This paper describes a successfully developed L-band FET for 28V operation. The FET structure was adequately designed to realize breakdown voltage of 84V and a gradual doping channel was adopted to improve the linearity. The FET realizes record operation voltage up to 42V. The FET also exhibits power density of l.OSW/mm, linear gain of 17.2dB and IM3 of -33dBc. A strait IM3 profile is obtained and so-called "plateau" profile is extinct. In addition, the estimated MTTF at Tch of 145 deg-C is longer than 4 x IO6 hours.


A nonlinear auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) structure capable of compensating nonlinear memory effects in RF power amplifiers is here presented. Results on the linearity improvement, in both in-band and out-of-band distortion compensation, achieved by this baseband digital predistorter are provided. Moreover, a study on this nonlinear ARMA system stability is also reported.


We explore immigrant students' experience of schooling focusing on Yang Yang and his family. We present insights into immigrant Chinese educational experience in Canada and bring forward a narrative‐inquiry framework for the study of student experience. We find that—contrary to some of the expectations of Chinese immigrants—family relations, student learning, and school policies are complicated, with families finding it difficult to translate Chinese educational values in the Canadian context and their children facing serious learning and social difficulties.


The labrid fish Cirrhilabrus sanguineus Cornic is redescribed on the basis of the neotype, two male specimens, and an additional female specimen recently collected from the northern coast of Mauritius. We provide new live and nuptial colouration descriptions, as well as the first documented female specimen for the species. we also include a molecular phylogenetic analysis of related species, with brief comments on phylogenetic interpretation of putative relationships amongst members of the genus Cirrhilabrus.


The suppression of hematic circulation of the internal auditory artery of a guinea-pig causes the necrosis of all anatomic formations of the cochlear duct, with the exception of the organ of Corti of the vestibular segment. The author confirms his hypothesis about the origin of the cochlear endolymph and thinks that the prominence provides the vegetative life of the organ of Corti.


In this paper, both 3-dimentional channel matrix eigenvalue probability distribution and a newly proposed generalized condition number (GCN) are used to analyze the capacity stability of 4-element compact MIMO systems when the mean angle of arrival (AoA) of the incident waves varies in the case that mutual coupling among array elements is considered. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations show that comparing with the traditional 4-element linear array, 4-element square array with spatially symmetric structure is much less sensitive to the angle of incidence, indicating that the square array can maintain a more stable capacity.


The study investigates the microflora of the facades of two towers of historical sacral buildings whose surface was cleaned by water blasting. Lime or lime-cement plaster in both buildings was gradually replaced by silicone facade paint in the finale of renovation work. Following the above treatment, the facades were monitored for the growth of phototrophs, heterotrophic bacteria, micromycetes, and pH levels as a sign signalling the silicone paint degradation.


Introduction Hitler as Moral Crusader and Liar The Cult of Evolutionary Progress Racial Struggle Morally Upright Aryans and Immoral Jews Hitler's Socialism: Building the People's Community Sexual Morality and Population Expansion Controlling Reproduction to Improve the Human Species The Struggle for Living Space: War and Expansionism Justifying Murder and Genocide Conclusion


This paper provides a description of the delivery of the Tolling and Traffic Management System (TTMS) for the I-495 High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes Project in the Northern Virginia portion of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The provision of the I-495 HOT Lanes will introduce two new, dynamically-priced toll lanes in each direction on I-495. Transurban (USA) Inc. has responsibility for the procurement, system installation and integration of the TTMS, as well as HOT Lanes operations once the road is opened. The System Engineering VEE Technical Development Process is used in the development and delivery of the TTMS.


Abstract– The composition of the most primitive solar system condensates, such as calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs) and micron‐sized corundum grains, show that short‐lived radionuclides (SLR), e.g., 26Al, were present in the early solar system. Their abundances require a local or stellar origin, which, however, is far from being understood. We present for the first time the abundances of several SLR up to 60Fe predicted from stars with initial mass in the range approximately 7–11 M⊙. These stars evolve through core H, He, and C burning. After core C burning they go through a "Super"‐asymptotic giant branch (Super‐AGB) phase, with the H and He shells activated alternately, episodic thermal pulses in the He shell, a very hot temperature at the base of the convective envelope (approximately 108 K), and strong stellar winds driving the H‐rich envelope into the surrounding interstellar medium. The final remnants of the evolution of Super‐AGB stars are mostly O–Ne white dwarfs. Our Super‐AGB models produce 26Al/27Al yield ratios approximately 0.02–0.26. These models can account for the canonical value of the 26Al/27Al ratio using dilutions with the solar nebula of the order of 1 part of Super‐AGB mass per several 102 to several 103 of solar nebula mass, resulting in associated changes in the O‐isotope composition in the range Δ17O from 3 to 20‰. This is in agreement with observations of the O isotopic ratios in primitive solar system condensates, which do not carry the signature of a stellar polluter. The radionuclides 41Ca and 60Fe are produced by neutron captures in Super‐AGB stars and their meteoritic abundances are also matched by some of our models, depending on the nuclear and stellar physics uncertainties as well as the meteoritic experimental data. We also expect and are currently investigating Super‐AGB production of SLR heavier than iron, such as 107Pd.


The invention relates to a wood surface layer for a parquet and a method for manufacturing the same. A piece of fresh wood is cut in the cross-grain direction into slices or blocks which are carried through a microwave oven. Immediately downstream of the oven, as the slices or blocks are cooling, the surface thereof is coated with a water-soluble polyalcohol which impregnates in wood as a result of the action of a vacuum developing within the wood. The polyalcohol replaces some of the cell-wall water of wood and thus prevents the formation of seasoning cracks and the moisture induced movements in wood.


Abstract: The investigation was done to evaluate the effect of moisture content on some physical properties of Lagenaria siceraria seed. The study was conducted at five moisture levels including 8.84%, 10.10%, 11.89%, 12.60% and 15.10% (wet basis). Results showed that the mean value of principal dimensions, average diameters, surface area and 1000 seed mass increased linearly but aspect ratio decreased with increase in moisture content. The sphericity increased in the moisture range of 8.84% to 11.89% but decreased with further raise in the moisture up to 15.10%. Gravimetric properties like bulk density increased with increase in moisture content however true density and porosity decreased linearly with increase in moisture content. Angle of repose and terminal velocity increased linearly with moisture content of the seed. The coefficient of friction increased linearly with seed moisture content on five experimental surfaces (plywood, galvanized iron, glass and plastic). The information pertaining to moisture dependant physical properties of Lagenaria siceraria seeds may become an essential part in design of processing machines and its unit operations, design of dehulling, oil expression and other processing equipments.
Keywords: Lagenaria siceraria, physical properties, angle of repose, aspect ratio, gravimetric properties, sphericity
DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20130604.013

Citation: Said P P, Pradhan R C. Moisture dependent physical properties of Lagenaria siceraria seed. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2013; 6(4): 111-120.


This paper probes into the concept of learning competence of university students,constitutional elements and training principles from the perspective of psychology and sports science,it also analyzes the existing problems in the learning ability of university students by using literature method and suggest advice of improving profession skills of P.E.Major students.


These results, while lending further weight to the hypothesis of a participation of kinins in the early hypotensive response of the dog to endotoxin suggest that in addition, the toxin can induce a delayed hypotensive response appearing after a latency period of a t least 15 min, and apparently not involving plasma kininogen breakdown. This response may be due to the direct impairing effect of E. cofi endotoxin on ventricular performance (Solis & Downing, 1966), which has a similar latency period.


Aim of study: comparison of clinical and functional diagnostic criteria in patients with severe bronchial asthma and in combination with obstructive sleep apnea. Materials and methods : 60 patients with severe asthma were divided into 2 groups: I group of patients with OSA were 30 patients (16 women and 14 men age (58,8 ± 2,2) years) and II group of patients without OSA consisted of 17 women and 13 men age (50,5 ± 2,1) years. In both groups FEV 1 ranged from (54,8 ± 3,1) to (58,2 ± 2,6)%). The following studies were performed: respiratory function, polysomnography, daily blood pressure measurement, Holter monitoring of ECG. Results: Asthma Control Test score revealed that patients with OSA had poor control of asthma symptoms (15,0 ± 4,7) compared to patients without OSA (18,0 ± 4,7) and higher scores for breathlessness scale MRCDS. Results of the questionnaire SQRG found that patients with OSA had more symptoms due to asthma and significant limitation of activity (67,1 ± 3,8) than patients without OSA (60,2 ± 4,7) (p Conclusion: the use of a wide range of diagnostic methods will allow for an adequate pathogenetic treatment and improvement of disease control in patients with severe asthma and in combination OSA.


A navigation and time transfer experiment (NAVEX) to be flown within the payload of the first German Spacelab mission D-1 is discussed. The objectives of the experiment are to synchronize distant ground stations with an accuracy of better than 10 nsec and to demonstrate one way ranging with an accuracy of better than 30 m. Spread spectrum signals are used and the related technique is tested. On board a Cs and a Rb clock is used. The relativistic effect of these clocks is about -25 microsec per day. On the ground at least two receiving stations and one transmitting-receiving station will be installed. The synchronization of the ground clocks by shuttle signals is compared to those achieved with clock transportations and with GPS measurements. A system description of this experiment is given containing details on the technical concept, the hardware and the planned data evaluation. The present state of the preparatory work is briefly reviewed.


Functions of clamping unit (Z-O) being a part of molding machine tool system have been presented. The factors characterizing the work and functional properties of Z-O unit were discussed. Criteria of such units' classification were defined and attempt to classify the units on the basis of these criteria has been done (Figs. 2-10). Currently used constructions of Z-O units were presented (Figs. 11,12). The structure and principle of working of the latest or most characteristic Z-O units, in relation to particular groups of classification, as well as of uncharacteristic Z-O units showing interesting construction features (Figs. 13-15) were described. Additionally, the factors determining the changes in Z-O units constructions, the effect of construction on the performance characteristic as well as the latest trends in such units design (automation) were presented.


The cryosphere collectively describes elements of the earth system containing water in its frozen state and includes sea ice, lake and river ice, snow cover, solid precipitation, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, permafrost, and seasonally frozen ground. The first part of this presentation provides a brief overview of the main elements of the Arctic cryosphere and their status and change. The second and main part of the presentation concentrates on the arctic sea ice and the impact of its rapid reduction on the arctic environment. Recent observations and models of sea ice distribution, concentration and thickness are provided and potential ecological and socio-economic implications are highlighted.


A beta Stirling engine is a rather complex thermodynamic system that is not in thermal equilibrium. The working piston
is driven by the change of pressure in the cylinder. The change of pressure itself is the result of the change of
temperature of the inert working gas enclosed in the cylinder. The temperature change of the working gas can only be
calculated by accounting for the heat transfer in gas and solid phases and if the motions of the displacer and working
piston are known. The challenge lies in the modeling of a Stirling engine involving multiple physical models that are
coupled. The most important hurdle is to study these physical models in interaction. In this work, a model of a free
piston beta Stirling engine developed using COMSOL Multiphysics is presented. The model is composed of a conjugate
heat transfer module and a module for the mechanical system dynamics (COMSOL Multibody Dynamics Module).
Conjugate heat transfer corresponds to the combination of heat transfer in solids and gases. The model is used to
provide some guideline on the materials requirement and for improving the dynamics of the Stirling engine.


When the studies conducted in the preventive intervention field are evaluated, it is seen that intense discussions continue about the efficiencies, effectiveness, implementation process, adaptation and how these programs are implemented regarding different cultures. The goal of this study is to report developments of theoretical and practical in preventive intervention science and to introduce Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies- PATHS program that is scientifically proven many times in terms of effectiveness and has become widespread gradually in many countries. PATHS is a universal school-based preventive intervention program which can be used to improve emotional social competence and reduce aggression and behavior problems for all children (both regular and special education) beginning in the preschool years through the end of elementary school. This study will build an intellectual base for practices of daily life and gaining prevalence for studies related to preventive intervention programs in early childhood education institutions. In this article problems encountered during implementation and requiring solutions critical issues will be discussed and recommendations will be made to resolve them. In this context, this study will contribute to preventive programs that are developed by considering problems and challenges in Turkish society and to the research based on comparison.


Overlay metrology for stacked layers will be playing a key role in bringing 3D IC devices into manufacturing. However, such bonded wafer pairs present a metrology challenge for optical microscopy tools by the opaque nature of silicon. Using infrared microscopy, silicon wafers become transparent to the near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, enabling metrology at the interface of bonded wafer pairs. Wafers can be bonded face to face (F2F) or face to back (F2B) which the stacking direction is dictated by how the stacks are carried in the process and functionality required. For example, Memory stacks tend to use F2B stacking enables a better managed design. Current commercial tools use single image technique for F2F bonding overlay measurement because depth of focus is sufficient to include both surfaces; and use multiple image techniques for F2B overlay measurement application for the depth of focus is no longer sufficient to include both stacked wafer surfaces. There is a need to specify the Z coordinate or stacking wafer number through the silicon when visiting measurement wafer sites. Two shown images are of the same (X, Y) but separate Z location acquired at focus position of each wafer surface containing overlay marks. Usually the top surface image is bright and clear; however, the bottom surface image is somewhat darker and noisier as an adhesive layer is used in between to bond the silicon wafers. Thus the top and bottom surface images are further processed to achieve similar brightness and noise level before merged for overlay measurement. This paper presents a special overlay measurement technique, using the infrared differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy technique to measure the F2B wafer bonding overlay by a single shot image. A pair of thinned wafers at 50 and 150 μm thickness is bonded on top of a carrier wafer to evaluate the bonding overlay. It works on the principle of interferometry to gain information about the optical path length of the stacked wafers, to enhance the image contrast of overlay marks features even though they are locating in different Z plane. A two dimensional mirror-symmetric overlay marks for both top and bottom processing wafers is designed and printed in each die in order to know and realize the best achievable wafer to wafer bonding processing. A self-developed analysis algorithms is used to identify the overlay error between the stacking wafers and the interconnect structures. The experimental overlay results after wafer bonding including inter-die and intra-die analysis results will be report in the full paper. Correlation of overlay alignment offset data to electrical yield, provides an early indication of bonded wafer yield.


Language acquisition occupies a central place in the study of human cognition, and research on how we learn language can be found across many disciplines, from developmental psychology and linguistics to education, philosophy, and neuroscience. It is a very challenging topic to investigate given that the learning target in first and second language acquisition is highly complex, and part of the challenge consists in identifying how different domains of language are acquired to form a fully functioning system of usage (Ellis, 2017). Correspondingly, the evidence about language use and language learning is generally shaped by many factors, including the characteristics of the task in which the language is produced (Alexopoulou, Michel, Murakami, & Meurers, 2017).


BACKGROUND
Ginsenoside Rh2 (Rh2), which is extracted form ginseng, exerts antitumor activity. Here we would like to study the role of Rh2 on hypoxia-induced migration in lung adenocarcinoma.

METHODS
Lung adenocarcinoma A549 and H1299 cells were cultured in 1% O2 condition to mimic the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. The migrations of cancer cells were measured by transwell assay and scratch assay.

RESULTS
Rh2 could inhibit hypoxia -induced A549 and H1299 cell migration via increase of mir-491expression. Further, mir-491 antisense oligonucleotide could repress hypoxia-induced migration and the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in Rh2-treated A549 cells.

CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that Rh2 exerts anti-metastasis activity in hypoxic tumor microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma cells via mir-491.


In the present study, association of Alopecia areata with Atopy was investigated and the results are discussed. Seventy percent (71.43%) of atopics had nail changes in contrast to 18.18% of nail involvement in non-atopics. Pitting was the commonest manifestation in both groups. This indicates that atopic individuals with AA had an increased tendency to manifest nail changes. In our study, 14.29% of atopics had moderate to severe AA whereas 31.25% of the same in non-atopics. Seventy one (71.43%) percent of AA patients with atopy had multiple lesions in comparison with 54.55% without atopy indicating increased severity in atopic individuals.


Cardiovascular diseases requiring surgical therapy in patients with prior liver transplantation are rare. Little is known about the outcome of patients with liver allograft undergoing cardiac surgery. Herein we report our experience in this patient population with an emphasis on operative outcomes and mid‐term survival. Between January 1998 and December 2004, 12 patients (mean ± standard deviation age 68 ± 9 years, 7 [58%] male) with previous liver transplantation who underwent cardiac surgery were identified. Main outcome measures were hospital mortality, postoperative complications, allograft function, and long‐term survival. There was no in‐hospital mortality. Three major complications (25%) occurred, including 1 each (8%) of respiratory failure, renal failure, and biliary leakage. All complications were resolved by the time of discharge. Allograft dysfunction determined by an increase of liver function parameters was noticed in 4 (33%) and recovered before discharge. The average length of stay in intensive care unit was 72 ± 45 hours, and the mean length of stay in hospital was 22 ± 17 days. One‐ and 5‐year survival was 91% ± 8% and 67% ± 14%, respectively. Cardiac surgery can be performed safely in liver transplant recipients with extremely low mortality and acceptable morbidities. Allograft dysfunction is a common finding, but it is transient, with early functional recovery. Five‐year survival of liver recipients undergoing cardiac procedures is similar to that of the general population undergoing cardiac surgery. Our data suggest that these patients should be considered for cardiac surgery in reference centers with expertise in complex cardiac procedures and perioperative management of these highly specific patients. Liver Transpl 13:1317–1323, 2007. © 2007 AASLD.


Concurrent separation logic (CSL) is a specification logic for concurrent imperative programs with shared memory and locks. In this paper, we develop a concurrent and interactive account of the logic inspired by asynchronous game semantics. To every program C, we associate a pair of asynchronous transition systems [C]S and [C]L which describe the operational behavior of the Code when confronted to its Environment or Frame --- both at the level of machine states (S) and of machine instructions and locks (L). We then establish that every derivation tree π of a judgment Γ ⊢ {P}C{Q} defines a winning and asynchronous strategy [π]Sep with respect to both asynchronous semantics [C]S and [C]L. From this, we deduce an asynchronous soundness theorem for CSL, which states that the canonical map ℒ: [C]S~[C]L, from the stateful semantics [C]S to the stateless semantics [C]L satisfies a basic fibrational property. We advocate that this provides a clean and conceptual explanation for the usual soundness theorem of CSL, including the absence of data races.


Midwest agriculture is in the midst of a rapid shift from primarily a food producer to being a major source of energy as well. Exceptionally high world crude oil prices in the last three years have brought huge investments in ethanol plants throughout the Midwest and even in areas far from the Corn Belt. In Iowa, combined corn processing capacity for ethanol and other corn products will soon be equivalent to more than half of the 2006 Iowa corn crop. If all planned plants are built, processing capacity would be equivalent to 133 percent of last year's crop--within three to five years.


Introduction Fluoxetine (FLX) is the most popular prescription drugs for treatment of major depressive disorder in young populations [1]. Recent studies have shown that chronic exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), such as FLX, during adolescence or juvenile period may cause neuroplastic changes on some brain regions, such as amygdala [2] and prefrontal cortex (PFC) [3]. In this work, we constructed tissue probability maps (TPMs) of adult rat brain using high resolution volumetric T2-weighted image datasets, and used them to perform VBM analysis on the structural changes caused by repeated FLX treatment in adolescent rats. Materials and Methods Subjects & MRI data acquisition: Adolescent rats (postnatal 35d) received intraperitoneal injection of FLX (5 mg/kg) (n=8) or normal saline (n=8) twice daily (4 hrs apart) for 15 consecutive days, and scanned 45 days after the last rejection. T2-weighted brain images were acquired with a RARE pulse sequence on a Bruker Biospec 7.0 T/20 cm scanner with the following parameters: RARE factor 4, matrix size 512×384, FOV 35 mm×35 mm, slice thickness 0.58 mm, 52 contiguous coronal slices, TR 5800 ms and TEeff 40 ms. A volume coil were used for RF transmitter, and a 4-channel phase-array surface coil for signal reception. Creation of template and TPMs: High-resolution RARE images of 19 adult normal male SD rats were used to create TPMs. All images were first cropped to a size of 312×184 pixels, manually stripped out of the extra-cranium pixels and corrected for image intensity ununiformity artifacts. Then the fuzzy c-means clustering method (FCM) was used to evaluate the probabilities of each voxel belonging to gray matter (GM), white matter (WM) or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), yielding three TPMs for each rat. An initial RARE template was created by resample a preprocessed rat image to voxel size of 0.1 mm×0.1 mm×0.1 mm, and smoothed with a 0.2-mm FWHM Gaussian kernel. All other preprocessed RARE images were spatially normalized to the initial template, and the affine transformation parameters obtained were applied to the corresponding TPMs of each rat. Finally, all the co-registered TPMs were averaged to obtain three TPM images with a matrix size 213×167×301 and a voxel size 0.1 mm×0.1 mm×0.1 mm. VBM analysis on FLX-treated rats: VBM analysis was performed twice using 'SEGMENT' in SPM8 with different TPMs: first with the TPMs created above and produced 'unmodulated normalized' tissue images for each rat brain, then with mixed group images averaged from all the tissue images in the first step, producing modulated normalized images containing volumetric information. These images were smoothed with a 0.2-mm FWHM Gaussian kernel and compared with two-sample t-tests. Results Selected slices of the TPM templates obtained are shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the probability distribution of GM, WM and CSF. The results of VBM analysis are shown in Fig. 2. Compared to control, the FLX-treated animals showed atrophy in the medial PFC (mPFC), motor and somatosensory cortices, fimbria of the hippocampus and parts of the thalamic nuclei. Discussion The TPM templates generated in this study could be used as target images in normalization and co-registration of T2-weighted or similar contrast rat brain images. They could also give probability priori estimates of tissue segmentation when segmentation or VBM analysis on rat brain is performed with SPM. Varea et al reported that chronic FLX treatment changs the neuroplasticity of the medial prefrontal cortex [4]. Homberg el al suggested that 5-HTT blockade (genetic and pharmacological) during devolopment in rodents causes functional and neuroanatomical deficits in the layer IV of somatosensory cortex [5]. Our observation that mPFC and somatosensory/motor cortex are atrophic in the FLX-treated rats, related to control, is consistent with these previous findings. Acknowledgements Supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of China (30870674 and 20921004) and Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (2011CB707800). References [1] Safer DJ et al, Pediatric, 2006, 118:1248–1251. [2] Varea E et al, Neuropsychopharmacol, 2007, 32:803–812. [3] Ago Y, Psychopharmacology, 2011, 217:377–386. [4] Norrholm SD, et al, Brain Res, 2000, 883:205–215. [5] Homberg SR et al, Trends Pharmacol Sci, 2010, 31:60–65.


Abstract With the change of external environmental factors, thermal loads are changing and causing fluctuating thermal stresses in critical fatigue details of steel bridges, which contribute to fatigue damage cumulation significantly. This paper proposed two fatigue evaluation methods considering the coupling effects of traffic load and thermal load: (1) Evaluation based on vehicular fatigue load model (VFLM) and thermal fatigue load model (TFLM). (2) Evaluation based on measurements of thermal load and traffic load. The analytical approach for obtaining the thermal fatigue load model was introduced, and the concept of the coupling stress model of 'wave-surfer model' was set up according to the mechanism of fatigue damage cumulation. Taking a steel box girder bridge as a case study, the collections of temperature data and traffic information were carried out. The two evaluation methods based on different load information were applied to two typical fatigue details, and the corresponding fatigue damage was calculated, which demonstrates that thermal effects should be taken into account for fatigue evaluation.


Background: A major set of preclinical models derived from specimens acquired from rapid autopsy patients in the National Cancer Institute Patient-Derived Models Repository (NCI PDMR, https://pdmr.cancer.gov) were from pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) patients, with metastatic specimens originating from liver, colon, omentum, and lung. Genomic characterization of these preclinical models provides a unique opportunity to study tumor heterogeneity and subclonality associated with the metastatic process and potential treatment resistance. Methods: To date, 30 rapid autopsy patient-derived xenograft (PDX)/patient-derived cell (PDC)/patient-derived organoid (PDOrg ) models derived from pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients (n = 9) have been sequenced using whole-exome sequencing (WES) and RNASeq. Tumor heterogeneity between primary and metastatic sites was studied based on somatic mutation, copy number alteration (CNA) and gene expression data. A bioinformatics workflow was developed to stably infer and visualize the tumor subclonality by integrating the tools of PyClone, SCHISM, and TIMESCAPE, using somatic mutations and site-specific copy number data of multiple samples generated from PDX models in primary and metastatic sites. Results: Among 30 rapid autopsy preclinical models from primary and metastatic sites, liver is the most common metastatic site in PAAD (9/19=47%) compared to other sites. Driver mutations are conserved in all preclinical model specimens derived from a given patient. KRAS p.G12D is present in 28 PDX/PDC/PDOrg models as well as the corresponding patient specimens, and BRAF p.V600E is present in other preclinical models. The fraction of the genome affected by CNA remains stable within a PDX model across passages (n=18, mean=7.63%, sd=5.90%). However, we found that this increased when comparing PDX models derived from metastatic sites versus the primary site (n=16, mean=19.47%, sd=9.69%). This indicates the presence of tumor heterogeneity between metastatic and primary sites. Site-specific subclones were identified in PDX models from two patients (521955 and 485368) and a phylogenetic tree of primary and metastasis sites indicates that one liver metastasis had a unique seeding event compared to the other metastatic sites for both patients. Conclusion: Tumor heterogeneity and subclonality was observed in preclinical models generated from PAAD patients in the NCI PDMR. These models provide a unique resource for preclinical studies in tumor evolution, metastatic spread mediators, and drug resistance. Citation Format: Li Chen, Biswajit Das, Yvonne A. Evrard, Chris A. Karlovich, Tomas Vilimas, Amanda Peach, Chapman Alyssa, Nikitha Nair, Anna L. Fong, Luis Romero, Ting-Chia Chang, Shahanawaz Jiwani, Lindsay Dutko, Kelly Benauer, Marianne Morton, Kelly Dougherty, Michelle A. Eugeni, Dianne Newton, Melinda G. Hollingshead, P. Mickey Williams, James H. Doroshow. Study of tumor heterogeneity and subclonality in primary pancreatic and metastatic sites from rapid autopsy patients in PDMR [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 3139.


The Kontsevich star-product admits a well-defined restriction to the class of affine -- in particular, linear -- Poisson brackets; its graph expansion consists only of Kontsevich's graphs with in-degree $\leqslant 1$ for aerial vertices. We obtain the formula $\star_{\text{aff}}\text{ mod }\bar{o}(\hbar^7)$ with harmonic propagators for the graph weights; we verify that all these weights satisfy the cyclic weight relations by Shoikhet-Felder-Willwacher, that they match the computations using the $\textsf{kontsevint}$ software by Panzer, and that the resulting affine star-product is associative modulo $\bar{o}(\hbar^7)$. We discover that the Riemann zeta value $\zeta(3)^2/\pi^6$, which enters the harmonic graph weights (up to rationals), actually disappears from the analytic formula of $\star_{\text{aff}}\text{ mod }\bar{o}(\hbar^7)$ $\textit{because}$ all the $\mathbb{Q}$-linear combinations of Kontsevich graphs near $\zeta(3)^2/\pi^6$ represent differential consequences of the Jacobi identity for the affine Poisson bracket, hence their contribution vanishes. Exploring the work of Kontsevich's Formality theorem, for both the full star-product (for generic Poisson structures) and the affine star-product (as well as its reduced version), we discover that the mechanism of associativity for the star-product up to $\bar{o}(\hbar^6)$ is different from the mechanism at order $7$. Namely, at lower orders the needed consequences of the Jacobi identity are immediately obtained from the associator mod $\bar{o}(\hbar^6)$, whereas at order $\hbar^7$ and higher, some of the necessary differential consequences are reached from the Kontsevich graphs in the associator in strictly more than one step.


Clayey soils are the most common material used in waterproofing and play an essential role in waste and contamination control. Permeability is a key parameter in such problems and its determination is needed in ensuring the satisfactory performance of the soil. Research has shown that a permeant fluid with a low dielectric constant can shrink the double layer around the clay particles which will, in turn, increase the permeability of the soil. In this paper, the permeability of two types of clay with different plasticity, exposed to the flow of water and methanol as polar and miscible solvents and gasoline and car oil as non-polar and immiscible solvents is investigated. In addition, the effect of soil properties such as plasticity and compaction water content on permeability of the samples is examined. To this end, soil samples are prepared and compacted at various water contents. Then, permeability tests are conducted according to the modified constant head method and the effects of parameters such as the fluid dielectric constant, water content of the samples and soil plasticity are examined. The results demonstrate that the lower dielectric constant of the organic fluid decreases the thickness of the double layer, providing more space for the flow of the permeant and as a result, the permeability of the clay increases. The reduction of the permeant dielectric constant from 80.4 to 2.28 led to a remarkable increase in soil permeability.


For the protection of firefighter in high-risk environment and safety and high rescue efficiency for complex terrain under the disaster site,the special electric wheel-track dualpurpose rescue fire fighting car with all-terrain traffic ability and field environment real-time display was proposed and designed.After presenting the preliminary scheme of the fire car,its traveling system,control and environmental monitoring system and fire monitor system were described respectively.The design and development were demonstrated effectively by the practical model in a certain fire unit.


The controlling of guide roller in ring rolling is very important.The current controlling measures and the problems existing are given.By analyzing the moving trace of guide roller,the paper provides a new controlling technology of guide roller including its realizing way in machinery.Finally a practical ring rolling experiment is analyzed and simulated by using a finite element software ABAQUS.The result indicated that high quality product can be manufactured by using this new controlling technology of guide roller.


We develop a new method to estimate the redshift of galaxy clusters through resolved images of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE). Our method is based on morphological observables which can be measured by actual and future SZE experiments. We test the method with a set of high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy clusters at different redshifts. Our method combines the observables in a principal component analysis. After calibrating the method with an independent redshift estimation for some of the clusters, we show - using a Bayesian approach - how the method can give an estimate of the redshift of the galaxy clusters. Although the error bars given by the morphological redshift estimation are large, it should be useful for future SZE surveys where thousands of clusters are expected to be detected; a first preselection of the high-redshift candidates could be done using our proposed morphological redshift estimator. Although not considered in this work, our method should also be useful to give an estimate of the redshift of clusters in X-ray and optical surveys.


A number of teaching/learning reforms are underway in the College of Engineering at Penn State to enhance student learning with a special focus on providing opportunities for students to apply and integrate their knowledge and skills, and to develop lifelong learning skills. All of the reforms use problem-based, collaborative learning approaches to achieve the simultaneous development of professional and technical skills by requiring students to practice these skills in an integrated fashion, within a realistic context. In the reform effort underway in Mechanical Engineering, courses are being developed in an IDEALS format, where IDEALS refers to Integrated Design, Experimentation, Analysis, and Life Skills. Here "life skills" are professional skills such as communication skills, team skills, and lifelong learning. To date, two different approaches to the IDEALS courses have been piloted, a one-credit course, which links to core courses the students are taking concurrently, and an IDEALS version of a three-credit required course. In this paper, the two pilot courses are described along with student evaluations of the courses and faculty assessment of the effectiveness of the approaches.


This paper reports an analysis of the acquisition of plosives and implosives by a Fulfulde monolingual child aged from 5 months to 10 months and 29 days. Analyses revealed that before 11 months the child was making use of complex consonant-like implosives and prenasal plosives. We provided new aerodynamic analyses of adult"s implosive /ɓ/. These aerodynamic data revealed that in Fulfulde this phoneme exhibits both voiced and voiceless allophones.


Quantifying the relative abundance of different neurotransmitters in the myenteric plexus has proved challenging using conventional immunocytochemical approaches. Here, we present a new method of quantifying neurotransmitter content of an important enteric signalling molecule, serotonin (5‐HT), in the myenteric plexus of guinea pig colon under different experimental conditions.


As digitization and packet switching revolutionize communications networks, American communications law faces a dilemma: How can it reconcile an old law that contains distinct regulatory structures for telephony, broadcasting, cable television, and satellites, and that leaves Internet Protocol transmission largely unregulated, with a future in which voice, video, text and data will simply be different form of information to be transmitted using IP or other packet-switched protocols? In particular, to what extent should (or can) regulators impose existing telecommunications regulation, including the snarl of cross-subsidies that dominates the telephone system, on IP networks? At the heart of existing telecommunications regulation is the distinction between "telecommunications service," whose providers are subject to FCC common-carrier regulation and must pay a percentage of revenues to a federal "universal service" fund, and "information services," whose providers are subject to no such obligations. The dividing line Congress and the FCC have drawn between these categories, though, is no longer workable. We must redraw that line in the modern communications context, so as to focus regulatory obligations on the underlying transport -- otherwise, the FCC will not be able to make coherent policy when it comes to IP telephony and other new services. The FCC must approach existing subsidies so as to make its overall regulation minimally distorting and technology-neutral.


The purpose of the article is to identify the formal features, lexico-grammatical and syntactic characteristics of the structure of interrogative sentences with si expressing the assumption of reasonability (desirability) of the action, as well as to determine the meaning and grammatical status of the element si, depending on the general meaning of the sentences introduced by it. The aim is to determine the influence of the communicative purpose of si clauses on the expression of assumption meaning, to establish the relationship between their modal value and the intended purpose, taking into account the role of the context and the situation.


Fruit bodies of Hericium erinaceus,strain Huazhong,were harvested at seven different developmental stages,dried and pulverized to pass a mesh size of 0.9 mm.Determination of protein levels in the powdered material,and polysaccharide levels in crude aqueous extracts,revealed that,in general,the former decreased as mushroom development progressed whereas the latter increased.The concentration of β-glucan in extracted polysaccharide material was much higher in samples taken at the second developmental stage compared with first-stage samples but then remained generally stable in samples taken at subsequent developmental stages.Crude polysaccharide(500 μg/mL) obtained from aqueous extracts of powdered fruit bodies harvested at the third developmental stage,when the initial protrusion formed on the fruit body disappeared and cracks formed in the fruit body which also became swollen and soft,enhanced the production of NO by RAW264.7 macrophages.


How can schools get college students to write papers using more scholarly texts? This problem became quite clear to us because of an incident one of this article's authors, Richard, witnessed during his MLIS internship, team teaching a twoweek introductory library course to freshmen at a California State University. Already an English Composition instructor trained in Rhetorical Theory, Richard worked closely with his mentor librarian during this internship to design curriculum that would help students to see the value of scholarly journals. The lecture went smoothly, and students seemed to understand how to get to these scholarly texts and how the sources would deepen their research and impress their professors. Students saw the actual physical journals and how articles are digitally represented within databases. At the end of the activity, Richard asked if anyone had questions. A student, seated at the front, opened up one of the journals, pointed at the page and said, "I have a question: I can't read this."


The development of differential fault analysis (DFA) techniques and mechanisms to inject faults into cryptographic circuits brings with it the need to use protection mechanisms that guarantee the expected level of security. The AES cipher, as a standard, has been the target of numerous DFA techniques, where its security has been compromised through different formulations and types of fault injections. These attacks have shown vulnerabilities of different AES implementations and building blocks. Consequently, several solutions have been proposed that provide additional protection to cover the identified vulnerabilities. In this paper, an extensive analysis has been carried out covering the existing fault injection techniques, the types of faults, and the requirements needed to apply DFA. Additionally, an analysis of the countermeasures reported in the literature is also presented, considering the protection provided, the type of faults considered, and the coverage against fault attacks. The eight different types of fault that allow us to perform DFAs on the AES cipher have been differentiated, as well as the vulnerabilities of the cipher. On the other hand, two comparisons have been made considering frequency penalty vs. area and fault coverage vs. area and frequency overhead. A metric has been proposed to compare the fault coverage of all the proposed solutions. To conclude, a final analysis is presented discussing the key aspects when choosing a particular solution and the possible development of new countermeasures to provide further protection against DFA.


Raimon, who composed in the second half of the twelfth century and into the beginning of the thirteenth century, sends the song as his messenger to the king of Aragon. Raimon thereby imbues his song with speech, mobility, and agency, human characteristics that transform the song from what seems like an outward expression of Raimon's inner feelings to a personified entity in itself. Through the enactment of its tornada (a half-stanza that occurs at the end of troubadour songs) the song moves out of Raimon's body via his singing voice toward a second figure (that of his patron). Much scholarship exists on the troubadour lyric corpus, thanks to its status as the earliest such corpus in a Romance language; it provides insight into the roles men and women played in Occitan courtly society, and marks the beginning of a tradition of romantic secular lyric poetry that continues in later contexts. Scholars in musicology and comparative literature alike have produced


The auto-correlation function of the Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) forest flux from high-z quasars can statistically probe all scales of the intergalactic medium (IGM) just after the epoch of reionization. The thermal state of the IGM, which is determined by the physics of reionization, sets the amount of small-scale power seen in the \lya forest. To study the sensitivity of the auto-correlation function to the thermal state of the IGM, we compute the auto-correlation function from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with semi-numerical models of the thermal state of the IGM. We create mock data sets of 20 quasars to forecast constraints on $T_0$ and $\gamma$, which characterize a tight temperature-density relation in the IGM, at $5.4 \leq z \leq 6$. At $z = 5.4$ we find that an ideal data set constrains $T_0$ to 29\% and $\gamma$ to 9\%. In addition, we investigate four realistic reionization scenarios that combine temperature and ultra-violet background (UVB) fluctuations at $z = 5.8$. We find that, when using mock data generated from a model that includes temperature and UVB fluctuations, we can rule out a model with no temperature or UVB fluctuations at $>1\sigma$ level 50.5\% of the time.


OBJECTIVE To discuss the application feasibility of the ATP bioluminescence assay in the evaluation of the effectiveness of surgical hand antisepsis and ATP relative extinction value which can reflect the disinfection qualified.METHODS We used the ATP bioluminescence assay and bacilli culture notation respectively,to monitor the effectiveness of surgical hand antisepsis and calculate by method of percentiles to measure RLU value 95% normal value upper limit of ATP bioluminescence assay,then compared the cost.RESULTS The RLU value of ATP bioluminescence assay was not linear related to the results of bacilli culture,RLU value 95% normal value upper limit of ATP bioluminescence assay was 48.02,and the cost was 59.89 RMB less than bacilli culture.CONCLUSION ATP bioluminescence assay may appraise the effectiveness of monitoring surgical hand antisepsis rapidly and is lower cost,which can promote application on scene monitoring.


In short-channel silicon-on-insulator metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors, the condition for full depletion involves not only the body thickness and doping but also the channel length. The proximity of source and drain junctions reduces the apparent doping seen from the gate, which makes full depletion easier. Therefore, a transistor designed as partially depleted can behave as fully depleted. A simple analytical model for the length-doping transformation is proposed and validated by numerical simulations.


PURPOSE: A light emitting device is provided to improve color rendering control and color dispersion yield. CONSTITUTION: A support part (10) includes a substrate (11) having an electrode (12,13). A light emitting device (20) and the electrode are electrically connected by a pair of conductive wires (W). A wavelength conversion part (30) is formed on the support part and covers the light emitting device. The wavelength conversion part converts light emitted from the light emitting device into light of a different wavelength. The wavelength conversion part includes a first wavelength conversion material for emitting a long wavelength of light, a second wavelength conversion material for emitting a short wavelength of light, and an encapsulating material.


Heat transfer simulation within heat treatment furnaces is of great significance for the prediction and control of the ultimate microstructure, properties and dimensional stability of the workpieces and even the performance of furnaces. In this paper a set of models is proposed to solve heat transfer problems in a loaded furnace, including radiation, convection and conduction. Furthermore, a 3-dimensional algorithm based on finite difference method (FDM) is presented with a complete system for process simulation system. In the radiation module, view factor is calculated by direct integral method for all element pairs exposed to each other based on the blocking judgment. Combustion in gas-fired furnace and PID control are also included in the furnace model. The heat transfer models are integrated with furnace model to simulate the heating process of workpieces. Temperature distribution in workpiece and its variation with time are predicted by the system. An experiment is carried out for the validation of the system.


UDK: 574.587(282.249 Drinjača)"2012"
More and more intensive unplanned use of water resources in Europe and beyond, have turned the efforts for stopping exploitation and reduction of available freshwater ecosystems. According to the provisions of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), biotic parameters, especially the benthos organisms (zoological component) gives the greatest significance in the appropriate way of identifying the ecological status and typology. This paper presents the application of different biotic indices in assessing the ecological status of the river Drinjača. The analysis reveals a high diversity in the composition of phytobenthos and macrozoobenthos with domination of preimaginal stage of aquatic insects. Acoording to the indices applied, water of the river Drinjača at locations upstream and downstream of the confluence of Jadar is oligo to betamesosaprobic. A high ecological status has been determined by applying biotic indices on the macrozoobenthos composition ehich takes this part of the stream as referent to all other waterstreams of the same type on the territory of Bosnia and Herzeogovina.


A procedure bringing the axonal and dendritic cut ends found in the confronting planes of the serial sections face to face by means of serial photomicrographs provides a means for precisely reconstructing individual Golgiimpregnated neurons. Utilizing this method, it was possible to follow at the caudal level of a kitten's spinal cord the total course of the axons and dendrites of sixteen intramedullary neurons.


This study examined recovering alcoholics who were struggling to rebuild their lives 2 years after completing a professional treatment program for addiction. Sixty-eight British adults provided data describing whether or not their personal, interpersonal, and community (civic) functioning had improved from the period of maximum suffering before treatment to a point 2 years after being discharged. Results showed the magnitude of overall Quality of Life (QoL) improvement was significantly and positively correlated with the amount of meaning that respondents perceived to be present in their life at the point of 2 year follow-up. In general, the total QoL scale score was not related to whether or not respondents indicated they were striving for spiritual goals. Spiritual striving, however, was found to moderate the strength of the association between meaning making and the community/societal sphere of QoL. When a sub-sample of 26 spiritual strivers was examined, greater meaning making was found to be related to better personal well-being, interpersonal well-being, and (civic) functioning in society. However, among the 26 individuals who did not see themselves as spiritual seekers, greater meaning making was only related to QoL assessed at the personal and interpersonal levels of analysis. These findings are consistent with Viktor Frankl's notion that suffering can be a catalyst for a more fulfilling way of being—provided that people are able to see meaning and purpose in their suffering. The apparent adaptive consequences of perceiving self-transcendent meaning were particularly broad in scope within the spiritual seeking sub group, who may have experienced a sanctified sense of meaning in their life. A Broad Spectrum Model of QoL is proposed to describe the more generalized salutary effects of sacred (as opposed to secular) meaning.


Plagiarism occurs when authors copy one's work and presents that as their own work. In an earlier time, Plagiarism means copy-paste work i.e. Simply copy ones work or code in its own work without giving credit to the author. Actually definition of plagiarism is not restricted to only copying word by word but also copying ones' thought, idea, and represents it as own idea without giving proper acknowledgement to the original author. In research area, it is a serious crime and still now not so many systems have been developed to detect plagiarism. Our area of focus is on the keywords or index terms present in different research papers. Our system will extract the keywords present in the research papers and compare with each other depending upon certain criteria and will conclude the possibility of plagiarism between two research papers.


This article examines the key issues relating to the socio-cultural and economic changes witnessed by the migrant agricultural labourers working in the farm sector of Punjab. A large number of labourers from the poor states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and neighbouring country of Nepal have been migrating to Punjab ever since the advent of the green revolution in the agricultural sector of Punjab. The empirical findings of the study confirm that migration is an important source of survival for these poor people across the country but while working in the fields of Punjab the majority of them lose their social and cultural identity.


The performance of ontology matching algorithms is evaluated using F-measure, precision and recall which in turn rely on the availability of the ground truth. Typically, the ground truth generation process is manual, subjective and time consuming. Therefore, there is a need to come up with a (semi) automated approach which generates an unbiased reference set; an approximation of ground truth. We propose a framework based solution to generate a reference set and report encouraging results for the OAEI 2019 conference dataset.


Aiming at the problems of the assistance efficiency evaluate technology of the upper limb assist exoskeleton, a continuous torque estimation method based on surface electromyography signal (sEMG) and convolutional long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the dynamic analysis of human upper limb is carried out, and then the sEMG signals directly related to the torque signal of upper limb lifting process are collected, from which the features of muscle are extracted. On this basis, the CNN-LSTM network is used to construct the model of mapping muscle features to multi joint torque of upper limb, and the upper limb lifting experiment was carried out to verily the effectiveness of the network. The normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of shoulder and elbow joint torque estimated between the estimation value and the real value are 0.1245 and 0.1276 respectively. And the average correlation coefficient (p) are 0.8902 and 0.9071 respectively. The experimental results verify the effectiveness and correctness of the method, which can provide technical support for the evaluation of exoskeleton assist efficiency.


Every interpretation of prehistoric data is based upon assumptions concerning the way in which the activities of living cultures are reflected in the evidence recovered through excavations. In contrast to the practice of modern ethnoarchaeological research, in which prehistorians assume the role of ethnographers to study insufficiently recorded connections between cultural practices and archaeological evidence at the crossroads of archaeology and ethnography, the interpretation of archaeological data by means of historical-ethnographic records is limited by the mostly unsatisfactory data base offered by the available sources. From the tidewater region of coastal Virginia, the area of the first permanent English colony in North America, we are blessed by a relatively extensive body of written sources on the lifeways of the local indigenous populations; at the same time, there has been an increasing number of excavations of prehistoric and early colonial sites of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. With respect to burial customs, the ethnographic evidence is unfortunately rather poor and partly contradictory and at first sight cannot be reconciled without difficulties with the archaeological evidence. A comparative view of the respective data illustrates in an exemplary manner the limitations and possibilities of an interdisciplinary perspective.


The efficacy of 8 common antitrichomonal drugs against Trichomonas gallinae was evaluated in vitro.All the culture tubes,in which T.gallinae stayed in breeding stable phase,were allocated to experimental groups and control groups randomly.Experimental groups were given with these medicines at different concentrations,respectively and control group was not given drugs.After cultivation for 2 and 6 hours at 37℃,the number of survived parasites was counted,and compared with that in the control group,and the relative survival rate was used to evaluate the efficacy of these drugs.In results,Dimetridazole and Tinidazole can kill T.gallinae remarkably;Anticandine,Ciprofloxacin and Complex Sulfamethoxazole had partial inhibition effect;Tylosin,Complex Licorice and Berberine Hydrochloride had little effect.The results provide foundation for choosing antitrichomonal agents for clinical treatment.


Two extended integrations of general circulation models (GCMs) are examined to determine the physical processes operating during an ENSO cycle. The first integration is from the Hamburg version of the ECMWF T21 atmospheric model forced with observed global sea surface temperatures (SST) over the period 1970–85. The second integration is from a Max Planck Institut model of the tropical Pacific forced by observed wind stress for the same period. Both integrations produce key observed features of the tropical ocean-atmosphere system during the 1970–85 period.

The atmospheric model results show an eastward propagation of information from the western to eastern Pacific along the equator, although this signal is somewhat weaker than observed. The Laplacian of SST largely drives the surface wind field convergence and hence determines the position of large scale precipitation-condensation heating. This statement is valid only in the near-equatorial zone. Air-sea heat exchange is important in the planetary boundary layer in forcing the wind field convergence but not so important to the main troposphere, which is heated largely by condensation heating. The monopole response seen in the atmosphere above about 500 mb is due to a combination of factors, the most important being adiabatic heating associated with subsidence and tropic-wide variations in precipitation.

The models show the role of air-sea heat exchange in the ocean heat balance in the wave guide is one of dissipation/damping. Total air-sea heat exchange is well represented by a simple Newtonian cooling parameterization in the near-equatorial region. In the wave guide, advection dominates the oceanic heat balance with meridional advection being numerically the most important in all regions except right on the equator. The meridional term is largely explained by local Ekman dynamics that generally overwhelm other processes in the regions of significant wind stress. The principal element in this advection term is the anomalous meridional current acting on the climatological mean meridional SST gradient.

The eastward motion of the anomalies seen in both models is driven primarily by the ocean. The wind stress associated with the SST anomalies forces an equatorial convergence of heat and mass in the ocean. Outside the region of significant wind forcing, the mass source leads to a convergent geostrophic flow, which drives the meridional heat flux and causes warming to the east of the main wind anomaly. West of the main anomaly the wind and geostrophic divergence cause advective cooling. The result is that the main SST anomaly appears to move eastward. Since the direct SST forcing drives the anomalous wind, surface wind convergence, and associated precipitation, these fields are seen also to move eastward.


This paper investigates the use of a reverberation chamber for antenna radiation pattern measurements allowing for significant cost reduction compared to anechoic environments. Our method utilizes averaging of paddle measurements to replicate anechoic data. We discuss both a correlation experiment, to determine how many degrees the reverberation paddle must rotate to create an uncorrelated measurement based on a 0.5 correlation threshold, and a radiation pattern measurement. Two matched horn antennas are used and operated between 1 GHz and 18 GHz. Good agreement is found between our measurements taken in a reverberation chamber and those taken by the manufacturer of the antenna in an anechoic chamber. We find that the main lobe radiation pattern of our antenna can be estimated with more certainty than the back-lobe radiation using a reverberation chamber. The goal is to use this simple and cost-effective method to determine radiation patterns for embedded antennas with unknown patterns, such as those within wireless devices.


There are many over-the-counter products marketed to people living with hepatitis C. Many claims are made about these products. At times, it can be very hard to determine what to believe. Your western doctor may not be able to provide you with guidance because he or she may not be familiar or experienced with these products. Making a decision about whether to use one or more of these products can be quite difficult. In addition, there is no way to be sure how any one person will react to any one product.


OBJECTIVE To provide credible evidence with the clinic diagnosis and the treatment of urinary the diseases by studying the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens causing urinary tract infections.METHODS The urine specimens collected from inpatients and outpatients were cultured from Jan 2008 to Dec 2010.The total 2871 strains of pathogens were identified by biochemistry test or VITEK II GN or GP identification card.The antimicrobial susceptibilities were measured by CLSI K-B method.RESULTS The top three species isolated from the urine specimens were Escherichia coli(30.41%),Candida albicans(14.45%)and Enterococcus(12.92%);in female were E.coli(36.69%),Enterococcus(11.19%)and Candida(9.96%);in male were Candida(24.10%),E.coli(16.98%),and Enterococcus(16.65%);the antibiotics resistanc of E.coli to imipenem and meropenem were the lowest,under 1.50%,secondly were piperacillin/tazobactam and cefoperazone/sulbactam,under 10.00%;the drug resistance rate of E.coli from the male was higher than that of the isolates from the female,the differences was statistically significant.CONCLUSION The composition of bacteria isolated from male and female urine is quite different.E.coli is still the most predominant pathogen.The positive rate of Candida tends to increase,C.albicans in particular;the drug resistance rate of E.coli isolated from the male is higher than that of the strains from the female.


ABSTRACT There has been continuing interest in the Semantic Feature Hypothesis (SFH) over the last ten years but there appears to have been no experimental study which explores a complete semantic field nor one which uses a cross-cultural sample. Eighty New Zealand children, Maori and non-Maori, aged between 4; 0 and 4; 11, were tested for word recognition of the spatial adjectives following Bierwisch's (1967) componential analysis. The study extended previous work on the SFH by comparing performance on feature recognition, and by examining effect of word context on ease of discrimination. Results supported the view that word meaning is learned in bits, but failed to support any other predictions based on SFH. There was difference between the samples in performance on word recognition but no difference on features. It is suggested that more attention should be given to the characteristics of individual words as agents for the acquisition of other words.


Laser targets specifications have stringent dimensional accuracy requirements on target components, especially on compositional levels of silicon and oxygen. A charge-coupled-device - based X-ray radiography instrument is used in target metrology where sample density precludes the use of optical techniques. In this work, we present a dopant model using an X-ray digital radiographic system. This model comes from an X-ray transmission method for dimension measurement. It links the transmitted X-ray energy to the gray level on the image through each point of the microshell. The complete X-ray radiography system has to be well known to use this method, that is to say the X-ray spectrum, the sensor response, the linearity of the sensor, and so on… The complete system is modelled with CIVA software. Experimental results on plastic samples agree with theoretical results. The method sensitivity is studied by comparing modelled images of microshell with varying parameters. The conclusion is that the X-ray digital radiographic system has a sensitivity enough to detect 4 % at. of oxygen and 0,5 % at. of silicon.


Odile Merckling, Immigration and the Job Market : Reproduction or Decline in Employment Categories ? ; First generation immigrants have been hit hard by firings in industry since the beginning of the 1980s and this fact has impeded the reproduction of a certain model of the working class. Displacements from one work sector to another, between socioprofessional categories and in terms of job qualifications do not indicate an important degree of social mobility. The acquisition of French nationality and culture has helped some immigrants to obtain employment, but in general the evolution of the job market is characterized by a reinforcement of existing social divisions and cultural barriers.


A patient and physician must have a strong line of communication when dealing with pain that has no clear causes. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.


Background: Gastro intestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are primary distinctive mesenchymal tumors of the gastro intestinal tract. Early diagnosis is important for better clinical outcome. The objective was to study presentation, age distribution, various diagnostic methods adopted, treatment modalities being used and outcome of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.Methods: Prospective and retrospective, descriptive study was carried out. After admission of the patient, a detailed clinical history was taken. Physical examination was carried out in detail as per the study proforma and findings were noted. All cases provisionally diagnosed as GISTS were further investigated.Results: Males and females were equally present i.e. 50% each. Pain in the abdomen was the most common clinical presentation in 66.7% of the cases. 12 cases (66.7%) of GISTs present in the stomach and 6 cases (33.3%) of GISTs present in the duodenum in various locations. Diagnostic confirmation was done for all the 18 cases by histopathology. Out of these 18 cases, 10 cases are benign GISTS (55.6%), whereas 8 cases were of malignant GISTS (44.4%). In total, among all the cases, 10 cases are spindle cell type (55.6%), 6 cases of epithelioid type (33.3%) and 2 cases of mixed cell type tumors (11.1%) are seen.Conclusions: GIST is more a disease of elder age group. CECT abdomen is a good diagnostic modality in detection of GIST. Wide excision with negative margins (2cm from tumor margin) is adequate and treatment of choice for benign tumors.


The mechanism of damage to the optical coatings of filters induced by femtosecond laser at different wavelengths was studied.A near infrared wavelength tunable femtosecond laser was used to rediate the visible wavelength filter from backside.The wavelengths were selected in the transitional region of the filter pass band and the corresponding threholds of average power density were obtained.Based on the avalanche ionization process,the relationship between damage threshold and distribution of interference field was investigated.The theoretical results can predict the trend of thresholds.The results indicate that the damage behavior of a coating irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses exhibits an overall behavior.The damage threshold decreases with the increase of transient residual energy in the multi-layer structure of the coating.


Background : Hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD). This conditionmay increase CKD progression and cause various complications, since kidney has a pivotal role in metabolizing the vitamin D. The aim of this study was to find the difference in vitamin D levels among CKD stage 3 to 5. Methods : A cross-sectional study involving patients aged over 18 years with CKD stage 3 to 5 who visited Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Dustira Hospital, and Kidney Special Hospital Ny. R.A. Habibie in 2017 was conducted. CKD stages were determined based on glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyzethe difference in vitamin D levels among CKD stage 3 to 5. Results : One hundred subjects consisting of 57 men and 43 women met the study criteria. There were 97% of subjects experienced hypovitaminosis D, with 20% having vitamin D insufficiency and 77% having vitamin D deficiency. In subjects with vitamin D insufficiency, a decrease in the mean vitamin D levels was observed along with advancing stages of CKD (p=0.255). No vitamin D level difference was observed among CKD stage 3 to 5 [11.1 (3.8-27.7) ng/mL vs 14.45 (5.10-50.90) ng/mL vs 11.7 (4.2-38.0) ng/mL, p>0.05]. Conclusions : There is no difference in vitamin D levels among CKD stage 3, 4 and 5.


A 34-year-old male, smoker, presented to the emergency room with severe chest pain after straight anterior wall chest trauma during a football game, dyspnea and diaphoresis. On physical examination, no signs of wall chest injury were noted. Cardiac auscultation showed an apical S4 gallop. Electrocardiogram revealed persistent inferior ST-segment elevation. Echocardiogram showed …


To evaluate neuroendocrine and cardiovascular parameters of stress related to car racing, 24 healthy amateur drivers were studied both before and during a car race. For this purpose, we measured catecholamines and cortisol in urine and monitored the dynamic electrocardiogram (ECG). Urinary epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) increased significantly during the race, whereas dopamine (DA) remained unchanged and cortisol rose, but not significantly. Urinary excretion of E during the race increased in all drivers, and the increase was, on average, about fourfold that observed for NE and cortisol. A significantly lower NE/E ratio and significantly higher 10 E/DA and 10 NE/DA ratios were observed during racing. The percentage change in E excretion levels (from before to during the race) was positively related to anxiety scores. Continuous ECG Holter recordings in 6 out of the 24 volunteers showed heart rates of 76 to 152 beats/min over the 15 min before the start of the car race. During the race, heart rate reached a mean of 163.5 ±7.4 beats/min with a range of 146 to 180 beats/min. Except for sporadic ectopic beats, no significant arrhythmias, and S–T segment changes were observed in the electrocardiograms.


In this work, we propose a new Gaussian process regression (GPR) method: physics-informed Kriging (PhIK). In the standard data-driven Kriging, the unknown function of interest is usually treated as a Gaussian process with assumed stationary covariance with hyperparameters estimated from data. In PhIK, we compute the mean and covariance function from realizations of available stochastic models, e.g., from realizations of governing stochastic partial differential equations solutions. Such a constructed Gaussian process generally is non-stationary, and does not assume a specific form of the covariance function. Our approach avoids the costly optimization step in data-driven GPR methods to identify the hyperparameters. More importantly, we prove that the physical constraints in the form of a deterministic linear operator are guaranteed in the resulting prediction. We also provide an error estimate in preserving the physical constraints when errors are included in the stochastic model realizations. To reduce the computational cost of obtaining stochastic model realizations, we propose a multilevel Monte Carlo estimate of the mean and covariance functions. Further, we present an active learning algorithm that guides the selection of additional observation locations. The efficiency and accuracy of PhIK are demonstrated for reconstructing a partially known modified Branin function and learning a conservative tracer distribution from sparse concentration measurements.


Early in President Bill Clinton's administration, gun control was endorsed as a key to combating the rise in violent crime. In his rhetoric Clinton promoted the need for legislation such as the Brady Bill and the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. But these measures proved to be relatively ineffective. They were part of the politics of symbolism, superficially addressing the issue while avoiding the real factors that cause crime.


Copyright C 2017 by Korean Society of Spine Surgery This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Asian Spine Journal • pISSN 1976-1902 eISSN 1976-7846 • www.asianspinejournal.org Received Feb 22, 2017; Accepted Feb 23, 2017 Corresponding author: José María Jiménez-Avila División Ciencias Basicas, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Zapopan, Jalisco 45138, Mexico Tel: +52-33-1890739, Fax: +52-33-38130102, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


movements. Despite the major differences between postmartial law in Taiwan and China, both cases show a split between national-level associations (which are formalized and voluntary) and local movements that are informal and communal and often use local identity and culture and religion to mobilize their support. He also shows that while at the top levels many environmental organizations look Western, at the local level they have strong connections to Taiwanese religion, kinship, and gender relations. A concluding chapter, "Alternate Civilities and Political Change," argues that the bonds of local community, kinship, religion, and the informal sector, which many have dismissed as premodern or have failed to see in their search for "civil society," are the foundation for a civility that can be democratic. The author presents a gradualist argument for political change, noting that in Taiwan political openness came quickly "but the success of that transition depended on a social world that had grown up in the preceding decades" (p. 146). He notes that supporting NGOs in China, which is popular with foreign governments and organizations, perpetuates the pattern of joining state and society whereas local associations are not simply an extension of the state. Most anthropologists have been silent in the "civil society" debate because they see the concept as excessively universalizing, abstract, and based on Western history. Robert Weller argues that it is not Chinese culture that is inadequate for the modern world, but the concept of "civil society" itself that is inadequate. He takes "a worm'seye view of society, from the bottom up," and takes advantage of this to see "a whole range of cultural variation in both China and Taiwan, including the alternatives to authoritarianism that thrive in the free space it always leaves" (p. 7). "Keeping our analytic feet underground will clarify how shared market pressures need not lead to shared values, even within Chinese society" (p. 16). Once one understands the alternate forms of intermediate social organization in China, one can better understand the Taiwan case—which is also a challenge to the view that Chinese culture is authoritarian. "China may never have had a democratic political culture, but it did have the kinds of intermediate institutions outside politics that could evolve to support one" (p. 143). This book is an important contribution in ethnographic data and analysis to the literature on civil society and Chinese democracy.


A stability analysis of stochastic model of price change at the floor of a stock market is considered. Precise conditions are obtained which determine the equilibrium price and growth rate of the stock shares in a particular case. In general, stability in a numerical procedure for the Black-Schole's partial differential equation is established. An illustrative example is provided.

 Key words: Stability analysis, stochastic model, stock price changes, Black-Schole's PDE, mathematics subject classification: 91B26, D91, 91B60.


While Jonathan Marks (2010) discusses technologies such as psychoactive drugs, neuroimaging, and traditional polygraphs in his article, he does not explore the potential uses of brain stimulation technologies for national security purposes, despite reported interest from government agencies. In fact, many such agencies are already researching practical applications of brain stimulation and related technologies, for example, the control of peripheral devices with brain–machine interfaces or the enhancement of cognition through various means. In the spirit of the target article, I briefly outline the potential uses, methodological limitations, hazards, and ethics of brain stimulation for national security purposes. As an illustrative example, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has shown promise as a probe for lie detection, and applying TMS to unwilling detainees during an interrogation would raise several unique questions about privacy, professional ethics, and autonomy. The narratives that emerge from a discussion of brain stimulation also reinforce many observations about neuroimaging and related technologies made by Marks in his excellent article. One major government funder of invasive neuromodulation is the Human Assisted Neural Devices Program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which attempts to develop "neural prostheses" that aug-


A method to construct girth-12 (3,L) quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) codes with all lengths larger than a certain given number is proposed, via a given girth-12 code subjected to some constraints. The lengths of these codes can be arbitrary integers of the form LP, provided that P is larger than a tight lower bound determined by the maximal element within the exponent matrix of the given girth-12 code. By applying the method to the case of row-weight six, we obtained a family of girth-12 (3,6) QC-LDPC codes for arbitrary lengths above 2688, which includes 30 member codes with shorter code lengths compared with the shortest girth-12 (3,6) QC-LDPC codes reported by O'Sullivan.


ABSTRACT 12b-Hydroxy-5,6,8,12b-tetrahydroisoindolo[1,2- a ]isoquinolin-8-one ( 4 ), 5,6,8,12b-tetrahydroisoindolo[1,2- a ]isoquinoline ( 5 ) and 12b-hydroxy-5,6,8,12b-tetrahydroisoindolo[1,2- a ]isoquinoline ( 6 ) were obtained by reduction of 4,5,8,12b-tetrahydroisoindolo[1,2- a ]isoquinolin-8-one ( 3 ) with LiAlH 4 /THF/N 2 . The precursor and products were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and the X-ray crystal structure of 5 hydrochloride monohydrate ( 5a ) was determined. 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra were completely assigned for compounds 3 , 4 , and 5a , using two-dimensional experiments (H-H COSY, HMQC, HMBC and H-H NOESY). e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com INTRODUCTION The isoindolo[1,2- a ]isoquinoline structure ( 1 ) is a rigid tetracyclic ring system that has been poorly investigated. This system, as the 5,6-dihydro-8(12b H )one derivative, was first reported in 1968, 1 and later found in a natural product named nuevamine ( 2 ), isolated from an extract of Berberis darwinii Hook., native to south-central Chile and Argentina.


In order to monitor in-time the occurrence of localized corrosion in concrete structures (viaduct, aqueduct, PCCP, pre-stressed and post-tensioned structures), a multi-reference electrode was proposed and studied, consisting of a series of continuous metallic wires able to measure the potential of carbon steel rebars and tendons. Because chloride-induced pitting may provoke hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steel, an early detection of corrosion initiation is very important to avoid such brittle fracture. Laboratory tests on mortar samples simulating post-tensioned tendons corrosion, induced by chlorides, confirmed the effectiveness of this new reference electrode. For its application to PCCP, a FEM analysis was performed to determine the optimal electrode size as a function of pipe diameter, concrete cover and soil resistivity. Results are reported and discussed.


Abstract Northwestern Argentina (NWA) is a region characterized by a complex geomorphology, and encompasses six ecoregions in a relatively small area. The environmental heterogeneity of NWA and the sensitivity of small mammals towards environmental and landscape changes constitute a good scenario to assess the factors that influence small mammal diversity patterns in the region. We studied small mammal communities obtained from pellet samples in 24 localities of NWA. We identified 50 non-volant small mammal species and obtained topographic, climate and land cover variables. Our results show that small mammal communities respond to environmental factors at a regional scale. Such variations were explained in different proportions by the geographic position of the collecting sites, landscape and climate. Furthermore, the combined effect of these factors was the main determinant of species abundance patterns. Our results support the need of large-scale approaches to study communities, since the explanations of the observed patterns are simpler and more general. We emphasize the importance of considering the combined effect of different environmental predictors, which allows determining the amount of species variation that is spatially structured, and within that, the amount of variation related to the influence of the measured environmental variables.


Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of renal transplantation on cardiac function and morphology in patients with ESRD on regular hemodialysis at the post-transplant period. Background End stage renal disease (ESRD) is considered an overall general health issue related to increased morbidity & mortality. The mortality rate among cases with ESRD who have been experiencing dialysis has been approximately seven times higher than for comparable cases in the general population and has been to a great extent related to cardiovascular causes. Cardiac diseases have been common in cases with chronic kidney disease (CKD). About 75% of cases with CKD who begin dialysis have left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricle dilatation or diminished left ventricle functional shortening; these cardiac anomalies keep on progressing during the first year of hemodialysis. Besides these changes, impairment of diastolic function has been also expected in these cases. For example, Left ventricular hypertrophy has been a very common pathological condition in cases with ESRD and considered as an independent risk variable for death and cardiac disease. Generally, many risk variables including uremic toxins, fluid retention & chronic volume over-load, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperparathyroidism, arterio-venous fistula and pressure over-load were involved in the pathogenesis for Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in cases with ESRD. Renal transplantation is a well-established treatment for ESRD, allowing most patients to return to a satisfactory quality of life. It is the most acceptable treatment modality for the patients with ESRD, which improves some complications of renal failure such as chronic uremia and volume overload. Methods This cross sectional study was done on 40 kidney transplant recipients enrolled from the patients in the NIUN according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We compared echocardiographic findings and some cardiac risk factors after transplantation with those done before transplantation. Results There was highly significant reduction with respect to serum creatinine, blood urea, phosphorus. Comparison of echocardiographic findings between the pre-transplant period and post-transplant period. Ejection fraction (EF) was significantly increased at the post-transplant period while left ventricular systolic dimension (LVSD), left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVDD), and LVH showed a significant decrease after transplantation. Conclusions We have found that cardiac parameters showed significant improvement after transplantation as well as cardiac risk factors including anemia, hyperparathyroidism and volume & pressure overload.


1512Background: Developing multiple primary cancers is an indicator of underlying hereditary cancer predisposition, but there is a paucity of data regarding the characteristics and clinical genetic testing outcome of these patients. Methods: We compared cancer index patients with 1 vs > 1 primary malignancy who underwent evaluation and clinical testing with multi-gene panels comprising up to 49 genes in a cancer genetics clinic in a tertiary cancer centre in Asia from 1998-2016. Results: Among 1191 cancer index patients, 960 (80.6%), 205 (17.2%), and 26 (2.2%) respectively had 1, 2, and ≥3 primary malignancies. Among patients with > 1 primary cancers (n = 231), the most common cancer pairs were breast-breast (35.4%), breast-ovary (12.1%), endometrium-ovary (8.2%), colon-colon (2.4%) and, colon-endometrium (2.4%). The mean age at diagnosis of the first, second and third cancers were 46.0 (21 to 87), 52.1 (21 to 89) and 57.7 (41 to 83) respectively. The mean duration between first and second cancers is 6.0 ...


: Federated learning has been widely paid attention as a new type of distributed machine learning that can protect data privacy and ensure data security. Asynchronous federation learning, a variant of traditional federation learning, can effectively improve model training efficiency. The introduction of incentive mechanism can help asynchronous federation learning to improve model training utility effectively. A federated learning incentive mechanism is constructed using the Stackelberg game, which optimizes the central server and data owner utilities, respectively, of the Stackelberg game. Based on this, we derive the equilibrium solution of the whole game, and finally analyze the feasibility of the model by arithmetic examples to obtain the optimal incentive effect.


Objective. The purpose of this study focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying ocular hydrodynamics and the changes which occur in the eyes of subjects exposed to hypobaric hypoxia (HH) to permit the achievement of more detailed knowledge in glaucomatous disease. Methods. Twenty male subjects, aged 32 ± 5 years, attending the Italian Air Force, were enrolled for this study. The research derived from hypobaric chamber, using helmet and mask supplied to jet pilotes connected to oxygen cylinder and equipped with a preset automatic mixer. Results. The baseline values of intraocular pressure (IOP), recorded at T1, showed a mean of 16 ± 2.23 mmHg, while climbing up to 18,000 feet the mean value was 13.7 ± 4.17 mmHg, recorded at T2. The last assessment was performed returning to sea level (T4) where the mean IOP value was 12.8 ± 2.57 mmHg, with a significant change (P < 0.05) compared to T1. Pachymetry values related to corneal thickness in conditions of hypobarism revealed a statistically significant increase (P < 0.05). Conclusions. The data collected in this research seem to confirm the increasing outflow of aqueous humor (AH) in the trabecular meshwork (TM) under conditions of HH.


Theory of flow discharge through large orifice on wall is obtained by integration of small orifice equation dQ on flow column dA. The flow equation obtained from integration process contains fractional exponent number, moreover the obtained equation is not simple for practical purpose. The application of the obtained equation can raise an error. This research presents practical discharge concept as a result of multiplication of orifice broad (A) and flow velocity (V) at the centre of orifice. Application of practical discharge equation on rectange orifice, triangle orifice, trapezoidal orifice, and circle orifice show maximum error presentation less than 5% toward theoretical discharge.


In South African law the required standard of compliance regarding documents presented in terms of commercial letters of credit is unclear. It is presumed that the English law is followed. However, the English law is also not entirely clear as to the required standard of compliance for documents and demands required in terms of demand guarantees. Some English courts have expressed the view that as regards demand guarantees, the doctrine of strict compliance is not as strict as that demanded for letters of credit. In two recent South African cases it was argued that a less strict standard of compliance applies to demand guarantees in South Africa. English authorities were advanced to support this argument. However, this article shows that the exact application of the doctrine of strict compliance to demand guarantees under the English law is neither straightforward nor has it yet been fully established. The article examines these South African cases against the backdrop of the English cases.


A radio terminal (DMT) is operable according to a first and second communication modes (GSM, DECT). When the terminal is set to automatic dual mode, the outgoing call in the first mode (GSM) is established in response to one of the following events after a key press outlet line (TP): loss on radio coverage in another embodiment, manual selection of said first mode, belonging to a prefix of the telephone number for the outgoing call to a prefix table stored in the terminal. This device uses the front panel of a GSM terminal known even when operating in DECT mode.


The synthesis of 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-4-methyl-5-phenylfuran-3(2H)-one (9), 5-[(1S,2S,Z)-1,2-(ethylidenedioxy)hex-3-enyl]-2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-4-methylfuran-3(2H)-one (24), and 5-[(1S,2S,Z)-1,2-(ethylidenedioxy)hex-3-enyl]-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-methylfuran-3(2H)-one (28), which represent more advanced, suitably functionalized intermediates for the synthesis of pseurotin A (1), a secondary metabolite of Pseudeurotium ovalis STOLK, is described.


Excerpt No apology will be made for bringing to your attention a subject so frequently discussed in recent years as hyperthyroidism. Until the essential facts, both physiologic and pathologic, are ...


Tumor necrosis factora (TNF-a) and angiotensin II (Ang II) induced a transient increase in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA accumulation, without affecting COX-1 mRNA levels. The kinetics of COX-2 mRNA accumulation were similar in VSMCs challenged with either TNFa or Ang II; mRNA accumulation peaked at 2 hours and decreased to control levels by '6 hours. Accumulation of COX-2 mRNA was associated with a time-dependent increase of COX-2 protein expression that displayed similar kinetics in response to either TNF-a or Ang II. Both the increase in COX-2 mRNA accumulation and protein expression in response to either TNF-a or Ang II were inhibited by the mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal–regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD098059. In addition, the AT 1-selective receptor antagonist losartan attenuated the Ang II–mediated increase in COX-2 mRNA accumulation; the AT 2-selective antagonist PD123319 had no effect. Prostacyclin I 2 synthesis was tightly coupled to expression of COX-2, whereas prostaglandin E 2 and thromboxane A 2 (TXA2) synthesis may be associated with differential usage of COX-1 and COX-2. The COX-2–selective inhibitors NS-398 and nimesulide and the TXA2 receptor antagonist BMS 180,291 inhibited TNFa– and Ang II–mediated increases in DNA content and cell number by'95%. These findings suggest that a prostanoid derived from COX-2, possibly TXA 2, may contribute to VSMC hyperplasia in vessel injury or pathophysiological conditions associated with elevated levels of either TNFa or Ang II. (Circ Res. 2000;86:906-914.)


The cure behaviour of the thermosetting polymers may introduce additional stresses, because every material has different coefficient of thermal expansion. Over the past decades, an increasing interest was found in numerical techniques for predicting the mechanical stresses in thermosetting matertals during and after cure. In order to know the effect of cure-residual stress on the device, Finite element method simulaion to plastic ball grid array device according two temperature loading curves was presented. Two curves: one is thermal cycles curve, the other is curing and thermal curve. Additional, several different curing times are selected to the Die attach, show that the magnitude of the cure-residual stress and the situation of the maximal stress have direct relations of curing time in PBGA.


Two species of entomogenous Aschersonia,Aschersonia turbinata and Aschersonia blumenaviensis,collected from Wuyi Mountains in Fujian Province,are newly recorded from China.Aschersonia turbinata is different from other species in Aschersonia by its yellowish-white subcylindric stromata when fresh,irregular pycnidia produced in one or more flat or concave disks on a more or less bulbose base and fusoid conidia with conical tips.Aschersonia blumenaviensis was originally described from Brazil,it may be confused with Aschersonia flavocitrina by sharing same stromatic color(lemon-yellow),however,the latter species has larger spores(12–18×2μm) and longer paraphyses(140–180μm).The illustrated descriptions of the two entomogenous fungi are provided on the basis of Chinese materials.


The article analyzes the formation of the imperial policy to spread Orthodox Christianity using the example of the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Revel in the Governorate of Estonia. Late 19th — early 20th century was marked by significant changes in the governance of the region, not only in the administrative and legal sphere, but also in the religious one. Estonia administration viewed strengthening the presence of the Orthodox Church through the mass construction of churches and the symbolic development of space as one of the most effective means of integrating the province and the empire. The construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Reval was associated with significant historical events, including the 200th anniversary since Estonia became a part of Russian Empire. It determined its central role in the representation of the empire on the outskirts. At the same time, the prevalence of the Lutheran population in the province, as well as the economic dominance of the German nobility, caused difficulties with the construction process. The search for funds and the choice of a place for the Cathedral were the main reasons why the implementation of such a large-scale project took so long. Cathedral was designed to visually emphasize that the region was a part of the Russian Empire. The analysis of the preparatory work, using unpublished office materials from various departments, made it possible to identify contradictions between central and local authorities on this issue, as well as to understand the mechanisms of their interaction within the framework of existing practices. The materials of personal and official correspondence of key political and religious actors involved show different understanding of the goals and means how to spread Orthodox Christianity in the region at the turn of the 19th — 20th century.