to the NCAFP on March 13, 2002, about "Pakistan's Foreign Policy in Its Current Context." The ambassador stated that the essence of foreign policy is the sum total of the values that a country cherishes and upholds. Pakistan's foreign policy, he said, is inspired by the universal values of peace, justice, equity, tolerance, and dignity and is motivated by the imperatives of economic and political stability, its intention to maintain its independence and territorial integrity, its relevance as a factor of stability in its region of the world, and its security concerns and strategic priorities. Because of its geographic location, Pakistan has been thrust into the eye of the storm that erupted on September 11, 2001, which the ambassador described as an attack on the world. In reminding the audience that Pakistan was "the key frontline state during the U.S.-sponsored war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, . . . the last decisive battle of the cold war," Ambassador Shamshad stated that both countries have suffered from the effects of the war. Afghanistan was abandoned. Over time its ostracism, isolation, and neglect made it "a convenient sanctuary and breeding ground for global terrorism." Its neighbor Pakistan has provided shelter for more than three million Afghans without outside help. As Afghanistan fell prey to rampant terrorism and the culture of guns and drugs, the pernicious environment that it stirred up and failed to confine within its borders tore apart the social and political fabric of Pakistan and damaged its economy. The ambassador warned against the folly of abandoning Afghanistan after the war on terrorism ends. Another external environmental factor challenging Pakistan is the long-standing core issue of Kashmir and Pakistan's relations with India. The ambassador characterized the issue not as a "territorial dispute" but as a question involving "the destiny and future of over 12 million Kashmiri people who have been waiting to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination." Durable peace in South Asia, he asserted, will come only when "the core issue of Kashmir, which is at the epicenter of all problems between India and Pakistan," has been addressed. In concluding his talk, Ambassador Shamshad affirmed Pakistan's commitments to peace, justice, and freedom and to fighting terrorism. News and View


Field experiments were carried out to study the effects of different plant growth regulators on the economic characteristics,chemical components and aroma quality of a tobacco cultivar Yunyan 87.The results showed that plant growth regulator could improve economic characteristics,and increase the total content of aroma constituents.The economic characteristics of the tobacco sprayed with plant growth regulator 1 were better,and its chemical components and aroma constituents were more harmonious.Therefore,the comprehensive quality was obviously improved,having small odor,moderate irritation,comfortable lingering,mild smoke and good combustibility.It suggested that spraying plant growth regulator 1 was the foundation for improving yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco and its flavor quality.


The energy spectrum of cosmic muons at sea level can be used with the measured variation of cosmic ray intensity with depth underground to study the rate of energy loss of muons at high energies. A quantitative estimate is made of range straggling for muons penetrating rock. Monte Carlo calculations were performed with a computer and the behavior of 1000 muons was studied for each incident energy and for two assumed forms of the energy loss equation. (W.D.M.)


from [al'manja] with love revisits Critical Migration Studies with the insights of postcolonial and decolonial approaches and carves out a perspective on power relations that brings together transnational feminism and 'trans(gender) politics'.
The book discusses what racism and migratism mean in a German and European context, and work out how they shape hegemonic understandings of 'Germany' and 'Europe'. These locations are understood as geopolitical spaces where multiple transnational trans_stories of migration, diaspora, movement, staying and transing meet, resonate and dissonate. It elaborates on the assumption that the equalization of racism and migratism and the homogenizing use of 'culture' and 'nation' in the field of Critical Migration Studies render Europeans of Color unthinkable, as abject positions in migration discourses, even within knowledge production on 'migration' with critical intentions.
The approach questions essentialized notions of be_longing, home and community and proposes the conceptualization of trans_diasporing – a power sensitive political perspective that deconstructs categorical gendering and categorical nationalization within a postcolonial framework.


Aptamers are single stranded DNA (ssDNA) or RNA molecules that can bind a wide range of targets with high affinity and specificity that can rival antibodies. When coupled to drug-loaded nanoparticles, it combines the high specificity of aptamers and the passive targeting effect from nanoparticles, as well as controlled release properties from delicate nanoparticle designs. Remarkable progress has been made in the development of aptamer-functionalized nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, especially for cancer therapy. In the current article, we first reviewed the aptamer generation and modification methods, and the aptamers selected for important targets with implication in cancer therapy. Then we reviewed the recent advances in aptamer-functionalized nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery as well as the aptamer-nanoparticle conjugation chemistry.


Coleophora darwini sp. nov., is described from the Galapagos Islands. This is the first record of the family Coleophoridae for the Galapagos. Adults were reared from larvae found mining leaves of Amaranthus andersonii Howell (Amaranthaceae) on Pinzon Island. Adults of the species also were collected at light on the islands of Espanola and Pinta. Coleophora darwini is similar to C. intexta Meyrick, 1917 from Peru. Adults, and male and female genitalia of both species, as well as the larval case of C. darwini, are illustrated and morphological characters distinguishing the two species are presented. A lectotype is formally designated for C. intexta.


Through assistance to developing countries (Official Development Assistance (ODA)), Japan has contributed to the resolution of many evolving challenges which Japan and international community face. Japan's assistance to Mongolia is implemented from a viewpoint that economic development and humanitarian assistance in Mongolia will contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and the world. When Mongolia moved towards systematic transformation in 1990, prospects for sharing values such as freedom, democracy and market economy brightened. Japan started extensive bilateral assistance hoping that the success of systematic transformation and economic development in Mongolia would contribute to peace and stability in Asia and the world and that Mongolia would become a friendly nation of Japan. The relation between Mongolia and Japan have become expending to a new level from 1990, and become "Comprehensive partnership level" from 1997, progressed to "Strategic partnership level" from 2010 and "Economic partnership" cooperation level has come from 2015.


"MIGRAINE is a fundamental, generalized, constitutional disturbance accompanied by definite physiological and metabolic alterations in tissues, and having manifestations of these disturbances in the various symptoms described in an attack, of which the sick headache is the most frequent... but also affecting vagal and vasomotor irritability and equilibrium producing cardiac, respiratory, general visceral, and mental disturbances."1 It was established in the nineteenth century that the migraine syndrome could express itself in many forms other than hemicrania.2 These different modes of expression are known as "migraine equivalents". The equivalents are paroxysmal, recurrent symptom complexes characterized by the following: (1) no demonstrable organic lesion; (2) previous history of typical migraine headache; (3) replacement of headaches by the equivalent syndrome; (4) absence of symptoms between attacks; (5) presence of the "migraine personality;" (6) possible family history of migraine; (7) relief from the equivalent syndrome by psychotherapy, ergot, or amyl nitrite.


Enexpected small lesions not diagnosed preoperatively were found at surgery in 19 of 78 thyroidectomy patients in our clinic. Intraoperative ultrasonographic examination was introduced for the thyroid gland to detect such minor lesions. In 10 of 20 cases, unexpected lesions could be found by intraoperative ultrasonographic examination, but in only nine of 58 cases by conventional physical examinations. Small nodules of less than 5mm in dinmeter could be detected in nine of 15 nodules by this means, but in only five of 15 nodules without it. In the present study, it is recommended that intraoperative ultrasonographic examination would be useful to detect unexpected and/or small nodules combined with nodular goiter in the same gland.


Traditional approaches to manipulating the state of deformable linear objects (DLOs) - i.e., cables, ropes - rely on model-based planning. However, constructing an accurate dynamic model of a DLO is challenging due to the complexity of interactions and a high number of degrees of freedom. This renders the task of achieving a desired DLO shape particularly difficult and motivates the use of model-free alternatives, which while maintaining generality suffer from a high sample complexity. In this paper, we bridge the gap between these fundamentally different approaches and propose a framework that learns dynamic models of DLOs through trial-and-error interaction. Akin to model-based reinforcement learning (RL), we interleave learning and exploration to solve a 3D shape control task for a DLO. Our approach requires only a fraction of the interaction samples of the current state-of-the-art model-free RL alternatives to achieve superior shape control performance. Unlike offline model learning, our approach does not require expert knowledge for data collection, retains the ability to explore, and automatically selects relevant experience.


Abstract Excess internal pressure, cohesive energy density, isothermal compressibility, heat capacity and volumes of the binary system n-hexane + toluene have been determined at 298.15 and 313.15 K. Using the excess volume data, other excess properties have been predicted on the basis of the statistical thermodynamical theory due to Flory. The theory provides a reasonable correlation of the results.


As occurrence of abnormal inflorescence in Gypsophila paniculata 'Altair' is caused by environmental conditions, effects of day length, supplemental lighting strength, shading period and minimum night temperature on occurrence of abnormal inflorescence were investigated. Abnormal inflorescence was classified into four types : normal, pattern 1 (Short-flower stalk), pattern 2 (Coalescent two-flower stalk) and pattern 3 (Looping and irregular-flower stalk). Neither of 12h, 16h, 20h or 24h day length by fluorescent lamp, nor 24h by incandescent lamp affected occurrence of abnormal inflorescence. Effects of four levels of light intensity (fluorescent lamp : PPFD 1μmol・m−2・s−1, incandescent lamp : PPFD 3μmol・m−2・s−1, metal halide lamp : PPFD 14μmol・m−2・s−1 and high-pressure sodium lamp : PPFD 48μmol・m−2・s−1) were examined in 16h photoperiod. Occurrence of abnormal inflorescence was not affected by different light intensities, neither was it affected by shading period. Occurrence of abnormal inflorescence at 15°C was however significantly reduced compared to that at 8°C. In particular, patterns 2 and 3 at 15°C were significantly reduced compared to those at 8°C. There was a strong negative correlation between average night temperature from starting the treatment to flower budding (7.1°C, 9.0°C, 9.2°C, 11.6°C and 16.4°C) and incidence of pattern 3 (13.1%, 8.7%, 7.1%, 1.1% and 0.7%). Therefore, as average night temperature increased, occurrence of abnormal inflorescence decreased. The results show that low night temperature may be the main factor inducing occurrence of abnormal inflorescence.


Absolute line profiles of three silicon plane mirrors were measured by the three-flat method using a near-infrared interferometer. The interferometer was constructed using a near-infrared laser diode with 1310 nm wavelength light, to which the silicon plane mirror is transparent. The maximum height difference in the absolute line profiles is less than 8.9 nm and the rms value of height difference is less than 2.0 nm for a measured line of 12.7 mm. The near-infrared interferometer is useful for measuring a set of line profiles at the height difference level to calculate the absolute flatness of silicon plane mirrors.


Provided is a fluid control apparatus wherein assembly efficiency is improved. A screw inserting hole (29) extending in the front-rear direction has a step section (29a) for receiving the head section (18a) of a male screw member (18). The step section (29a) is positioned closer to the inserting leading edge side of a male screw member (28) from the front-rear direction than the front-rear direction position of a male screw member (34) from above.By screwing the male screw member (18) from the front-rear direction, and then screwing the male screw member (34) from above, interference between the screw member (18) from the front-rear direction and the male screw member (34) from above is eliminated.


This research aims to understand the relationship between customers'
satisfaction with private labels and their loyalty toward the stores that own
and sell these private labels. 256 Tunisian customers participated in this
research by fulfilling a questionnaire prepared to collect the data about their
opinions and attitudes toward private labels and stores that sell these labels.
Researchers add customers' trust and customers' attachment with the private
labels as a variable mediating the relationships between customers' satisfaction
with the brands and customers' loyalty to the stores. Results show that
customers' satisfaction with private labels directs customers' loyalty toward stores that sell these labels. While this relation is
not affected by the existence of trust and attachment to the private labels.
Also, results found that trust with private label doesn't yield to brand
attachment. According to research results, researchers recommend marketers to
focus their efforts on marketing private labels and satisfying customers' needs
in order to gain their loyalty toward the stores which will result in more
benefits for the store in general.


Objective To explore memory function affected by chronic insomnia. Methods Fiftyfive patients with primary insomnia (PI), 119 patients with comorbidity of depression and insomnia (CDI)and 50 normal individuals were enrolled. Objective memories, including spatial working memory, spatial reference memory, objective working memory and object reference memory, were detected by nine boxes maze, and subjective memory was assessed by themselves on a 5-point scale ranging from "0" ( extremely severe problem) to "4" (no problem). Results Compared to the controls, the self-evaluated memory ( 1( 1,2 ) ) was worse in the mild PI patients, and the spatial working memory ( 6 ( 2. 5,11 ) ) was also worse in the severe PI patients( ×2 = 4. 526,3. 529, both P < 0. 01 ). For the CDI, the self-evaluated memory ( 2 ( 1,2) ) and spatial working memory (6(3,10)) were worse in the mild patients(×2 =5. 803,4. 155 ,both P <0. 01 ). However, the object ( 0. 5 (0,1) ) and spatial reference ( 1.5 ( 1, 3 ) ) memories were also worse in the severe patients ( ×2 =2. 641,3. 955 ,both P <0. 01 ). Conclusions PI damages subjective memory and the severe PI also damages spatial working memory. CDI damages various memory functions, especially in severe CDI patients, including subjective memory, object reference memory, spatial reference memory and spatial working memory.

Key words:
Sleep intiation and maintenance disorders;  Memory;  Maze learning


This paper describes the restructuring of power industry in the US. Costs, benefits and major problems associated with the development of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) are presented. Different models of RTOs are presented and discussed. The similarities and differences between independent system operators (ISOs) and RTOs are analyzed. Finally, the US regional developments are analyzed.


This paper considers the standard error of the estimate of the mean of a spatially correlated variable in the case where data are obtained by a process of random sampling. Two distinct mean estimation problems are identified: estimating the area mean and estimating the population mean. Methods are described for obtaining standard error estimates in the two cases and within the limits of publicly available information the methods are implemented on average household income data at the census tract scale for Syracuse New York. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to issues of data precision in relation to sampled geographic information on averages and in particular to consider the problems of estimating standard errors using such data. The paper also examines the extent to which standard errors vary between census tracts. (EXCERPT)


Abstract Project TEAM empowers trainees with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to identify and respond to environmental barriers and includes an individualized component in which tr...


difference in the relationship between the appearance of signs and the dosage and duration of treatment. The first symptom to appear is cogwheel rigidity in the upper limbs, followed by loss of facial mobility and expression and appearance of the typical mask-like facies. These signs are then followed by tremor and rigidity in the upper and lower limbs, loss of associated movements on walking, shuffling gait and monotonous voice. Cogwheel rigidity appeared in 12 of the patients, and the Parkinson syndrome in eight of the 12. These signs are usually accompanied by marked salivation and drooling, by gain of ,weight and by complaints of increased frequency of urination. It was also noted in all patients developing this Parkinson syndrome that, regardless of the severity of the overt symptoms and despite the appearance of apathy with masklike facies, they remained in excellent contact, alert and with no gross impairment of intellectual function. By the time the extrapyramidal symptoms had appeared, the characteristic initial period of somnolence had passed off, and in fact the patients tended quite frequently to complain of feeling restless. Though usually definitely less reactive and more "tranquil," they showed none of the mental apathy or lethargy suggested at first sight by the mask-like facies and shuffling gait. Overt alteration of mood tended to be in the direction of mild euphoria with easy smiling and laughing, even with extrapyramidal symptoms. This was frequently associated, however, in quite anomalous fashion, with subjective reports of depression or of "feeling terrible." The syndrome showed no sign of remission with continued treatment. Instead, it was slowly progressive and increasingly severe, leading to a picture of almost board-like generalized muscular rigidity. It was necessary to alter administration of the drug because of the extrapyramidal signs, which would gradually diminish or disappear. In some cases, it has been possible to reduce the severity of the extrapyramidal signs and to halt their progression by reduction in dosage. Thus, despite those individual differences already noted, there appeared to be a rough but direct relationship between the level of total daily dosage and the appearance and severity of the various signls. Finally, it should be pointed out that these signs occurred with much larger doses of reserpine than are ordinarily given for other purposes, such as the medical treatment of hypertension. Papers reporting the use of the drug in such cases either do not mention such signs as those described here, or state specifically that the drug is "remarkably well tolerated over prolonged periods of time, and free from toxic or even very serious side-effects."' All the cases treated in this series have been acutely disturbed and agitated and presented problems in ward management. The doses used were those required to reduce this overactivity and were up to ten times as large as those used in the treatment of hypertension.2 3


This contribution presents recent results on Elementary Object Systems EOS. Object nets are Petri nets which have Petri nets as tokens --an approach known as the nets-within-nets paradigm. In this work we study the relationship of EOS to existing Petri net formalisms. It turns out that EOS are equivalent to counter programs. But even for the restricted subclass of conservative EOS reachability and liveness are undecidable problems. On the other hand for other properties like boundedness are still decidable for conservative EOS. We also study the sub-class of generalised state machines, which is worth mentioning since it combines decidability of many theoretically interesting properties with a quite rich practical modelling expressiveness.


Radiation interaction pathways such as to break chemical bonds in materials or to disrupt the structure of the DNA can produce damage to the DNA of irradiated cells and the damaged cells may occur the acute radiation disorders. In this study, we identified the reason for decrease survival rates in the case group was the radiation effects, even though salamander exhibited the differences in survival and breeding rates by amount of radiation. In particular, we confirmed that even the low doses of radiation can cause severe damages to fertilized egg in early cell division.


Objective To explore the changes in muscle activity patterns in the lower leg during ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion in stroke patients. Methods Ten recovering stroke patients with hemiparesis(Pa- tient group)and ten age-and sex-matched healthy volunteers(Healthy control group)were studied.The subjects performed ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion synchronized with a visual cue while supine.Surface electrodes were applied over the anterior tibialis(TA),caput laterale musculi gastrocnemius(IGM),caput mediale musculi gas-troenemius(mGM)and soleus muscles(SOL)for integrated electromyography(iEMG).Results During ankle dorsiflexion,the TA,lGM,mGM and SOL of the affected side showed a significantly lower iEMG signal than the unaffected side.Activity of the lGM,mGM and SOL of the affected side were significantly lower than in the healthy controls.During ankle plantaflexion,the TA,lGM and mGM on the affected side had significantly lower activity than those of the healthy controls.The mGM of the affected side showed significantly lower muscle activity than the unaffeeted side.The SOL contraction ratio on the affected side was significantly higher than on the unaffected side and in the healthy control group. Conclusion Except for the soleus,there is an obvious decline in muscle activi-ty in the affected lower extremities of stoke patients during ankle dorsiflexion and plantaflexion.The soleus on the affected side becomes the primary plantarflexor in patients with stroke,rather than the caput laterale musculi gas-trocnemius or caput mediale musculi gastroenemius as in healthy subjects.

Key words:
Stroke; Surface electromyography; Ankle joint movement; Muscle coordination


AIM:To observe the effect of BushenTiaojing Recipe (Radix rehmanniae preparata,Fructus lycii, Fructus rubi,Herba epimedii,Hominis placenta,Radix angelicae sinensis,Radix Paeoniae alba,Rhizoma cyperi, Flos carthami,Rhizoma chuanxiong and Semen persicae) of nitric oxide (NO),cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP),neuronal nitric oxide synthase(nNOS),endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS) of the vasorelaxation factors,and endothelin-1(ET-1) and angiotensin Ⅱ(ATⅡ) of vasoconstriction factors in androgen-induced anovular rats on plasma and ovarian,exploring the action and mechanism for treating anovular diseases. METHODS:The anovular model rats induced by injecting the female rats testosterone. Forty rats were divided into normal group,model group and herbs-treated (BushenTianjin Recipe) group,the radioimmunoassay was used to detect the contents of plasma NO,cGMP,ET-1,ATⅡ and serum estradiol (E2),progesterone(P)and testosterone(T),immunohistochemical method was applied to measuring the expression of ovarian nNOS,eNOS and ET-1,H-E staining was used to observe the changes in ovarian histomorphology. RESULTS:Compared with the rats in model group, the plasma NO,cGMP increased(P 0. 01),and plasma ET-1,ATⅡ decreased(P 0. 01),the serum E2,T,E2 / P decreased in the herbs-treated rats(P 0. 01); the expression of nNOS、eNOS increased(P 0. 01)and ET-1 decreased in granular cell and ovarian medulla in the herbs-treated rats; the ovarian structure was improved to some extent,there were follicular development and formation of corpus luteum in the herbs-treated rats. CONCLU-SION: BushenTiaojing Recipe may regulate the plasma and ovarian vasomotion factors,improve the ovarian blood supply inhibit apoptosis of granular cell and follicular atresia in androgen-induced anovular rats. The study reveals BushenTiaojing Recipe's possible action mechanism to promot the follicular development,mature and ovulation.


Child cancer is a disease that brings physical, emotional, and social imba- lance to the patient's whole family, especially his/her mother. During the disease pro- cess, she is a unity of care and support. This study analyzed the impact of leukemia on family at four different stages. It does so based on accounts of four mothers: account of one mother related to post diagnosis (M1); one related to treatment process (M2); one related to health maintenance (M3); and one related to palliative care (M4). They answered individually to PedsQL TM Family Impact Module questionnaire, which com- prises 36 questions and eight dimensions. Leukemia affected all four families differently at each stage and dimension and in descending order: M4; M2; M1; M3. Disease's im- pact was stronger on daily activities (M2) and cognitive functioning and relationships (M4). Assessing such clinical cases by taking into account disease's stages and mother's emotional variables may help to interfere with the process of coping with a major life stressor: the threat of her child's death.


The Chinese state has existed for more than five thousand years and in the history of human society it has always presented its own specific civilizational attainment, which exerted a considerable influence on the Asian region. In the years since its creation on October 1, 1949, and especially in the last decade, New China has stepped out beyond the region of Asia onto the global scene. With its economic power and international development projects (amongst which the Belt and Road projects stands out), China has become a leader of development and the promoter of the idea of international cooperation in the interests of peace and security in the world and the protection of the future of mankind. This paper will attempt to delineate the elements of the development of the People's Republic of China in the 21st century, placing a special focus on the realization of the Belt and Road initiative and the results of the struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic, all of which have made China an essential factor in the power relations between great global forces and the resultant change of attitude of the United States of America and the European Union towards China. Namely, China has always been a large country in terms of the size of its territory and population, but it is in the 21st century that the PR of China has become a strong state with the status of a global power. Such results in the organization of society and the state, the promotion of new development ideas and the achievement of set goals, would not have been possible without the Communist Party of China, as the main ideological, integrative and organizational factor within Chinese society. In its activities, the Chinese state sublimates the experiences of China's past with an understanding of the present moment in the international community and the need of Chinese citizens to improve the quality of life and to ensure stable development of the country. The United States and the European Union are taking various measures to oppose the strengthening of the People's Republic of China. These include looking after their interests and preserving their position in the international community, while simultaneously trying, if possible, to avoid jeopardizing their economic cooperation with China.


The present invention may be a recombinant peptide comprising a fragment of IgE constant regions, nucleotide molecules, recombinant vaccine vector containing the same coding therefor, and to induce an immune response, to treat allergy, asthma and IgE-mediated diseases of, the method comprising it.


A bone fixation system includes a bone fixation device (101), including a first element (102) having a first channel (110) extending therethrough and a second element (104) including a proximal portion (140) sized and shaped to be received within the first channel such that the longitudinal axes (Ll, L2)of the first and second elements are substantially coaxial and a distal portion (142) including a bone engaging structure (144), a proximal end (112) of the second element slidably locked within the first channel such that the first and second elements are longitudinally movable relative to one another between a permitted range of motion. The system also includes a driving tool (160), including an outer sleeve (162) and an inner sleeve (166) slidably received therethrough, a distal end (164) of the outer sleeve configured to engage the proximal end (106) of the first element to prevent relative rotation therebetween, a distal end (168) of the inner sleeve configured to engage the proximal end of the second element.


A group G is called a J-group if each x ∈ G satisfies either 〈x〉 ⊴ G, or 〈x, xg〉 ⊴ G for all g ∈ G\NG(〈x〉). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the structure of J-groups of prime power order.


Most species of Triatoma Laporte are distributed in the Neotropical region. InAsia, in addition to the tropicopolitan species T. rubrofasciata De Geer, there have beenrecorded T. migrans Breddin from Java and Sumatra, T. rubrovaria Blanchard and T.pugasi Lent from Java and T. bouvieri Larrousse from Vietnam. The present new speciesrepresents the 6th species of this genus from Asia and the 2nd species from China. Itmay be diagnosed as follows: Triatoma sinica, sp. nov. (Fig. 1) Brownish, with ochraceus markings; posterior part of head, pronotum, scutellum andmiddle of connexival segments dark brown; collum, rostrum, anterior and lateral mar-gins of pronotum, three longitudinal stripes on pronotal disk, elongate markings on calli,middle and prolongation of secutellum, basal stripe and apical median spot on coriumand anterior and posterior margins of connexival segments all ochraceus; antennae, costalarea of corium and base of clavus darkened. ?. Length 22 mm, width of abdomen 8.2 mm. Head with length 3.0 mm, widththrough eyes 2.2 mm, width of vertex 0.95 mm, length of anteocular part 1.5 mm, of post-ocular part 0.5 mm. Vertex transversely rugulose medianly, convexed posteriorly, dis-tinctly impressed behind base of clypeus; clypeus prominent, distinctly higher than juga,much thickened posteriorly; length of antennal segments, 0.9: 4.1: 2.6: 2.2 mm; length ofrostral segments, 1.2: 1.9: 0.65 mm. Pronotum with length 4.0 mm, width 5.7 mm, an-terior angles dentate, posterior lobe twice as long as anterior lobe, lateral angles rounded,posterior margin broadly rounded. Scutellum transversely rugose, apical spine cylingrical.Hemelytra not reaching apex of abdomen, finely rugulose. ?. Lafger, 1st and 2nd antennal segments comparatively shorter. Holotype ?, Nanking, Ⅵ 20. 1955. Allotype ?, Nanking, Ⅵ 22. 1955. paratype?, taken with allotype (Nankai Uni. Coll.). Allied to T. rubrofasciata De Geer, but larger, surface of body not granulate, headmuch shorter than pronotum; 2nd antennal segment longer, anterior angles of pronotumshorter, scutellar spine not distinctly tenuate apically. The new species may be distin-guished from T. migrans Breddin and T. bouvieri Larrousse by a longer pronotum, as wellas differences in the body coloration and in the structure of antennae.


High level meetings and visits, between chiefs of states, governments or external affairs dignitaries assume the strict enforcement of certain ceremonial and protocol rules meant to emphasize courtesy and mutual respect on one hand, and the attention paid to the event, on the other hand.


The innate immune response to Imprime PGG® (Imprime PGG) is being leveraged to develop a novel cancer immunotherapy in conjunction with anti-tumor monoclonal antibodies. Previous research has demonstrated the presence of endogenous anti-β-glucan antibodies (ABA) as a necessary prerequisite for the binding and functional activity of Imprime PGG in innate immune cells. In this study, healthy donors with varying levels of ABA were evaluated to determine the threshold of ABA above which binding and modulation of functions were observed. Donors who had ABA levels above the threshold showed Imprime PGG binding (> 5%) to their neutrophils and monocytes with significant modulation of functions, including, a) activation of complement (C5a), b) increased surface expression of complement receptor 3, c) modulation of activation markers (CD62L), and d) production of selective chemokines (IL-8). The potential of the ABA level being a clinical biomarker was then evaluated in a non-small cell lung cancer trial by segregating patients into biomarker (BM) positive or negative populations based on the established ABA threshold. The BM positive patients showed a significantly increased objective response rate and marked survival benefit not seen in the BM negative patients. These results demonstrate a successful translation of biomarker discovery in healthy donors to clinical utility in cancer patients. ABA is a potential predictive biomarker for efficacy of Imprime PGG immunotherapy.


Developmental biology studies biophysical processes that lead to the development of tissues, organs, and organisms. Like other complex scientific domains, developmental biology can greatly benefit from real-time interactive systems (RIS). In addition to utilizing various innovative RIS technologies, highly efficient domain models have to be provided as well. In this paper, we present a prototypical RIS for developmental biology research that achieves this goal by adapting an existing, GPU-driven, position-based physics engine called FleX to support the required biological interaction mechanisms. The adapted cell model is further augmented by a GPU-based substance diffusion system that simulates biochemical signals that allow cells to communicate and react to their environment. We present model specifics with an emphasis on their efficient integration in an existing game engine, and we elaborate on future improvements.


Smart trash classification machine is a machine vision made to handle the problem of unsorted trash from its primary source. The machine is made to classify trash in a short time with high efficiency and consists of two components. The first component is software for constructing an algorithm using the TensorFlow library, built in the Python programming language, to produce an image of trash and store it in the library. The image will be divided into six types based on their characteristics and shape and will be automatically analysed using the deep learning ImageNet model. When the safety light curtain sensor detects trash, a signal is sent to the RGB camera, which captures an image of the trash. The acquired image will then be analysed by algorithm software that is compared to the library image in the database and then sends a signal to the hardware component indicating the type of trash. The second component is hardware, which consists of an RGB camera, light curtain safety sensors, a bin-driving motor, and garbage sorting bins.


Background: Physical activity and nutrition are essential for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. This study examined the effects of combining daily milk supplementation and an aerobic exercise routine on physical fitness indicators in adolescent girls. Methods: The study randomly assigned 83 17-year-old girls into four groups: milk only, exercise only, both milk and exercise, and control groups. The interventions involved drinking 500 mL of low-fat milk daily and engaging in a 1-h step aerobics exercise routine 3 times/week for 12 weeks. VO2max, countermovement jump height and average power, and squat jump height were measured before and after the intervention. Results: Participants in the combined and exercise only groups had significant improvements in the measured parameters after the intervention compared with participants in the control and milk only groups. No difference in any of the parameters was found between the combined and exercise only groups. Conclusion: The 12-week step aerobics exercise program had positive effects on muscle power and cardiovascular fitness of adolescent girls, while milk did not provide any additional improvements.