a It is not many years since the Greens were the rising force of politics, sharing coalition government in Berlin and in Tasmania as first steps towards a greener world. Recent national elections in Britain, the USA, France and Australia have seen the Greens fade. Green parties seem to fly easily to pieces under the compromises of governing the real world, and the Green lobby to be comfortable only fighting the single issues. When I was in New South Wales, Australia, this time last year, the current Greenpeace campaign was to block the building of an incinerator in Australia to destroy nasty chemical waste. Back home in England later in the year, the current Greenpeace campaign was to block a ship unloading nasty chemical waste shipped from Australia for incineration in Europe. Was it the same stuff? A famous villain of pollution in northern Europe is acid rain, poisoned by sulphur oxides from British power stations and by nitrogen oxides from British cars upwind from Scandinavia. Britons were last winter much exercised by decisions to close many of the coal-mines that fuel coal-fired generating stations, now being replaced by gas-fired stations which are more energy-efficient and cleaner. Meanwhile the acid still goes up, and then comes down on Scottish and Scandinavian landscapes in the rain. Last year, John Coles published an alarming account, 'The dying rocks'*, of what he has seen happening to the Bronze Age rock-engravings in the Nordic lands where, he thinks, 'the carved rocks all over southern Scandinavia are now deteriorating at an alarming rate, through natural and human attrition, principally a combination of acid rain, agricultural activities and touristic pressure'. The acid rain seems to be breaking up the surface of the rocks, so the crisp and distinct outlines of individual pecked figures go out of focus, by degrees turning into smoother depressions with indistinct edges that are harder to see, and then vanishing entirely: from Deep to Medium to Shallow to Gone. And the change is rapid; Coles finds he can no longer draw several of the Boglosa Uppland sites (Ovre Rickeby, for example) where some 10-12 years ago he could easily see, sketch, photograph and record all the figures. If they stayed sharp through 3000 years of Swedish rain, something must have changed; now it is from Deep to Gone in decades or less. Add to this haphazard attrition by farmers who dump stones from field clearance and pour cow-manure slurry on carved surfaces. And the marks left by the booted feet of tourists who slide down wet slopes when they lose footing, or choose to leave their own mementoes carved alongside the ancient ships. Also involved may be the long-standing habit of Scandinavian archaeologists who paint in the engravings with a thick red pigment so the tourists can see them better. Paint certainly disconcerted me when I saw it at the great Bohuslan sites, but I am used to engravings a u nature] and, sometimes, sharper in preservation; I enjoy teasing out the shape of the picture with my own eyes. It's certainly convenient (there's a rock-engraving by the railway line from Gothenburg to Tanumshede which, painted, you can see from the train as it speeds past 30 metres away). But . . .! If you look carefully, you may notice where the red painter has mis-read the engraved line, and painted not quite along the figure. Those less obsessed with their archaeology, or delivered by bus to tour the Tanumshede sites in the middle of a midsummer day, cannot be expected to hang about till the late afternoon sun falls just right for a few minutes' perfect vision; this is why painting has benefit. If the slope is unlucky, or the trees shadow the oblique sun, perfect vision may never come.


Technical system (10) for selectively varying the texture an exposed surface (12), said system (10) comprising: a reversible reconfigurable structure (16) defining the exposed surface (12); an assembly of independent mechanisms (14), which are switchable between shapes, having the structure (16) are physically engaged and operable to transform a portion of the surface (12) mechanically to so cooperatively alter the texture when the forms are switched; and is coupled to an actuator that is communicatively coupled to each mechanism (14) and operable to activate the mechanism (14) and to turn off so as to cause that the mechanism (14) switches between the molds and the remodeled portion, each mechanism (14) comprises a fully closed and hermetically sealed core (14a) and the mechanism (14) further comprises: an amount of a substance that serves to absorb microwave radiation; or an amount of a phase change material, wherein the mechanism (14) is transformed due to a change in the phase of the material and the phase change material is an amount of water which is caused to selectively undergo electrolysis.


In many theories on the social and cultural evolution of human societies, the number and density of people living together in a given time and region is a crucial factor. Because direct data on past demographic developments are lacking, and reliability and validity of demographic proxies require careful evaluation, the topic has been approached from several different directions. This paper provides an introduction to a geostatistical approach for estimating prehistoric population size and density, the so-called Cologne Protocol and discusses underlying theoretical assumptions and upscaling transfer-functions between different spatial scale levels. We describe and compare the specifics for farming and for foraging societies and, using examples, discuss a diachronic series of estimates, covering the population dynamics of roughly 40 kyr of European prehistory. Ethnohistoric accounts, results from other approaches—including absolute (ethno-environmental models) and relative estimates (site-numbers, dates as data, etc.) allow a first positioning of the estimates within this field of research. Future enhancements, applications and testing of the Cologne Protocol are outlined and positioned within the general theoretical and methodological avenues of palaeodemographic research. In addition, we provide manuals for modelling Core Areas in MapInfo, ArcGIS, QGIS/Saga and R. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography'.


Howard Sankey ("Scientific Realism and the God's Eye Point of View", Epistemologia 2004) advocates a naturalistic version of scientific - and to some extent, metaphysical - realism which doesn't require the "God's eye view" stigmatized by Putnam. Against Sankey, I argue that correspondence truth involves some sort of innocuous God's eye viewpoint. I then defend a non-naturalistic version of scientific realism without resorting to the no-miracle argument. Finally, I show that, contrary to what Sankey claims, scientific studies on alleged animal knowledge are of little relevance for sustaining an external view of truth and a realist interpretation of scientific theories.


Introduction: Ethical Foundations and Perspectives. The Potter Box Model of Reasoning. Using Ethical Principles. Five Ethical Guidelines. To Whom is Moral Duty Owed? Who Ought to Decide? I. NEWS. 1. Institutional Pressures. The New York Times fires Jayson Blair. CNN in Baghdad. The Time Warner Colossus. NBC and GM's Pickup. The Wichita Experiment. 2. Truthtelling. Al Jazeera. Reporting on Enron. The Unabomber's Manifesto. Fabrication at The Globe. An Enemy of the People. 3. Reporters and Sources. Covering the Middle East Stolen Voice Mail. Embedded Reporters. Risky Foods. 4. Social Justice. Affirmative Action in Michigan. Distributing the Internet. Sexism and World Cup Soccer. Ten Weeks at Wounded Knee. 5. Invasion of Privacy. The Controversial Patriot Act. Privacy in Cyberspace. A Prostitute on Page 12. Dead Body Photo. II. PERSUASION IN ADVERTISING. 6. Special Audiences. The Littlest Consumers. Selling Students to Advertisers? Some Say "No" More Often than Others. The Bill Sell for a "Purely Progressive Tax." The Vagina Dialogues. 7. What to Advertise. A Magazine and Its Cigarettes. Does Alcohol Advertising Get a "Free Ride?" Promoting "Smart Tanning?" Feminine Hygiene in the Living Room. Empowering or Manipulating the Health Care Consumer? 8. How To Say It. No Holds Barred--The Rise of Guerrilla Marketing. Yo Quiero Stereotype? Making the Same Different: Parity Products. Defining Outrageousness Down. Anorexic Chic? 9. Media Considerations. Gatekeepers I: Closing the Door. Gatekeepers II: Opening the Door. Farewell to a "Sanctuary from Advertising" Infomercials--"They Need to Make You Rich, Thin, or Beautiful. The Best Do All Three." The Non-Advertising-Free Internet--In Search of a Balance. III. PERSUASION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. 10. Public Communication. Mr. Ethics Sells Out. Playing Defense on the Court(room) of Public Opinion. A Public Relations "Discovery." A Campaign Pioneer? 11. Telling the Truth in Organizational Settings. A Good Thing? A Committed Front? A Sale at the Local Nonprofit? A Web of Caring. 12. Conflicting Loyalties. A New Client? Case 1: Friends? Case 2:The Friendly Journalist? Politician Pitches Pills. All Too Human? The Long-Distance Client. 13. The Demands of Social Responsibility. Pepsi Challenged by Rumors. Smart Giving. Employee Volunteers. The Medical Endorsement? Caught on Tape. IV. ENTERTAINMENT. 14. Violence. Hear It, Feel It, Do It. Crunchy Terror in T-Rex Park. "The Storyteller." 15. Profits, Wealth, and Public Trust. Crude Script for Tinsel Town. Virtual Whitewash. Deep Trouble for Harry. Super Strip. Sue Thomas, F.B. Eye. 16. Media Scope and Depth. Reel History. Bigotry as Entertainment. They Call it Paradise. Tragedy Lite. The League of Literary Makeovers. 17. Censorship. The Voice of America. Fencing the Net. Frontal Assault. Life Stinks. Epilogue. Recommended Readings.


The draft whole-genome sequences (WGS) of 30 fungal strains isolated from the International Space Station and belonging to the Penicillium and Aspergillus genera were assembled. The WGS will allow for detailed genomic characterization to determine the possible applications and importance for space and biotechnological industries. ABSTRACT The draft whole-genome sequences (WGS) of 30 fungal strains isolated from the International Space Station and belonging to the Penicillium and Aspergillus genera were assembled. The WGS will allow for detailed genomic characterization to determine the possible applications and importance for space and biotechnological industries.


This paper analyses the significance of digital resource construction in small and medium-sized public library.And then,it indicates its problems and puts forward some measures to promote its development.


The precast PC planks employed as embedded forms have come into practical use to improve the construction works of concrete slab. This method has many advantages such as being able to construct the slab in safety without scaffolding, shortning the construction period, etc., The authors fabricated composite beams as well as slabs with the precast PC planks and carried out static and cyclic loading tests. The composite slab was much superior in mechanical characteristics to RC slab and behaved as PC members. Consequently, it is concluded that this composite slab should be designed as PC member rather than RC one.As a result of the test construction in situ, it has been made clear that this method is more practical and economical.


Overburden fractures are the passageways for water resource loss in underground mining. A new zonation for overburden movement was present through the analysis on hydraulic aperture and permeability according to numerical calculations. Fractured zone was divided into three parts, the upper, the middle and the lower and their heights were educed. In the bedding plane, end fracture development zone and middle fracture compaction zone were defined and their range was calculated out. The achievements can be used for water resource conservation and gas prevention or drainage, etc.


Like many other developing countries, Cameroon is faced with trying to achieve public health objectives, such as those enshrined in the Millenium Development Goals, in the context of a health sector facing serious challenges. Among other constraints, the opportunistic behaviour of health sector personnel earning low public salaries has resulted in a reallocation of some of their time to outside income generating activities. Consideration is being given to the use of performance-based district contracting within the public health sector to engage personnel in the achievement of particular primary health care objectives by using financial incentives. Given this context, and in order to inform the design of any such contracts, the objective of this research was to explain the reasons for the success and failure of earlier attempts to use performance incentives in the Cameroon health sector.


Objective To investigate distributing characteristics of electrotonically modulated T wave with different etiology in electrocardiogram. Methods Distributing characteristics of electrotonically modulated T wave were analyzed in 30 cases with right ventricular apical temporary or permanence cardiac pacing, 10 cases with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia terminated and 8 cases who had received radiofrequency catheter ablation for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome(W-P-W). Results ①In patients with right ventricular apical pacing, electrotonic modulation of T waves appeared in inferior wall lead (II,III and aVF) and most of precordial leads (Vl~V4 100.0%,Vl~V6 76.7%) with deepest negative T wave in leads V3~V4 which was more significant than that in patients with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia and W-P-W syndrome (P0.01). ②In patients with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia, electrotonic modulation of T wave appeared in inferior wall leads and left precordial leads(V4~V6) with deepest negative T waves in V4,V5. ③In patients with W-P-W, electrotonic modulation of T wave was usually limited in inferior wall leads. Conclusion Distributions of electrotonic modulation of T wave with different etiologies were diverse and such characteristics are distinguished from T wave changes of myocardial ischemia and acute pulmonary embolism.


The synthesis and reactivity of oxo-bridged bis(group 4 metal unsymmetric phosphonium-stabilized carbene) complexes are described. The reaction of [CH2RNRS] (1; RN = PPh2NSiMe3, RS = PPh2S) with 1 ...


I. Art and technique in the crisis of contemporary capitalism: an anthropological materialist point of view Thinking about the current relationship between art and technique implies considering the historical background of this relationship. For us today, it is the social, political and economic order that has been called "advanced" or "late" capitalism (Fredric Jameson, Ernest Mandel, Theodor W. Adorno). If art interrogates and problematizes this order intimately interrelated with modern tec...


It's not a secret that modern world changes very fast. Visible and invisible borders disappear because ofthe latest communication systems and the process of globalization. Today, you won't surprise anyone with intercontinentalcommunication. Thanks to the modern technologies, the world is becoming more accessible. But such technological processrequires from each of us transformations and systematic self-improvement.


An extension of the adaptation methods presented previously by Ten Cate are presented. Proof of asymptotic stability of the error is effected using Lyapunov theory. This method completes the triplet of a group of previously published adaptation rules for a variation suggested by Shahein et al. using a plant-model parameter misalignment function.


A survey was carried out on the 76 children suffering from spina bifida born in Co. Antrim in 1966-68. The WPPSI was administered to the survivors of this group and to 17 spina bifida children of similar age attending special schools for the physically handicapped. The overall scores, the subtest scores and scores on factors derived from the test were analysed with respect to age, sex, site of lesion, physical disability and possible effects of hydrocephalus.


Precision agriculture technologies are designed to provide broad information to assist farmers when making site-specific management decisions. The paper aims to investigate the use of adoption of precision agriculture technologies among agricultural specialists in Bushehr province, Iran. A survey using multi stage random sampling was used to collect data. Structural equation modeling using LISREL software was used to analyze data. The results showed that individual innovativeness and attitude to use affect intention to use of variable-rate application technologies. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness influence the intention to use of the technologies. Attitude to use is the most important determinant of intention. Based on the results, some recommendations have been provided.


We introduce and characterize the class of tangentially free ideals, which are (not necessarily principal) ideals whose logarithmic derivation module is free, in (not necessarily regular) factorial domains essentially of finite type over a field of characteristic zero. This yields an extension of Saito's celebrated theory of free divisors in smooth manifolds. Examples are worked out, for instance a non-principal, tangentially free ideal in the coordinate ring of the so-called E8-singularity. Further, we notice a connection to the classical Zariski-Lipman conjecture in the open case of surfaces.


plaques. We also note the trend of other groups, including the authors, away from a "one technique fits all" approach to CAS. We agree with the authors' emphasis on plaque calcification. We have found it helpful to use a carotid plaque morphologybased scale (the "PLAC" scale) based on radiographic factors obtained during preprocedural computed tomographic angiography. We found that the degree of plaque calcification (as the authors also assert) and, moreover, the presence or absence of moderate "soft" plaque and the thickness of the calcification itself are the 3 independent risk factors associated with long-term successful outcome. We believe these factors may complement those found useful by the authors during the preprocedural assessment of symptomatic carotid stenosis patients.


This paper is an analysis of research on the syntax of "X就X" construction in modern Chinese language. If we examine part of speech of the 'X' in "X就X" construction, it can further break down into three structures as ″VP 就VP″, ″AP 就AP″, and ″NP 就NP″. The meaning of each is determined by the semantics of its structure. In an authentic situation, a listener and a speaker's comprehension of the ′X′ may be different depending on the context of the language in use. Although all three structures share the same semantic characteristic of [+approval], ″VP 就VP″ construction depicts an unexpected feeling while "AP就AP" construction illustrates tolerance, and "NP就NP" construction portrays a sense of regret. Therefore, we hope this paper would shed some light on recognition and understanding of the complex function of semantics and pragmatics in ″X 就X″ construction.


Abstract : The Soviet Union does not necessarily view NATO in the same fashion as do Western observers. Therefore, to complete the perceptual picture one needs to look at NATO through a Soviet filter and that is the basic purpose of this paper. Using predominantly Soviet sources, the author examines: NATO cohesiveness from a Soviet perspective; how France and surprisingly China, since approximately 1972, fit into a composite Soviet threat projection posed by NATO and its allies; the Soviet view of NATO's military standardization; and how Moscow believes that the Vietnam conflict in some ways was good for both the United States and NATO. If in the last quarter of the twentieth century Western policy makers hope to affect Soviet policies and actions in direction of peaceful solutions to problems and avoiding a nonproductive uncontrolled arms race, they must begin with an understanding of how the European situation appears from the Kremlin.


Coal seam degasification by in‐seam drilling borehole is one of the popular techniques for coal mine methane (CMM) control. How to address the conflict between borehole numbers and drainage durations always arouses researchers' interests. Furthermore, since coal has anisotropy structures, how the anisotropy feature of coal associated with bedding and cleat structure affects the influence radius of the drainage borehole has rarely been considered. In order to address the above‐mentioned issues, this work not only conducted underground in‐situ measurement of the borehole influence radius within 200 days in an anisotropy coal seam at Jiulishan coal mine in China, but also modeled the influence radius evolvement around borehole in an anisotropy coal seam using finite‐element based COMSOL package. The underground in‐situ measurement revealed an anisotropy feature of borehole influence radius associated with coal bedding and cleat structures. The influence radius of borehole parallel to the bedding plane in butt cleat direction is much larger than that perpendicular to the bedding plane. Ten permeability measurements of coal show that the permeability of coal parallel to the bedding plane in butt cleat direction is higher than that perpendicular to the bedding plane. Simulation results of the gas transport model in coal are consistent with underground in‐situ measurement in determining the influence radius of drainage borehole in the anisotropy coal seam. Based on modeling results, the ellipse influence area of borehole in an anisotropy coal seam is proposed, and the relationship between the influence radius of borehole and drainage time is obtained. On the basis of these findings, the proper in‐seam borehole arrangements for a specific mining panel at different drainage durations are determined. The finding of this work will be fundamental for addressing the conflict between minimizing the cost of borehole arrangement and increasing coal mining productions by adjusting CMM drainage durations.


A unitary analysis for the 1 D 2 -wave pp, 5 S 2 -wave NΔ and 3 P 2 -wave πd scattering is applied to the NΔ scattering. The experimental phase parameters for the S-wave NΔ scattering are explained on the basis of the S-matrix pole of unstable bound-state type or broad dibaryon, M = 2144 MeV, I = 1, J p = 2 +


In this paper we explore the role of external audit quality on loan price—the most significant credit term for the borrower. An audit by a highly qualified firm conveys valuable information to the information disadvantaged lending parties about the true quality of the borrower. So called certification effect of reputable auditors has been evidenced in the literature with benefits of reduced capital costs. Recent auditing literature questions credibility of mere big name measure and suggests added value of industry specialization as well as auditor's tenure in client's accounting practices. However little has been explored about auditor's industry specialization and tenure traits beyond accounting value. When we study the auditor's three qualifications together, none of them alone is strong enough to convince the lender to be reflected in loan interest. Only a reputable, Big 4, auditor either specialized or tenured at the same time could benefit the client in reducing its loan price by about 10.4 to 11.3 percent. The more sophisticated the auditor, the better value it brings to its clients. A highly qualified auditor with additional third qualification, would significantly reduce the loan price by about 23.7 percent. When converted to dollar values, a borrower could save about USD 31.53 million savings annually and about USD 100.9 million for an average loan throughout its maturity. The results are robust to different sample specifications as well as alternative measures.


Oil and gas activities across the globe now take place deep offshore. To operate in this harsh environment, there are numerous challenges. These can be in the form of high cost of production, space constraints, operational and technological demands. The co-transportation of oil and gas in same pipeline is one of the operational and technological approaches adopted in the industry to meet the transportation of produced crude. This approach comes with its attendant flow assurance difficulties. Slugging is one of such problems which can constitute operational hitches resulting in production reduction and sometimes eventual plant shutdown. Existing attenuation techniques are limited in various ways. Therefore, seeking a reliable solution to this problem is highly desired.In this study, an experimental study of multiple techniques for slug attenuation was attempted. A passive device-the intermittent slug absorber, topside choking and topside separator were investigated. The results show that a combination of the methods proves to be more effective compared to individual techniques. A significant reduction in riser- base pressure of up to 39% was achieved. This is advantageous and translates to an increase in oil recovery. Thus, the proposed strategy helps to achieve system stability and improved production at a lower cost.


This study tested the hypotheses that BMI would be associated with dietary patterns and health status from self‐reports and physical examinations in a population‐based multi‐ethnic sample of centenarian men and women from northern Georgia (98 years and older, n = 233). BMI ≤ 20 and ≥ 25 was found in 30.9% and 25.3% of participants, respectively. In a series of logistic regression analyses controlled for gender and place of residence (community or skilled nursing facility), the probability of having BMI ≥ 25 was associated with being black vs. white (p < 0.001), as well as with low intakes of citrus fruit (< 1 serving per day; p < 0.05), non‐citrus fruit (< 1 serving per day; p < 0.05), orange/yellow vegetables (<4 servings per week; p < 0.05), and total fruit plus vegetables (< 3 servings per day; p < 0.05). BMI ≥ 25 was an independent risk factor for diabetes or having systolic blood pressure > 140 mm Hg when controlled for race, gender and residence, but was not associated with anemia, CVD, depression, or stroke. Given the many potential adverse consequences of under‐ and overweight, efforts are needed to maintain a healthy weight, even in exceptional survivors. Supported by NIH 1P01‐AG17553.


Advantages and recent developments of digital control have led to an increasing use of digital pulse width modulators. The resolution of the digital pulse width modulator determines the accuracy in the output current/voltage. So resolution has direct influence in the performance of the system. This paper presents three architectures to improve the resolution of the digital pulse width modulator. Among these two architectures are based on the DCM (Digital Clock Manager) block and the other one is based on the IODELAYE1(I/O Delay Element) available in the VIRTEX-6 FPGA. These architectures are designed, implemented and compared to analyze the performance.


This paper demonstrates that the IRR is a biased indicator of expected profits for Value Averaging (VA) and for any other dynamic strategy which is based on a target return or profit level, or which takes profits or "doubles down" following losses. The modified IRR is similarly biased. VA is popular, but this paper demonstrates that it is an inefficient investment strategy (for any plausible investor risk preferences) and quantifies the resulting welfare losses. VA's popularity appears to be due to investors making a cognitive error in assuming that the strategy's attractive IRR implies greater expected terminal wealth.


ABSTRACT We describe a method for construction of jump analogues of certain one-dimensional diffusion processes satisfying solvable stochastic differential equations. The method is based on the reduction of the original stochastic differential equations to the ones with linear diffusion coefficients, which are reducible to the associated ordinary differential equations, by using the appropriate integrating factor processes. The analogues are constructed by means of adding the jump components linearly into the reduced stochastic differential equations. We illustrate the method by constructing jump analogues of several diffusion processes and expand the notion of market price of risk to the resulting non-affine jump-diffusion models.


3-Difluoroacetylated quinolines and 3-fluoroacetylated quinolines were synthesized via a visible-light-induced cascade addition/cyclization of N-propargyl aromatic amines with ethyl bromodifluoroacetate or ethyl bromofluoroacetate catalyzed by fac-Ir(ppy)3 under mild conditions. For the substrates bearing various substituents on the aniline ring and benzene ring, the reaction proceeded smoothly to give the corresponding difluoroacetylated or fluoroacetylated quinolines in moderate to high yields.


Preface ix Introduction: The Three Regimes of the Novel Chapter 1. The Impossible Princess (Lafayette) Chapter 2. Quixote Circa 1670 (Subligny) Chapter 3. How to Read a Mind (Crebillon) Chapter 4. The Aesthetics of Sentiment (Rousseau) Chapter 5. The Demon of Reality (Diderot) Chapter 6. Beyond Belief (Cazotte) Conclusion: On Narrators Natural and Unnatural Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments


Abstract The article discusses the Mesopotamian commentary corpus, assesses its intellectual underpinnings, explores its place within Mesopotamia's scholarly tradition, and addresses the question of whether Mesopotamian hermeneutics should be considered a "philosophical" pursuit. It is argued that the cuneiform commentaries are characterized, on one hand, by certain limitations and, on the other, by an overabundance of interpretational opportunities, and that the answer should therefore be negative; but it is admitted that, depending on what one considers the defining features of philosophy, other views are possible.


This paper is concerned with the linear quadratic (LQ) Pareto optimal control of the continuous-time stochastic systems in finite horizon. First, based on the necessary and sufficient characterization of the Pareto optimality, we reformulate the Pareto optimality problem as a set of finite horizon optimal control problems with a specific constraint structure. Next, in the spirit of the Lagrange multiplier theorem, we present a necessary condition for a control to be Pareto efficient which is consistent with those of a weighted sum optimal control problem, and give the expressions of all Pareto efficient strategies.


Most state-of-the-art first-order optimization methods, such as AMSGrad, SWATS, and AdaBound, adapt constant learning rates at the final training stage to achieve fast convergence. However, the generalizability of these methods can hardly outperform that of Adam. In this paper, we first demonstrate that these methods will encounter difficulty to escape from the neighborhood of the saddle points during the optimization process due to the SGD-like strategy, thereby resulting in generalizability problems. Our further analysis suggests that this issue can be addressed by a weaker constraint on the learning rates. Based on these findings, we proposed Inter Adam, which is a new variant of Adam with non-constant learning rates at the final training stage. Experimental results show that InterAdam outperforms SWATS-like methods, especially in escaping the saddle points and alleviating overfitting. Meanwhile, Inter Adam can maintain better convergence and robustness campared to Adam.


One of the widely used insecticides in agriculture and urban pest control is oxydemeton-methyl, which is an organothiophosphate compound. It has a high bioaccumulation effect due to its increased solubility and mobility. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of oxydemeton-methyl toxicity on the environment, and female New Zealand rabbits were used as a model. The rabbits were given oxydemeton-methyl orally in drinking water at a concentration of 34 ppm for six weeks. The clinical signs were diarrhoea, emesis, salivation, lacrimation, fasciculation, muscle tremors and weakness. The haematological parameters, such as the RBCs count, the Hb concentration and the PCV % were significantly decreased. On the contrary, the WBCs count were significantly increased. In addition, an acetylcholinesterase enzyme was inhibited, and a histopathological examination on the liver showed small areas of oval and bridge necrosis infiltrated with mononuclear cells. In the kidneys, there was a variable degree of nephrosis, and the heart showed foci of myocardial degeneration infiltrated with mononuclear cells. Therefore, it is concluded that oxydemeton-methyl is highly toxic to the environment.


Peak 115Cd levels in the liver, kidneys, spleen and duodenum of the rat, following a single oral dose, fell exponentially. Half-clearance time for 115mCd is highest in the kidney (30 days) followed by the liver (6.8 days), the spleen (5.5 days) and the duodenum (3.5 days).


A N IMPORTANT QUESTION of positive and normative legislation theory is what role courts should assume when they interpret statutes (as opposed to the Constitution and the common law). One can imagine the range of roles as a continuum. At one pole is an "archeological approach," in which a court's role is to unearth and enforce the original intent or expectations of the legislature that created the statute. Under this approach, statutory interpretation is an effort to discern the original answer put into the statute. At the other pole is a "free inquiry approach," in which the court's role is to reach the best result, formally unconstrained (though perhaps influenced or persuaded) by the statute's text and legislative history. These two poles represent different aspirations for statutory interpretation. The archeological approach appeals to formal legitimacy (the nonelected judge is not exercising any discretion but is merely carrying out the will of the majoritarian legislature), while the free inquiry approach appeals to functional legitimacy (justice or good results).1 Traditional theories of statutory interpretation take something close to an archeological approach, though without admitting that good results are thereby sacrificed. 2 Traditional theorists accomplish this feat by assuming (with varying degrees of explicitness) a


A rapid method for the separation of bismuth from cadmium and copper and their determination is given. The separation and determination of bismuth is made on the bismuth gallate and the determination of cadmium and copper is made on the diliturate. The bismuth is weighed directly as the gallate, and the determination takes from 15 to 20 minutes. As the copper and cadminm do not precipitate with the gallic acid, one can determine them in the filtrate by precipitation with dilituric acid. They are weighed as the diliturates. The reduction of the volume takes approximately 30 min, and the determination of the elements in the mixture can be made in one hour. (tr-auth)


Sulfur Mass-Independent Fractionation (S-MIF) has potential to monitor chemistry of the Earth's early atmosphere (Farquhar et al., 2000). Nonetheless, detailed mechanism of the S-MIF occurred in the Archean atmosphere is still poorly understood. Previous laboratory experiments indicate the anomalous isotopic fractionation depends largely on (1) wavelength or spectrum of the incident light source and (2) partial pressure of SO2, though none of these experiments have not yet succeeded to fully reproduce the S-MIF recorded in the Archean sedimentary rocks (e.g., Danielache et al., 2008; Masterson et al., 2011; Whitehill & Ono, 2012). We have developed a new photochemical chamber for determining isotopic effect of the SO2 photolysis under optically thin condition. Also, a new direct fluorination technique of carbonyl sulfide allowed us precise isotopic analysis down to 50 nmolS of photolysis product. The results indicate that the basic character of the S-MIF observed in the Archean record can be reproduced when SO2 column density is reasonably low (i.e. 10 to 50 times higher than preindustrial atmosphere). The results with a numerical modeling of the atmospheric reaction network suggest that the observed change in D36S/D33S ratio can be adequately explained by the two factors: (1) SO2 partial pressure and (2) amount of reducing gas (H2, CH4 and CO). In light of the new perspective, we have re-evaluated the geological record of the D36S/D33S ratio with additional analyses of Archean sedimentary sulfides from South Africa and India. Based on the magnitude of the S-MIF and the D36S/D33S ratio, the Archean period can be subdivided into four stages (i.e. › 3.0 Ga, 3.0-2.7 Ga, 2.7-2.5 Ga and 2.5-2.4 Ga). These changes probably reflect both intensity of volcanic SO2 emission and concentration of reducing gasses under the O2-free atmosphere. Particularly, the maximum scatter of D33S values observed in the stage 3 (2.7-2.5 Ga) requires high volcanic emission as well as very reducing atmospheric condition in the atmosphere at that time.


Within the context of strategic interaction, we provide a unified framework for analyzing information, knowledge, and the "stable" pattern of behavior. We first study the related interactive epistemology and, in particular, show an equivalence theorem between a strictly dominated strategy and a never-best reply in terms of epistemic states. We then explore epistemic foundations behind the fascinating idea of stability due to J. von Neumann and O. Morgenstern. The major features of our approach are: (i)unlike the ad hoc semantic model of knowledge, the state space is constructed by Harsanyi's types that are explicitly formulated by Epstein and Wang (Econometrica 64, 1996, 1343-1373); (ii)players may have general preferences, including subjective expected utility and non-expected utility; and (iii) players may be boundedly rational and have non-partitional information structures


Findings are presented on how start-up ventures in search of legitimacy are affected by internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, the salience that start-up entrepreneurs place on external and internal stakeholders in preand post-start-up legitimacy attainment is studied. Institutional theory, resource-based view of the firm, and stakeholder salience theory inform our discussion. Using case and survey research methods nine start-up and three established Australian wineries from eight different regions are studied. Data collection consisted of: (1) semi-structured interviews with owner(s); (2) field research notes; and (3) a validation questionnaire. The findings suggest that startups, in this instance wineries, are able to attain legitimacy through both external and internal sources. Implications are discussed and include: (1) a greater understanding of how start-ups attain legitimacy; (2) start-ups rely to a greater extent on internal more so than external sources, but both are used to gain legitimacy, suggesting that institutional and resource-based view theories are complementary in the context of start-ups, and (3) the salience of stakeholders by start-ups in attaining and maintaining legitimacy remains relatively stable over time.


Genetic modification of human embryonic stem cell (hESCs) is highly valuable not only for manipulating the cells in vitro but also promoting a therapeutic application. Here the feasibility and efficiency of expressing two or three transgenes by HIV-1 based lentiviral vector (LV)in human embryonic stem cells were explored. Bicistronic and tricistronic LVs were constructed employing the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) sequence of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and/or foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) cleavage factor 2A. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and O6-methylguanine-DNA- methyltransferase were chosen (MGMT) as reporter genes and puromycin resistance gene(puromycin-N- acetyltransferase;PAC)as selectable gene to transduce hESCs then selected by puromycin. The expression of eGFP and MGMT by means of flow cytometry and Western blot were checked. The multigene LVs were able to simultaneously transfer two or three genes into hESCs. Multicistronic LVs enable high and homogeneous expression of transgenes by polyclonal hESCs after puromycin selection. These vectors may provide important roles in basic and applied research on hESCs.


A codebook generation method for a multi-polarized MIMO(Multi Input Multi Output) system and a device therefore are provided to generate a precoding matrix when antennas have multi-polarization by using a single-polarized precoding matrix, thereby generating a high-performance precoding matrix even by simpler operation. A single-polarized precoding matrix is assigned to diagonal blocks of plural blocks divided according to the number of polarized directions of transmission antennas(S210). A zero matrix is assigned to the rest of the blocks except the diagonal blocks(S220). A precoding matrix is generated by combining the zero matrix assigned to the rest of the blocks with the single-polarized precoding matrix assigned to the diagonal blocks(S230). The precoding matrix is reconfigured by selecting at least one column vector included in the precoding matrix according to transmission ranks corresponding to the number of data streams to be transmitted(S240-S260).


Work and family are the two central domains forming the back bone of an individual's life. They are work domain (employment) and non-work domain (family). These two inevitable institutions namely work and family have historically coexisted, simultaneously as discrete spheres in one's life. There has been an accelerated influx of women into paid employment roles in the recent past. The article deals with the select antecedents and its influence on the strain dimension of role conflict is analyzed in the study. A sample size of 598 was taken for the study and result has been obtained using statistical analysis.


Automated design optimization of controlled induction motors for a variety of design tasks in two ranges criteria is performed. Design tasks include consideration of both static and dynamic modes. The changes in variable motor parameters according to the selected criteria and design tasks are defined. A modification of the criteria of electric drive given costs is proposed by using of operation significance coefficient. This allows reconciling of the maximum of midrange efficiency and the minimum of mid-range resulted expenses. Analysis of the effect of inflation coefficient on the value of the reduced costs objective function is carried out. The classification of a design range limits applicable to the development of controlled induction motors is offered. The applying of range limitations in the automatic optimization design program of controlled induction motors is described. The use of range limitations affects the results of the design synthesis of controlled induction motors.


Abstract The Kentucky Institute for International Studies is a consortium of colleges and universities that provides semester length and short summer semester over-seas study programs. This article traces the growth of the consortium from its ro-ots at Murray State University in 1975 through the celebration of its thirtieth anniversary in 2005. Aspects considered include the overall growth of the consor-tium and the type and number of progr-ams offered, as well as the composition of the faculty and students who participate. Contributions of consortium geography faculty members are examined.


The materials container-united technique is a superior technique in logistics field.The article tries to analyze its application situation in our country military logistics,and puts forward several proposals.


The Logistic Equation was applied to simulate the annual height growth of F_2 off-springs of Pinus elliottii×P. caribaea var.hondurensis.A regression model of the seedling height(Y) determined by growth time(days presented by X) was established as Y=36.71/(1+53.935 13e~(-0.029 71X)). The tests showed that both the slope (b) and the correlation coefficient (r) reached significant level(p 0.01, r~2=0.993 0). The annual height growth of the F_2 seedlings can be logically divided into 3 phases, i.e. the early phase, the peak phase, and the late phase. The relationship of monthly height growth from May to November with some important meteorological data in the corresponding months were analyzed. Some seedling breeding techniques for the variety were suggested.


The study of human thymocytes requires an appropriate matrix to enable the proper function of thymocytes. Although OP9-DL1 cells have been well established as an ideal co-culture system for the generation of T-cells from their progenitors; their ability to support a mixed population of mature human thymocytes for in vitro HIV infection studies has yet to be established. We assessed the effects of co-culturing a heterogeneous population of mature human thymocytes with a mouse derived cell line (OP9) transduced with the notch ligand delta like 1 (OP9-DL-1) and compared this to standard co-culture with human thymic epithelial cells (TEC). Co-culturing thymocytes with OP9- DL1 cells resulted in higher viability and lower apoptosis when compared to TEC co-cultures. The subset distribution and CD127 expression of thymocytes varied slightly between conditions. Thymocytes co-cultured with OP9-DL1 cells had a lower proportion of CD3+DP cells and higher proportion of SP4 cells compared to TEC co-cultures. The mature CD3+CD4+CD8- (SP4) cells also had lower levels of CD127 expression in OP9-DL1 cultures when compared to TEC. Interleukin-7 stimulation of thymocytes resulted in a decrease in CD127 expression in OP9-DL1 co-cultures, as previously observed with TEC co-cultures. Thymocytes co-cultured with OP9-DL1 tended to have higher levels of IL-7 induced STAT-5 phosphorylation and had higher levels of Interleukin-7 induced Bcl-2 expression. OP9-DL1 cells provide a microenvironment which is permissive to HIV infection in thymocytes in vitro. Co-culturing thymocytes with OP9-DL1 will facilitate the study of human thymocytes and aid in the study of exogenous stimuli or infection on individual thymocyte subsets.


Of 606 female breast cancers treated, 364 of them in stage I, II, and III, only 7 cases were in stage I. All stage II and III cases in good general condition received radical preoperative irradiation to the entire breast volume and the regional lymphatic areas over a period of 4 wk, followed 4 wk later by a radical mastectomy. No postoperative irradiation was administered. The biological basis of this therapeutic policy is explained in detail and the 5‐yr disease‐free survival of patients in relation to stage of disease, treatment method, histology of the primary tumor, histologic nodal metastatic status, postradiational status of the breast primary, the menstrual status of the patient, and the general metabolic status is discussed. It is explicitly shown by meticulous histological study of the breasts and the axillary lymph nodes removed at surgery that radical irradiation per se is inadequate to sterilize the breasts and that subsequent radical surgery is essential.


The neural network methods are widely used in the fault inspection field.This paper presented a dynamic studying algorithm and improved the network structure.It used the tunable activation function to replace the traditional fixed passing function to enhance the memory capacity and mapping capacity.We analyzed the principle about the oil feeding system fuel-pressure wave fault and used the improved method to inspect the fault.The simulation indicates that the improved network and method can increase the convergence speed,enhance the inspection precision and the generalization capability.


In both systems, fault-tolerant system configuration, the router (113), to the IO devices (123) to access the data in the packet, from a given CPU (111) comprising an access source and destination ID code access, and whether it is synchronous access tag information synchronization information. Access comparison unit (133), comprising: from the CPU (111) are held packet buffer (134, 135) in each system; in the packet-based (134, 135) to the buffer conferred flag information, determines whether the packet is synchronous access flag checking unit (136); when the packet is synchronous access, access data packets from one system (121a) outputs IO iF to delete access data from the rest of the system comparing portion (137) of the package. Thus, in the fault-tolerant system, the access processing can be realized corresponding to the synchronous / asynchronous state of the processor.


The theories and methods in non-linear system are thought to be applied in crop breeding after theoretical reviews on the laws within complex non-linear systems. The necessity, practicability and application of the utilities of non-linear theories and methods in crop breeding are discussed. The paper suggested that the model of chaos should be entrance of researches of construction of valuable crop genotypes.


The yield of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is dependent on the number of inflorescences initiated in the apical meristems of the main and branch crowns. Branch crown formation is enhanced by short-day (SD) conditions while long-day (LD) conditions promote runner formation from the axillary buds of the main crown. Gibberellin (GA) and GA biosynthesis inhibitor application studies indicate that the fate of axillary buds is also affected by GA. We tested if prohexadione-calcium (ProCa), the inhibitor of GA biosynthesis, could be used to regulate vegetative and generative growth of strawberry in northern European conditions. SD cultivars 'Polka' or 'Honeoye' were sprayed with 0-200 mg/L ProCa concentrations during the planting year in six experiments. ProCa had a positive effect on both cultivars, but the results varied between the experiments. ProCa reduced the number of runners in five experiments and increased crown branching in three experiments during the treatment year. Reduced runnering and/or increased number of crown branches correlated with 23-53% increase on the number of inflorescences and, consequently, berry yield in four cases during the following year. In conclusion, in the northern European climate runner and branch crown formation can be controlled with single timely ProCa treatment during the planting year resulting in a significant increase of the yield during the following season.


Series-Connected insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is the important basis in the high voltage and power converter application. A long duration of the excessive inrush current occurs in self-powered circuit when IGBT power modules in series start working. A design method of soft start of self-powered circuit is presented in this paper. The rise time of voltage of the capacitance stored energy is extended, the inrush current is reduced and easing the current stress IGBT module in series and diode can withstand by this method. The simulation model of soft start is realized by Saber and experimental results are used to illustrate both correctness and defensiveness of the proposed method to reduce the inrush current, protecting IGBT module and diode in self-powered circuit.


Background: Tildrakizumab (TIL), an anti–interleukin (IL)-23p19 monoclonal antibody, is approved in the US, EU, and Australia for treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.1 A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose, phase 2b study (NCT02980692) evaluating efficacy and safety of TIL for treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) was recently completed. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of TIL in PsA, using the DAS28-CRP responses up to week (W)52. Methods: Patients (pts) ≥18 years old with PsA2 and ≥3 tender and ≥3 swollen joints were randomised 1:1:1:1:1 to receive TIL (200 mg once every 4 weeks [Q4W], 200 mg every 12 weeks [Q12W], 100 mg Q12W, or 20 mg Q12W) or placebo (PBO Q4W) to W24. Thereafter, PBO Q4W and TIL 20 mg Q12W arms crossed over to TIL 200 mg Q12W to W52. DAS28-CRP was shown to be reliable in PsA studies,3 and pts achieving scores Results: Overall, 391/500 pts screened met the inclusion criteria; 55% were female with a mean age of 48.8 years. At baseline, disease characteristics were generally consistent across treatment arms (Table). At W24, DAS28-CRP response rates increased across all TIL treatment arms relative to PBO (Figure). After W24, response rates continued to increase and were sustained through W52, including in pts who switched from PBO to TIL. From W0–W24/W25–W52, 50.4%/39.9% and 2.3%/1.0% of pts experienced a TEAE and SAE, respectively. There were no reports of candidiasis, inflammatory bowel disease, major adverse cardiac events or elevated liver enzymes. From W0–W24, 1 pt (0.3%) had urinary tract infection (TIL 100 mg Q12W). From W25–W52, 1 pt (0.3%) had an intraductal proliferative breast lesion (TIL 20→200 mg Q12W). One pt (0.3%) discontinued before 24 weeks due to hypertension. No deaths were reported. Conclusion: Treatment with all doses of TIL increased the rate of DAS28-CRP responders in pts with active PsA and was well tolerated, suggesting a reduction in PsA-related disease activity for up to 52 weeks of treatment. Ongoing analyses will assess whether DAS28-CRP responses correlate with baseline clinical characteristics. References: [1]Reich K, et al. Lancet. 2017;390(10091):276−88. [2]Taylor W, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2006; 54(8):2665−73. [3]Fransen J, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2004; 62:151. Disclosure of Interests: Saima Chohan Employee of: Partner/physician at Arizona Arthritis and Rheumatology Associates, Arthur Kavanaugh Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Janssen, Pfizer, Gilead, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Janssen, Pfizer, Gilead, UCB, Vibeke Strand Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Celltrion, Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America, Crescendo Bioscience, Eli Lilly, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Hospira, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sanofi, UCB, Richard C Chou Consultant of: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc, Alan M Mendelsohn Shareholder of: Johnson and Johnson, Employee of: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc, Stephen Rozzo Employee of: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – consultant, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau


This personal essay examines a poet's relationship to the writing process through reflections on formative experiences of the mechanics of writing – on a typewriter, on computer or by hand – as well as the ways in which a writerly identity might be constructed or adopted.


This article explores the book of al-Sunnah Qabla al-Tadwīn by M. Ajjaj al-Khatib, an Islamic thinker who is an expert in the field of hadith science, coming from the city of Damascus. The purpose of this paper is to uncover, study and find out about the biography of M. Ajjaj al-Khatib and how systematic and fleeting about discussing the contents of the book al-Sunnah Qabla al-Tadwin then related to the rebuttal of Ajjaj al-Khatib sunnah. Then do not need attention about the advantages and disadvantages that exist in the book. The method used in this paper is a descriptive-text analysis method for the book as-Sunnah Qabla Tadwīn by using a supported book.


The time dedicated to skill development in art schools has been so greatly reduced over the past few decades that those who decide policy have begun to ask themselves if the current curriculum is the right one to educate the next generation of artists. This raises the question of the importance of technical skills for artists and whether mastering them will help or harm the artistic thinking process. I will try to contribute to this discussion with insights from the ceramist's point of view, after first presenting several aspects of this issue.


Due to the influence of mutative environmental conditions, the photovoltaic (PV) array of a PV system receives with non-uniform irradiation and temperature, which leads to the power-voltage (P-V) output characteristic appearing multi-peak and the current-voltage (I-V) output characteristic emerging multi-steps. With the assistance of various optimization algorithms, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technologies have become an effective method to improve the conversion efficiency of the PV system under different weather conditions. However, the recognition ability of these algorithms for global peak are still not guaranteed under uneven irradiation and temperature, which have attributed to absence randomness for these algorithms after reaching the maximum power point (MPP) region. Therefore, a modified flower pollination algorithm (MFPA) is proposed in this paper for MPPT. In MFPA, switching between dual-mode optimization is affected by both switch probability and population fitness values, and therefore overcomes the defects that the flower pollination algorithm (FPA) falls easily into the local maximum and slowly convergences in the later period. The performance of MFPA for MPPT is verified by comparing with the perturb & observe method and FPA. Simulation experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can rapidly and accurately track the MPP under various environmental conditions, especially the performance being superior under the condition of strong irradiation and partial shading.


.............................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices ..........................................................................................................viii Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................. 6 Chapter Two: Recruiting Today's Horticulture Student .................................................... 9 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 9 Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 14 Procedures .................................................................................................................. 18 Results & Discussion .................................................................................................. 19 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 31 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Three: A Faculty Perspective: The Past, Present and Future Of Horticulture .... 43 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 43 Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 44 Procedures .................................................................................................................. 47 Results & Discussion .................................................................................................. 48


Uterine carcinosarcomas are rare tumors comprising less than 1% of uterine malignancies. Uterine carcinosarcomas are extremely aggressive undifferentiated carcinomas which include both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. The prognosis is often poor, with 30-40% of cases having extrauterine involvement at the first presentation. The clinical presentation of the uterine carcinosarcomas is nonspecific, and imaging and pathology studies play an important role in diagnosis. We herein present a case of an elderly lady who presented with postmenopausal bleeding and was found to have carcinosarcoma of uterus.


A facile chemical method is developed to fabricate well-dispersed and an approx. 5 nm sized Pd-nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) deposited ZnAl-LDH/rGO nanocomposite (Pd NPs@LDH/rGO) as a highly efficient and stable catalyst for...


- When it comes to electronic business on the level of local governance units, primarily is referedon their position in the process, responsibilities and barriers for development of the e-business. Since the municipal serve to citizens, it would be good to initiatives and proposals for improvement of e-business that already exists in different versions ranging "bottom-up", or toward higher levels, where higher levels would work on the improving and the legal framework, which would strive for required uniformity e-business, due to the fact that local governance units have the same statutory authority.


(57) Abstract: A method for use in an apparatus for determining a physiological parameter is described. Device propagates the electromagnetic energy of first and second wavelengths to the tissue sample, detecting the electromagnetic energy after scanning the electromagnetic energy through the tissue sample, thereby the first signal and a second wavelength corresponding to the first wavelength having a sensor generating a second signal corresponding to the. The first and second signals are converted into the frequency domain to generate a third and fourth signal thereby. The ratio signal is generated using the third and fourth signals. For each of the plurality of ratio values, associated sum is generated corresponding to the number of times the ratio signal coincides with the ratio value associated with the sum. Contribution for each sum are weighted in accordance with the third signal. Optimal ratio values are selected from a plurality of ratio values based on a sum associated with them.


Some academic publishers fear that when authors publish PDFs of their work online, sales of their books and journals will be jeopardized as a result. Elizabeth Eva Leach discusses the failure of some publishers to cite evidence supporting this claim, and invites readers to leave comments linking to hard evidence either way.


Background: Young adults (22-39y) with ALL treated at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) have a superior survival when compared with those treated at a non-CCC site. (Wolfson et al, CEBP, 2017) Despite superior outcomes, specialized cancer centers (such as CCC) have been generally criticized for a higher cost of cancer care (Nardi et al, JNCCN, 2016). However, the magnitude of difference in cost of care for ALL patients by treatment site has not been explored. Here we examine cost of cancer care at CCC and non-CCC sites in YA with ALL.
 Methods: Using commercial insurance data (OptumLabs® Data Warehouse), we established a cohort of 309 patients with ALL diagnosed between 2001 and 2014, at age 22y to 39y. Patients were included if they had ≥30 days of continuous insurance enrollment after ALL diagnosis, were treated with chemotherapy, and were followed from diagnosis until 3y, disenrollment, or 3/31/2017, whichever came first. Patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant were not included in the current analyses. Primary outcomes included total monthly medical costs paid by: (1) health plan; (2) patient (out-of-pocket [OOP] costs). The primary predictor of interest was the classification of the facility where the patient received cancer-related treatment, as NCI-designated CCC vs. non-CCC. Multivariable models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education, comorbidity, year of diagnosis and radiation therapy. Monthly costs were modeled using generalized linear models with log link (gamma distribution); bootstrapping obtained 95% confidence intervals (CI). To accommodate censoring, each one-month cost was weighted by the inverse probability of not being censored. Adjusting for covariates, average costs were estimated by CCC status at each monthly interval. Monthly costs were summed over the 36-month study period, and adjusted at the claim-line level to reflect 2016 pricing.
 Results: Patients were diagnosed at a median age of 32y (range 22-39); 53% of the cohort was male, 46% non-Hispanic white, 42% had some college education or higher, and 70% had an annual household income of ≥$50,000. Following diagnosis, patients were enrolled in the insurance plan for a median 753 days after ALL diagnosis (34 to 4,899 days). Half of the cohort (n=153, 49.5%) was not treated at a CCC. There was no difference between CCC and non-CCC patients with respect to age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, comorbidities, year of diagnosis, or length of follow-up. A greater proportion of patients received radiation at CCC vs. non-CCC (23% vs 13% p=0.02). Costs Paid byHealth Plan: The average unadjusted mean 3y costs paid by the health plan per person (HPP) were $540,822/patient for CCC patients vs. $210,075/patient for non-CCC patients (p<0.001). The average adjusted mean 3y HPP costs were almost 3 times higher for patients treated in CCC vs. non-CCC patients ($782,438/patient vs. $288,359/patient; p<0.001). HPP costs were highest for all patients within the first 12 months (CCC: $469,190/patient; non-CCC: $200,049/patient; p<0.001 [Fig 1]), consistent with the fact that ALL treatment regimens include a more intense first 12 months followed by a longer maintenance phase that relies mostly on oral chemotherapy. OOP CostsPaid by Patient: Unadjusted average 3y mean OOP costs per patient were $9,869 in CCC patients and $5,976 in non-CCC patients (p<0.001). The average adjusted mean OOP costs per patient were 1.7 times higher in CCC as compared to non-CCC patients ($14,190 vs. $8,457; p<0.001). OOP costs were also highest in the first 12 months (CCC: $5,483/patient; non-CCC: $3,575/patient [Fig 2]).
 Conclusions: Using a commercial insurance database, we find that for patients diagnosed with ALL between the ages of 22y and 39y, the costs paid by the health plan are 3 times higher for those receiving care at an NCI-designated CCC as compared to a non-CCC site. Along the same lines, out of pocket costs are 1.7 times higher for those receiving care at an NCI-designated CCC as compared to a non-CCC site. The difference in cost is highest during the first year of therapy. We are currently examining the details of what drives the higher cost of care at CCC.
 Figure 1. Figure 1.

 Lyman: Generex Biotechnology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Other: Research support; Halozyme; G1 Therapeutics; Coherus Biosciences: Consultancy.


The concept of the associative storage in a photorefractive material offers suitable methods to design a multichannel correlator for image identification. Wavelet transform is introduced to improve recognition accuracy of the system, which provides a sharper peak and lower sidelobes than the conventional correlation. The recognition accuracy of the system is significantly affected by the choice of wavelet function and its parameters. A neural network is proposed to optimize parameters of the wavelet filters to improve recognition performance of the system. The object function for optimization is to maximize the difference of correlation outputs among different categories and minimize the variation of correlation outputs in a same category. Simulation and experimental results are given to testify the effect of optimization. Its application in human face recognition is studied. The results show that it is attractive to use neural network to refine parameters of filters.


The hot deformation behavior of 35CrMo and 20CrMnTi steels was studied with compression test,and the stress-strain curves were obtained.The effect of hot-deformation parameters on the σ-e curve is discussed and the critical condition of dynamic recrystallization(DRX) for two steels are also obtained.The relationship of deformation parameters and Z parameter for two steels and the DRX and grain size models for two steels are obtained.


The shape memory polymers and their composites are being investigated nowadays as these are replacing shape memory alloys. The reason behind is their easy fabrication, easy processing, low cost and low density, etc. In this work, the shape memory and actuation properties of different composites have been discussed. The actuation properties include free displacement and blocking force. The shape memory properties comprise of unconstrained and constrained recoveries. The actuation properties in composites being investigated do not require any type of programming. They give actuation properties owing to their asymmetry. However, unconstrained and constrained recoveries need the shape memory programming of the composite. In this work, different characteristic values obtained during the thermo-mechanical programming cycle and during the recovery cycle for different asymmetric composites have been explored and compared. In the same way, the combined effect of the actuation and shape memory properties in terms of the recovered work during one step recovery cycle has also been examined and discussed. The results obtained clearly show the dependence of shape memory as well as the actuation property on the asymmetry and to some extent on rigidity of the composite.


Improvements in sealing mechanism between the rotating and the stationary parts of a turbomachine can extensively reduce the endwall leakage flow. In this regard, abradable seals are incorporated into compressor and turbine blade-tip region. In a gas turbine, equipped with abradable seals, tip of the rotor blade is designed to cut into the material coating of the casing and to form a close fitted circumferential groove for the movement of the blade tip. As a result, the resistance to the leakage flow in the tip gap region increases due to smaller tip clearances (available without any rub-induced damages). Minimizing the tip clearance size can lead to an increase in performance and stability. This paper presents a numerical investigation of abradable coating as a means to seal the tip leakage flow in NASA Rotor 37, a transonic axial compressor rotor. In order to validate the multi block model used in the tip gap region, various flow characteristics are verified with the experimental data for smooth casing at a design clearance of 0.5% span. To have a better understanding of how an abradable seal affects the passage flow field, smooth casing and abradable coating are studied and results are compared for various models including two different incursion depth and width. Results indicate that the application of abradable coating in transonic axial compressors can efficiently improve the performance and stability.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


As a first step, we provide a precise mathematical framework for the class of control problems with delays (which we refer to as the control problem) under investigation in a Banach space setting, followed by careful definitions of the key properties to be analyzed such as solvability and complete controllability. Then, we recast the control problem in a reduced form that is especially amenable to the innovative analytical approach that we employ. We then study in depth the solvability and completeness of the (reduced) nonlinearly perturbed linear control problem with delay parameters. The main tool in our approach is the use of a Borsuk–Ulam type fixed point theorem to analyze the topological structure of a suitably reduced control problem solution, with a focus on estimating the dimension of the corresponding solution set, and proving its completeness. Next, we investigate its analytical solvability under some special, mildly restrictive, conditions imposed on the linear control and nonlinear functional perturbation. Then, we describe a novel computational projection-based discretization scheme of our own devising for obtaining accurate approximate solutions of the control problem along with useful error estimates. The scheme effectively reduces the infinite-dimensional problem to a sequence of solvable finite-dimensional matrix valued tasks. Finally, we include an application of the scheme to a special degenerate case of the problem wherein the Banach–Steinhaus theorem is brought to bear in the estimation process.


The relevance of the study is based on the importance of improving the management system for the effective development of the food industry in the Baikal region and agricultural production and the inability of the region to realize its potential in this area. The main research hypothesis of this study is that the development and implementation of a food industry cluster on the territory of the Baikal region, the stability and predictability of the external macroenvironment will have a positive effect on the food industry and will create preconditions for its future development. The purpose of the research is to study, identify, analyze and evaluate the characteristics and main aspects of the food industry in the Baikal region, on the basis of which it will be possible to identify advantageous management methods for the possibility of improving activities in this industry, allowing us to develop its potential. A SWOT analysis of the food industry in the Baikal region is presented, it is substantiated that the formation of integration and intersectoral relationships between food industry enterprises within the cluster will solve many problems.


We propose photon-statistics excitation spectroscopy as an adequate tool to describe the optical response of a nonlinear system. To this end we suggest to use optical excitation with varying photon statistics as another spectroscopic degree of freedom to gather information about the system in question. The responses of several simple model systems to excitation beams with different photon statistics are discussed. Possible spectroscopic applications in terms of identifying lasing operation are pointed out.


In May 1975 Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory issued a preliminary report on a study of Fast Reactor Safety Test Facilities. The study addressed itself to three closely related tasks. (1) A review of the current understanding of fast reactor safety with the aim of identifying important areas of uncertainty which cannot be adequately resolved using analysis, out of pile and/or existing in-pile facilities. (2) Conceptual design studies of one or more new in-pile facilities having characteristics identified in (1) above. (3) An examination of advanced data acquisition techniques for possible incorporation in the new facilities. The work reported is an extension of the earlier work in task area (2) above. Based largely on conclusions drawn from the earlier work the scope of the current effort has been narrowed to the design study of a Type A facility operating in the Class III mode, i.e., a facility capable of accommodating up to 37 test pins and capable of imposing a burst on top of a high steady state power level. (auth)


"A Community Hotel...Because of the motorization of the Western population, it has been decided to develop this as a motel-like establishment."


Research published in the form of a journal every year is always new and more and more, to get a certain information that will be needed from a study will be very difficult and time consuming. It's like looking for certain information by reading the whole abstraction one by one which is not effective. Therefore, in the hope of developing a system that is able to retrieve certain information from a document correctly and automatically, this study uses a machine learning approach, a type of classification-based Information Extraction. In this study the authors used 25 features, as well as 3 classification Algorithms SMO, Random Forest (RF), and KNN, with 5 target classes Background Information, Hypothesis, Method, Result, and Implication / Future research from abstract components that became target information. Testing is carried out in two stages, namely testing the model and testing the results of classification. The SMO test results obtained an accuracy of 93.6725%, then KNN of 99.2635% and the highest result of RF was 99.6194%. and the results of classification testing with abstract test data 0.488. Future research is expected to improve the performance of the model, and utilize abstract extraction of this journal into other implementations.


The Rockingham Whigs in opposition, 1766-1768 the movement for a united administration, 1768-1769 the petitioning and union movements during the parliamentary recess of 1769 the union movement in the parliamentary session of 1770 the growth of disunity in opposition, May 1770 to February 1771 the elimination of the union movement in the spring and summer of 1771 the influence of the Crown and religion, 1771-1772 the Rockinghams and the influence of the Crown, 1772-1773 conclusion - the Rockingham Whigs in 1773. Appendix: the Rockinghams in both Houses of Parliament, 1768-1773.


The rise of anti-immigrant acts and violence that happened at the peak of the 2015 European refugee crisis became the background of this research. The emerging problem is how's the role of anti-immigrant behaviors in creating the threat perceptions to human security for refugees in Germany by 2015 ? The purpose of this research was to provide the overview of refugee crisis, describing the anti-immigrant behaviors addressed to refugees, and explaining the relations between anti-immigrant behaviors in shaping the threat perceptions to human security for refugees. The efforts to answer the problem and research's objectives conducted by using simbolic interactionism theory, securitization and human security concept. The objects of this research was refugees and asylum seekers residing in Germany during the peak of the refugee crisis in 2015. The results show that anti-immigrant behaviors evolves with the rising amount of refugees whom have entered Germany. Those behaviors had a role in shaping refugees' threat perceptions through interaction and understanding of behaviors which later influencing the human security indicators for refugees.


This study concerns the determination of the technical efficiency of irrigation associations (IAs) located in the Gediz Basin in Turkey. For this purpose, 10 IAs operating in the Gediz Basin were evaluated with the use of input oriented DEA model which considers two inputs: water volume supplied (m 3 ) and total irrigated area (m 2 ), and one output: the total value of agricultural production (TL). The assurance region approach was used in DEA not only to include the decision makers' preferences into the analysis, but also to limit the inappropriate input/output weights that may affect the efficiency scores. The IAs were evaluated during the period 2009-2011 to conclude the variation of efficiency over the study years. The results showed that, during the study period there was an increment in the number of efficient irrigation districts from 3 to 6. However, Gediz, Mesir and Salihli Right Bank IAs were not able to increase their low efficiency scores. The possible reasons of inefficiency are investigated, and the target volume of irrigation water and irrigated area ensuring the same agricultural production were determined. It is concluded that in inefficient IAs the same agricultural production revenue can be achieved with approximately 60% less water and irrigated area.


A LED light control system based on user's location using battery-less human detection sensor networks is designed and implemented in an indoor office environment to satisfy user's luminance requirement and reduce office's lighting energy consumption. In order to achieve high energy stability, easy maintenance and flexible deployment, all sensors are battery-less and activated by wireless energy transmitters embedded in LED ceiling lights, so that sensors can be located freely in the room. The system employs low energy-cost binary infrared human detection sensors, which however has large false detection errors. Therefore we deploy a distributed set of sensors, and user's motion is detected, tracked and predicted by a maximum likelihood algorithm only using sensing data from the multiple sensors. LED lights' switch states are controlled based on the likelihood map and required luminance. Experiment results confirm that our light control system can reduce the energy consumption significantly and satisfy user's luminance requirement with 100% probability.


In its attempt to realize the intervention program to saving newborn babies with asphyxia, the Ministry of Health will initiate to train midwives in the village in order to that they know how to operate resuscitation equipment to save neonatal baby with asphyxia. The intervention program his dubbed successful if the mortality proportion due if asphyxia decreased to half as targeted. The survey was conducted in the rural area of Cirebon district. The sample was 200 neonatal death babies, calculated using the hypothesis test with different proportion; p1 0.3 (30% neonatal death cause of asphyxia, according household health survey 2001), p2 0.15, α 0.05, β 0.2, (l-β) 0.8. Neonatal dead cases happened within 12 months prior to the survey were identified by rural midwives out of their personal records. The death cases were followed up by interviewing the mother of the neonatal baby concerning its birth, illness or disorder histories before death. The diagnosis of the diseases were based on the International Classification of Diseases 10 and Wigglesworth classification, determined in union by NIHRD researchers and neonatologists. The neonatal mortality rate was 13 out of 1,000 live births. The major cause of early neonatal mortality was respiration disorder mainly caused by birth asphyxia (45%), of which 90 percent could be intervened by doing resuscitation (for babies weighed more than 1.000 gram). The second and third order of the mortality causes was infection (22%) and congenital disorders (11%) respectively. The major cause of late neonatal mortality was infection (56%), followed by low birth weight and prematurely born, as well as neonatal jaundice (14 percent each), and congenital disorder comes in the third place. The option to handle asphyxia with the early neonatal babies is the right effort to decrease the neonatal mortality rate. And to achieve the utmost result, it is necessary that the rural midwives maintain their standard performance (in terms of quantity and quality) in their basic midwifery services, i.e. providing pregnancy health care and detecting as early as possible maternal diseases/complication. Besides, there must be continuous monitoring and adequate guidance from the counselor team from referral hospital.


Aim To review some of the applications in ecology and conservation biogeography of datasets derived from atlas projects. We discuss data applications and data quality issues and suggest ways in which atlas data could be improved. Location Southern Africa and worldwide. Methods Atlas projects are broadly defined as collections or syntheses of original, spatially explicit data on species occurrences. We review uses of atlas datasets and discuss data quality issues using examples from atlas projects in southern Africa and worldwide. Results Atlas projects must cope with tradeoffs between data quality and quantity, standardization of sampling methods, quantification of sampling effort, and mismatches in skills and expectations between data collectors and data users. The most useful atlases have a good measure of sampling effort; include data collected at a fine enough resolution to link to habitat variables of potential interest; have a sufficiently large sample size to work with in a multivariate context; and offer clear, quantitative indications of the quality of each record to allow for the needs of users who have specific demands for high-quality data.


Breast cancers are often evaluated by their expression of estrogen, progesterone and HER2/Neu receptors. Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC), which do not have upregulation of any of these receptors, lack directed therapies and therefore, are associated with a worse prognosis. The lack of directed therapies for TNBC and high incidence of relapse and drug resistance found in all breast cancers underscores the need for identification of additional therapeutic targets. The analysis of gene expression data revealed that PIM1 and PIM2 kinases are upregulated in triple negative breast cancer. PIM kinases are a family of serine/threonine kinases that activate cell division, promote cell growth, and inhibit apoptosis. Due to PIM1/2's effect on these cellular processes and PIM1/2 being upregulated in TNBC, we hypothesized that PIM1/2 play an important role in progression of triple negative breast cancer. Knockdown of PIM1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TNBC cells, including MDA-231, BT-20, HCC-1806, and MDA-468 cells. To study the in vivo roles of PIM1/2 in breast cancer progression and metastasis, we crossed the highly metastatic MMTV-PyMT breast cancer mouse model with PIM1/2 knockout mice. Deletion of PIM1 or PIM2 alone significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced lung metastasis in these mice. Dual deletion of PIM1 and PIM2 significantly reduced tumor growth and almost completely blocked lung metastasis in these mice. A major advantage of the MMTV-PyMT model over xenograft models is that the immune system is intact in these mice, and that enabled us to perform immune cell profiling on the tumors. Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) have been shown to promote tumor metastasis and are a poor prognostic marker for TNBC. Deletion of PIM1 alone and combined PIM1 and PIM2 deletion resulted in a significant reduction in the number of TAMs, indicating PIM1/2 play a significant role in regulating the immune milieu of these tumors. To understand the underlying mechanism by which PIM1 and PIM2 contribute to these processes, we performed biochemical analysis. Western blot analysis of PIM1 knockdown in MDA-231 cells showed a decrease in phosphorylation of CXCR4, S6 ribosomal protein, and 4EBP1 and increased expression of cell cycle regulator p27. Additionally, we performed RNA-seq analysis to identify which pathways were affected by PIM1/2 deletion in MMTV-PyMT tumors. GSEA analysis showed a significant enrichment of genes related to inflammatory response, extracellular matrix, EMT and metastasis in PyMT tumors and those were significantly reduced in PIM1/2 double knockout tumors. These results suggest that PIM1 and PIM2 play a significant role in the progression and metastasis of triple negative breast cancer and indicate that PIM1/2 inhibition could be a useful therapeutic approach for TNBC.
 Citation Format: Patrick Faughnan, Golam Mohi, Chandrajeet Singh. The roles of PIM1 and PIM2 kinases in the progression and metastasis of triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 149.


1. van der Stelt CA, Vermeulen Windsant‐van den Tweel AM, Egberts AC, van den Bemt PM, Leendertse AJ, Hermens WA, et al. The association between potentially inappropriate prescribing and medication‐related hospital admissions in older patients: A nested case control study. Drug Saf 2016;39:79‐87. 2. Hamilton HJ, Gallagher PF, O'Mahony D. Inappropriate prescribing and adverse drug events in older people. BMC Geriatr 2009;9:5. 3. Rothberg MB, Pekow PS, Liu F, Korc‐Grodzicki B, Brennan MJ, Bellantonio S, et al. Potentially inappropriate medication use in hospitalized elders. J Hosp Med 2008;3:91‐102. 4. Onder G, Landi F, Liperoti R, Fialova D, Gambassi G, Bernabei R. Impact of inappropriate drug use among hospitalized older adults. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2005;61:453‐9. 5. Moss JM, Bryan WE 3rd, Wilkerson LM, Jackson GL, Owenby RK, Van Houtven C, et al. Impact of clinical pharmacy specialists on the design and implementation of a quality improvement initiative to decrease inappropriate medications in a veterans affairs emergency department. J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2016;22:74‐80.


In recent years, Total Quality Management has swept across the country. Many companies and the Government have started looking at every aspect on how business is done and how money is spent. The idea or goal is to provide a service that is better, faster and cheaper. The first step in this process is to document or measure the process or operation as it stands now. For Lewis Research Center, this report is the first step in the analysis of heating plant operations. This report establishes the original benchmark that can be referred to in the future. The report also provides a comparison to other organization's heating plants to help in the brainstorming of new ideas. The next step is to propose and implement changes that would meet the goals as mentioned above. After the changes have been implemented the measuring process starts over again. This provides for a continuous improvement process.


Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is currently used for treating Clostridium difficile infection and explored for other clinical applications in experimental trials. However, the effectiveness of this therapy could vary, and partly depend on the donor's bacterial species engraftment, whose evaluation is challenging because there are no cost-effective strategies for accurately tracking the microbe transference. In this regard, the precise identification of bacterial species inhabiting the human gut is essential to define their role in human health unambiguously. We used Nanopore-based device to sequence bacterial rrn operons (16S-ITS-23S) and to reveal species-level abundance changes in the human gut microbiota of a FMT trial. By assessing the donor and recipient microbiota before and after FMT, we further evaluated whether this molecular approach reveals strain-level genetic variation to demonstrate microbe transfer and engraftment. Strict control over sequencing data quality and major microbiota covariates was critical for accurately estimating the changes in gut microbial species abundance in the recipients after FMT. We detected strain-level variation via single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) at rrn regions in a species-specific manner. We showed that it was possible to explore successfully the donor-bacterial strain (e.g., Parabacteroides merdae) engraftment in recipients of the FMT by assessing the nucleotide frequencies at rrn-associated SNVs. Our findings indicate that the engraftment of donors' microbiota is to some extent correlated with the improvement of metabolic health in recipients and that parameters such as the baseline gut microbiota configuration, sex, and age of donors should be considered to ensure the success of FMT in humans. Trial registration The study was prospectively registered at the Dutch Trial registry - NTR4488 (https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/4488).


This contribution elaborates the design considerations of a simplified version of a four-product multiple dividing wall column in pilot plant scale that will be built at Ulm University. This will be the first realization of a multiple dividing wall column worldwide. A detailed simulation approach, starting from the initialization by Vmin-method, is presented to obtain a feasible design of the column, taking into account the constraints of the operation within a university environment. The operating point was found by simulation studies, using the integrated optimization tool of AspenPlus© V10. It is shown that an NQ-curve can be applied on simplified multiple dividing wall columns. Based on the determined operating point, the thermodynamic and the fluid dynamic design of the pilot plant are discussed in detail. It is shown that the designed column can be operated to obtain all products with a purity of at least 98 mol%.


Multi-view feature learning has garnered much attention recently since many real world data are comprised of different representations or views. How to explore the consensus structure and eliminate the inconsistency noise in different views remains a challenging problem in multi-view feature learning. In this paper, we propose a multi-way deep autoencoder for multi-view feature learning to explore the deep consensus structure and reconcile the efficiency of encoding process meanwhile. Through a multi-way encoding process, we embed the original data feature views to nonnegative representations of multiple levels which are structured hierarchically. Along the structure of embedded representations, we recover the diversity and important information layer by layer in the decoding process. The experiments on two image datasets show the superior performance of our method.


Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the association of serum calcium, including serum total calcium and albumin-corrected calcium, with incident diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study in 6096 participants aged 20 or above and free of diabetes at baseline. Serum calcium was measured at baseline. Incident diabetes was determined from several electronic databases. We also searched relevant databases for studies on serum calcium and incident diabetes and conducted a meta-analysis using fixedeffect modelling. 3 Results During 59130.9 person-years of follow-up, 631 participants developed diabetes. Serum total calcium and albumin-corrected calcium were associated with incident diabetes in the unadjusted model. After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, the association remained significant only for serum total calcium (HR 1.32, 95%CI 1.02-1.70, highest vs. lowest quartile). In a meta-analysis of four studies including the current study, both serum total calcium (pooled RR 1.38; 95%CI 1.15-1.65; I=5%, comparing extreme quantiles) and albumin-corrected calcium (pooled RR 1.29; 95%CI 1.03-1.61; I=0%, comparing extreme quantiles) were associated with incident diabetes. Penalized regression splines showed that the association of incident diabetes with serum total calcium and albumin-correlated calcium was non-linear and linear, respectively. Conclusions Elevated serum calcium concentration is associated with incident diabetes. The mechanism underlying this association warrants further investigation.


A frequently quoted editorial by Brown and Goldstein (1) speaks to the importance of myocardial infarction trends as indicators of progress in the battle against heart disease. Indeed, the increase in life expectancy in developed societies compounds the burden of coronary disease in the later stages of life, which has a major impact on the health of the US population. Population-based trends in disease rates are the final measures of the effect of interventions aimed at reducing the burden of disease. This underscores the importance of careful monitoring of coronary heart disease trends for public health, policy-making, and health economics. Myocardial infarctions are an essential component of the burden of coronary disease. While they do not represent all manifestations of the disease, the existence of established criteria amenable to standardization have made myocardial infarction one of the indicators of choice for tracking coronary disease over time.


This bachelor thesis concerns syntactic phenomena with respect to their occurrence in spoken and written language. At first, the thesis covers characterization of syntax and general description of differences between written and spoken language. The following part is concentrated on particular kinds of syntactic structures and explains their usage within spoken and written form of language.


Short-range order multiple scattering approach to study XANES spectra is considered here based on the first principle many-body X-ray absorption intensity formula beyond sudden (intrinsic) approximation. The interference effects between intrinsic and extrinsic loss of a photoelectron is explicitly taken into account and discussed in detail. One important conclusion is the suppression of the jump structure for an intrinsic loss threshold because of the subtle cancellation of these two effects. An efficient new method to treat full multiple scattering processes is developed which is based on partitioning technique. This theory allows us to treat infinite and finite multiple scattering on the same footings: We can exclude unimportant full multiple scatterings but include important full multiple scatterings.


【Aim】Calliptamus italicus is a serious plague in arid and semi-arid grasslands of Xinjiang.Previous studies claimed that its outbreak is closely related to climate warming in Xinjiang since 1980s.This research aimed to explore the effect of temperature increasing on the respiratory metabolism of C.italicus.【Methods】We detected the respiratory rate,metabolic rate,CO2release rate,Q10( rangeability of the respiratory rate per 10℃ rising) and the respiratory quotient of C. italicus adults by using Sable Systems at different temperatures( 15,20,25,30 and 35℃). 【Results】The respiratory rate,metabolic rate and CO2release rate of the locust all increased as the temperature went up,with the values at 15℃significantly lower than at the other temperatures( P 0. 01),but significantly higher at 35℃( P 0. 01),suggesting that both the conditions below 15℃ and over 35℃ have significant impacts on C.italicus. However,the respiratory rate,metabolic rate and CO2release rate measured between 20℃ and30℃ were not significantly different( P 0. 01),revealing that this temperature range is suitable for C.italicus development. The values of respiratory rate( Q10) at different temperatures showed that C.italicus is sensitive to temperature change. The Q10value reached the maximum( 2. 42) when the temperature ranged from 25℃ to 35℃,and the minimum( 1. 03) from 20℃ to 30℃,suggesting that the temperature ranging from 20℃ to 30℃ is the optimal condition for C. italicus development. With an average of 0. 9450,the respiratory quotient has no significant difference among different temperature treatments( P 0. 01),suggesting that carbohydrates are consumed during respiration. 【Conclusion】Temperature between 20℃ and 30℃ is suitable for growth and development of C. italicus,and thecontinuing warming would still make C. italicus as one of the important pests in Xinjiang grasslands.