Mutations in the gene for proteolipid protein (PLP) have been associated with CNS dysmyelination and abnormal oligodendrocyte death in spontaneous mouse mutants and in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease; however, the effect of mutations on PLP structure and function are little understood. We have identified a monoclonal antibody directed against a novel cell surface epitope of PLP, termed O10. By immunofluorescence analysis, COS-7 cells transiently transfected to express PLP (or its isoform DM20) can be stained with antibody O10 and another antibody (A431) directed against the C terminus of PLP/DM20. The subcellular distribution of immunofluorescence labels for the two antibodies is not identical, suggesting that the O10 epitope is acquired post-translationally. When PLP/DM20 from jimpy, jimpymsd, and rumpshaker mutant mice is expressed in COS-7 cells and compared with wild-type PLP/DM20, none of the mutant isoforms displays the O10 epitope, whereas the C-terminal epitope is detected. Because the O10 but not the A431 epitope is also sensitive to SDS and reducing agents, this strongly suggests abnormal protein folding in the PLP mutants. PLP fromjimpymsd mice is obviously misfolded, because the amino acid substitution (Ala242 → Val) is located within a transmembrane domain to which the O10 antibody does not bind. We propose that the O10 epitope emerges as the full length protein reaches a functional tertiary structure and that the absence of this epitope marks a structural defect of PLP that leads to dysmyelination.


In this paper,an iteration method between CFD analysis and structure finite element analysis is proposed.In the iteration,the fluid field and the riser response are calculated in turns.The hydrodynamic loads directly leading to vibration in the current,with the periodical lift force and drag force,are transferred from fluid field to riser.And the riser movement will be defined as a function,which is used to describe the riser wall boundary of fluid control volume in the following iteration step.During analysis,CFD software FLUENT(6.1.22 version) is used to analyze the fluid field and FE software ANSYS(8.1 version) is used to analyze the riser dynamic response.


A missile simulation system based on Vega Prime and BCG(Business Components Gallery Control Bar) programming framework was presented.Firstly,a method of inserting dynamic points of trajectory was introduced and implemented successfully,and also the user and system could intercommunicate effectively by the intercommunication strategy used between user and system.Finally,the function of "telescope" was achieved based on magnifying view principle in Vega Prime,along with introducing the principle of attacking targets,and the simulation of collision detection and special effect of collision proved its high efficiency and validity.


Introduction: parosteal osteosarcoma is a low-grade, bone-forming neoplasm that arises on the surface of bone. It accounts for about 4% of all osteosarcomas. Case report: an 18-year-old male patient with no particular past medical history, consulted for a painless mass in the right thigh that had appeared at the age of 17 years and progressively increased in volume. The physical examination revealed a 6 cm mass at its largest above the right popliteal fossa with knee flexion slightly limited. The X-ray revealed a well-limited mass in the lower third of the femur that was dense and attached to the metaphyseal cortex by a wide base. Histological examination of the biopsy specimen established the diagnosis of parosteal osteosarcoma. The patient underwent wide resection of the femoral tumor preceded by a course of first-line chemotherapy. Postoperative course was uneventful. During the one-year follow-up period, there was no recurrence or metastasis of the tumor. Conclusion: parosteal osteosarcoma is characterized by its insidious growth and favorable prognosis. It rarely leads to metastasis. Its treatment is mainly surgical.


T blue smimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus, is a commerically important portunid species in many Indo-Pacific countries. Due to increasing market demands, there has been growing interest in aquaculture for the speices in this region. Compared to other farmed portunid crab species, P. pelagicus has shorter larval duration and high larval survial rate as well as fast grow rate at early juvenile stages. This presentation will review research coducted in my laboratory to date on development of hatchery and early juvenile culture technqiues for P. pelagicus, which includes broodstock managment, devising optimal larval feeding regiems and identifying suitable physical conditions for larval rearing, as well as aspects of nursery culture of early juvenile crabs. It is hope that this will aid the development of the newly emerging P. pelagicus aquculture industry in the region.


Currently, the NREL Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment (UAE) research turbine is scheduled to enter the NASA Ames 80-ft x 120-ft wind tunnel in early 2000. To prepare for this 3-week test, a Science Panel meeting was convened at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) in October 1998. During this meeting, the Science Panel and representatives from the wind energy community provided numerous detailed recommendations regarding test activities and priorities. The Unsteady Aerodynamics team of the NWTC condensed this guidance and drafted a detailed test plan. This test plan represents an attempt to balance diverse recommendations received from the Science Panel meeting, while taking into account multiple constraints imposed by the UAE research turbine, the NASA Ames 80-ft x 120-ft wind tunnel, and other sources. The NREL-NASA Ames wind tunnel tests will primarily be focused on obtaining rotating blade pressure data. NREL has been making these types of measurements since 1987 and has considerable experience in doing so. The purpose of this wind tunnel test is to acquire accurate quantitative aerodynamic and structural measurements, on a wind turbine that is geometrically and dynamically representative of full-scale machines, in an environment free from pronounced inflow anomalies. These data will be exploited to develop and validate enhanced engineering models for designing and analyzing advanced wind energy machines.


The existing network platform can not meet the new launch vehicle launch costs, and there is the need for high reliability storage and application of massive data. A scheme of measuring and controlling network system based on cloud platform is put forward. The centralized management of system resources is realized. Enhanced resource utilization and system scalability, and reduced the development cost of the system. Through the centralized storage and management of rocket data, as well as the powerful computing and storage capacity of cloud computing, promote the gathering, integration and sharing of data resources. Enhance the security of the network system.


Objective To compare the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine and gemcitabine plus carboplation in treatment of elderly patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods 48 eligible patients above 65 years old who had previously been left untreated and were in stageⅢB orⅣNSCLC were randomly assigned to receive either gemcitabine alone(1000 mg/m~2 on days land 8 ) or gemcitabine plus carboplatin(area under the curve 5 on day 1 ) every 21 days. Results The overall response rate was 20.8%in gemcitabine group and 33.3%in gemcitabine with carboplatin group,respectively (P0.05).The median overall survival time was 8.2 months in gemcitabine group and 9.6 months in gemcitabine with carboplatin group(P0.05 ).The 1-year overall survival rate was 32.1%in gemcitabine group and 39.4%in gemcitabine with carboplatin group,respectively(P0.05 ).The frequency of grades 3 to 4 leucopenia and thrombocytopenia was significantly higher in the gemcitabine with carboplatin group(P for both variables0.05 ) but without associated increase in fever,infection or bleeding. Conclusion In advanced NSCLC,the single gemcitabine or gemcitabine plus carboplatin is tolerable and effective for elderly patients with advanced stages ⅢB and Ⅳ NSCLC.


The study analyzes the scientific research that has been developed in Germany on the discipline of political training. It depicts the foundations of political training as a realm of scientific study in pedagogy. The critical-hermeneutical method is used, and the objective of the study is characterized based on a review of contemporary German literature. The explanation of training as a scientific field is based on three components: theory of political training, didactic policy and practice. Results: The study shows the theory of political training defends a concept of critical democratic citizenship that promotes intellective capabilities and skills not only to understand, analyze and emit political judgments, but also to develop responsible actions within a democratic society. The analysis of didactic policy picks up the theoretical debate, acknowledging the constitutive quality of this scientific field by pointing to its synoptic nature and its relationship with baseline and specialty concepts. The article ends with an indication of the lines of research developed in Germany within the field of political training and the results. DOI: 10.5294/edu.2016.19.2.5


Presents a method of gain adjustment for an alpha-beta filter when data points are lost or when the tracking interval changes. The steady-state position and velocity lags are first derived for a step acceleration input. The standard predictor-corrector forms of the filter equations are algebraically rearranged into two uncoupled difference equations; one equation for the smoothed position and one for smoothed velocity. The equations are then solved for the smoothed estimates using the method of undetermined coefficients. The solution is shown to consist of the input acceleration, transient terms and steady-state lags. The transient terms counteract the effects of the steady-state lags until the time determined by the filter's lag time. The steady-state lags are used for optimal adjustment of filter gains for aperiodic track conditions. For a varying track update interval, the filter gains which preserve a nominal periodic filter lag are derived. Such gain selection preserves the nominal lags associated with the constant tracking interval regardless of how the update interval varies. An example demonstrates the improvement in performance from using this approach.


In this paper we use child level data from Pakistan to estimate the probability of child mortality. We find that overall girls have a higher probability of surviving and when we look at disaggregated data we find that relative to boys, girls have a significantly lower probability of dying in the age group 0-1 but have a significantly higher probability of dying in the age group 1-5. The results are robust to mother level unobserved heterogeneity. Education of the mother is seen to have a significant and negative effect on child mortality and there is a threshold level of education that the mother has to attain before education starts affecting child mortality. We also find that increased duration between the births significantly reduces child mortality. We argue that the higher mortality of girls in the age group 1-5 reflects discrimination against girls in the form of lower health and other resource inputs.


The period of French domination left an important mark on the later history of English literature, which, in some cases, is more common with the artistic devices and style of French literature of the Norman period than with the study of Anglo-Saxon literature, from which it was artificially divorced. The Norman conquest conditioned certain specific features of language development. The main one was the spread of three languages in the Kingdom of England – French among the ruling class, English among the broad masses of the population, and Latin in church affairs and administration. This affected the linguistic and genre character of English medieval literature.Methods used in the study: general scientific (analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction), methods of theoretical research (from abstract to concrete), historical method Among the feudal lords, the most popular genre was chivalric poetry, which was brought from France by trouver singer-poets. The most common manifestation of chivalric poetry was the rhyming chivalric novel, which reflected the customs of the upper feudal class, promoted heroic deeds, the code of chivalric morality, and examples of human virtues. The novels about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table became the most popular.


To investigate the influences of time scheme, pressure treatment and initial conditions in incompressible fluid dynamics, a Stokes problem is solved numerically on a slab geometry within the framework of spectral approximation in space. Four algorithms are examined: splitting schemes, influence matrix method, penalty formulation and pseudo-spectral space-time technique. It is shown that splitting schemes are less accurate than the other processes. Furthermore, the initial field should respect a compatibility condition to avoid singularities at the initial time. If it is not possible to build such a compatible field, the numerical procedure has to present good damping properties at the first steps of the time integration.


Abstract Bariatric care providers should be aware that preventable injuries and deaths occur due to the malfunction of electric bariatric hospital beds; these malfunctions include beds catching fire, side rail failure, high mattresses that allow the patient to fall to the floor, and patient entrapment involving bed, side rails, and/or mattresses. Facilities and care providers need to be aware of the tested level of safety of their electric hospital beds and ensure that their beds meet or exceed minimum standards for patient and caregiver safety. This article will discuss current electric hospital bed standards and current regulatory processes in the United States and provide a guide for selecting bariatric hospital beds and implications for future research.


This dissertation consists of three essays in microeconomic theory with an emphasis on consumer search and strategic experimentation. Among many issues, I shed some lights on search frictions, commitment and information. In Chapter 1, together with Michael Choi and Kyungmin Kim, I consider an oligopoly model in which consumers engage in sequential search based on partial product information and advertised prices. We derive a simple condition that fully summarizes consumers' shopping outcomes and use the condition to reformulate the pricing game among the sellers as a familiar discrete-choice problem. Exploiting the reformulation, we provide sufficient conditions that guarantee the existence and uniqueness of pure-strategy market equilibrium and obtain several novel insights about the effects of search frictions on market prices. Among others, we show that a reduction in search costs increases market prices, but providing more pre-search information raises market prices if and only if there are sufficiently many sellers. In Chapter 2, I study the effects of limited price commitment on consumer search and optimal pricing. I consider an environment in which consumers are uncertain about a seller's commitment to the advertised price. I characterize the set of pure-strategy equilibria and find that a higher degree of commitment is beneficial to the consumers. I evaluate the effects of regulation that limits the extent of a seller's deviation from the advertised price and demonstrate that stricter regulation may not be welfare improving. I also consider the case where sellers have heterogeneous levels


This study examined the influence of type of social contract (i.e., transactional vs. relational) on how organizations responded to financial crisis in Turkey. Moreover, it examined the role of social contracts in moderating the relationship between type of response strategies organizations used and justice perceptions of employees. Participants were 132 full-time employees from 85 different business organizations. Results showed that as the social contract tended to be more transactional, there was less focus on cost-cutting strategies in production, marketing, and financial practices (PMF), whereas when the social contract tended to be more relational, there was less focus on cost-cutting strategies in human resource management practices (HRM). Cost-cutting in PMF areas yielded low procedural justice when employees were in organizations that were high rather than low on transactional contracts, whereas cost-cuttingin HRM areas resulted in low distributive justice when employees were in organizations that were high rather than low on relational contracts.


Dementia is one of the major disorders existing in our population. The nurse is responsible to plan the activities which will help to improve the behavior of clients and thereby reduce the complications. Nurses working with dementia clients should perform an analysis of client's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL


The present invention relates to a compression/injection mixed refrigerating machine unit in the field of refrigerating technology. Said invention includes compressor, oil separator, condenser, high-pressure liquid storage device, filtering dryer, sight glass, electromagnetic valve, two-stage injector, low-pressure liquid storage device, thermal expansion valve and evaporator. Said invention also provides their connection mode and its working principle.


Purpose
Policy-oriented responsibility initiatives are institutional attempts to make innovations more responsible. One such initiative is offered by the European Commission's responsible research and innovation (RRI) keys (public engagement, gender equality, science education, open access and ethics). This study is conducted in the context of an EU Horizon 2020 project and focuses on the introduction of RRI keys to innovation projects of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry. This study aims to understand how these RRI keys are perceived and adopted by industry project partners.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors use an ethnographic study based on "participant observation", supported by interviews and workshops with AM industry experts. In particular, the analysis covers two specific innovation use cases – one in the medical field, and second in the automotive field, in the context of the EU project. The analysis, based on ethnographic data, is inductive and interpretative.

Findings
The authors take a critical approach towards the implementation of RRI policy keys as measurable indicators, and argue that they are not easy tools to implement. The authors portray how RRI keys were understood and welcomed by industrial organisations, and how their implementation raised controversies. The authors also found that RRI keys are difficult to understand. They are not easy to measure and report, and this contrasts with earlier proposals of how RRI keys should be governed or implemented. The governance, meaning the dialogue between stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation, was time-consuming and required constant organisational learning.

Originality/value
Due to the insightful ethnographic methodology, the authors could well underline the faults and difficulties of the application of policy-oriented responsibility in innovation. The findings illustrate the difficulty of implementing RRI in an industry that mainly operates business-to-business. This can help future policymakers to find more successful ways of pushing industry and innovators to be more responsible. It can also suggest better ways of reaching higher organisational learning for the purpose of more responsible innovations.


e21534Background: Expression level of PD-L1 mRNA as determined by next generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming more routinely available in cancer profiling. We explored the relevance of PD-L1 mRNA ...


The present invention relates to an adhesion agent and a method comprising a hyaluronic acid derivative epoxide hydrogel. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a coalescing agent and a method comprising a hyaluronic acid derivative epoxide hydrogel that is used in applications such as anti-adhesion between tissues after surgery. Adhesion agent


The development of communication and information technology is one of the developments that can be felt in everyday life. The development of smartphones or smartphones and the internet is one of the real evidences. Another development that has felt its impact is the development of fashion. Nowadays fashion is no longer synonymous with women, but also for men. Not only fashion clothes or accessories, but also hair fashion. More and more hairstyles are becoming more and more confusing for consumers to choose the type of hairstyle they want. Many men also do not know the details obtained from other people about the new hairstyle. Therefore, the development of this Barbershop application can also help choose the desired hairstyle and can assist application users in making their choice. In addition, the application can determine the location of the nearest or best Barbershop for its users. Based on the conclusions of the results of this study, the application of barbershop services at Barbershops is useful for facilitating information problems and ordering barber services without customers having to come to the Barbershop and being able to create a good system that can facilitate employee performance at the Barbershop itself


A mathematical description of mass transfer characteristics in membrane contact devices which based on the equation of additivity of mass transfer resistance in the catalyst layer and the membrane in the body is presented. It is shown that this algorithm adequately describes the experimental data using the Nafion-type membrane in various states.


We introduce a simple formal syntax and use it to rewrite in a concise, uniform and intuitive way several standard definitions in topology which are usually expressed in words. The definitions include compact, discrete, connected, and totally disconnected spaces, dense image, induced topology, closed subsets, and some of the separation axioms. The syntax is of category-theoretic flavour and is based on the observation that these properties can all be defined category-theoretically by repeated application of a standard category theory trick, the Quillen lifting property (orthogonality of morphisms), starting from a single (counter)example. We hope our reformulations may be use in formalisation of elementary topology and in teaching.


This paper deduces the relationship between power factor and slip angle frequency based on equivalent circuit of induction motor in stable state.According to this relationship,frequency vector control system is formed based on con-stant power factor.The experiment indicate that the energy-conserving effect is especially obvious under light loads.


Lymphovascular invasion is defined as tumor growth around the vessel,destruction of vascular wall or intravascular tumor thrombi formation. It can be divided into blood vessel invasion( BVI) and lymphatic vessel invasion( LVI).Recent studies have demonstrated that lymphovascular invasion is a poor prognostic factor of non- small cell lung cancer( NSCLC). It increases the risk of early recurrence and metastasis. Patients with lymphovascular invasion have lower relapse- free survival( RFS) and overall survival( OS) than patients without lymphovascular invasion. However,it remains controversial if this result is due to the role of BVI or LVI. According to domestic and international literatures,preoperative high resolution computed tomography( CT) and CEA levels can predict the possibility of lymphovascular invasion,which promotes early recurrence and metastasis of NSCLC by such mechanisms as VEGF up- regulation,the existence of ITCs and so on. It is recommended to use anti- CD34 to mark BVI and anti- D2- 40 to mark LVI by immunohistochemistry. It is also suggested to separate BVI from LVI upon and incorporate lymphovascular invasion into the new edition of the TNM classification. Furthermore,the need for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IA NSCLC should be re- evaluated.


Background: In 2015, Watkin et al. (Nat Genet 2015;47:654-60) described mutations in COPA to cause an autosomal dominant lung and joint phenotype demonstrating variable expression and sometimes non-penetrance. The COPA gene encodes a subunit of the coatomer protein complex, required for retrograde protein trafficking from the golgi apparatus to the endoplasmic reticulum. How dysfunction of COPA leads to inflammatory disease is unknown. Aims: We present a case report to illustrate this new disorder, which should be considered in a child with features of polyarthritis and interstitial lung disease. Methods: Retrospective case review. Results: A 4-year old girl presented to Paediatric Rheumatology with an 18 month history of joint pain. There was extensive joint swelling and she was ANA positive. She was diagnosed with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis and commenced on steroids and methotrexate, resulting in clinical remission 13 months later. Aged 6 years, due to persistent cough, decreased exercise tolerance and finger clubbing, she underwent a respiratory workup. Widespread reticulo-nodular changes were seen on chest X-ray; lung function showed a restrictive defect (FEV1 and FVC both 54% predicted); CT chest demonstrated interstitial lung disease; numerous lipid-laden macrophages, but no pathogen, were seen on bronchoalveolar lavage; CFTR genetic analysis revealed the genotype F508del/R117H (7T) (sweat chlorides 52 and 38mmol/l). FEV1 improved to 64% following antibiotic treatment. A subsequent pH study showed significant gastro-oesophageal reflux and anti-reflux medications were added. Methotrexate was stopped. A scheduled lung biopsy was postponed when she became unwell with macrophage activation syndrome. She was treated for a lupus like condition with steroids and cyclophosphamide. Subsequent lung biopsy revealed a mixed picture of inflammation and aspiration. She underwent fundoplication and treatment with Rituximab. Currently, aged 10 years, lung function remains stable (FEV1 74%, FVC 79% predicted). Current medications include mycophenolate mofetil, hydroxychloroquine, prednisolone and prophylactic antibiotics. Given the combined joint and lung disease, we undertook genetic analysis and identified a mutation in COPA (c.727G>A/ p.Asp243Asn in exon 9). The aspartate at 243 is conserved to yeast. The p.Asp243Asn substitution is not listed on the publically available SNP databases, and is predicted as highly damaging. Importantly, Watkin et al. described a substitution to a different amino acid at this same position (p. Asp243Gly). The 4 mutations published in COPA syndrome all fall within the WD40 repeat domain of the protein. Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first UK case of COPA syndrome to be described. This rare condition should be considered in a child with features of polyarthritis and interstitial lung disease. The relevance of the CFTR sequence variants is unclear.


A comprehensive review of the technology currently used by the industry has been prepared and storage field operator's assessments of the relative costs and benefits of the deliverability enhancement techniques being used have been obtained. A compilation of the data provided by the storage field operators indicates that the most widely used remedial techniques include washing, acidizing, reperforation, and infill drilling. An analysis of factors limiting gas storage well deliverability demonstrated that near-wellbore permeability damage could cause serious productivity decline. Analyses of remedial techniques presently used by the operators were performed. New technologies, such as extended wellbores, were evaluated for applicability to gas storage. A cost/benefit analysis of the impact of new technologies on deliverability of the reservoir classifications was performed. Improvements in deliverability of up to 700% are achievable with these techniques based on analytical modeling of generic reservoir types. If such gains can be achieved, a significant reduction of base gas can be realized, end-of-season (low-pressure) deliverability increased, and overall efficiency improved by operating fewer wells at reduced cost.


Hydroelectric power (hydropower) is unique in that it can function as both a conventional source of electricity and as backup storage (pumped hydroelectric storage and large reservoir storage) for providing energy in times of high demand on the grid (S. Rehman, L M Al-Hadhrami, and M M Alam), (2015 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 44, 586–98). This study examines the impact of hydropower on system electricity price and price volatility in the region served by the New England Independent System Operator (ISONE) from 2014-2020 (ISONE, ISO New England Web Services API v1.1." https://webservices.iso-ne.com/docs/v1.1/, 2021. Accessed: 2021-01-10). We perform a robust holistic analysis of the mean and quantile effects, as well as the marginal contributing effects of hydropower in the presence of solar and wind resources. First, the price data is adjusted for deterministic temporal trends, correcting for seasonal, weekend, and diurnal effects that may obscure actual representative trends in the data. Using multiple linear regression and quantile regression, we observe that hydropower contributes to a reduction in the system electricity price and price volatility. While hydropower has a weak impact on decreasing price and volatility at the mean, it has greater impact at extreme quantiles (>70th percentile). At these higher percentiles, we find that hydropower provides a stabilizing effect on price volatility in the presence of volatile resources such as wind. We conclude with a discussion of the observed relationship between hydropower and system electricity price and volatility.


Circulation of drugs is currently very widespread in all circles, both the old and the young, which causes damage to the morale of a person and the nation. Narkoba stands for narcotics, psychotropics, and other illegal drugs. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia then introduced another term, namely, NAPZA which stands for narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive substances. Narcotics/Narcotics Crime is a crime that has entered the Disaster phase in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to find out how evaluations can be carried out in handling drug addicts at the Mitra Sehat Community Foundation. Psychological evaluation is a way to assess and learn about the soul, both about various symptoms, processes and backgrounds. The Social Work Method is a work procedure that must be used in helping and dealing with victims of drug abuse. This practicum aims to find out and examine the problems experienced by addicts so that they can fall into drugs. This type of research uses the Casework method by Zastrow, which is divided into 4 stages, namely; Research Stage, Assessment Stage, Intervention Stage, and Termination Stage. The theory that underlies social casework is basically derived from the theory that underlies social work, as well as various other theories about humans and humanity, namely the dynamic psychology of personality development, personality structure and functions. Every addict has a lot of problems and of course different. Therefore, students take one of the residents to be a client in overcoming the problems faced by the client. Students also make several activities that later can help residents in the problem solving process, such as Master Chef Cooking Competitions, Building an Outdoor Reading Garden, Playing Games, and Morning Gymnastics.


This paper analyses the curriculum requirements for this course,processes reforms about the class content,teaching methods and the format of examination,and focuses on the students' innovation.Therefore,the teaching course will suitable for the developing prerequisite for these majors in 21th century.


We analyze theoretically a domain wall structure associated with time reversal symmetry breaking in an unconventional superconducting pairing function. The doubly degenerate states necessarily form domain wall boundary where two kinds of randomly created degenerate states meet in a sample, giving rise to spatially varied magnetic field across it and associated screening current along it. This non-uniform field yields the anomalous increase of the muon spin relaxation time recently observed in a heavy Fermion material UPt 3 below the second transition temperature.


Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and the structural relaxation model of Tool Narayanaswamy and Moynihan simple was numerically explored for obtaining the functional influence of the model parameters of the low temperature polymer and the effect of cooling/heating rates on the normalized specific heat capacities.The results indicated that changes in the shape of the curves when using different values of qh and qc relationship and different parameter can be used as an consultion of the structural relaxation of the polymer.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.1 The prognosis of HCC is generally poor, largely depending on the tumor stage, the severity of underlying liver disease, and treatment modalities. According to current HCC management guidelines, curative therapies (including liver transplantation, surgical resection, and local ablation) are considered for patients with small and limited numbers of HCCs with good liver reserve (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages 0 and A). The 5-year survival rate can be up to 70% in patients with HCC receiving curative therapy; however, the median survival is less than 3 months for those with advanced disease (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage D).2 Therefore, much effort should be invested in preventing progression to end-stage liver disease3,4 and identifying HCCs in high-risk patients as early as possible.5 Because patients with cirrhosis and hepatitis B or C infection harbor a 3% to 8% risk of HCC development per annum, several guidelines recommend regular surveillance of HCC for these high-risk patients,2,6,7 including ultrasonography with or without α-fetoprotein every 6 months.2,6,7 The Japan Society of Hepatology suggests that contrast computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) every 6 to 12 months is another optional strategy,8 and gadoxetic acid– enhanced MRI is recommended as the first-line surveillance tool by the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan.9 However, this practice is not widely accepted because of the cost and availability of MRI in individual institutions across the world. According to a recent meta-analysis, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography to detect HCC at any stage was 94%; however, the sensitivity decreased to 63% for ultrasonography to detect early stages of HCC.10 In patients with cirrhosis, the sensitivity of ultrasonography alone to detect HCC was even lower (32%).11 Absent detection of HCC by ultrasonography accounts for 70% of surveillance failure in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment Against Cirrhosis trial.12 The sensitivity of ultrasonography is suboptimal, especially in the nodular liver with multiple dysplastic nodules. Ultrasonographic examination is also subject to the examiner's experience and is thus operator dependent. Nonetheless, there is lack of information regarding the cost-effectiveness of using CTor MRI-based surveillance for HCC. In this issue of JAMA Oncology, Kim et al13 conducted a study to investigate the benefit of MRI surveillance compared with ultrasonographic screening in a high-risk group of patients with cirrhosis without prior HCC. All patients underwent 1 to 3 biannual screening examinations with paired ultrasonography and gadoxetic acid–enhanced MRI. The main outcome was the HCC detection rates and the false-positive findings of ultrasonography vs MRI. The study enrolled a total of 407 patients with cirrhosis to receive 1100 screenings with paired ultrasonography andMRI,and43patientswerediagnosedashavingHCC.TheHCC detectionrate(sensitivity)ofMRIwas86.0%,significantlyhigher than the 27.9% detection rate of ultrasonography (P < .001). Ultrasonographic screening had significantly higher false-positive findings than MRI (5.6% vs 3.0%; P = .004). Among patients with HCC,74.4%hadveryearly-stageHCC(BarcelonaClinicLiverCancer stage 0), and 67.4% received subsequent curative treatments. Of particular note, the 3-year survival rate of the patients with HCC (86.0%) was not inferior to those without HCC (86% vs 94.2%, P = .08). The strengths of this study include a large number of atrisk patients with cirrhosis undergoing surveillance and the head-to-head comparison of MRI with ultrasonography, which provides a direct evaluation of the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value between MRI and ultrasonography. Nevertheless, several aspects of this study merit comment. The detection rate of MRI and ultrasonography in this study is somewhat suboptimal. As expected, compared with ultrasonography, MRI has a superior sensitivity (86%) and PPV (53.6%), but the PPV of liver-specific contrast-enhanced MRI for the detection of HCC had been reported up to 100%.14 The characteristics of the 5 missed HCCs are crucial: 4 had atypical vascular patterns and 1 was missed by interpretation. The sensitivity and PPV for HCC by ultrasonography are 27.9% and 16.9%, respectively, which are again significantly lower than previously reported.10 The PPV of ultrasonography is even lower than the PPV of α-fetoprotein screening (PPV, 20%) in the study. The authors explained that the lower detection rate by ultrasonography was probably because of the earlier identification of HCC by a sensitive MRI examination, and diagnosis of HCC by ultrasonography was difficult because of distorted liver parenchyma in patients with advanced cirrhosis. Further analysis revealed that subcapsular localization of HCC is the only significant factor to be missed during ultrasonographic examination, providing useful information for practicing physicians. Another concern is that multidetector CT was used as the criterion standard of HCC diagnosis. Gadoxetic acid– enhanced MRI had higher sensitivity to detect HCC compared with multidetector CT,15 especially in the early stage of Related article Opinion


SUMMARY Primary Leptomeningeal lymphmoma (PLML) is a low frequency neoplasm representing 1% to 2,4% of pri -mary lymphomas of the central nervous system (CNS). The most frequent histological variety is the extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MALT lymphoma), but other variants are reported such as diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The location and extent determine the clinical manifestations. In radiology, images with contrast are preferred to difference from meningiomas which are the main differential diagnosis; nevertheless surgery and histology confirm the diagnosis. Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment and radiation therapy is a secondary alternative. The purpose of this paper is to present three cases of PML, the radiological variants and to conduct a focused literature review with treatment of this pathology.KEY WORDS. Central nervous system neoplasms, immunohistochemistry, lymphomas, meninges. (MeSH). Recibido: 16/07/15. Aceptado: 2/10/15. Correspondencia: Fernando Gonzalez Trujillo: email@example.com


In the article entitled Safeguard Measures under the Civil Litigation Code, the author analyzes the issue of the institute of safeguard measures ordered by the court. The aim of this article is to deal in detail with the establishment and creation, cancellation and termination of safeguard measures. The article pays attention to the purpose and assumptions of the order of safeguard measures introduced into the Civil Litigation Code because the previous legislation on interim measures under the Civil Procedure Code did not allow the establishment of a lien to secure a creditor's monetary claim.


A mechanism is proposed for dynamic enhancement of the electromagnetic form factor of the nucleon in the timelike region of momentum transfers q/sup 2/ close to the threshold of the production of the NN-bar pair. The large nucleon form factor measured in experiments on the annihilation of slow antiprotons into an e/sup +/e/sup -/ pair (G. Bassmpierre et al., CERN Preprint, 1977) will be shown to be caused by the strong t-channel interaction between p and p-bar in the initial state. By way of consequence of this proposed model, a sharp increase is predicted for the quantity R =sigma/sub h/ad/sigma/sub mumu/ in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation in the region Sapprox. =4m/sup 2/ (m is the nucleon mass).


Tumor resection in the rolandic region, also known as sensorimotor cortex, is a challenge. This study aims at reviewing a series of patients undergoing resection of metastases in the sensorimotor cortex using a multimodal concept including neuronavigation, sonography, and intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring. Eleven patients suffering from metastases located in precentral (8) and postcentral gyrus (3) were analyzed concerning their functional motor outcome. Improvement of motor function could be seen in 5 patients 1 week after surgery, 5 patients remained unchanged, and only 1 deteriorated. Median survival time averaged 15 months. A multimodal approach, including preoperative and intraoperative neuronavigation, intraoperative sonography, and intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring can lead on to excellent functional outcome in surgery of metastases in the sensorimotor cortex.


The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of motivation, performance allowance, and leaders' commitment toward employees' fraud level at Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Curup. The population of this research is all 50 civil servants of IAIN Curup who receive performance allowance. This research employs total sampling method in which the sample is the whole number of population. The result shows that motivation positively affects the employees' fraud level. On the other hand, performance allowance negatively affects the employees' fraud level, and the leaders' commitment does not give any effect to the employees' fraud level.


Sets of new low temperature Rosseland mean opacities have been computed for different Z values and compared with Kurucz (1992) low-T opacities for a solar Z value


Brilliant young historian Ben Wilson explores a time when licentious Britain tried to straighten out its moral code, ridding itself of its boisterous pastimes, plain-speaking and drunkenness - raising uncomfortable but fascinating parallels with our own age. "Decency and Disorder" is about the generation who grew up during the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars, and some of its most exciting figures.


The behavior of viscoelastic hemispherical shells was investigated under internal blast loading. It has been revealed in the process of calculation-experiment research of dynamic viscoelastic properties of structural polymeric materials that glassy polymers change sharply their viscoelastic characteristics. Unlike to mechanical glass transition to glassy state glassy polymers showed ability to transfer into the high-elastic state as a result of elastic energy dissipation. [viscoelastic properties. hemispherical shell, polymethilmetacrylat, dynamic. Young's modulus]


The article gives an overview of the work of scientists and researchers on the history of journalism and the development of Orthodox church periodicals in Russia since pre-revolutionary period to 90th years of the twentieth century. To summarize, it is important to note that the history of the formation of the church periodicals studied only superficially, and not yet fully understood the mechanism of interaction of Orthodox media with government policies in general.


JIPITEC 8 (2017) 3 - The Internet intermediary liability regime of Directive 2000/31/EC places hosting providers in the role of private gatekeepers. By providing an incentive in the form of a liability exemption, the EU legislature has ensured that hosting providers cooperate in the policing of online content. The current mechanism results in a situation where private entities are co-opted by the State to make decisions affecting the fundamental right to freedom of expression. According to the theory of positive obligations, States not only have to refrain from interfering with fundamental human rights, but also actively protect them, including in relations between private individuals. This paper analyses whether the doctrines of positive obligations (under the European Convention on Human Rights) and effective protection (under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) may require the States to take additional measures to protect the right to freedom of expression from interference online. In particular, the paper analyses whether the Charter may require the EU legislature to take additional measures to ensure that the right to freedom of expression can be effectively enjoyed online, for example by introducing procedural safeguards in the legal framework regarding removal of online content.


Computed tomography of the cardiovascular system has gained increasing interest in the clinical practice of cardiology. Recent developments of computed tomography facilitate adequate visualisation of cardiovascular anatomy. Due to the enormous progress in multidetector CT technology, non-invasive coronary imaging has matured to become a clinical tool in daily radiology practice. The latest developments in the field are all described in this superbly illustrated volume. The authors describe first the technical aspect of CT and radiation dose from several types of CT exams. Although there is considerable enthusiasm, the authors emphasize that many doubts remain about the appropriate clinical indications of cardiac MDCT studies. The different cardiac structures viewed by this method are detailed with an abundance of illustrations. In the following chapters, prediction of coronary stenoses and major adverse cardiovascular events are discussed with the measurement of coronary artery calcium. Coronary angiography by computed tomography has of course become the principal interest of this new technique: detection of coronary artery stenoses, coronary anomalies, non-invasive evaluation of coronary artery bypass grafts or assessment of stents is clearly described. Even if MRI is preferred for evaluation of patients with cardiomyopathies due to the superior soft tissue characterization; the authors present also other applications of cardiac computed tomography and confirm that cardiac CT is an important and useful tool in evaluation of the pericardium and myocardium. A subsequent chapter deals with the role of computed tomographic imaging in electrophysiology. Since MDCT is most commonly used in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation, this rhythm will be used as the basis for understanding the applications and benefits of MDCT in diagnosis, treatment (catheter ablation) and follow-up of patients with heart rhythm disorders. A large part of this book is dedicated to peripheral computed tomographic angiography: from the aorta to the upper and lower extremities, the whole vascular tree is explored in details. Finally, more than 100 pages explain investigational and future uses of this relatively young field. This book offers a comprehensive and abundantly illustrated collection of cardiovascular computed tomography applications for cardiologists as well as radiologists. It constitutes a perfect tool for a better understanding of the specific cardiovascular structures and the appropriate use of this technology.


We describe the background and status of a Shuttle mission to measure the heat capacity of helium confined by parallel plates with 57-/nm spacing very close to the superfluid transition. The purpose of the experiment is to compare the results with the emerging theory of confined systems with emphasis on the behavior during crossover from three to two dimensions. The experiment will use a cylindrical copper calorimeter of very high thermal conductivity, partly filled with evenly spaced thin silicon plates. It will be attached to a pair of high-resolution, fast-response paramagnetic salt thermometers with rms noise levels below 0.1 nK/Hz/ and suspended from a high-stability thermal isolation system previously used on the Shuttle. We expect to obtain heat capacity data to within 1 nK of the lambda point. In addition, wide-range data containing information on the behavior of the surface specific heat will be collected.


In recent years, Deep Neural Networks were successfully adopted in numerous domains to solve various image-related tasks, ranging from simple classification to fine borders annotation. Naturally, many researches proposed to use it to solve geological problems. Unfortunately, many of the seismic processing tools were developed years before the era of machine learning, including the most popular SEG-Y data format for storing seismic cubes. Its slow loading speed heavily hampers experimentation speed, which is essential for getting acceptable results. Worse yet, there is no widely-used format for storing surfaces inside the volume (for example, seismic horizons). To address these problems, we've developed an open-sourced Python framework with emphasis on working with neural networks, that provides convenient tools for (i) fast loading seismic cubes in multiple data formats and converting between them, (ii) generating crops of desired shape and augmenting them with various transformations, and (iii) pairing cube data with labeled horizons or other types of geobodies.


Article showing the upsurge in urban rail activity in France. The choice of the best urban public transport and automobile transport in several towns are discussed.


In this study, the effects of spacer and variation of spacer height in reverse electrodialysis (RED) on the seawater and ion transport were investigated. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for a hexagonal spacer was constructed. The results showed that the swirl in the channel and ion transport rate to the membrane were enhanced at higher Reynolds number, on the other hand, pressure difference between the inlet and outlet was increased. Moreover thicker spacer increased Power number and Sherwood number.


Objective To explore the change of small airway function in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIPs).Methods 159 patients with IIPs hospitalized in the respiratory department of Beijing Chao Yang Hospital,from Jan.1999 to Feb.2007 were studied.113 of the 159 patients were with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF),23 were with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) while 23 were with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP).Their lung ventilation,gas exchange and small airway function were tested.Results In IIPs patients,small airway function indexes significantly declined,and maximal expiratory flow rates at 25% and 50% vital capacity (V25%,V50%) were both smaller than 80% of the predicted value.The incidence of small airway dysfunction in IPF,NSIP and COP were 51.32%,73.91% and 69.56% respectively,and among these,the difference between NSIP and IPF showed statistical significance (P0.05).Conclusion The patients with IIPs not only have restriction of ventilation function and impairment of lung diffusion function,but also have small airway dysfunction.Different types of IIPs have different incidence rates of small airway dysfunction.Patients with NSIP may have a higher incidence of small airway dysfunction than IPF.Small airway function test may contribute to the whole evaluation of pulmonary physiological function in patients with IIPs.


PURPOSE: To elevate the efficiency of a brushless DC motor by setting the position in which insert a rotor core integrating member for firmly uniting a lamination structure of rotor core to the specified position where the change of magnetic fluxes is little. CONSTITUTION: In the condition that a permanent magnet 2b is buried in the direction perpendicular to the radial direction in the specified position of a rotor core 2a, a hole 2e for inserting a pin or a bolt 2d as a rotor core integrating member is made in the specified position where the change of magnetic flux is little inside the rotor 2. Accordingly, it gets in such condition that the flow of a magnetic flux is hardly disturbed by the hole 2e and the pin or the bolt 2d as a rotor core integrating member. Hereby, the increase of the iron loss inside the rotor core 2a can be suppressed, and the efficiency of the brushless motor can be kept high. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio


The article describes a clinical case of surgical treatment of a patient with multiple primary malignant lesions of the lungs (cancer of the left lung, central peribronchial nodular tumor with involvement of the upper lobe and distal parts of the main bronchus; cancer of the right lung, central tumor with involvement of the upper lobar bronchus). Radical treatment became possible due to using the potential of artifi cial gas exchange of both lungs with two devices with fundamentally different ventilation mechanics. The choice of an optimal tactics for the functional correction of the supposed hypoxemia by volumetric and high-frequency pulmonary ventilation allowed avoiding an imbalance in the ventilation/perfusion ratio and preventing the development of life-threatening complications, as well as ensured an adequate gas exchange for the patient during surgical treatment.


40 Swiss mice were transplanted with S-180 sarcoma cell suspension inthe axillary region and were divided into 2 groups, one group received Ge-132 100mg/kg I.V. daily, the other group served as control. One half of the animals in both group were sarci-ficed 5 days and 12 days after transplantation.respectively. The tumors were examined und- er light and electron microscopy, and some were stained for G6-PDand LDH histochemical-ly. The results showed that in the treated group the size of the tumor were smaller and the number of mitosis of tumor cells decreased as compared with the control group. The activity of G 6-PD as well as LDH were lower in the tumor cells of the treated group. Under electron microscope, tumor cells in treated group exhibited reduced organelles in their cytoplasm, associated with frequent pyknosis of nuclei, dense deposit in mitochondria and smoothness of their cytoplasmic membranes. All these changes indicated that tumor cells in the treated group were obviously suppressed by the action of Ge-132.The mechanism of anti-tumor activity was also discussed.


Excessive scarring, particularly hypertrophic scars, can be treated effectively with currently available laser treatments, results of a recent study suggest.


Abstract : A computer model, Primary Consolidation and Desiccation of Dredged Fill (PCDDF), has been developed to predict the settlement of dredged material placed in confined disposal sites. PCDDF, a model that calculates both consolidation settlement and desiccation settlement, uses a well established theory to predict consolidation and employs an empirical formulation to predict desiccation. At present, no field or laboratory procedures exist for determining values for the empirical desiccation parameters. This study established procedures for quantifying these parameters through a field evaluation program in the US Army Engineer District, Philadelphia. A water budget approach was used to calculate desiccation parameters for the dried crust of the desiccating dredged material at the Wilmington Harbor Containment Area near Wilmington, DE. The evaporation efficiency was found to be a constant value of 0.72, the drainage efficiency was 0.21, the saturation limit was 3.02, the desiccation limit was 2.69, the depth of second-stage drying was 0.20 m, and the percent saturation of the desiccated crust (including cracks) was 0.74. The long-term water budget for the desiccated crust for the entire duration of the study clearly indicates that second-stage drying was largely completed when the study began. The procedures utilized in the study at the Wilmington Harbor containment area can be employed at other dredged material disposal sites to determine quantitative values for the empirical desiccation parameters. (aw)


In studying the contraceptive mechanism of the IUD the endometrial estrogen and progesterone receptors were examined in a clinical study 235 women were divided into 2 groups. In the first group there were 104 women aged 23-54 with IUDs inserted for 1 month to 21 years. Among them 9.6% were over age 45. The control group included 131 women aged 22-53 who have regular menstrual cycles and no IUDs. Among the controls women aged >45 accounted for 32.8%. The mean values of estrogen in both he proliferative and secretory phases of the uterine cycle in the IUD user group were higher than in the controls. The mean value of progesterone in the IUD user group was higher in the proliferative phase and lower in the secretory phase then in the control group. The estrogen and progesterone levels of the cases who had IUDs inserted for less than a year were higher in the proliferative phase and lower in the secretory phase than in those who had IUDs for over year. Thus the endometrial estrogen and progesterone levels change with the insertion of the IUDs. It is conjectured that have contraceptive effects of the IUD may be associated with the changes in estrogen and progesterone levels. On the other hand the alterations in endometrial function reflected in the binding of estrogens and progesterone to their receptors may be initiated by local mechanical irritations produced by the IUD.


254 British Journal of Community Nursing Vol 18, No 5 As Government reforms of the NHS kicked in this April, it is crucial that community nurses realise/ recognise that despite possible improvements, as well as some upheaval and uncertainty in the health and social care landscape, patients' needs remain constant. Therefore, nurses must cease the opportunity to provide impeccable palliative care to all including patients dying in the community. In recognition of the impact of the NHS reforms, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hospice & Palliative Care and the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) came up with a strategy to ensure that palliative and end-oflife care is kept as a national and local priority. On 20 March, they launched a document jointly produced with Marie Curie Cancer Care entitled 10 Questions to ensure good end of life care in your area. These questions are useful for all health professionals, as they offer a guide on what areas to ask commissioners, MPs, GPs and local councillors about how they intend to develop palliative care services. These questions could also be a good basis for research projects that will look into more detail on how palliative and end-of-life care is being delivered in local areas. It is impossible to discuss every question here, so a couple have been selected as examples.


A uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare cause of uterine bleeding. It may have varied presentations ranging from being completely asymptomatic; to features of congestive heart failure, to vaginal bleeding which may at times life be threatening. Clinical findings in such cases are often un-reliable; requiring a high index of suspicion to make the diagnosis. We report a case of a 46-year-old lady who presented with heavy vaginal bleeding. She has undergone hysterectomy with a histopathology of choriocarcinoma one and half months back. She has received chemotherapy and 8 fractions of radiotherapy for the same. AVM was diagnosed following a CT angiogram and was managed by embolization. We also discuss in brief about this uncommon but serious condition which the radiologist/gynaecologist may encounter in their practice. AV Malformation is a rare but potentially life-threatening cause of vaginal bleeding which must be kept in the differential diagnosis of sudden and massive vaginal bleeding. It requires a high index of clinical suspicion. Despite its rarity, early recognition of an AVM is imperative to enable timely diagnosis and intervention.


The subjects recalled 10-number lists in the same order as presented or in ascending natural serial order, at a .5-sec or 2-sec rate. They were told the order of recall before (pre-cue) or after (post-cue) list presentation. Presentaiion rate had little effect on the relationship between recall order and cuing. Serial-order recall was superior to same-order recall and the 2-sec rate was superior to the .5-sec rate, but cuing interacted with both order and rate, producing greater differences for pre-cuing than post-cuing.


Objective To investigate the apoptosis of alveolar macrophage and its significance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods A total of 11 patients with COPD and 10 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Alveolar macrophages (AM) were harvested from the BALF (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid). The positive rate of myeloperoxidase (MPO) staining of alveolar macrophages by MPO staining was observed so as to indirectly reflect neutrophil apoptosis and the phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils by alveolar macrophages. Apoptosis were detected by the transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique. Results The positive rate of alveolar macrophages by MPO staining was lower in COPD group than the control group (P0.01). The apoptotic rate of macrophages within BALF from COPD group was much lower than the control group[(1.9±0.7)% vs (4.8±1.3)%] (P0.01). DEX induced the apoptosis of cultured alveolar macrophages in a time-dependent manner and the apoptotic rate of AM treated with DEX for 12, 24, 48 h in COPD group was higher than the control group. Conclusion There was a decreased apoptosis of alveolar macrophages and a less phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophil by alveolar macrophages in patients with COPD. DEX can significantly induce the apoptosis of alveolar macrophages.


This paper looks at the performance of Mueller's play Verkommenes Ufer, through the prism of its Hindi Translation to engage with the pertaining issues related to the field of theatre translation. It is interesting to go about the process of production of his play into Hindi within the context of current debates that are emerging in relation to the translation in the field of theatre. This is particularly relevant as the debates in the field of Theater Translation makes differentiation between the literary translation and the theatre translation on the pretext that a theatre translation is undertaken keeping in mind the hypothetical performance.


Background and Aims: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the only recognized precursor for esophageal adenocarcinoma. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a major contributing factor towards upper gastrointestinal diseases, but its relationship with BE remains controversial. Some previous studies suggested that H. pylori infection negatively correlated with BE, while others did not. This may be attributed to the difference in the selection of control groups among studies. The present meta-analysis aims to clarify their association by combining all available data from well-designed studies. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled by a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics. Meta-regression, subgroup, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses were employed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Results: Twenty-four studies with 1,354,369 participants were included. Meta-analysis found that patients with BE had a significantly lower prevalence of H. pylori infection than those without (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.45–0.64; p < 0.001). The heterogeneity was statistically significant (I² = 79%; p < 0.001). Meta-regression, subgroup, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses did not find any source of heterogeneity. Meta-analysis of 7 studies demonstrated that CagA-positive H. pylori infection inversely correlated with BE (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.15–0.44; p = 0.000), but not CagA-negative H. pylori infection (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.90–1.67; p = 0.206). Meta-analysis of 4 studies also demonstrated that H. pylori infection inversely correlated with LSBE (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.18–0.86; p = 0.019), but not SSBE (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.30–1.77; p = 0.484). Conclusion: H. pylori infection negatively correlates with BE. More experimental studies should be necessary to elucidate the potential mechanisms in future.


Primary depositional structures are important parameters that can provide the means of unraveling the processes and process responses in sedimentary depositional settings. This paper is aimed at determining the paleoenvironment of the Upper Bima Member in Fufore and environs using the primary depositional structures. This research was carried out in two phases which involved fieldwork that dealt with logging the outcrops sections and desk work whereby the logged sections and other field data are digitized, remodeled and analyzed using relevant computer programs. The result of the study shows that the Upper Bima Member is composed of five lithofacies succession; trough cross-bedded sandstone facies (St), planar cross-bedded sandstone facies (Sp), horizontal bedded sandstone facies (Sh), ripple cross-laminated sandstone facies (Sr), and mudstone facies (Fm). These lithofacies gave rise to two facies associations; sand dominated and fine-grained facies dominated facies association. The cross-stratified facies show an overall paleocurrent trend in the NW direction. These facies succession represent both shallow perennial and ephemeral sand-bed in a braided river depositional environment.


Significance Adult hippocampal neurogenesis, the lifelong generation of neurons in the dentate gyrus, is important for brain functioning, including learning, memory, and mood regulation. Its dysregulation is associated with cognitive decline and mood disorders. We discovered that the Rho GTPase-activating protein, α2-chimaerin, is essential for adult hippocampal neurogenesis, as it precisely regulates the transition of neural stem cells (NSCs) into intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs). Conditional knockout of α2-chimaerin in adult NSCs in the mouse hippocampus resulted in a loss of the Klotho-expressing NSC population and the premature differentiation of NSCs into IPCs, which impaired neuron production. These mice also exhibited compromised hippocampal synaptic plasticity and anxiety/depression-like behaviors. Thus, our findings revealed that α2-chimaerin is important in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis involves the lifelong generation of neurons. The process depends on the homeostasis of the production of neurons and maintenance of the adult neural stem cell (NSC) pool. Here, we report that α2-chimaerin, a Rho GTPase-activating protein, is essential for NSC homeostasis in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Conditional deletion of α2-chimaerin in adult NSCs resulted in the premature differentiation of NSCs into intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs), which ultimately depleted the NSC pool and impaired neuron generation. Single-cell RNA sequencing and pseudotime analyses revealed that α2-chimaerin–conditional knockout (α2-CKO) mice lacked a unique NSC subpopulation, termed Klotho-expressing NSCs, during the transition of NSCs to IPCs. Furthermore, α2-CKO led to defects in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and anxiety/depression-like behaviors in mice. Our findings collectively demonstrate that α2-chimaerin plays an essential role in adult hippocampal NSC homeostasis to maintain proper brain function.


Close your eyes while standing in a mature forest along the North Pacific coast of North America in spring and you will smell the wet moss and feel its softness beneath your feet. You might detect the scent of a nearby cedar or hear the long and trembling song of a wren. You would sense the presence of tall and stately conifers nearby, and perhaps the wind lifting and bouncing their rain-heavy branches. Coniferous forests of the North Pacific coast of North America have an air of permanence where they remain intact, although this book will explore their heterogeneity and the uncertainties in their future. Aesthetically they are unparalleled in grandeur, being graced with long days during the growing season, mild winter and summer temperatures, and abundant rainfall. An active geology has been favorable as well: as the Juan de Fuca plate dives under the North American plate, the products of mountain uplift and volcanoes often mix with rocks ground by glaciers to provide young, nutrient-rich substrates. This setting supports forests of extraordinary productivity and biodiversity from northwestern California to Southeast Alaska (fig. 1.1; plate 1; chap. 2) that are greatly valued by their human inhabitants. Abundant moist temperate plants and animals have nurtured some of the wealthiest nonagricultural Native cultures ever known from North America. Visions of this productive landscape drove many of the Europeans migrating along the Oregon Trail early in the nineteenth century, and the forests provided a strong economic engine for the growing region through the twentieth century.


Dr Marnie Badham (RMIT University) and Lenine Bourke (independent artist) were engaged to assist All The Queens Men in understanding the significance and meaning of the social art project. Building on their research and practice experience in community partnerships, socially engaged art, and working with vulnerable communities, a narrative research methodology (Liamputtong, 2006) was developed in close consultation with project stakeholders. The primary aim of the evaluation was to support the artists, partners and community to critically reflect on their experiences, explore the value of The Coming Back Out Ball through action research (Wadsworth 2006), and consult stakeholders to plan for the future. All The Queens Men retain the intellectual property rights on the data collected. The evaluation methodology employed multiple methods:
- ethnographic site-based observation;
- review of key literature and media: political context, research on LGBTI ageing communities, socially engaged arts/cultural development, dance with older people;
- extensive pre and post event interviews with Tristan Meecham, All The Queens Men;
- the design, support and analysis of volunteer-led semistructured interviews with a range of community, artistic and partners (47 @ 20 minute interviews at event);
- access and review of All The Queens Men organisational material including project planning and internal correspondence;
- online post event survey with more than (153 respondents of 500 attendees);
- live public participatory evaluation conversation at MPavillion (34 participants).


A technique ground on precise-integration in time-domain (PITD) is applied to resolve the problem of electromagnetic scattering characteristics of magnetized plasma. The method combines the main equations of current density vector and electric field intensity vector with the principal equation of electric flux density D through the calculation method of auxiliary differential equations, and the equations are rewritten as linear ordinary differential equations for solving, and the coefficient matrix and integral terms in the equations are processed by the exact integration (PI) analysis and Gaussian integration methods, respectively, to obtain the component iterative equations for the solution of the ordinary differential equations. The technique is further implemented to analyze the galvanomagnetic scattering characteristics of a homogeneous time-varying magnetized plasma sphere through the simulation verification of a three-dimensional non-magnetized plasma sphere.


A study was conducted at the Nazareth Agro Pastoral Training Centre in Bamenda, Cameroon to determine the effect of weaning age on the survival rate and growth performances of rabbits kept in the Western Highlands of Cameroon. The research lasted for five months starting from April to August 2014 and aiming at looking for the appropriate age of weaning rabbit kits. Live weight and solid feed intake were recorded after every seven days depending on the kindling date of each doe to determine their increase in weight. The litter size, still birth, mortality and weaning age were monitored for all the kits. The rabbits were weighed pre-kindling and on the day of kindling with their kits. The mortality rate was registered as well as the feed consumed during this period. Doe selection was done based on live body weight. The does were grouped into three groups: one Original Research Article Bongaman et al.; AJRAVS, 6(1): 35-41, 2020; Article no.AJRAVS.59515 36 having does with weights less than 2900g, group two having does with weight ranging between 2900g and 3200g and the last group with does with live weights above 3200g. Weaning was done in three phases 21days, 28days, and 35days, respectively. Data collected from the experiment were subjected to Analysis of Variance and Descriptive Statistics using Microsoft Excel application. The results obtained showed that there was a significant difference (P<0.05) among means of average weights of animals weaned at the 21 days, 28 days and 35 days of age. The best survival rates of rabbit kids were obtained when the animals were weaned at 35days of age.


The simulation of rich star clusters presents challenging problems of several kinds, including the design of suitable hardware and software, and numerous theoretical problems in stellar dynamics and stellar physics. Great progress has been made possible in recent years through the widespread use of GRAPE hardware. Simulations are, however, still too small to be applied to real star clusters without scaling. How this is done is partly an issue of stellar dynamics, and it has thrown into focus a number of fundamental theoretical problems in this field.


This article aims to examine the relationship between willingness to pay and tourists' circuit in Kundasang-Ranau, Sabah. The research approach used was the evaluation and case study. This study involves the use of quantitative methods through a survey questionnaire of 150 respondents. The result shows that the majority of the tourists' travel status to selected tourism locations in Kundasang-Ranau were decided personally by the tourists themselves which are 131 respondents (87.3%). The status of travel to tourist destinations set by tourism package was 11 respondents (7.3%) and travel set by the organization or institution was eight people (5.3%). A total of 105 respondents (70%) stated that the price of the entrance fees to tourist destinations influenced their decision to determine the tourist destination they visit. Next, the main criterion taken into account by tourists in choosing a tourist destination is the destination that they have never visited, which is 59 people (59.3%). The results of the study also found that tourists' circuit is not only influenced by the willingness of visitors to pay to a certain destination but also influenced by the type of travel status chosen.


1. The object-oriented software process 2. The initiate phase 3. The define and validate initial requirements stage 4. The define and initial management documents stage 5. The justify stage 6. The define infrastructure stage 7. The construct phase 8. The model stage 9. The program stage 10. The generalize stage 11. The test in the small stage 12. The deliver phase 13. The test in the large stage 14. The rework stage 15. The release stage 16. The assess stage 17. The maintain and support phase 18. The support stage 19. The identify bugs and enhancements stage 20. Managing object-oriented projects 21. Introducing the OOSP into your organization 22. Parting words Visual glossary Positions.


A 39-year-old woman presented with a small, smooth, bluish swelling of the buccal mucous membrane at the level of the second upper molar. She had noticed this swelling only two weeks previously. Since this was felt to be simple mucous retention cyst, it was eradicated with diathermy under local anaesthetic. Three months later the swelling persisted but she remained asymptomatic and declined further treatment. For a further two years the lesion remained quiescent but then rapidly increased in size and began causing increasing discomfort. A 1.5 cm. diameter mass was excised intra-orally under general anaesthesia. The residual defect healed well. However, histological examination indicated that the margins of resection were involved by tumour. Therefore, a more radical resection was performed, excising 1 cm. of normal mucosa on all aspects of the tumour. To date, three year's post-operatively. there is no evidence of tumour recurrence.


Yam is an important staple crop cultivated mainly in the tropical courtiers across the globe for its underground tubers. It ranks fourth among the tuber crops in terms of the economic benefits. As per the publication of Coursey et al., (1967), the word "YAM" originated from an African word that means "to taste". Currently yam cultivation is spreads over 4.6 million ha with annual production of about 52 million tons from around 50 tropical countries (FAO, 2007). Oyenuga (1968) reported that, yam is a leading source of calories for over 300 million people in the world. And it contains higher values of protein and substantial amount of vitamins including thiamine, riboflavin and ascorbic acid and International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 11 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com


It is a common idea in the academic world that the Lisus and Nus in the upper areas of the Nu River and the Lancang River are the descendants of the ancient Diqiang nomadic people, who migrated along the northwestern area to the southwestern area of Dian. However, there has been a heated discussion and a long time study on how the ancient people migrated to the Nujiang area, how they developed into two different ethnic groups, and what was the process of becoming different out of the isogeny. By combining the ethnological and linguistic materials and research approaches, this paper, based on historical documents, poses into the reasons why the ethnic peoples of the same origin developed differently as well as the clues for the development.


This study introduced the resources overview and processing utilization of shellfish in Fujian and proposed four measures for Fujian shellfish development from the aspects of shellfish purification,shellfish risk control,deep processing and comprehensive utilization of shellfish,and implementation of integrated multi-tropic level shellfish culture model.


In this paper, extreme learning machine (ELM) is introduced to predict the subcellular localization of proteins based on the frequent subsequences. It is proved that ELM is extremely fast and can provide good generalization performance. We evaluated the performance of ELM on four localization sites with frequent subsequences as the feature space. A new parameter called Comparesup was introduced to help the feature selection. The performance of ELM was tested on data with different number of frequent subsequences, which were determined by different range of Comparesup. The results demonstrated that ELM performed better than previously reported results, for all of the four localization sites.


With the rapid growth of the BD (big data) industry, many universities are focusing their professional development and expansion efforts on cultivating talent in related industries as well as building and developing big data disciplines. The BD technical training platform of vocational education based on IPE (Integration of Production and Education) is built in this paper, and the agreement signing, process management, effectiveness evaluation, big data analysis, and statistics of the integration of production and education are realized using edge computing technology, providing a solution for the informatization development of the integration of production and education. The access sequence was discovered among some knowledge points, as well as the sequence of knowledge points frequently viewed by students, and the teaching platform adjusts the content of web pages based on these rules to better provide personalized services for users.


All elderly patients seen on post-take ward rounds should be assessed by the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), with resuscitation status and ceiling of care discussed and documented accordingly in the medical notes and discharge letters.

We opportunistically reviewed the medical notes and discharge letters of all patients aged over 75 years immediately prior to discharge. We conducted three cycles of data collection, each lasting 1 week in duration, from November 2017 to January 2018. Data was recorded into an anonymised Excel template. We determined a pre-intervention …


SUBTITLE: PLANES ARE STACKED ON THE RUNWAYS AND CIRCLING IN HOLDING PATTERNS, DELAYS ARE PILING UP... ACTIVITIES OF FAA'S AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM COMMAND CENTER AND AIRLINE FLIGHT DISPATCHERS ON A DAY WHEN SEVERE WEATHER AFFECTED OPERATIONS AT ATLANTA WITH DISRUPTION TO THE NATIONAL SYSTEM.


The external morphology, sensory canals and osteology of Leuciscus lepidus (HECKEL, 1843), a species from the Tigris-Euphrates and adjacent basins are described based on the collections of the Zoologisches Museum und Zoologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt a. Main and the Narurhistorisches Museum Wien. Wide anatomical inand out-group comparisons are made to arrive at the phylogenetic relationships of L. lepidus (HECKEL, 1843) within the genus and the subfamily Leuciscinae. It is shown that several species of Leuciscus (L. cephalus (LINNAEUS, 1758), L. pyrenaicus GUNTHER, 1868, L. illyricus (HECKEL & KNER, 1858), L. svallize (HECKEL & KNER, 1858), L. spurius (HECKEL, 1843) and L. lepidus (HECKEL, 1843), the latter being the most derived member of this lineage and the entire genus) form an assemblage characterized by a suite of common derived features some of which are specializations shared with genera of the tribe Aspinini sensu BOGUTSKAYA (1990a, 1991a) or, partly, the aspinine group sensu HOWES (1978, 1984). Morphological differences between the Aspinini and the Pseudaspinini are also discussed.


A bald definition of the word "History" would be -" narrative of events," -"an account of that which is known to have occurred". But a• ordinarily used, the word is understood to include more than a simple statement of facts, in that there is an attempt to discern contemporary a• well a• previous conditions, a• affecting the events which are narrated. For the real aim of History should be, not simply to gratify curiosity, but to inform the reader of actions, occurrences or events which have taken place, in connection with, or in consequence of, certain conditions, and thereby to serve az a means of instruction, a• well a• of information to the reader.


The hyperproliferative tumor stroma of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) severely limits drug permeation and constructs an immunosuppressive microenvironment, causing resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Traditional nanomedicine mainly focuses on manipulating nanoparticles' particle size or electrical characteristics to penetrate deep PDAC through the paracellular pathway, but the transcellular pathway is often ignored. Therefore, a versatile drug‐polymer conjugate PODEA‐Gem‐HMI is prepared and assembled into nanoparticles for the codelivery of chemotherapy drug gemcitabine and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor defactinib. While sensing the mild acidity in the tumor microenvironment, the nanoparticle will disintegrate and release defactinib to modulate the tumor stroma. The PODEA block of the conjugate can bind with cell membranes reversibly and trigger adsorption‐mediated transcytosis (AMT) for promoted tumor penetration and cellular uptake. The internalized conjugates will release gemcitabine responding to the overexpressed glutathione (GSH) for enhanced chemotherapy, and PHMI can condensate the STING monomers for prolonged spontaneous immune stimulation.


Numerous studies have already indicated the negative relationship between the number of siblings and educational attainment,but they always neglected the role of gender due to their lack of background knowledge of the Chinese society.In this paper,educational attainment is treated as a derivative of family resource transfer.With analyses of data from the investigation into urban youths in 12 Chinese cities in 2007,this study found empirical evidence to support that(1) family size has negative influence on children's educational attainment with those without siblings receiving more education than those with siblings;(2) among the youths with siblings,family size does have an influence,but mainly on girls;and(3) there was no gender difference in educational attainment among those who are the only children in their families.


Ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) attracted increasing attention because it is a feasible and efficient strategy to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OSCs. However, rational molecular design of...


Memristor, memory resistor, is an emerging technology for computational memory. Number of different memristor models are available based on the physical experiments. To use memristor as a computational memory element, one should know how the internal state modulates in time when driven by current or voltage. In this paper, we examine three widely used models and make a comparison of how internal state in these models changes with respect to input current or voltage. In Strukov model, internal state changes linearly with the input current. However, the linearity of internal state modulation in Yang model can be controlled. On the other hand, Pickett model shows non linear variation in internal state with the input current.


Summary Lignin is a major polymer in the secondary plant cell wall and composed of hydrophobic interlinked hydroxyphenylpropanoid units. The presence of lignin hampers conversion of plant biomass into biofuels; plants with modified lignin are therefore being investigated for increased digestibility. The bacterium Sphingomonas paucimobilis produces lignin‐degrading enzymes including LigD, LigF and LigG involved in cleaving the most abundant lignin interunit linkage, the β‐aryl ether bond. In this study, we expressed the LigD, LigF and LigG (LigDFG) genes in Arabidopsis thaliana to introduce postlignification modifications into the lignin structure. The three enzymes were targeted to the secretory pathway. Phenolic metabolite profiling and 2D HSQC NMR of the transgenic lines showed an increase in oxidized guaiacyl and syringyl units without concomitant increase in oxidized β‐aryl ether units, showing lignin bond cleavage. Saccharification yield increased significantly in transgenic lines expressing LigDFG, showing the applicability of our approach. Additional new information on substrate specificity of the LigDFG enzymes is also provided.


Summary One hundred and twelve patients sufTering from moderate to severe major depression (DSM III) were enrolled into a study to compare the antidepressant activity and side efTect profIles of two dosage groups of minaprine (200mg and 300mg per day) and one of imipramine (150 mg per day) in psychiatrie practice. - Eight patients were withdrawn because of unwanted efTects (four imi pramine, one minaprine 200 mg, three minaprine 300mg) and seventy-eight spontaneous reports of unwanted efTects were made from the imipramine group compared with sixty-four from the minaprine 200 mg and forty-six from the minaprine 300mg groups. - The main efficacy analysis was carried out at 4 weeks on the 89 evaluable patients who completed 2 weeks active treatment, the last observation being carried forward in those patients who did not complete. A secondary analysis was also carried out at 6 weeks. The response in all three treatment groups showed a significant improvement from the severity at entry to the study, and the response rate to minaprine 200mg daily was similar to that of imipramine (53% vs 54% achieving a reduction of 50% or more on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale by week 6), although, given the small group sizes, similar efficacy cannot be claimed. - In the intention to treat analysis there was a significant dose response rela tionship with significantly more patients in the lower mina prine 200 mg dose group achieving 50% or more reduction in the Hamilton Rating Scale than the minaprine 300mg group at week 4 (p <0.05). The response in the minaprine 300mg daily group was also consistently less on all meas


In this article the author compares the definiti ons of seven common contractive mappings and proves their implied relations .The n examples are given to prove that they do not imply some relations.\;


Abstract Mortality and sublethal effects of different doses of the multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus that infects the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), on the western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, were investigated. C. fumiferana multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (CfMNPV) is known to be more highly virulent to C. occidentalis than to its own host. Larval and pupal mortality were dose-dependent regardless of the age of the larvae challenged. Larval mortality was higher when younger larvae were challenged, whereas pupal mortality among the survivors was higher when older larvae were challenged. Older larvae were less susceptible to CfMNPV than younger larvae treated with the same virus concentration. Sublethal effects were also greater in the insects treated as older larvae. Sublethal effects of CfMNPV on C. occidentalis infected as sixth instars included prolonged developmental time of males to pupation, decreased male pupal weight, decreased longevity of both male and female adults, and a reduced proportion of females among the survivors, even though proportionally more males than females died in the pupal stage. Some of these changes were significant and were age, dose and sex-dependent. Sublethal effects of CfMNPV on survivors challenged as fourth instars were significant in reducing the proportion of females at the highest virus concentration. Fecundity and hatching success of C. occidentalis was not affected by CfMNPV treatment. These findings suggest that CfMNPV should be applied to fourth instars in the field to achieve high larval mortality. Implications of both the combined larval and pupal mortality and sublethal effects of viral application on the population dynamics of C. occidentalis are discussed and compared with previously reported results on other insects.


© 2012 Morgado et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A Bottom Up Approach to Modeling Habitat Connectivity Dynamics Through Networks Analysis


Generally, OFDM has immunity to the impulse noise. However, the performance of OFDM system will degrade seriously if the power of the impulse noise is above a certain threshold. In this paper, an impulse noise canceller based on the Reed-Solomon decoding with impulse detection will be proposed. As the uniform spaced pilots in frequency domain are employed as the syndromes, and the space between the pilots is coprime with the number of the subcarriers, such an assignment of the pilots will possess an innate interleaving property. The recursive extension is proposed to reconstruct the impulsive noise in frequency domain. And it can reduce the implementation complexity. The effectiveness of the algorithms is verified by simulations


The research progress on the function and utilization of D-ribose in recent years was reviewed, mainly including the effects of D-ribose on the function of heart,skeletal muscle and on the ability of exercise. The utilization of D-ribose in the medical health, the pharmaceutical industry and in the food industry was also discussed.


1 Abstract In this paper we present an application of predictive modular neural networks (PREMONN) to short term load forecasting. PREMONNs are a family of probabilistically motivated algorithms which can be used for time series prediction, classification and identification. PREMONNs utilize local predictors of several types (e.g. linear predictors or artificial neural networks) and produce a final prediction which is a weighted combination of the local predictions; the weights can be interpreted as Bayesian posterior probabilities and are computed online. The method is applied to short term load forecasting for the Greek Public Power Corporation dispatching center of Crete, where PREMONN outperforms conventional prediction techniques.


A method is presented for the solution of coupled‐mode equations for sound propagation in a range‐dependent waveguide. By following a new approach recently introduced in nuclear theory, the coupled‐mode equations are modified and then solved using the Lanczos method. Calculations are made for isovelocity waveguides with rigid bell‐shaped bathymetries having large slopes. Convergence properties and computer CPU times are examined as a function of the dimension of the coupled‐mode equations and the nature of the coupling. The efficiency of the approach is shown to increase as the dimension of the coupled‐mode equations increases.


By state space vector and Fourier series, an analytical solution for a piezoelectric plate lying on a viscoelastic foundation is presented in this paper. The uniform distributed or concentrated electromechanical loads on partially electroded piezoelectric plate surface are considered and the relationship between the electromechanical behavior and the structural/material parameters are extensively studied. The results reveal that, the mechanical displacements increase with time in the case of mechanical effect dominates, and the behavior of the piezoelectric plate is similar to the strain creep of elastic plate bending; the behavior is regarded as electric relaxation in the case of electric effect dominates and the deformation in this case is not a simple bending deformation. The results also show that the load distribution on partially electroded plate has an important impact on the behavior. The deflection of the plate nonlinearity increases with the electroded area. It is also found that there are stress and electric field concentrations close to the electrode coverage, and the concentrations are even severe under point electric charge or concentrated force load conditions. Moreover, elastic foundation with high viscosity is found to be benefit to reducing these local effects. The results also show that the stresses and electric potentials vary with plate thickness distinctly when the length-to-height ratio increases. For thin plates (L/H>6), the stresses and electric potential vary linearly across the thickness. For thick plates (L/H<6), they vary nonlinearly across the thickness, and the viscoelastic foundation has a positive effect to such nonlinearity. It means we can hardly use layer-wise or low order shear plate theories when dynamic response of piezoelectric plate on viscoelastic foundation is considered.


Space time block codes (STBC) have become a popular transmit-diversity technique due to their simplicity and high gain under a frequency-flat-fading channel and so have been adopted for the 3G wideband code division multiple access system (W-CDMA). However, the performance of an STBC is degraded under a multiuser and frequency-selective fading environment. The paper presents an improvement in the STBC under such environments by spreading the information symbols with a complex pseudo-noise (PN) sequence, called a Song-Park (SP) sequence. The SP sequence has a good even and odd cross-correlation property so that the intersymbol interference (ISI) and multiuser access interference (MAI) can be almost negligible. Therefore, a significant result is that the performance of the proposed scheme under a synchronous or asynchronous multiuser environment is close to that of a single user. In addition, the proposed system is much simpler than known multiuser detection (MUD) schemes, such as MMSE and zero-forcing (ZF) schemes, because the proposed system simply spreads and despreads the information symbols with the SP sequence consisting of complex numbers on the unit circle. The paper also extends the proposed idea to a differential STBC (D-STBC) system because a D-STBC does not require any channel estimation. Again, the proposed D-STBC spread with an SP sequence shows superior performance over the ordinary D-STBC with no spreading or a D-STBC spread with another sequence, such as a Walsh orthogonal sequence.


In this paper, we give a very general criterion for elimination of imaginaries using an abstract independent relation. We also study germs of definable functions at certain well-behaved invariant types. Finally we apply these tools to the elimination of imaginaries in bounded pseudo-p-adically closed fields.