Let R be a Riemann surface with null-boundary and let [R} be its exhaustion with compact relative boundary. We proved the following Theorem 1.1) Let R' be a subsurface of R with compact relative boundary. Let f(z) be a bounded analytic function on R'. Then f(z) has a limit as z tends to an ideal boundary component of R'. We extend this theorem to more general class of Riemann surfaces. Let R be a Riemann surface with positive boundary and let R be a subsurface of R with compact relative boundary F. We introduce two classes of Riemann surfaces. There exists no non-constant one valued bounded (Dirichlet bounded) harmonic function U(z) on R' such that U(z)=0 on F, the period of the conjugate function of U(z) vanishes along every dividing cut of R. We say R 0 and 0 respectively. Oz and 0 are the extension of the classes of 0 and 0. of the Riemann surface of finite genus. We see easily that the property e O:B (e OD) is the one depending only on the ideal boundary. Theorem 2. Suppose a bounded (Dirichlet bounded) analytic function on R' e OAB(OD). Then f(z) has a limit as z tends to a boundary component of R'. To prove Theorem 2 we make some preparations. Let R be a Riemann surface with positive boundary and let [R} (n-0, 1, 2,...) be its exhaustion with compact relative boundary [R}. Let N(z,p):peR be a positive harmonic function in R--Ro such that N(z, p)=0 on Ro, N(z, p) has a logarithmic singularity at p and N(z, p) has the minimal .-Dirichlet integral. Let [p} be a sequence tending to the ideal boundary of R such that IN(z, p)} converges uniformly in every compact domain of R. We say that [p} is a fundamental sequence determining an ideal boundary point and we make limN(z,p) correspond to this ideal boundary point. Denote


Lawyers often refer to criminal litigation as a war between competing adversaries. Yet, one of the central tenets of the law of war – the doctrine of command responsibility – has not been applied to criminal litigation. Under the doctrine of command responsibility, military commanders are held responsible for the misconduct of their subordinates that they knew or should have known would occur. The purpose of the command responsibility doctrine is to ensure that supervisors develop an atmosphere of compliance by training subordinates to avoid misconduct. This article applies the doctrine of command responsibility to civilian prosecutors holding supervisory positions. We argue that instances of prosecutorial misconduct can be reduced by imputing liability to supervising prosecutors who fail to create a culture of ethical compliance and therefore should have known that misconduct could occur.


Host defense mechanisms to tumors induced by retroviruses have been investigated in various animals, and the significance of cell-mediated immunity totumors in host defense mechanisms has attracted considerable interest in bothmurine and avian retrovirus systems (l).The avian retrovirus system in japanese quails offers unique opportunities forstudies on host responses to virus-inducedtumors since the tumors tend to regressspontaneously at high frequencies developing solid immunity after regression. Thetumor immunity mechanisms involved in this experimental system have beenstudied in detail by the microcytotoxicity technique (8). Thus, the involvementof a variety of effector mechanisms such as cytotoxic T cells, antibody dependentcell-mediated cytotoxicity, suppressor cells and humoral blocking factors wasindicated (9, 10). Because of technical difficulties in quantitative analysis oflymphocyte functions by the microcytotoxicity technique, we recently developed micromethods for blastogenic responses of quail spleen cells to mitogens to examine thefunction oflymphocytes involved in tumor immunity (13).Using this technique, we examined in the present study the effects of avianretrovirus infection on the host immune systems in terms of blastogenic responsesof spleen cells to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS).The Schmidt-Ruppinstrain of Rous sarcoma virus belonging to subgroup A,SR-RSV-A,which did not contain helper viruses, was supplied by Dr. K. Toyoshima of our institute, and propagated in quail embryo fibroblast (QEF) cellsusing a growth medium consisting of Eagle's minimum essential medium supplemented with 5% calf serum and 10% tryptose phosphate broth at 37 C in a C02incubator. The infectivity titer of the virus was 1.2


This is the final report on a project to design, develop and test an information transfer system to support energy-environment policy making and implementation decisions in Region VIII by Federal, State and local officials, and to serve the information needs on energy-environment issues of state agencies, legislatures, 208 planning agencies, Indian reservations, energy-impacted communities and other user groups. This volume contains the appendices, with the following titles: User group names and respondent titles; User and user need data, by user group; Environmental data base specifications; Flow charts depicting inputs, procedures and outputs of functions; EEITS resource input worksheet; Recommended systems and groups with which the EEITS should interface; and EEITS controlled vocabulary and index.


With the help of a selected collection of molecular genetic markers for resistance to brown, stem and yellow rust genes: Lr1, Lr9, Lr10, Lr19/Sr25, Lr24/Sr24, Lr26/Sr31/Yr9, Lr34/Yr18/Pm38, Lr35/Sr39, Lr37/Sr38/Yr17, Sr2/Yr30, Sr22, Sr26, Sr1RSAmigo, Sr36, Sr45, Yr10, Yr26, a search was made for resistance donors among 23 varieties of spring soft wheat introduced into the State Register of the Republic of Belarus in 2016 and 46 varieties and lines from the collection nursery "Research and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus for Arable Farming". As a result, resistance genes were identified in spring wheat varieties: Lr1, Lr10, Lr19/Sr25, Lr24/Sr24, Lr26/Sr31/Yr9/Pm8, Lr34/Yr18/Pm38/Sr57, Lr37/ Sr38/Yr17, Sr1RSAmigo and Yr10. Selected varieties of spring wheat with complex resistance to rusty diseases are identified.


One of the most important functions of banks is the transformation of maturities, i.e. the ability to obtain funding from short term deposits so as to finance loans over a longer term. As a result of such behaviour, banks are exposed to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk occurs when a bank is unable to cover its financial obligation when it is due without bearing any costs. Hence, liquidity risk management can be defined as a regular process to guarantee that the expected and unexpected cash needs can be met at reasonable costs. While, on the liability side, liquidity risk arises when depositors withdraw their money at once or in large amounts, on the asset side, banks are vulnerable to liquidity risk if the demand in loans increases. Hence, this research provides an overview of the authentic principles of the Shari'ah and the main guidelines of Islamic finance with relation to liquidity risk. In addition, attention is focused on the undertaking of specific techniques and policies as well as the initiation special types of supervision to provide high-quality services so as to satisfy the spiritual and objectives of Islamic finance and subsequently to develop a better understanding of liquidity risk management.


This article considers whether different types of Clinical Legal Education (CLE) programs have the same potential to provide a transformative learning experience for students. The author uses Mezirow's theory to postulate that, although addressing a societal need, 'missing middle' Clinical Legal Education programs – those that assist middle-income Australians – may not provide the necessary environment, including an environment ripe for 'disorienting dilemmas', for transformative learning. After a comparison of missing middle clinics in Australia and poverty law clinics in the United States of America (US), the author suggests that disorienting dilemmas may only be offered by Clinical Legal Education programs aimed at assisting society's most vulnerable people.


The statistical data of 23 West German dermatological clinics were analyzed in an attempt to specify normative values for ejaculates for fertility in humans. Data encompassed ejaculate volume pH values motility (quantitative in percents) sperm concentration the proportion of normally formed sperm and the initial fructose. "Normal values" for these criteria were set up through comparison of collective factors for fertile men and for infertile men. On the basis of these "norms" 2 similar groups of men were then compared: those who appeared to fit these "norms" and a group of men in whom 1 of these factors deviated from the norm. Fatherhood achieved to this point was used as a criterion of accuracy. Statistical comparison showed no significant differences between the "fertile group" and "infertile group" or any basis for related "norm deviations" for the criteria of fatherhood. Such "normal values" for ejaculates are judged to be of minimal accuracy and worth as a criteria for determining fertility.


Groundwater is a natural resource for drinking water. Like other natural resources, it should be assessed regularly and people should be made aware of the quality of drinking water. The present study is aimed at assessing the water quality index (WQI) for the groundwater of Abu-Jarboaa and Al-Darrawesh villages, Basiqa district. This has been determined by collecting 30 ground water samples during summer season and subjecting the samples to a comprehensive physicochemical analysis. For calculating the WQI, the following eleven parameters have been considered: pH, EC25, total alkalinity, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, phosphate. The WQI for these samplesunfit for drinking and domestic uses and ranges from 162 to 172. The high value of WQI has been found to be mainly from the higher values ofdissolved ions in ground water. The results revealed that the groundwater of the area needs some degree of treatment


As the large-scale integration of photovoltaic (PV) power station, a higher requirement is put forward by power grid analysis on the accuracy of PV station model. For the model of photovoltaic system is complex, and it requires solving large-scale model equation, which is not conductive for simulation and big data analysis when a large-scale PV power station connected to grid. This paper focuses on the same type of photovoltaic power generation, assuming that the photovoltaic power plant is composed of multiple photovoltaic power generation units connected by the collector line, the photovoltaic power plant can be modeled to consider the operation of similar power generation unit grouped together, so that reduce the simulation scale. This paper points out that the dynamic clustering equivalence strategy can be classified into two cases. During the fault and fault-over, the transient condition is required to be grouped when the active power ramp recovery control module is operating, and the another single-unit equivalent model can be performed when the module is ignoring or not running into a non-fault condition, which is the second condition. Simulation results show that the proposed method has good adaptability for irradiance disturbance, different fault time.


Effects of the horizontal static magnetic field(HSMF) up to 1 Tesla on the Fe morphology,on XRD results and on microhardness of Cu-12%Fe alloys during the solidification process have been investigated experimentally.The results show that the Fe dendrites become fined evidently after solidified with a HSMF,which is caused by the competition between the Lorentz force and the thermoelectromagnetic convection induced by the imposed HSMF.The analysis of the XRD results indicates that the(111) plane and(200) plane of Cu matrix are intensified with a HSMF.The measurements of the microhardness show that the microhardness of the sample with a HSMF is increased owing to microstructure.


Ask any parent how early they could discern the temperament of their child, or when they noticed differences in temperament among their children, and the answer is likely to be: "almost immediately." Anecdotally, personality traits are present from the first days of life and remain relatively stable throughout its course, suggesting a strong biological basis for these predispositions. Behavioral geneticists have quantified the heritability of personality traits, and molecular studies have eagerly sought to discover their associated genes. Curiously, the anticipated bonanza of gene discoveries has not materialized: heritability has gone missing. This chapter discusses the view on missing heritability and argues that current approaches have fallen short of expectations. Four ways in which missing heritability may be hiding in plain sight are presented. The chapter concludes by highlighting future directions for research that will hopefully find what has been missing thus far from our understanding of genes, brains, and behavioral traits.


Abstract. Botrychiopsis is an important biostratigraphic index taxon for Carboniferous–early Permian plant fossil successions of Gondwana. Its species have wide geographic distributions, restricted chronostratigraphic ranges, and are associated with diverse groups of plant associations. They have been described from sedimentary sequences of Australia, India, South Africa, Brazil, and Argentina. A whole-frond reconstruction of Botrychiopsis plantiana is presented based on a study of very well preserved specimens from the Gangamopteris flora (Ghzelian–Asselian) of the Bajo de Véliz Formation (Paganzo Basin, Argentina). The material consists of impressions of complete fronds and basal fragments, which are rarely represented in the Gondwanan upper Paleozoic fossil record.


At the present stage of civilization, the socio-economic development can not be stopped. The main issue is how the process will run and if we are able to  control it in order to introduce their preferred development path. An efficient and effective transport system is one of the factors shaping socio-economic development. As the demand for transport continues to grow, the response to these phenomena can not be simply building new infrastructure and opening markets. The transport system requires optimization to meet the requirements arising from the concept of sustainable development. The main aim of this article is to present a theoretical model of sustainable transport and to show the possibilities and directions how to introduce the transport sector on a sustainable path of development. Efficient transport is understood as that which meets the demand for services and at the same time minimizes used resources. Rationality and balance can be achieved by effective instruments lowering transport intensity of the economy, as well as stimulating technological and organizational changes in the transport which lead to reducing the resources intensity and environmental harmful.


ADSL is one of the modulation techniques. Using the wideband capacity in copper twisted pair cable, high speed data can be transmitted on the subscriber line. The technology and application of ADSL are discussed in this paper.


A new system has been designed for measuring circular dichroism with resolution Delta A approximately 10-5, at approximately 2 ms time constant, and used for stopped-flow circular dichroism spectroscopy. Expressions are derived for signal-to-noise ratio and circular dichroism resolution including contributions from signal current and detector dark current shot noise, and thermal and amplifier noise. An experimental system has been constructed using a mercury arc, piezo-optical birefringence modulator (50 kHz) and silicon photodiode detector. Transient CD signals have been monitored for rapid reactions conducted in a stopped-flow mixing device with dead time less than 1 ms. Phase sensitive detection and analogue division are used for CD signal recovery. The resolution achieved is close to the theoretical prediction. Applications are indicated for the study of ligand-induced conformational changes in biological systems.


【Objective】To observe the fluctuation and excursion of blood glucose in patients with secondary sulfonylureas failure.【Methods】The fluctuations of glucose levels in 40 secondary sulfonylureas failure.Patients were measured by Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) for 72 hours.【Results】The glycemic excursions revealed that the daily glycemic levels were lower at 3AM,the climax of daily glycemic level tended appear at 2 hours after breakfast.The glycemic profiles showed that the proportion of time for hyperglycemia above 7.8 and 11.1 mmol/L accounted for (95.5±3.1)% and (78.6±8.6)%,respectively.The magnitude of glycemic excursions were (10.57± 2.39) mmol/L for 24 hours.The CGMS values in this study was significantly correlated with HbA1C (r =0.86,P 0.01).【Conclusion】The glycemic excursions of secondary sulfonylureas failure patients can be measured by CGMS in detail and may have beneficial effects in intensive glycemic treatment.


The utility model relates to an isolation guardrail with automatic elevating function. two longitudinal rods (1) are connected at the middle segment of a base (3) by pivots (5); the distance between the longitudinal rods (1) is equal to the height of the longitudinal rod (1); two cross bars (2) are connected respectively with both of the longitudinal rods (1) on both sides; a hydraulic cylinder (4) is disposed between each longitudinal rod (1) and the base (3), thereby controlling the telescoping of the hydraulic cylinders (4) can realize to move the isolation guardrail up and down automatically. when the guardrail is erected, it can be used gas isolation guardrail; when the guardrail is folded down, the upper surface o the equipment is in the same plane with a road, and the equipment has a certain rolling endurability, thereby will not cause obstruction to running vehicles. Compared with other isolation equipments applied on tide variable roads, the isolation guardrail of the utility model can be applied on all tide variable roads, can realize automatic control, thereby can provides better guides to the running vehicles, and provides a better choice for managing and popularizing tide variable road system.


Increasing the amount of organs available for transplantation in America's voluntary system of organ donation was one
 of Koop's major initiatives as U.S. Surgeon General.


The effect of jugular infusions of glucose and amino acids on activation of p70S6K was studied in the bovine mammary gland. Cows were starved for 22 h to quench milk protein synthesis before resupplying EEA+Glc, Glc, Met+Lys, His, Leu or saline. Results implicate glucose as a regulator of global, rather than ribosomal, protein synthesis. EAA appear to play a far greater role in p70S6K regulation than glucose. His and Leu appear to act as metabolic agents in the mammary epithelial cell; Leu through elevating RNA levels thereby contributing to the long-term protein synthesis capacity, and His through stimulating protein translation.


Exereise iTnproves musele insulin sensitivity and GLUT4 eontents. We investigated the beneficial etTects of swimming training on insulin sensitivity and genetic hypertension using stroke-prone hypertensive rats CSHRSP). We studied the relationship between genetic hypertension and insulin resistance in SHRSP and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) as a control, The systolie blood pressure of SHRSP was significantly reduced by 4-week swimming training (208.4 ± 6.8 mmHg vs. 187.2 ± 4.1 mmHg, p<0,05). The swimmi-g training also resulted in an approximaLely 20% increase in the insulinstimulated glucose transport activity (p<O.05) of soleus muscle strips and an appToximately 3-fold increase in the plasma membrane GLUT4 prot,ein expression (p<O.Ol) in SHRSP. However, basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity and GLUrl"4 contents were not, significantly different between IAt'KY and SHRSP. There was no difference in insulin resistanee in ske}etal musele of SHRSP as compared with WKY. Our results indicated swimming training exercise improved not only h.vpertension but also muscle insulin sensitivity and GLUT4 protein expression in SHRSP. (Appl H'w,nan Sci, 17 (6): 275-e80, 1998)


The invention relates to the correction of color values for color calibration. A sensor measures a Kalibriermusterausgabe a device according to color values for the section. Then one or more corrective actions for the color values are executed. A first action corrects a color Mesverfalschung a portion of a portion, which results from an erroneous measurement of the sensor section of colors that are adjacent to the desired portion of color. A second action corrects a non-parallel movement of the sensor during the measurement of the section. A third corrective action corrected ambient light, which has been detected by the sensor during the measurement of the portion without the sensor is necessarily filtered. Finally, a measure corrects a slow drift Mesverfalschung of the section by means of scaling and offsetting the color values.


Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third deadliest cancer among Americans. Native Hawaiians (NH) as a unique ethnic group in the US, exhibit many disproportionate health issues. In particular, they suffer from both elevated CRC incidence and mortality rates. This study aimed to investigate if genetic differences could contribute to disparities observed between NH and White CRC patients by defining the association between unique NH-genetic differences and CRC outcomes.
 Methods Paired tumor and adjacent normal biospecimens of NH CRC patients were collected from the Hawaii Tumor Registry (HTR), and gene expression and mutation were examined by RNA sequencing. Genomic data of CRC Whites was extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database as a comparative cohort. Differential expressed genes (DEGs) were identified for both NH and TCGA cohorts via DESeq2 with FDR q-value < 0.05 and a cutoff of 2-fold change. MutTecT2 and GATK were used to identify significant somatic mutations. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) logistic regression with 10-fold cross validation was performed to predict genetic risk factors for early detection, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was processed for canonical pathways and network discovery. Univariate Cox proportional regression was performed to identify DEGs related to patient survival; multivariable Cox regression model with stepwise fitting generated a prognostic index (PI), and the prediction value was examined by the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC). A nomogram was developed by integrating PI and clinicopathologic factors; calibration curves were provided to internally validate the performance, and discriminative ability was appraised by concordance index.
 Results In total, 2096 DEGs were identified between NH tumor and normal groups, 1740 transcripts and 78 carrying mutations were unique to NH compared to the TCGA Whites cohort. A set of 23 genes including 10 NH specific DEGs were identified as genetic risk factors for detecting NH with CRC, and the AUC was 99.8%. A 9 gene-signature prognostic model including 5 NH specific DEGs was built with high survival prediction capability (AUC=0.99), and Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the low PI group had a better survival than the high PI group in NH with CRC (Logrank P=3.6E-05). After adjustment by age, gender, and tumor grade, the prognostic 9 gene-signature was still significant (P=0.0059). By integrating the above signatures with prognostic clinicopathologic features, a nomogram was constructed to stratified patients with overall survival rates for 3, 10, and 20 years.
 Conclusion This study demonstrated that CRC tumors from NH patients differ from White patients in their gene expression patterns and mutations, particularly those associated with clinical outcomes, which reinforced the necessity of NH race-specific biomedical research.
 Citation Format: Yuanyuan Fu, Devin Takahashi, Vedbar Khadka, Masaki Nasu, Mayumi Jijiwa, Heather Borgard, Peiwen Fei, Youping Deng. Analysis of RNA sequencing data to advance our understanding of colorectal cancer health disparity in Native Hawaiians [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 5865.


Administrative groups (commonly referred to as "colors" or "link
colors") are link attributes that are advertised by link state
protocols like IS-IS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System) and
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and used for traffic engineering.
These administrative groups have initially been defined as a fixed-
length 32-bit bitmask. As networks grew and more use-cases were
introduced, the 32-bit length was found to be constraining and hence
extended administrative groups were introduced in the link state
protocols. The 32-bit administrative groups are already advertised as
link attributes in BGP-LS (Border Gateway Protocol Link-State). This
document defines extensions to BGP-LS for advertisement of the
extended administrative groups.


Modified PET (use of 3.86% glucose dialysate instead of 2.27%) and temporal drainage at one hour allows a more complete study of peritoneal membrane transport, as it provides information about sodium sieving, free water transport (FWT) and ultrafiltration failure (UFF). Longitudinal data using this PET are sporadic. Aims of our study were a) longitudinal follow-up of the membrane function using modified PET b) evaluation of UFF and association with clinical and membrane characteristics.

 We analyzed all modified PET tests performed in our unit during the last 9 years. Patients who underwent the first test during the first year of treatment and then once a year were included. We estimated classic peritoneal transport parameters like D/P creatinine, D/D0 glucose and ultrafiltration (UF) at 4 hours. Moreover we calculated sodium seiving expressed as Dip/DPNa= (Dialysate sodium time 0/plasma sodium)-(Dialysate sodium time 1 hour/plasma sodium)], sodium removal (in one hour) and FWT. We collected clinical and lab data of the patients too.

 A total of 219 PETs were performed in 85 PD patients, (median age 64 years (range 18-45). The baseline membrane characteristics of the patients were: DP creatinine=0.74±0.11, D/D0glucose=0.28±0.08, DipDPNa=0.05±0.04, sodium removal=29,804 ±26,894 (mmol/L), FWT=214.9±194.7 ml and UF =655.1±265.5 ml. On multivariate regression analysis D/P creatinine, FWT and sodium removal were significant independent covariates accounting for 50% of the variability of ultrafiltration . The patients were followed-up for a median of 36 months (range 2.4-143).For the repeated measurements, the analysis showed that the observed values of D/Pcre,D/D0, Dip/DPNa, FWT and UF remained rather stable across the different time measurements. During the study, 23 out of 85 pts developed peritoneal UF failure (UFF). Analysis was performed using univariate random effects logistic time-series models and only D/D0 (OR=0.84, P=0.001), D/P Cre (OR=1.15, p<0.001), urine volume (OR=1.26, p=0.027) and sodium removal (OR=0.99, p=0.003) were significantly associated with relative risk of UFF development.

 Surprisingly, our patients present a stable membrane function over time. Possible explanations could be the low peritonitis rate and strict use of hypertonic glucose dialysates. Ultrafiltration failure was correlated with higher D/P creatinine and lower D/D0 glucose values, higher baseline urine volume and lower sodium sieving.


Urachal cyst is the most common type of urachal anomalies in adults. However, urachal cyst with superimposed infection in elderly patient is rare. We presented a 68-year-old female patient with a lower abdominal pain and distension. A hypoechoic structure with slightly thickened wall at the anterior aspect of the peritoneal cavity in the mid-lower abdomen was detected by transabdominal ultrasonography (US). Further contrast enhanced CT scan of the whole abdomen revealed an irregular fluid-filled structure with inhomogeneous thick wall enhancement in the midline of the anterior peritoneal cavity extending to the dome of urinary bladder. Pathological examination was consistent with an infected urachal cyst. This article reviews its diagnostic modalities.


The biological signal processing apparatus is disclosed. One embodiment includes receiving a bio-signal having a different electrical physical quantity from a plurality of sensors, and to receive and process the physiological signal through any one of the voltage input and current input.


In order to extend visualized detection to near ultraviolet and near infrared waveband for industrial testing,under the requirement of achromatic and passive thermal design,broad-waveband optical system working in 300~1 100 nm range is designed,and prototype for industrial testing is developed.Inverted telephoto construction is adopted to achieve an enough back focal length,and splitting the optical beams into three is achieved by insetting a coating prisms within the back focal length,near ultraviolet,visual and near infrared are imaged in three beams respectly.Reasonably lens material is chose to realize achromatic design.The system is passive thermal by moving a lens.The designed system has a field-of-view of ±3.5°,the effective focal length,F/#,back focal length and total length is 66.5 mm,3.3 nm,63 mm and 132 mm respectively.The results indicate that all MTF is more than 0.3 at 50 lp/mm,and a good performances is achieved over a temperature range(-10~+50)℃,the image requirement is met.Prototype exhibit excellent resulting during experiment.The system gathers as much information as possible about the detected objects by extending waveband,and a good advantage is exhibited in industrial and agricultural testing.


The behavior of real-time embedded systems (RTES) is driven by their environment. Independent system test teams normally focus on black-box testing as they have typically no easy access to precise design information. Black-box testing in this context is mostly about selecting test scenarios that are more likely to lead to unsafe situations in the environment. Our Model-Based Testing (MBT) methodology explicitly models key properties of the environment, its interactions with the RTES, and potentially unsafe situations triggered by failures of the RTES under test. Though environment modeling is not new, we propose a precise methodology fitting our specific purpose, based on a language that is familiar to software testers, that is the UML and its extensions, as opposed to technologies geared towards simulating natural phenomena. Furthermore, in our context, simulation should only be concerned with what is visible to the RTES under test. Our methodology, focused on black-box MBT, was assessed on two industrial case studies. We show how the models are used to fully automate black-box testing using search-based test case generation techniques and the generation of code simulating the environment.


Malignant tumors of the nasopharynx, ansmg from Rosenmuller's fossa or from the vault, produce a great variety of symptoms and signs, which result from extension of the tumor into the cavity of the nasopharynx and into the adjacent anatomic structures. For all practical purposes, these symptoms and signs may be divided into the nasopharyngeal and the extranasopharyngeal. In view of the fact that this presentation concerns the involvement of the nervous system, the symptoms and signs exhibited must arise from the extranasopharyngeal extension of these tumors. Symptoms referable to the nasopharynx are often absent; therefore, diagnosis is not always easy, and the primary lesion may not be particularly looked for in the nasopharynx unless the involvement of the cranial nerves suggests this possibility.


1Introduction Dissimilar metal joints between low alloy chromiummolybdenum ferritic steels and austenitic stainless steels are widely used in industries like power generation and petrochemical plants. Dissimilar welds between stainless steels and low alloy steels include a few metallurgical phenomena, across the interface between weld metal and ferritic steel. The most important phenomenon in this type of joints is carbon migration from ferritic steel into weld metal, creating a carbon depleted zone. This zone in the HAZ of low alloy steel is susceptible to creep failure. There also exists a transition zone or socalled partially mixed zone in the weldment of these joints, where mixing between the base metal and the filler metal is incomplete. The other microstructural feature seen in the weldment, is the appearance of type II boundary, found parallel to the fusion line. These microstructural features frequently appear in the dissimilar joint of austenitic stainless steel and low alloy ferittic steel. These features are considered very important since they could result in many failures. So, in this study, dissimilar welding between A387-Gr. 11 low alloy steel and A240-Gr. 316 stainless steel was performed by GTAW using two different types of stainless steel and Ni based filler metals at constant and pulsed currents. Then, the resultant microstructural features were evaluated and correlated to mechanical properties.


A transmitter comprises a one-from-plurality multiplex switch configured to receive a plurality of sensor signals of a plurality of channels by a plurality of input ends, select one sensor signal from the plurality of sensor signals and output the selected sensor signal via an output end; a first variable gain amplifier configured to receive the selected sensor signal, amplify the selected sensor signal by the gain in a first gain range and output the amplified sensor signal; a control parameter input end configured to receive an input control parameter coming from the exterior of the transmitter; and an operation and switch selector configured to carry out the operation according to the input control parameter to control the one-from-plurality multiplex switch to select one sensor signal and control the gain of the first variable gain amplifier. The present invention also provides a monitoring system using the transmitter.


This paper proposes the design and development of a simple, low cost tester system for diode, bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and junction field effect transistor (JFET). The basic building blocks for this tester design include PIC 18F452 microcontroller, analog multiplexer/demultiplexer 74HC4052, 12 bit digital to analog converter (DAC) MCP4822, operational amplifier LM741 and liquid crystal display (LCD). The tester system discussed in this paper provides accurate identification of semiconductor device under test (diode, BJT, JFET), types of bipolar transistor (NPN, PNP), types of junction field effect transistor (N channel JFET, P channel JFET). The proposed system also detects leads of diode, bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and junction field effect transistor (JFET). Apart from this the tester also measures various parameters of above mentioned semiconductor devices such as forward voltage (V F) and forward current (I F) for diode, current gain (H FE ) for BJT, saturation current with the gate shorted to the source (I DSS ), cut-off voltage (V GS(OFF)) and drain source on resistance (R DS(ON)) for JFET. All measurement and test results are clearly represented on LCD. Low cost, low power consumption, simple hardware, user friendly design and compact size are salient features of this semiconductor device tester.


The equipment of agricultural machinery has its own special features due to the following reasons: high requirements for wear resistance and fatigue strength of the working surfaces of parts that experience heavy loads; relatively large dimensions and weight of manufactured machines; mainly small-scale and serial production, etc. In the conditions of aging and wear of the machine and tractor fleet, multiple increases in the cost of machines and spare parts, and the lack of financial resources, the issue of technical equipment of agricultural production should be solved by developing new and improving the existing technological processes of production and repair. In the production of agricultural machinery and mechanisms, it is necessary to use modern technologies, equipment, and materials. An urgent task is the development and application of hybrid technologies and hybrid equipment for the production of machines and mechanisms, as well as spare parts for the machine and tractor fleet. The paper presents the options for applying the principle of combination. This will allow creating machine tool systems where different types of processing can be combined on a single platform, which reduces the time for intermediate and auxiliary operations, the range of available equipment, maintenance and repair costs, etc., which is especially important for small enterprises, repair shops, and small businesses that produce machines and mechanisms for agricultural purposes.

English version of the article is available at URL: https://panor.ru/articles/creation-of-hybrid-machines-for-the-production-of-agricultural-parts/69769.html


We report the photoionization studies of cesium from the 6p {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} excited state to measure the photoionization cross section at and above the first ionization threshold, oscillator strength of the highly excited transitions, and extension in the Rydberg series. The photoionization cross section at the first ionization threshold is measured as 25 (4) Mb and at excess energies 0.02, 0.04, 0.07, and 0.09 eV as 21, 19, 17, and 16 Mb, respectively. Oscillator strength of the 6p {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} {yields} nd {sup 2}D{sub 5/2} (23 {<=} n {<=} 60) Rydberg transitions has been extracted utilizing the threshold value of photoionization cross section and the recorded nd {sup 2}D{sub 5/2} photoionization spectra.


The authors observed a group of 4 eighthgrade students who conducted a series of inquiry-based science investigations over 6 weeks. The authors examined evidence of students' motivational beliefs, thoughtfulness, nature of their conceptual understanding, and changes in that understanding. The authors also used pre- and posttests of conceptual understanding. Marked variability in terms of the types of students' motivations was found. The variations were associated with differences in the quality of their thoughtfulness and in the development of their conceptual understanding. Evidence of student mastery-goal orientation appeared most strongly related to increased understanding.


Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy of tongue acupuncture plus Schuell's stimulation approach in treating post-stroke motor aphasia. Method Sixty patients with post-stroke motor aphasia were divided into two groups, 30 in each group. The observation group received a treatment course(20 d) of tongue acupuncture plus Schuell's stimulation approach; the control group only received Schuell's stimulation approach. Result The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P0.05). Conclusion Tongue acupuncture plus Schuell's stimulation approach can significantly improve the language function of patients with post-stroke motor aphasia.


Abstract In the Greenvale area, mafic‐ultramafic complexes occur along the boundary between the Georgetown and Broken River Provinces, in a zone believed to have been a continental margin in the Precambrian and early Palaeozoic. This margin was the site of repeated metamorphism, deformation, and igneous activity until the Carboniferous; the resulting complication of the geology clearly exemplifies problems in the interpretation of the genesis of ultramafics and ophiolites in highly deformed regions. Following their emplacement, Precambrian layered mafic‐ultramafic complexes were interfolded and metamorphosed with schist and phyllite of the Georgetown Province. The Broken River Province was subsequently the site of lower Palaeozoic igneous activity contemporaneous with the initial deposition of quartz‐rich flysch intercalated with basaltic lavas. In the Gray Creek Complex this phase of igneous activity is represented by gabbro, tonalite, and trondhjemite, and basaltic and calcalkaline dykes which intruded ...


Objective: The goal of this study is to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in food surfaces and public space surfaces in 3 districts of Lima, Peru. Material and methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out in the districts of San Juan de Lurigancho, San Martin de Porres and Villa el Salvador. Surfaces that were exposed to the greatest user manipulation were selected, samples were swabbed for 4 weeks and transported to the laboratory to determine the presence of the virus. Results: 1095 inert surface samples and 960 food surface samples were evaluated for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 by the RT-PCR molecular test, whereby only one sample from an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) was positive. Conclusions: Most of the inert and food surfaces evaluated did not show the presence of SARS-CoV-2 during the time of sample collection. Despite the negative results, the frequency of disinfection measures should be maintained and increased, especially on inert high-contact surfaces, and hygiene measures on food should be continue.


The conventional spacecraft meteoroids and orbital debris shielding system is the Whipple shield. In general there is a threshold velocity that is just sufficient to shatter the projectile for each system consisting of a projectile and bumper. This velocity is known as the fragmentation onset velocity. To determine the fragmentation onset velocity experimentally, a number of experiments have been conducted with different projectile/bumper configuration. The numerical simulations of fragmentation onset velocity of different material projectile hypervelocity impacts on bumpers with different combination of impact velocities and bumper‐thicker‐to‐projectile‐diameter ratios (t/D) have been performed using the SPH technique of AUTODYN. The spherical projectile materials are aluminum, steel and copper. All bumper material is aluminum alloy 6061‐T6. The simulation velocities were in the range of 1 km/s∼7 km/s. The ratios of t/D were varied from 0.01 to 0.8. The material model contains Mie‐Gruneisen (shock) equat...


The purpose of this paper was to provide the sport psychology consultant with information about Latin American cultural groups in relation to sport psychology consulting. The paper contains a review of key multicultural terms and concepts, such as worldview and acculturation. This is followed by a brief overview of the various historical influences on Latin American culture. Next, we discussed the importance of avoiding a universal perspective of culture, and provided an overview of the cultural beliefs and practices among Latin Americans. The cultural beliefs and practices were then woven into a presentation of a multicultural approach for working with Latin American athletes. Ultimately, the goal of this paper was to provide the reader with an introduction to Latin American culture in relation to sport psychology, and to serve as a catalyst for further discussion and research involving Latin American athletes in sport psychology.


Large scale randomized clinical trials are needed to detect small but meaningful effects of new drugs. However, large scale randomized clinical trials are expensive undertakings and they are in imbalance with the scientific output. As a consequence there is a strong voice for more efficacious randomized clinical trials making new affordable drugs available for patients. The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate several different aspects of randomized clinical trials in order to improve the efficiency in conducting randomized clinical trials.


Rationale: Fetal cells enter the maternal circulation during pregnancy and may persist in maternal tissue for decades as microchimeras. Fetal maternal stem cell transfer in cardiovascular disease has not been carefully examined previously. Objective: Based on clinical observations of peripartum cardiomyopathy patients and the high rate of recovery they experience from heart failure, our objective was to determine whether fetal cells can migrate to the maternal heart and differentiate to cardiac cells. Methods and Results: We report that fetal cells selectively home to injured maternal hearts and undergo differentiation into diverse cardiac lineages. Utilizing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) tagged fetuses, we demonstrate engraftment of multipotent fetal cells in injury zones of maternal hearts. In vivo, eGFPϩ fetal cells form endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and cardiomyocytes. In vitro, fetal cells isolated from maternal hearts exhibit clonal expansion and recapitulate these differentiation pathways, additionally forming vascular tubes and beating cardiomyocytes in a fusion-independent manner. ϳ40% of fetal cells in the maternal heart express Caudal-related homeobox2 (Cdx2), previously associated with trophoblast stem (TS) cells, thought to solely form placenta. Conclusions: Fetal maternal stem cell transfer appears to be a critical mechanism in the maternal response to cardiac injury, as depicted in the figure below. Furthermore, we have identified Cdx2 cells as a novel cell type for potential use in cardiovascular regenerative therapy. Aims: The calcium-transporting ATPase, SERCA2a, is a critical ATPase responsible for Ca2ϩ re-uptake during excitation-contraction coupling. Impaired Ca2ϩ uptake resulting from decreased expression and reduced activity of SERCA2a is a hallmark of heart failure. Accordingly, restoration of SERCA2a expression by gene transfer has proved to be effective in improving cardiac function in heart-failure patients, as well as in animal models. However, the underlying mechanisms of SERCA2a's dysfunction remain incompletely understood.Methods and Results: In this study, we show that SERCA2a is SUMOylated at lysine sites 480 and 585 and that this SUMOylation is essential for preserving SERCA2a ATPase activity and stability in mouse and human cells. The levels of SUMO1 and the SUMOylation of SERCA2a itself were greatly reduced in failing hearts. SUMO1 gene transfer by adeno-associated virus-mediated gene delivery increased the protein level of SERCA2a and markedly improved cardiac function in mice with heart failure. This effect was comparable to SERCA2a gene delivery. Moreover, SUMO1 overexpression in isolated cardiomyocytes augmented contractility and accelerated Ca2ϩ decay. Transgene-mediated SUMO1 overexpression rescued cardiac dysfunction induced by pressure overload concomitantly with increased SERCA2a …


The relative independence of things and humanity's understanding history all indicated the things quality has levels.The first,special quality,which means thing's direct regulations that self-affirmation.The second,common quality refers to the regulation of things categories,it's unity of common of the components of things.The third,essential quality is the controlling part of quality system,it's the basic regulation that directs something to be itself.Levels of things quality is inter-contact,don't divide,and being dependent on motion of things contradiction.


DataProbeCLASSIC is the new PC-based version of the classic tool for telemetry data analysis and visualization. DataProbe was the brainchild of the Unites States Navy and its contractors. At a time when computer terminals were expensive and graphical visualization of data was cutting edge, this software product was specifically designed to process time-series data in an efficient manner. The primary strength of DataProbe is the capability to read specific data items for specific time slices from very large data files rather than reading the entire data file into memory. The efficiency and versatility of the product was quickly noted, and it gained widespread use within the testing community. This paper presents a brief history of the legacy product and discusses the features and strengths of new implementation.


The slope in Jiangjiagou Valley suffered from serious erosion due to the substance components, climate and the complicated erosion power. This paper expatiates the serious erosion on slope surface from the substance components, climate and rainfall.It also analyses the erosion principle and process with experiment of erosion inspired by artificial rainfall.The results of the experiments indicate that the runoff increases hopingly and fluctuatingly along with rainfall, while sediment content decreases when the rainfall increases.


TPS192 Background: Up-regulation of the phosphoinositide-3 phosphate kinase (PI3K) pathway is associated with poor prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Our data show that metastatic RCC patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitory therapy who have up-regulated PI3K pathway have a shorter progression free survival (PFS). A 80 patient Clinical Therapeutics Evaluation Program sponsored study of patients who received sorafenib +/- interferon alpha, AKT S473 was the single strongest predictor for clinical outcome in a panel of clinical and tissue variables. Similarly, reverse phase protein analysis of nephrectomy samples in patients who received presurgical bevacizumab showed that up-regulation of AKT was associated with a shorter PFS. We hypothesize that blockade of AKT in patients who are refractory to anti-VEGF therapy will eliminate one of the key drivers of tumor growth and proangiogenic signaling, and will result in prolongation of PFS. MK-2206 is a selective allosteric inhibitor of AKT. MK-2206 does not bind to the active site of AKT, and consequently does not compete with either ATP or peptide substrate for binding to AKT. This study will randomize patients who progressed on anti-VEGF therapy between MK-2206 and everolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor.

METHODS
This is an open-label, multi-center, randomized phase II study. To be eligible, patients have to have metastatic RCC, and should have progressed on an anti-VEGF agent. Up to two prior therapies are allowed. Patients will be randomized using a 2:1 ratio to receive either MK2206 or everolimus. The primary endpoint of the study is PFS. The anticipated median PFS is 4.9 months and 8.2 months for the everolimus and MK2206 arms, respectively. The secondary endpoints include safety, overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR) and time to failure (TTF). In addition, correlative studies evaluating primary tumor AKT levels, tumor virtual karyotype and pre versus post therapy cytokine and angiogenesis factor levels will be examined and correlate to outcome. As of February 1, 2011, the trial is open for accrual.


Analog video is on the way out, so why study it at all ? Many digital television standards evolved from analog video standards. To have a complete understanding of standards, it is necessary to understand why the choices were made to create standards for today's digital video. Why do we have interlace in the first place and why should it be considered in digital video; what problem did the color difference signal (R-Y and B-Y) solve, and why was it chosen for today's digital system? These and other concepts are briefly discussed in this paper.


To the Editor: —With the realization of our local resources of climate, topography and government ownership of the reservation, a committee of the Hot Springs-Garland County Medical Society during the past year took up with the local representative of the Department of the Interior the question of laying out a course for the Oertel system of graduated exercise. Having, in the past few years, spent thousands of dollars on its system of roads and foot-paths through the scenic reservation, the government readily consented to add the finishing touches to complete the system. These consisted of: A careful survey to determine the degree of slant and altitude. Placing at short intervals of stone markers properly numbered and colored. The preparation of a small map with routes colored to correspond to the stone markers. From the back of the map may be determined at any numbered and colored stone marker the distance,


The Green's functions for different realisations of planar soft and hard surfaces are developed by using the asymptotic boundary conditions and the spectral-domain approach. The geometries considered are the ideal perfect electric conductor/perfect magnetic conductor (PEC/PMC) strip surface, the strip-loaded grounded dielectric slab and the corrugated surface. In all cases the strips and corrugations are straight. The asymptotic boundary conditions are valid in the limiting sense, when the period of the strips or corrugations approaches zero. The Green's functions developed have poles corresponding to surface waves. These are of three types: an ordinary surface wave in the grounded dielectric slab propagating radially out from the source; a strip wave propagating along the strips of the strip-loaded dielectric slab and also along the strips of the PEC/PMC strip surface; and surface waves occurring due to the corrugated surface. Fulfilment of both the soft and hard boundary conditions is discussed in both the near- and far-field regions. The strip wave of the strip-loaded dielectric slab prevents the boundary conditions in the near-field from being fulfilled, and is thus undesired. The other two surface waves are needed to realise the hard boundary condition.


Competing interests: V F has received honoraria for talks on hypertensive therapy for several pharmaceutical companies, including BMS, Novartis, Merck, Astra Merck, and Pfizer

Authors: Timothy Bishop is a cardiology fellow at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque. Vincent Figueredo is director of echocardiography and cardiovascular clinical research at the Heart and Vascular Center at Lovelace Clinic and associate director of the Center for Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.


Abstract : The technical memorandum presents an outline of how to apply psycholinguistic and intellective concepts to enhance the readability and comprehensibility of written materials. Guidelines for making the reader's task easier are provided, and some readability measurement procedures are also discussed.


In the article, the author related the history of the development of the west humanism education ideology, analysed the west philosophy and education ideology characterized by ego,pointed out the reasonable and unreasonable aspects and the cultural significance of humanism.


In this paper the experiments conducted for the measurement of oil flow in the rotary compressor are described. The experimental data are compared against the theoretical prediction from the mathematical model developed (1) and a good agreement is found. In addition, experimental data from previously published literature are also used to verify the mathematical model. A sensitivity study is carried out to predict the behaviour of the rotary compressor for the oil flow at different conditions and with different dimensions.


AbstractThe paper opens with a straightforward description of the types of photomap which can be produced, and the difference between photomaps and orthophoto maps. This is followed by details of experiments of a simple photomap process on a pictoline basis using the Maidenhead area as an example. Consideration of present and potential requirements leads to the conclusion that orthophoto maps can be more expensive to produce than conventional line maps, and that their application is likely to be limited to areas to which they are espedally suited.


It is very prevalent in medical industry to adopt robotic technology such as robotic minimally invasive surgery (RMIS). This causes the surgeon not to sense viscosity and stiffness of the tissue or organ. In order to generate the tactile recognition of human organ, this work proposes a novel tactile device using magnetorheological (MR) fluid. The MR fluid is fully inserted into diaphragm and several pins. Due to controllability of rheological properties by the intensity of the magnetic flux density, the operator can feel different force from the proposed tactile device. In order to evaluate the performance of tactile device, two method is proposed. One is to measure the repulsive force with applying several control inputs. The other method is to check the performance of tactile sensation using psychophysical experiments. From these results, the usability of the tactile device is proved.


Normal dog swallowing dynamics were analyzed and correlated with specific structures. There were oropharyngeal, esophageal, and gastroesophageal phases. The oropharyngeal phase was characterized by food prehension and bolus formation (oral stage), reflex pharyngeal peristalsis (pharyngeal stage), and reflex cricopharyngeal sphincter relaxation (cricopharyngeal stage). The esophageal phase was characterized by primary peristalsis initiated by the oropharyngeal phase and secondary peristalsis which occurred in response to mechanical stimuli from a bolus in the esophagus. There was a post-peristalsis refractory period during which new peristalsis would not occur. Repeated rapid swallowing would, therefore, result in accumulation of ingesta in the esophagus. The gastroesophageal phase occurred when a bolus passed through the gastroesophageal junction, an area which serves as a lower esophageal sphincter. Gastroesophageal reflux was observed as a normal, infrequent event followed by rapid esophageal clearance. Low doses of tranquilizers had no significant influence on swallowing function. The differences observed between sternal and lateral recumbent postures related only to the rate of food consumption which, in turn, influenced esophageal motor response and inhibited gastroesophageal closure. These differences did not adversely affect the autonomous phases of swallowing.


Abstract An enzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydroxylation of nicotinic acid to 6-hydroxynicotinic acid has been purified from extracts of a nicotinic acid-fermenting clostridium. The enzyme appears to be a flavin adenine dinucleotide-containing non-heme iron protein and utilizes triphosphopyridine nucleotide as the ultimate electron acceptor. The purified enzyme also exhibits reduced triphosphopyridine nucleotide oxidase and diaphorase activity.


This article examines whether social inequality exists in European adolescents' school-related Internet use regarding consuming (browsing) and productive (uploading/sharing) activities. These school-related activities are contrasted with adolescents' Internet activities for entertainment purposes. Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 is used for the empirical analyses. Results of partial proportional odds models show that students with higher educated parents and more books at home tend to use the Internet more often for school-related tasks than their less privileged counterparts. This pattern is similar for school-related browsing and sharing Internet activities. In contrast to these findings on school-related Internet activities, a negative association between parental education and books at home is found with adolescents' frequency of using the Internet for entertainment purposes. The implications of digital inequalities for educational inequalities are discussed.


Objective To investigate the imaging features of intraosseous ganglion.MethodsImaging features of 14 cases of intraosseous ganglia were retrospectively analyzed.All the 14 patients underwent radiolography,while 5 patients received CT examination and two patients received MR imaging at the same time.Results16 lesions were detected in the 14 patients,which located in acetabula(n=9),lunate,(n=3),scaphoid(n=1),humeral head(n=1),femora head(n=1)and distal end of tibia(n=1).Radiological features included a unilocular or multilocular cyst surrounded by a full and thin rim of sclerotic bone in the subchondral epiphysis without any signs of degenerative joint disease.CT showed that 6 lesions had round or irregular cystic erosions with clear sclerosis edge with an average CT value of 38Hu in the center of the lesions.2 lesions had hypointensity and hyperintensity signal with hypointensity rim on T1W and T2W respectively.ConclusionIntraosseous ganglion cysts have characteristic imaging features.Combined with clinical manifestations,it is possible to make a correct diagnosis of intraosseous ganglion.


University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2017. Major: Pharmacology. Advisors: Steven Patterson, Timothy Walseth. 1 computer file (PDF); xii, 128 pages.


Experiment were carried out to study the combined effect of urban waste compost and biofertilizers on uptake and residual effect of nutrients in soybean crop consisting individual and compounded treatment of UWC, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, PSB and reduced RDCF. The applied Bradyrhizobium japonicum nodulated the roots efficiently and fixed nitrogen for effective uptake. PSB solubilzed phosphate. UWC enriched the soil by organic matter and offered the matrix conducive for establishment of applied and native plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. The reduced RDCF supplemented nutrients adequately and the applied consortium of biofertilizers increased the availability and residual effect of these nutrients, thus saves chemical fertilizers. Overall, effect of UWC, biofertilizers and reduced RDCF in soybean crop increase the uptake, residual effect of nutrients and reduces the quantity of chemical fertilizers.


Consider an autonomous teacher agent trying to adaptively sequence material to best keep a student engaged, or a medical agent trying to help suggest treatments to maximize patient outcomes. To solve these complex reinforcement learning problems, we must first decide on a policy representation. But determining the best representation can be challenging, since the environment includes many poorly-understood processes (such as student engagement) and is therefore difficult to accurately simulate. These domains are also high stakes, making it infeasible to evaluate candidate representations by running them online. Instead, one must leverage existing data to learn and evaluate new policies for future use. In this paper, we present a data-driven methodology for comparing and validating policies offline. Our method is unbiased, agnostic to representation, and focuses on the ability of each policy to generalize to new data. We apply this methodology to a partially-observable, high-dimensional concept sequencing problem in an educational game. Guided by our evaluation methodology, we propose a novel feature compaction method that substantially improves policy performance on this problem. We deploy the best-performing policies to 2,000 real students and show that the learned adaptive policy shows statistically significant improvement over random and expert baselines, improving our achievement-based reward measure by 32%.


The functionality of the Internet and the Web are determined in large part by the standards that allow for interoperable implementations; as a result, the privacy and security of our online interactions are greatly impacted by the work done within standard-setting organizations. While _privacy impact assessments_ present a systematic model for privacy reviews of large-scale software systems, reviewing Internet standards provides a different set of challenges. Participation in consensus standard-setting is voluntary and in most cases work is bottom-up, unlike the top-down organization within large firms. And Internet protocols are generative: designed to enable a variety of applications, the applications themselves can't be statically analyzed. Based on prior work analyzing these multistakeholder groups as _boundary organizations_ which can provoke innovative responses [@Doty2013], this organizational structure provides a different approach to implementing values such as privacy that is not yet fully understood.

This research will consider the practice of privacy and security reviews within technical standard-setting organizations for the Internet and the World Wide Web through an ethnographic approach: qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews; automated and manual text analysis; and fieldnotes from observing and participating in these processes. Standard-setting provides a rich source to study: including extensive public documentation of all meetings, mailing list conversations and historical drafts of all standards. Interviews of participants --- engineers, laywers and businesspeople who volunteer their time to develop standards but also have roles within tech companies or other organizations --- provide insight into the variety of participants and their own perspectives on how they consider values such as privacy during the standardization process. As a participant observer, I also aim to include my own perspective, including the challenges faced, and responses received, in attempting to develop systematic privacy reviews for new Web features.

For this paper, first I consider the history of privacy reviews --- and previously, security considerations --- at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through analysis of historical documents and interviews with participants. Next, I document recent developments, part of a community reaction to revelations of mass government surveillance. Finally, based on that history, similar experience in other cross-cutting technical fields (internationalization and accessibility) and alternative tools for privacy-by-design, I outline some recommendations for improving privacy reviews for future Internet and Web standards.

Understanding how values like privacy and security are enacted in foundational Internet standards is of particular importance now, as our community learns and responds to intelligence agencies' efforts to influence or weaken security-related standards. Furthermore, what we learn about implementing privacy within a standard-setting process may also apply to areas with similarly collaborative characteristics: open source software development and other multistakeholder institutions.


Mixed zinc-lanthanide (Zn-Ln) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on the 3,5-pyrazoledicarboxylate ligand exhibit an unusual three-dimensional (3D) inorganic subnetwork and display highly efficient photoluminescence.


A B S T R A C T In this case study, a failed railway rail which was used for heavy cargo trains was investigated in order to find out its root cause. The macroscopic beach marks and microscopic fatigue striations were not observed by macro and microscopic observations. The chevron patterns were observed by macro observations. The crack origin was at the tip of chevron patterns. The fan-shaped patterns, cleavage step and the river patterns were observed at the crack origin, which demonstrated the feature of cleavage fracture. The metallurgical structures at the crack origin were pearlite and ferrite networks. The crack is supposed to be initiated from the weaker ferrite networks. Given all of that, the failed railway rail is considered to be caused by overload. It is of great importance to improve the welding technology, and control the load of train in order to prevent similar failure in future.


See related article, pp 614–620

There has been a long-standing interest in the possibility that activation of the sympathetic nervous system may contribute to the hypertension induced by angiotensin II (Ang II). This hypothesis is commonly assessed by chronically infusing Ang II and using various tests to determine the sympathetic component to the increase in arterial pressure. Despite a multitude of studies, it is still unclear whether the sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in mediating this form of hypertension. Why the uncertainty? This is largely because of the varied and often times ambiguous experimental approaches to address this issue. More specifically, the uncertainty arises from studies using different animals, different sites of Ang II administration (central, intravenous, and subcutaneous), different rates of Ang II infusion, and different time courses of study. In addition, in most studies, measures of Ang II levels have not been made, making it difficult to determine whether reported effects are physiological, pathophysiological, or pharmacological. In addition, precise measures of sympathetic activity must be made before specific inferences regarding its role in Ang II hypertension can be made. Beyond these considerations, there are additional limitations that impede a clear resolution of this topic.

The kidneys play a primary role in mediating long-term changes in arterial pressure, and, therefore, neurogenic mechanisms of hypertension must in some way impair renal excretory function. Because the renal nerves provide an obvious link between alterations in central sympathetic outflow and renal excretory function (Figure), an understanding of the role of neurogenic mechanisms in the maintenance of hypertension depends on measurement of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and assessment of the influence of this sympathetic outflow on steady-state levels of arterial pressure. Unfortunately, technical limitations often preclude these chronic determinations. In this regard, the Circulatory Control Laboratory at the University of …


This article reviews the legal status of migratory species, whether terrestrial or marine, and the treaties which have been concluded for the preservation and management of these resources. It underlines the three general requirements that must be met if the conservation of migratory populations or stocks is to be effective: the resource must be managed as a unit; exploitation, when allowed, should be rational; all relevant ecological factors must be taken into consideration. Appropriate implementation mechanisms and institutions are


In January 2019, the UK Government published its Maritime 2050: Navigating the Future strategy. In the strategy, the government highlighted the importance of digitalisation (with well-designed regulatory support) to achieving its goal of ensuring that the UK plays a global leadership role in the maritime sector. Ports, the gateways for 95% of UK trade movements, were identified as key sites for investment in technological innovation. The government identified the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), in conjunction with other information-sharing technologies, such as shared data platforms, and Artificial Intelligence applications (AI), to synchronise processes within the port ecosystem leading to improved efficiency, safety and environmental benefits, including improved air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions. "IoT is not "a thing", rather, it is many different "things" connected by a network that involves a vast array of application areas that extend well beyond critical infrastructures such as ports."


Abstract Objectives The Micronutrients for ADHD in Youth (MADDY) study was an 8-week double-blind RCT of broad spectrum multinutrients (BSMN) for ADHD with emotional dysregulation in children ages 6–12. Primary outcome Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) showed 3 times as many responders with BSMN (54%) as placebo (18%). Since diet is the primary source of nutrients intake, and diet quality corresponds with nutritional outcomes, this study seeks to determine the role of baseline diet quality as a moderator of treatment response to test the hypothesis that those with poor diet quality should benefit more. Methods 124 children (69 BSMN, 55 placebo) in the intent-to-treat analysis had diet quality assessed by Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) component and total scores from the VioscreenTM FFQ. Primary outcome was odds of treatment response, defined by a rating of 1 or 2 (very much or much improved) on CGI-I at week 8. Sensitivity analysis used CGI-I at week 8 as a dimensional outcome (from 1 = very much improved to 7 = very much worse). Logistic regressions were conducted for the primary analysis and linear regressions for the sensitivity analysis, with HEI scores entered as potential moderators. Results Total HEI-2015 score did not moderate treatment response [odds ratio = 1.00 (95% CI: 0.90,1.10), p = 0.994] or improvement [β= −0.01 (95% CI: −0.06,0.04), p = 0.655]. HEI component scores also did not moderate treatment response, though total vegetable intake moderated level of improvement [β= −0.48 (95% CI: −0.82, −0.13), p = 0.007]: those with higher vegetable intake showed greater improvement with BSMN but not with placebo. Conclusions BSMN may benefit children with ADHD and irritability regardless of diet quality. The finding that higher baseline vegetable intake possibly predisposes to improvement with BSMN is puzzling and worth further exploration of potential mechanisms such that a higher vegetable intake may promote the absorption or utilization of the multinutrients. Funding Sources This study was funded by Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, Wells Fargo/Gratis Foundation, and CTSA award #s UL1TR002733, UL1TR002369.


In this paper we shall study relations among the spaces of modular forms mod p attached to Sk(Np, ψχ) and Sk,(N, ψ) by using certain identities between dimensions of these spaces.


The pandemic has brought a lot of changes in education, as an example, distance learning has been used to facilitate young learners to learn and at the same time protect them from the spread of the Covid 19 virus. Distance learning has required teachers to be more creative in teaching so the learners can comprehend the teachers' explanations. Workshop Canva and Screencast-O-Matic were conducted as a community service to help teachers provide more creative and interactive teaching using digital applications as learning media. It involved Madrasah Ibtidaiyah teachers in Bandung Barat. In presenting the community service process and result, descriptive qualitative was used to look at the process and interpret the result. As a result of workshop, the teachers were able to design teaching presentation by using Canva and make teaching recording. The teachers also admitted that the workshop helped them improve their digital literacy and their teaching creativity.


rare, only two occurring at that site, one included in a previous review article.' This low incidence was also reported in a study in which only 66 ca.ses of the palm and finger were seen among 1071 melanomas registered hy the Melanoma Research Group of Japan from 1987 to 1991.' Malignant melanoma of the palm in Caucasians is also apparently very rare, perhaps comprising only 2% of all malignant tnelanomas.'* The rea.son for this rarity is unknown hut, particularly since only two of 44 in situ lesions seen in our institution occurred on the palm,' it is unlikely that many palmar melanomas are excised before the development of dermal invasion.


In monostatic radar systems, in which the same directive antenna is used for both transmission and reception, the angular resolution is limited by the restricted aperture width of the antenna. It is shown that, for a given aperture width, angular resolution can be maximized by employing linear optimum estimation (LOE). Specific aperture illuminations are proposed, by which the SNR degradation encountered when using LOE is kept low. These illuminations lead to an angular spread of the radiation pattern, which is analogous to spectrum spreading in spread spectrum communications.


In a conference like MES, which explicitly tries to contribute for a discussion of the social, ethical and political dimensions of mathematics education, we wish to organize a space where the research on these dimensions is putted under critical scrutiny. We intend to do that by exploring the meaning behind two notions that have been used very often in the research discourse: the notions of critique and politics. It is our concern to understand the way researchers conceive these notions and how they put in motion in their research powerful ideas without loosing all the emancipatory potential of them.


The 1989 Contraceptive Prevalence Survey (CPS) was the most recent and most comprehensive of 5 national surveys conducted approximately biennially since 1979. The survey used a 2-stage probability sample design. 80 urban and 120 rural sample areas were randomly selected from areas with populations of 150-500 households. Interviews were completed with 11607 ever-married women younger than 50 between April 1989 and July 1989. The 1989 Bangladesh Fertility Survey (BFS) was designed to measure current fertility and its proximate determinants. Using a 2-stage probability sample design the 1989 BFS interviewed 11906 ever-married women in 100 urban and 175 rural areas from December 1988 through April 1989. Direct estimates from the 1989 BFS yielded TFRs of about 7 live births per woman in the late 1970s. According to the 1989 BFS the TFR declined sharply in the 1980s to below 5 births for the years immediately preceding the survey. The direct estimate of a TFR of 4.6 for the year prior to the BFS survey was low an adjustment inflated the rate to 5.4. The 1989 CPS tentatively suggested that the TFR for 1988-1989 was unlikely to be below 4.9 and might be somewhat higher. TFR of about 5.0 for Bangladesh was consistent with simple regressions predicting the TFR from national contraceptive prevalence rates. According to the 1989 CPS only the pill and tubal sterilization were recognized by almost all respondents. The 1989 CPS found that about 30% of contraceptive users relied on the pill and 43% of ever-users had adopted it as their first method. Most of the rise in current contraceptive use and ever-use between 1986 and 1989 resulted from an increase in pill use among rural women. This trend is likely to continue.


Electrically conductive pili from Geobacter species, termed bacterial "nanowires", are intensely studied for their biological significance and potential in the development of new materials. We have characterized a unique nanowire from conductive G. sulfurreducens pili preparations by cryo-electron microscopy composed solely of the c-type cytochrome OmcS. We present here, at 3.4 Å resolution, a novel structure of a cytochrome-based filament and discuss its possible role in long-range biological electron transport. Summary sentence Cryo-electron microscopy reveals the remarkable assembly of a c-type cytochrome into filaments comprising a heme-based bacterial nanowire.


Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was applied to investigate the fine nanostructure of single-wall carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs) and partially oxidized SWCNHs of which Raman D bands are predominant. SERS of SWCNH samples was measured in vacuo by deposition of SWCNH particles on silver foil with evaporation of SWCNHs-dispersed solvent. New peaks were observed over the wavenumber range of 200 to 1700 cm−1 in addition to peaks observed in normal Raman scattering. The new SERS peaks are tentatively assigned to the vibrational mode due to topological defects such as the pentagon and heptagon.


In view of the fact that Industry 4.0 is becoming increasingly essential, the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies is believed to be an essential strategic component in further increasing the efficiency of manufacturing processes and in determining decisions concerning globalisation strategies. Thus, this paper provides an empirical analysis of the essential constructs of Industry 4.0, and drivers and barriers for Industry 4.0. The paper is based on 270 valid answers to a questionnaire-survey distributed among Danish manufacturers. Regression analyses were used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results of the analyses reveal that the identified drivers and barriers for Industry 4.0 have a positive impact on the perceived relevance of Industry 4.0 among companies. Furthermore, the analyses show that the perceived relevance of Industry 4.0 among companies has a positive impact on companies that have moved manufacturing back and on companies that have moved manufacturing out and back. Conversely, the perceived relevance of Industry 4.0 among companies has a negative impact on companies that have remained domestic. The perceived relevance of Industry 4.0 has no impact on companies that have moved manufacturing out. This research, in general, offers to both researchers and practitioners an increased consciousness concerning the relevant drivers and barriers for Industry 4.0 in decision processes about where to locate manufacturing.


Three patients with Cushing syndrome secondary to ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production underwent direct 22-gauge needle aspiration of bronchial (two cases) and mediastinal (one case) carcinoid tumors. High levels of ACTH were measured in all three tumors. This technique permits absolute identification of an ectopic source of ACTH before surgery.


Objective To investigate the effect of rehabilitation training combined with electronic biofeedback therapy on muscle tonus and range of motion(ROM) in children with spastic cerebral palsy.Methods 76 children with spastic cerebral palsy admitted into the rehabilitation department from March 2009 to October 2011 were randomly divided into experiment group and control group with each group 38 cases.The two groups were both given routine rehabilitation training and the experiment group was also combined with electronic biofeedback therapy.Muscle tonus and ROM in both lower extremities of the two groups were evaluated by Ashworth method before and after treatment.Results After treatment,the improvement of muscle tonus between the two groups showed statistically significant difference(u=-2.3808,P=0.0173).Besides,the improvements of adductor muscle angle,popliteal region angle and activity of instep flexion angle between the two groups all showed statistically significant differences(u=-2.5191,-2.5161 and-2.3201 respectively,P=0.0118,0.0241 and 0.0203 respectively).Conclusion The combination of rehabilitation training and electronic biofeedback therapy in the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy in children can significantly reduce muscle tonus and increase the joint range of motion in both lower extremities and its therapeutic effect is superior to that of simple rehabilitation training,so it should be promoted in clinic.


We present an in situ calibration technique for the LBNL positron emission mammography (PEM) detector module that is capable of measuring depth of interaction (DOI). The detector module consists of 64 LSO crystals coupled on one end to a single photomultiplier tube (PMT) and on the opposite end to a 64 pixel array of silicon photodiodes (PD). The PMT provides an accurate timing pulse, the PDs identify the crystal of interaction, the sum provides a total energy signal and the /spl Gamma/=PD/(PD+PMT) ratio determines the depth of interaction. We calibrate using the /sup 176/Lu natural background radiation of the LSO crystals. We determine the relative gain (K) of the PMT and PD by minimizing the asymmetry of the /spl Gamma/ distribution. We determine the depth dependence from the width of the /spl Gamma/ distribution with optimal K. The performance of calibrated detector modules is evaluated by averaging results from 12 modules. The energy resolution is a function of depth ranging from 24% FWHM at the PD end to 51% FWHM at the PMT end, and the DOI resolution ranges from 6 mm FWHM at the PD end to 11 mm FWHM at the PMT end.


The study describes the alterations in metabolomic profiles of four tomato fruit mutations introgressed into Solanum lycopersicum cv. San Marzano, a well-known Italian traditional variety. Three lines carrying variants affecting the content of all pigments, high pigment-1 (hp-1), hp-2, pigment diluter (pd), and a combination of Anthocyanin fruit and atroviolaceum (Aft_atv), were selected, and characterized. Biochemical analysis of 44 non-polar, 133 polar, and 65 volatile metabolites in ripe fruits revealed a wide range of differences between the variant lines and the recurrent parent San Marzano. Among non-polar compounds, many carotenoids, plastoquinones, and tocopherols increased in the fruit of high pigment lines, as well as in Aft_atv, whose β-carotene levels increased too. Interestingly, pd displayed enriched levels of xanthophylls (all-trans-neoxanthin and luteoxanthin) but, simultaneously, decreased levels of α-and β-/γ-tocopherols. Looking at the metabolites in the polar fraction, a significant decrease in sugar profile was observed in hp-1, pd, and Aft_atv. Conversely, many vitamins and organic acids increased in the hp-2 and Aft_atv lines, respectively. Overall, phenylpropanoids was the metabolic group with the highest extent of polar changes, with considerable increases of many compounds mainly in the case of Aft_atv, followed by the pd and hp-2 lines. Finally, several flavor-related compounds were found to be modified in all mutants, mostly due to increased levels in many benzenoid, lipid, and phenylalanine derivative volatiles, which are associated with sweeter taste and better aroma. Construction of metabolic maps, interaction networks, and correlation matrices gave an integrated representation of the large effect of single variants on the tomato fruit metabolome. In conclusion, the identified differences in the mutated lines might contribute to generating novel phenotypes in the traditional San Marzano type, with increased desirable nutraceutical and organoleptic properties.


Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) is among the most economically valuable vegetable crops in the world. It is estimated that diseases reduce tomato production to a greater extent worldwide. Natural plants derivative compounds contribute a lot in fight against pathogens. The current study indicates the pathogenic potential of Alternaria alternata FCBP-573 against tomato. RAPD analysis confirmed that A. alternata FCBP-573 had variability in its genetic constitution with other two isolates; this disparity in genetic constitution might be a cause to stir up more pathogenicity in this isolate. Therefore, A. alternata FCBP-573 was selected and subjected to biological control by Tagetes erectus L. In antifungal bioassays plant parts of T. erectus with 1, 2, 3, & 4% conc. of aqueous, methanol and n-hexane extracts of each part were evaluated against A. alternata FCBP573. Results revealed that growth of A. alternata FCBP-573 was greatly inhibited at 4% conc. of methanol extract followed by aqueous and n-hexane extract. Among different plant parts tested, root extract exhibited more promising results by causing 81-92% reduction in biomass. The study concludes that aqueous and organic extracts of ornamentals have potential to obstruct dreadful effect of pathogenic fungi by suppressing their growth. T. erectus conferred vital and surprisingly stable compounds having inhibitory potential against A. alternata FCBP-573.


The intent of this study on micro-array flow control is to demonstrate the viability and economy of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to determine optimal designs of micro-array actuation for controlling the shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions within supersonic inlets and compare these concepts to conventional bleed performance. The term micro-array refers to micro-actuator arrays which have heights of 25 to 40 percent of the undisturbed supersonic boundary layer thickness. This study covers optimal control of shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions using standard micro-vane, tapered micro-vane, and standard micro-ramp arrays at a free stream Mach number of 2.0. The effectiveness of the three micro-array devices was tested using a shock pressure rise induced by the 10 shock generator, which was sufficiently strong as to separate the turbulent supersonic boundary layer. The overall design purpose of the micro-arrays was to alter the properties of the supersonic boundary layer by introducing a cascade of counter-rotating micro-vortices in the near wall region. In this manner, the impact of the shock wave boundary layer (SWBL) interaction on the main flow field was minimized without boundary bleed.


The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is to revise its research funding formula to distribute money more evenly between similar subjects. The move should please UK physicists, who last year stridently pointed out to the Council that the rerouting of government research money had left them much worse off than colleagues in other disciplines (Physics World June 1993 p5).


This research was motivated by the role of the people of Maja Village in participating in building the Sea Wall with the local government of South Lampung Regency. This study aims to find out what role the people of Maja Village play in the construction of the Sea Wall in Kalianda District, South Lampung Regency. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach method based on data sources through interviews with informants, then obeservation in the field, and documentation. Based on the results of the study that the Role of the Community in the Construction of the Sea Wall in Maja Village, South Lampung Regency is First, the role of the Maja village community in building a Sea Wall is carried out in a voluntary way without coercion from other parties. Second, some people in Maja Village whose land is used for the construction of a sea wall (Sea Wall) approximately one meter from the shoreline, residents' houses are used as residences for construction workers, and community residents help remove dust and remove soil from the road so that damage does not occur and pose a threat. The conclusion in this study is that the people of Maja Village, South Lampung Regency, have played an active role in the construction of the Sea Wall and assisted the Regional Government of South Lampung Regency in realizing regional development. Researchers' advice for Maja Village, Kalianda District, South Lampung Regency, it is hoped that the community will continue to be involved in development activities by the Regional Government and help maintain the Sea Wall as much as possible


The duration of circulation for transfused thrombocytes labeled with Cr/ sup 51/, in dogs under normal conditions and immediately after irradiation, was studied. With the thromobocytes introduced on the 2nd-3rd und 9th- 10th days following irradiation, the circulation time of the plaques was reduced to 3-4 and 2-3 days, respectively, as against 5/8 days in normal conditions. In acute radiation sickness, thrombocyte transfusion is recommended every 2--3 days. (auth)


In recent years, the prevalence of magnetic fields and their independence from extra infrastructure have attracted considerable interest in indoor localization based on magnetic field (MF) measurements. However, the low discrimination of MF measurements, the different MF measurements due to heterogeneous devices, and the interference with ferromagnetic materials are significant challenges for practical applications of indoor localization based on MF measurements. This paper first analyzes the statistical characteristics of MF measurements with the magnetometers embedded in smartphones and their calibration. It demonstrates that the MF measurements obey a Gaussian distribution and investigate the temporal stability and spatial distinguishability of MF-based measures. Secondly, it proposes removing magnetic field anomalies by the RLOWESS method and eliminating heterogeneous smartphone measurement differences using magnetometer calibration. Thirdly, it tests the localization performance of heterogeneous smartphones. The localization accuracy is 90% at 15m and drops to 60% when the test area increased to 45m. A high-quality embedded magnetometer had better localization performance than a low-quality magnetometer. Finally, it summarizes the feasibility/limitations of using only MF measurement for indoor localization.


Recently, as we move toward a society with an increasingly aged population, wearable U-health devices in various shapes with smart wear have been developed in order to conveniently measure health variables without using hands in daily life or at home. However, the problem is that only supply of the wearable U-health devices is focused and its applicable devices are studied and developed, which has resulted in lack of awareness of importance of performance evaluation. In this study, two electrodes were fabricated using conductive fabric which can be used as electrode if attached to wearable U-health devices or smart wear in order to measure ECG signal. Two electrodes those were fabricated using conductive fabric were compared the correlation, impedance and CMRR with patch typed Ag-AgCl electrode-normally used for measurement of ECG signal, so that the study would find out if the fabricated electrode can be used with the wearable U-health devices by testing and evaluating performances.


Parasites establish dynamic relationships with their hosts that allow their persistence. Leishmania spp. are unicellular parasites that have two hosts: a haematophageous insect, the sand fly, and a vertebrate. Both in animals and humans, absence of clinical lesions does not imply absence of infection. This phenomenon has major implications in epidemiology, preventive medicine, and pharmacology. Parasitic load determination in mammalian tissues or organs is currently performed by culture-based methods that are time consuming and require samples harbouring cultivable parasites. Recently, we developed a real-time PCR assay to quantify the parasitic burden of several Leishmania spp. based on detection of kinetoplastic DNA (kDNA). The efficacy of this real-time PCR assay was first evaluated in monitoring the fate of Leishmania major in C57Bl/6 mice following intradermal inoculation of the right ear pinna with low doses of infective metacyclics at 24 h, 96 h, and weekly for 7 weeks. Leishmania were established in the center of the inoculated pinna, to a lesser extent in the pinna border, and in the draining lymph node. The parasite was detected, but not quantified, in distant cutaneous sites (left ear pinna, thorax skin, tail base) and in the femoral bone marrow. Throughout the whole experiment, the parasite was detected in the glabrous tail base skin. We also investigated whether the parasites detected by our method were still viable or if we were also detecting DNA from dead parasites. Technical and biological constraints have been overcome by developing an in vitro model to monitor the persistence of Leishmania kDNA in cultured mouse macrophages after host leucocytes were exposed to L-leucine-methyl ester, a leishmanicidal molecule. The detection of kDNA by real-time PCR was correlated with the viability of the parasites in macrophages. These results show that laboratory mice (experimental host) or in vitro-grown mouse macrophages infected with Leishmania parasites can be considered useful systems in two areas. First, in pharmacology, preventive medicine and epidemiology, such a system would allow pharmacological evaluation of Leishmania-targeted drugs or vaccines to a broader extent than merely monitoring the reduction of the lesion or the prevention of lesion onset. A similar system could be developed in other animal species, particularly the dog, in order to detect asymptomatic carriage at the borders or in quarantines, or to investigate the real prevalence of Leishmania spp. The growing importance of Leishmania infantum-related disorders in humans makes such a method very interesting. A second use for this experimental system is the investigation of the prompt and renewed interactions that Leishmania parasites establish within their mammalian hosts. Establishment of a system to quantify the parasitic burden of Leishmania spp. is the perspective of this preliminary research. Recently published data show that the apparent lack of symptoms hides complex mechanisms involving very different factors such as keratinocytes, epidermal and dermal leucocytes, the extracellular matrix, and sand fly saliva.

Funding: Institut Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.


This article introduces the second of two special issues on philosophical approaches to leadership ethics. In this issue, the articles draw on the works of Plato, Niccolò Machiavelli, Michel Foucault, and Jürgen Habermas to explore questions in leadership ethics concerning leaders' self-knowledge and self-constitution and their responsibilities to their followers. The articles in this issue demonstrate the potential of philosophy to deepen our understanding of leadership and ethics.


The TSUNAMI (II) project has addressed an investigation into the application of adaptive antenna technology for use in future generation mobile communications systems. The key aims of the project were to investigate the complexity versus increase in system capacity and coverage extension that can be achieved over the existing, non-adaptive networks. May 1998 saw the completion of an 8 month field trial, covering both macrocellular and microcellular trials. These investigations were performed at the Orange Testbed in Almondsbury, Bristol using a modified DCS-1800 base station. In this paper are presented a subset of the macrocellular field trial results, obtained using spatial and temporal reference beamforming (SRB and TRB) in the presence of deliberate interference. The results presented show the comparative performance of several selected adaptive antenna algorithms used by the TSUNAMI (II) testbed. The results of these trials demonstrate how the interference source and algorithm ability to track wanted to unwanted users influence the overall performance of the adaptive antenna base station (AA-BSS).