AIM:To investigate the influence of Bacillus Calmette Guerin Vaccie polysaccharide nucleic acid (BCG PSN) on immunity function in congestive heart failure as well as the time span of congestive heart failure (CHF) treatment and medical costs. METHODS: Fifty nine patients of CHF treated with infectious control, digitalis, diuretics and vasodilators, were divided into BCG PSN group and general group. BCG PSN group was given BCG PSN 1 mg, im, qod×26 d. The T lymphocyte CD 4/CD 8, IgG, IgA, IgM and C 3 concentration, the time span of CHF treatment and medical costs were detected separately. The control group consisted of thirty six healthy people. RESULTS: CHF patients IgG, C 3 were higher and CD 4/CD 8 were lower than those of controls ( P 0.05 or P 0.01 ). After treatment the IgG (( 14.2 ±2.4)g·L -1 vs (16.3± 2.4 )g·L -1 , P 0.05) and CD 8((30±5)% vs (38±6)%, P 0.01) were decreased obviously in BCG PSN group.IgM((3.0±0.6)g·L -1 vs (2.1±0.5)g·L -1 , P 0.01 ) and CD 4((46±6)% vs (38±5)%, P 0.01 ) were increased obviously. Compared with the control group, BCG PSN group was shorter in the time span of CHF treatment ((6±3) d vs (8.4± 2.6 ) d) and cheaper in the total of medical costs in hospital ( P 0.05 or P 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: BCG PSN can improve the immunity function of patients with CHF, short the time span of treatment and decrease the medical costs in hospital.


The elastic scattering of the ${}^{16}\mathrm{O}{+}^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ system has been analyzed with a modified potential within the framework of the optical model over a wide energy range in the laboratory system from 29.0 to 142.5 MeV. This system has been extensively studied over the years and a number of serious problems has remained unsolved: The explanation of the anomalous large angle scattering data; the out-of-phase problem between theoretical predictions and experimental data; the reproduction of the oscillatory structure near the Coulomb barrier; and the consistent description of angular distributions together with the excitation functions data. These are just some of the problems. We propose the use of a modified potential method to explain these problems over this wide energy range. This new method consistently improves the agreement with the experimental data and achieves a major improvement on all the previous optical model calculations for this system.


We used normal, CD4 and CD8 gene‐targeted mice to investigate the role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the regulation of gut mucosal immune responses following oral immunizations with cholera toxin (CT) adjuvant. Phenotypic analysis of mucosa‐associated tissues revealed normal CD3+ T‐cell frequencies in CD4−/− and CD8−/− mice such that in CD4−/− mice the CD8+ and double‐negative (DN) T cells were increased. In CD8−/− mice the CD4+ T cells were increased, with the exception that in the intraepithelial compartment the CD3+ T cells were predominantly DN γδ T‐cell receptor (TCR)+ T cells. All mice, normal and deficient, failed to respond to oral immunization with the antigen, keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH), alone. In the presence of CT adjuvant, however, CD8−/− mice consistently exhibited three‐ to fivefold stronger gut mucosal responses compared to normal C57Bl/6 mice. By contrast, no difference was observed for systemic responses between CD8−/− and normal mice. Thus the up‐regulation selectively affected mucosal responses, suggesting that, contrary to the CD8−/− mouse gut, the normal gut mucosa may host CD8+ T cells that exert a local suppressive effect on T‐ and B‐cell responses. The magnitude of the enhancing effect of CT was comparable in CD8−/− and normal mice, clearly demonstrating that the adjuvant mechanism of CT does not require CD8+ T cells. On the other hand, the adjuvant effect of CT required CD4+ T cells, because no or poor anti‐KLH responses were observed in CD4−/− mice. In both normal and CD8−/− mice CT adjuvant promoted KLH‐specific CD4+ T‐cell priming without any selective effect on the differentiation towards a T‐helper type‐1 (Th1) or Th2 dominance. Furthermore, CT adjuvant increased the frequency of CD4+ T cells expressing a memory phenotype, i.e. CD44high, LECAM‐1low and CD45RBlow. We have shown, using gene‐targeted mice, that CD8+ T cells are not required for the adjuvant effect of CT, and that CD8+ T cells may exert local mucosal down‐regulation of intestinal immune responses.


This paper addresses serialized approaches of the routing, modulation level, and spectrum assignment (RMLSA) problem in elastic optical networks, using multiple sequential sub-sets of requests, under Integer Linear Programming (ILP). The literature has reported two-stage serial optimization methods referred to as RML+SA, which retain computational efficiency when the problem grows, compared to the classical one-stage RMLSA optimization approach. However, there still remain numerous issues in terms of the spectrum used that can be improved when compared to the RMLSA solution. Consequently, this paper proposes RML+SA solutions considering multiple sequential sub-sets of requests, split traffic flow, as well as path-oriented and link-oriented routing models. Simulation results on different test scenarios determine that: (a) the multiple sequential sub-sets of request-based models improve computation time without worsening the spectrum usage when compared to just one set of requests optimization approaches, (b) divisible traffic flow approaches show promise in cases where the number of request sub-sets is low compared to the non-divisible counterpart, and (c) path-oriented routing succeeds in improving the used spectrum by increasing the number of candidate routes compared to link-oriented routing.


The thesis discusses The influence of digital marketing, brand awareness on purchasing decision. This study aims to find out: 1). The influence of digital marketing on purchasing decision. 2). The influence of brand awareness on purchasing decision. This research uses Hovland's A-T-R (Awareness, Trial, Reinforcement) Theory and Ehrenbrergs Robert S.'s S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) theory. The population in this study were adolescent consumers of Makassar City who used Erigo products. The number of samples in this study was 60 respondents. The technique of the sample selection used is random sampling. The data in the study were collected using the questionnaire method. The instrument tests used are validity tests and reliability tests. The analysis technique used is multiple linear regression. The results of this study show that: 1. Digital marketing affects purchasing decisions. 2. Brand awareness affects purchasing decisions. 3. Digital marketing (X1) and brand awareness (X2) simultaneously affect purchasing decisions (Y)


Objective To explore the diagnostic value of combinatin detection of serum immunoglobin M (IgM) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for neonatal infectious diseases at the early stage.Methods Immunoturbidimetry was used to detect the serurn levels of IgM and CRP in 206 neonates with infectious diseases (infection group) and 146 with non-infectious diseases (non-infection group). Results There was no significant difference in CRP level between infection group and non-infection group (P>0.05);whereas IgM level differed significantly between the two groups (P<0.05). The sensitivity of CRP for infectious diseases was 96.12%, the specificity was 41.78%, and the accuracy was 73.60%; while the sensitivity ofIgM for infectious diseases was 88.29%, the specificity was 91.78% and the accuracy diseases was 89.49%. The sensitivity of combination detection was 84.86% and the specificity was 95.21%. Conclusions Combination detectinon of serum IgM and CRP can be used as an indicator for the early diagnosis of neonatal infectious diseases.diseases in newbrons.

Key words:
Immunoglobin M;  C-reactive protein, Bacterial infection;  Neonate


We introduce here a new multimode interference-based 3-dB coupler that has a substantially smaller device geometry than conventional multimode interference structures. This new structure is based on a special multimode region shape and an appropriate launching technique which aids in circumventing the proximity limitations. Simulations show this structure can provide a decrease of a factor of three or more in the device size of the smallest 3-dB MMI coupler made to date.


A near planar macrocycle containing 2,3,12,13-tetraphenylethynyl-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4[Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-butylphenyl)porphyrin, H2T(4[Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-Bu Ph)P(PE)4 and a series of antipodally mixed substituted nonplanar porphyrins, 2,3,5,10,12,13,15,20-octaphenyl-7,8,17,18-tetra(2[Formula: see text]-thienyl/phenylethynyl, PE)porphyrin, H2OPP(2[Formula: see text]-Th/PE)4 and 2,3,12,13-tetramethyl-7,8,17,18-tetra(2[Formula: see text]-thienyl/PE)-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin, H2TPP(CH[Formula: see text](2[Formula: see text]-Th/PE)4were examined by electronic absorption spectroscopy in twenty different solvents. The presence of push-pull substituents at the antipodal [Formula: see text]-pyrrole positions of the nonplanar macrocycle induces varying degrees of orthogonal dipole moments to the porphyrin ring. The influence of different solvents on the degree of nonplanarity and electronic nature of the macrocycle on their electronic absorption spectral properties were examined. Generally, free base porphyrins showed dramatic solvent dependent absorption spectral band shifts and follow the order: H2OPP(PE)4 > H2OPP(2[Formula: see text]-Th)[Formula: see text] H2TPP(CH[Formula: see text](2[Formula: see text]-Th)4 >[Formula: see text]H2TPP(CH[Formula: see text](PE)4 > H2T(4[Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]Bu Ph)P(PE)4. Absorption spectral data in different solvents was analyzed using selected solvatochromic parameters, ([Formula: see text] – 1)/(2[Formula: see text] + 1), [Formula: see text] (30),[Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]*. The enhanced red-shift of the absorption bands of the mixed substituted porphyrins in polar solvents was influenced by solvent-core (porphyrin) interaction and is reflected from the 1H NMR chemical shift of the core imino-hydrogens in polar solvents relative that observed in less polar solvents. The magnitude of the difference in chemical shift ([Formula: see text], ppm) of imino-hydrogens in DMSO-d6 relative to that in CDCl3 follow the order: H2TPP(CH[Formula: see text](2[Formula: see text]-Th)4 (1.37 ppm) > H2OPP(PE)4 (1.17 ppm) > H2TPP(CH[Formula: see text](PE)4 (0.57 ppm). The large red-shift in B and Q bands in polar solvents relative to apolar (or less polar) solvents has been possible due to the combined effect of the electronic nature of the macrocycle, its nonplanarity, and solvent-porphyrin core interactions.


Dear Editor, We read the paper by Passiglia et al. with great interest. Using indirect comparisons, the authors found that nivolumab and pembrolizumab significantly increased the objective response rate (ORR) in pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients compared with atezolizumab, and nivolumab was associated with a significant lower incidence of Grade 3–5 adverse events (AEs). In the last part of their paper, the authors reminded audience that their findings may better serve as a support for clinical decisions rather than as a decisional tool. This paper is very informative and beneficial for the medical community, especially for clinicians. This interesting topic prompted us to re-evaluate the efficacy and safety using a different statistical model based on the same data sources provided by Passiglia et al. However, our results noticeably differed from their findings. We used a Bayesian network meta-analysis to simultaneously compare the four drugs. Bayesian network meta-analysis is a popular method to compare multiple interventions which may lack head-to-head trials. As the collected trials are likely different in many aspects (e.g., their clinical methods and patient characteristics), heterogeneity is generally expected in a metaanalysis; otherwise, the resulting uncertainty intervals may be artificially narrow with very low coverage probability. Therefore, we applied a Bayesian random-effects model to account for heterogeneity. A weakly informative half-normal prior with scale parameter 1 was used for the between-study standard deviations. We estimated the overall hazard ratio (HR) or relative risk (RR) of each pair of drugs for each outcome and obtained its 95% credible interval (CrI) via the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm with three chains. Each chain had a run of 200,000 updates after a 50,000-run burn-in period with thinning rate 2 for reducing sample autocorrelations. The R code is available in the supplementary files. Our results indicated that there was no significant difference in ORR, pneumonitis rate, and discontinuation rate (DR) between nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and atezolizumab except the Grade 3–5 AEs (Adverse Events) (Figure 1). First, regarding nivolumab versus pembrolizumab, Passiglia et al. reported that nivolumab reduced Grade 3–5 AEs significantly based on their indirect comparison. Our Bayesian network meta-analysis backed up their results (Figure 1A). Second, the Bayesian-based comparison between nivolumab and atezolizumab also did not imply any significant difference in DR, pneumonitis rate, OS, and PFS (Figure 1B). Nonsignificantly increased ORR or reduced Grade 3–5 AEs were observed. Third, for the comparison of pembrolizumab versus atezolizumab, there was no significant difference of efficacy and safety profiles (Figure 1C). Although our Bayesian-modelbased reanalysis produced similar point estimates as in Passiglia et al., the CrIs were mostly wider than those in the original paper. This is likely due to the small number of included trials and the different statistical models. Our findings indicated that there were non-significant differences between nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and atezolizumab in efficacy and safety. Previous studies also manifested that the toxicity and efficacy profiles of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors appeared to be similar, which were in accordance with our results. Passiglia et al. firstly shed light on some possible differences among these immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, our reanalysis using a Bayesian model generated different results. In addition, a study suggested that unadjusted indirect comparisons may not be properly used for analysis, and the authors did not specify whether their reported HR values were adjusted. We are looking forward to a response from the authors in order to avoid delivering possibly misleading information for future clinical practices. Bayesian methods combine the likelihood from data with some prior distributions (e.g., based on existing evidence) to yield posterior distributions of the parameters of interest,


Objective To study the characteristics of endotracheal pathogens in children with ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP) in order to establish more e ffective treatment and prophylaxis regimens. Methods Endotr acheal tube secretion s were collected for bacterial and/ fungal culture and drug-sensitivity testing in 34 children with VAP. Results There were 106 bacterial strains cultured from the 34 patients. Seventy-two(67.9%) cultures yielded Gram-negative bacteria, of wh ic h 17 were Acinetobacter baumanii, 20 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 17 Klebsiella pneum oniae, 6 Enterobacteriaceae, 4 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and 8 Escherichia coli. There were 6(5.7%) Gram-positive cocci, including 5 type A Streptococcus a n d 1 Staphylococcus aureus. Twenty-eight cultures were positive for fungi. Sixte e n patients had mixed infections. Eighty percent of the Enterobacteriaceae and 50 % of the Acinetobacter baumanii were resistant to third generation cephalosporin s and aminoglycosides; 88.9% of the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were resistant to imipenem, and 83.3% of the Gram-positive cocci to penicillin. Concl usions Gra m-negative bacteria account for the majority of pathogens in children with VAP.Fungal infections should not be disregarded. Antibiotics should be appropriately used according to drug-sensitivity testing.


Around the world, but particularly in developing Member States, there are disused nuclear facilities or those approaching the end of their useful lives, for which appropriate decommissioning steps have not been taken, primarily due to limited technical and financial resources or competing priorities. In line with its mission to encourage safe and peaceful applications of nuclear energy, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) systematically covers the technical, regulatory, radiation protection, planning, management, and economic aspects related to the decommissioning of nuclear installations. The IAEA's overall objective of the decommissioning programme is to assist its Member States in developing the required expertise, equipment, and programmes so that they can decommission their nuclear facilities in a safe, timely, and cost-effective manner. Technical Co-operation (TC) with Member States having limited resources is commonly provided in the form of workshops, expert missions, equipment design and procurement, training courses, fellowships and scientific visits. Key examples are provided in this paper to illustrate the start, evolution and current status of TC activities and typical mechanisms by which such activities are implemented. Many of world's nuclear facilities are small and widely distributed geographically, e.g. ~300 aging or shut-down research reactors. Requests for assistance to address this issue from Member States exceed the capability of IAEA (and others) to deliver. However, integrating individual initiative into a designed-forpurpose network may compensate for these limitations. A new IAEA initiative amongst organizations from both potential "donor" and "recipient" Member States has taken the form of an "International Decommissioning Network (IDN)". The objectives of the IDN are to improve the flow of knowledge and experience amongst those engaged in decommissioning, and specifically to enhance the "user-oriented" focus for all IAEA decommissioning activities. The initial successes of the Network are expected to encourage contributions of organizations in the developed Member States to the activities of those in Member States requiring decommissioning assistance, and to maximize the benefit of TC activities through integration and improved measurability of results. The IDN provides a "bridge" between those Member States with specialized knowledge and those that need to apply it, and encourages an exchange of practical knowledge and skills. Links to other organizations with similar goals and interests, e.g. OECD/NEA, are being established.


Atom interferometry has become one of the most powerful technologies for precision measurements. To develop simple, precise, and versatile atom interferometers for inertial sensing, we demonstrate an atom interferometer measuring acceleration, rotation, and inclination by pointing Raman beams toward individual faces of a pyramidal mirror. Only a single-diode laser is used for all functions, including atom trapping, interferometry, and detection. Efficient Doppler-sensitive Raman transitions are achieved without velocity selecting the atom sample, and with zero differential AC Stark shift between the cesium hyperfine ground states, increasing signal-to-noise and suppressing systematic effects. We measure gravity along two axes (vertical and 45° to the vertical), rotation, and inclination with sensitivities of 6  μm/s2/Hz, 300  μrad/s/Hz, and 4  μrad/Hz, respectively. This work paves the way toward deployable multiaxis atom interferometers for geodesy, geology, or inertial navigation.


Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of imagery training on outcomes of clinical competence, voluntary practice time and basic nursing skills performance during a core basic nursing skills course. Methods: The design was a pre-post test design with two groups consisting of 88 nursing 3rd-year students. Clinical competence was assessed with a pre-post test, and basic nursing skills' performance and voluntary practice time were assessed at the post-test point. Data were collected from March, 2016 to June, 2016. Results: The pre-post differences of all subcategories of clinical competence were significantly improved in the experimental group (p .05). The experimental group practiced 1.33 hours more than the control group in voluntary practice. The two groups showed no significant difference in basic nursing skills' performance (p>.05). Conclusion: Imagery training during a core basic nursing skills course showed positive effects on nursing students" clinical competence improvement and increase of voluntary practice time.


Japan had maintained low diplomatic profile in the security arena. However, it became proactive and articulate in recent years. Japan's shift can be observed by its active engagement in the South China Sea issues. For instance, Japan started to provide military assistance to littoral countries that have territorial disputes with China. Many observers and analysts link Japan's active engagement in the South China issue with the Senkaku Islands, on which China claims its sovereignty, or the changing balance of power caused by China's recent rise. It is not deniable that a concern for the Senkaku issue is one of the factors contributing to Japan active involvement. However, this view is too simplistic. I argue that the reason operating behind Japan's shift is its apprehension for a possible change of regional norms and order. Perceiving China's intention to change the regional order and norms, Japan is trying to protect the norms Japan has greatly benefited from as a 'norm protector' by disseminating its views and providing incentives to the regional countries.


The Sm3+(Eu3+)doped TiO2 were prepared by sol-gel method with Ti(OC4H9)4.The photocatalytic elimination of methanol under ultraviolet light over the Sm3+(Eu3+)/TiO2 was tested.The influence which of different doping contents,different activation temperature and different initial concentration of methanol on the catalytic activity were discussed.The best doped contents of Sm and Eu(molar ratio) are: 0.1% and 0.5% respectively.The best calcination temperature is 350 ℃.TG-DTA and Fluorescence results show that as the doping of Sm3+(Eu3+) increase,phase transition temperature from TiO2 anatase to rutile are increased,thermal stability are enhanced,the recombination rate of the photo-induced electron and hole are decreased,which the catalytic performance of Sm3+ and Eu3+ doped TiO2 are significantly improved.When the initial concentration of methanol is 8.0 g·m-3 and the flow rate is 10.0 mL·min-1,the elimination rate of methanol can reach to 97.8% over the 0.15 g Eu3+/TiO2 catalyst.The kinetics for the catalytic methanol elimination over the sm3+/TiO2 and Eu3+/TiO2 followed quasi-first order reaction.The value of apparent activation energy are 20.2 kJ·mol-1 and 18.8kJ·mol-1 respectively in the range of reaction temperature.


A guide to small-scale rabbit breeding based on experience in Ghana. Includes advice on how to set up and manage a rabbitry.


ABSTRACT Research Findings: In this study, a combination of variable-oriented and person-oriented statistical analyses was used to examine the links between three temperament factors (negative affectivity, surgency/extraversion, effortful control) evaluated before entry into kindergarten and the cognitive and socioemotional dimensions of school readiness measured at the end of kindergarten. The sample included 98 children considered to be at risk because of their poor school readiness seven months before kindergarten entry. Multiple linear regressions showed that the temperament factors were associated differentially with the school readiness dimensions at the end of kindergarten. Three school readiness profiles (moderate cognitive and socioemotional risk, high socioemotional risk, high cognitive risk) were identified through latent profile analyses. A multinomial logistic regression showed that the temperament factors helped predict membership in the profiles. Practice or policy: Temperament thus represents an important determinant of school readiness and could be used to identify, within an at-risk population, children who are likely to present risks of a different nature at the end of kindergarten. Prevention programs and closer supervision during the transition to school could then be offered to these children.


Due to the larger density of CO2, the use of this gas as primary coolant for DEMO can lead to key advantageous features, mitigating most of the issues posed for He-cooling and resulting in a higher net efficiency than that of HCPB, as reported in a previous study. Therefore, a CO2cooled Pebble Bed (CCPB) has been proposed as an alternative coolant to He for the EU-DEMO. After identifying that CO2 will have a negligible influence on the neutronic performance, making the CCPB's TBR almost equal to the HCPB's one (TBR ≈ 1.15), a full first set of thermo-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical analyses with the commercial code of ANSYS CFX are reported here. The analyses are based on the newly proposed design of breeding zone (BZ) in the enhanced HCPB fuel-pin concept for the EU-DEMO. Such pin-type fuel elements have been already used, for instance, in liquid metal fast reactors since the 1960s. The paper will show that, despite the lower heat transfer capability of CO2 with respect to He, the fuel-pin design breeding zone improves the thermo-hydraulic performance, meeting the materials' temperature requirements. For the thermal-mechanical analysis, the structural behavior under normal operation has been assessed according to the available codes and standards (RCC-MRx). The results show that the CCPB can satisfy the basic thermal and mechanical blanket requirements and that CO2 is a realistic option as primary coolant for gascooled fusion reactors. 中国科学技术大学 University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) Electron beam welding Degassing and vacuuming First thermal-hydraulic and thermal-mechanical analysis of a CO2-cooled solid breeding blanket for the EU-DEMO Shuai Wanga, Francisco A. Hernándezb, Guangming Zhoub*, Hongli Chena aUniversity of Science and Technology of China (USTC), School of Physical Sciences, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China bKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology (INR), 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany


With the completion of the Cyanidioschyzon merolae genome project, detailed analysis of organelle proteins with mass spectrometry has now become possible. Chloroplasts of the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae De Luca, Taddei et Varano (Rhodophyta, Cyanidiophyceae) were isolated from synchronized culture and the chloroplast lysates of both interphase and metaphase cells were prepared and subjected to 2D‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A total of 355 spots (170 identical spots) were recognized and quantified and then analyzed using mass spectrometry. A total of 105 proteins were identified, including 18 proteins for posttranslational functions, 17 photosynthesis‐related proteins, 10 carbohydrate‐related proteins, 15 proteins of unknown functions, and eight proteins predicted to be contaminated from other organelles. On the basis of spot quantity, photosynthesis‐related proteins were most dominant (45.3% in interphase and 56.4% in metaphase). In particular, the proteins forming phycobilisomal complexes were abundant. Comparison of interphase with metaphase revealed that CMG086C (aminomethyltransferase) notably increased in interphase. CMN235C (similar to chlorophyll a/b‐binding protein, CP24) increased in metaphase in agreement with a previously performed microarray analysis. Both CMQ295C (cell division protein FtsH) and CMS004C (plastid division protein FtsZ) increased in interphase. Seven proteins were detected to be interphase‐specific, and 12 proteins were metaphase‐specific. Proteins of unknown functions were poorly characterized by homology search, although thioredoxin‐like domains were predicted in several proteins.


The dialogue between the model Athenian landowner Ischomachus and his wife recounted in Xenophon's Oeconomicus appears to offer a rare glimpse of the inner workings of an -ordinary Athenian household and a rare portrait of an ordinary Athenian wife. Through Ischomachus's report to Socrates of a series of conversations in which he instructed his wife in her proper activities. the dialogue provides both an account of the occupations of an Athenian wife and observations on her role in the household by both herself and her husband. Disciplines Arts and Humanities | Classics This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/classics_papers/154


Background This study explored the therapeutic efficacy of standard triple therapy combined with sucralfate suspension gel as well as the mechanisms of action in mouse models of H. pylori infection. Materials and Methods C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: NC (natural control), HP (H. pylori infection), RAC (rabeprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin), RACS (RAC and sucralfate suspension gel), and RACB (RAC and bismuth potassium citrate). HE staining and electron microscopy were performed to estimate histological and ultrastructural damages. The IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α of gastric antrum tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR. ZO-1 and Occludin were also detected with immunohistochemistry. The genomes of gastric and fecal microbiota were sequenced. Results The eradication rate of H. pylori in the RACS group was higher than the RAC group. RACS therapy had protective effects on H. pylori-induced histological and ultrastructural damages, which were superior to the RAC group. RACS therapy reduced the protein and mRNA levels of IL-8 compared with the RAC group. The expression of Occludin in the RACS group was significantly higher than that of the RAC group. The composition of gastric and fecal microbiota for RACS was similar to the RACB group according to PCA. Conclusions The RACS regimen eradicated H. pylori infection effectively and showed RACS had protective effects against H. pylori-induced histological and ultrastructural damage. The mechanisms of RACS effects included decreasing IL-8, enhancing Occludin, and transforming gastric microbiota. Moreover, RACS and RACB have a similar effect on gastrointestinal flora.


MACROCYCLIC POLYMERS FROM CYCLIC OLIGOMERS OF POLY(BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) MAY 1998 SAMUEL MILLER, B.S., Ch.E., OHIO UNIVERSITY Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSSACHUSETTS Directed by: Professor William J. MacKnight This thesis describes the synthesis, polymerization, and characterization of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) polymers as produced from cyclic oligomers of PBT using a stannoxane cyclic initiator. The properties of the resulting macrocyclic PBT polymer are compared to the properties of four commercial linear PBTs, covering the range of molecular weights for commercial polymers. The macrocyclic polymers are found to have unique properties in both the melt and the solid state. In the melt, the macrocyclic polymers are found to have significantly lower viscosities vs. the linear resins at equivalent molecular weight. The results reported herein show viscosity differences from linear molecules that are much larger than the findings reported in the literature for macrocyclic and linear polystyrene systems. It is believed that the unique ring expansion polymerization of use in this research has resulted in producing simpler cyclic molecules, having no catenation or knotting, than have been reported elsewhere. When crystallized, these cyclic molecules produce a semi-crystalline spherulitic structure. The spherulite formed is unique in that it is highly nucleated, rapidly


Kapi'olani Community College, one of ten public colleges in the University of Hawafi system, is a two-year, urban institution educating 7,467 college-ready students and an additional 400 precollcge developmental students. The College bears the name of Queen Julia Kapfolani, the penultimate Hawaiian monarch, who was deeply committed to the health, education, well-being, and perpetuation of Hawaiis people. The College is inspired by her legacy. Service-Learning Nearly a decade ago, with funding from the American Association of Community Colleges and the Corporation for National Service, the College initiated a service-learning program. In the summer of 1995, it supported an institute where faculty could read, reflect upon, and present current literature; debate significant perspectives; and come to a working consensus on what service-learning would be at Kapi'olani in relation to our students, faculty, and wider community. What emerged was an agreement that we would use service-learning and critical reflection as pedagogical tools for helping our diverse students with diverse ways of knowing better understand multicultural Hawaii. Wc would also use service-learning and reflection to celebrate Hawai'is multicultural traditions of service and social responsibility. Native Hawaiians have rich traditions of service in relation to their environment, villages, families, and chiefs. The ahupua' is a unit of land extending from the mountains to the sea. The land nurtures the people, and the people nurture the land in a reciprocal, sustainablc relationship. Other Hawaiian concepts, such as malama (to care for) and kulaana (special responsibility to the community) began to emerge in faculty diseussions. Other local cultures have rich, village-based traditions of social responsibility. Samoans speak of tautua (service) as the route to chiefly authority. The person who best serves the village, family, and chief has a special claim to future leadership. The Conhicianist and Buddhist tradition of dana (selfless giving) also contributes to our multicultural conception of service. Faculty discussions at the institute also addressed more problematic notions of service. During Hawaii's century of plantation economics, which ended in the 1960s, many Asian indentured workers served plautation owners in a rigidly stratified society. In modern Hawaii, the plantation-based economy has largely been replaced by tourism, a different form of service economy. The faculty explored the relationship between service, servitude, and exploitation. This rich and memorable dialogue resulted in a shared belief that serviceleaming is an important pedagogy for helping students to better understand their social responsibilities in and to the wider community. In the summer of 1996, another broad-based Faculty institute helped to shape a focus on intercultural and intergenerational sendee. If our students were the imagined "Generation X," then they should build learning connections to generations X-1 (our diverse children) and X+1 (our honored elderly). That summer, we also launched a strong sendee-learning project for HIV/AIDS prevention. Collaboration The next year, we began working with faculty in the college of social science at the University of Ilawafi at Manoa to create community-based collaborations. Faculty and students from both campuses worked together to better understand and reduce the severity of significant community problems, such as poor reading skills in children and adolescents, asthma and respiratory disease, environmental degradation, HIV/AIDS, and care for the elderly. These collaborations continue today, with additional emphasis on plugging the "leaky" K-16 educational pipeline, bridging the digital divide, and educating elderly immigrants for citizenship. …


Urinary tract infection is one of the most common bacterial infections seen in clinical practice both in developed and developing countries. The causative agents of Urinary tract infection vary from place to place and they also vary in their susceptibility and resistance patterns. This descriptive study aimed to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of pathogens isolated from routine laboratory specimens at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. A descriptive cross- sectional study was done from January 2018 to June 2018. A total of 100 mid-stream urine samples from the suspected UTI patients were tested microbiologically and antimicrobial susceptibility test were performed for the isolated pathogens using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method with positivity rate of UTI was 90% (90/100). Escherichia coli (39%) was the most UTI causing bacteria followed by Klebsiella 18(18%), Acinetobacter 12(12%), Staphylococci, 9 (9%), Pseudomonas 6 (6%), Enterococcus species 3 (3%) and Proteus 3 (3%). Female 83 (83%) were more affected in comparison with male. Adult female especially age range 18-30 years were found in high risk. Nitrofurantoin, Amikacin and Meropenem were recorded as most sensitive antibiogram for most of the bacteria's whereas cephalosporin showed increased resistance. However, for uncomplicated community acquired UTI, Nitrofurantoin (oral) and Amikacin (Injectable) can be chosen as first line medication.
J MEDICINE JUL 2020; 21 (2) : 93-97


Abstract Games have always been of interest to all age groups. With the advancement in technology and increase in number of users of personal computers, increased number of games is introduced in market. This is resulting in efforts, both for the developers in writing scripts for games and for the end users to select a game which is more entertaining. In this work we present a solution to both the issues. Initially a quantitative measure is devised, which calculates the entertainment value of games. Based upon the proposed measure we use evolutionary algorithm to generate games for different genres on the fly. The evolutionary algorithm needs to be given an initial set of games which it optimizes for entertainment using the proposed entertainment measure as the fitness criteria. In order to compare the entertainment value of the new games generated with the human's entertainment value we conduct a human user survey.


Contributions to public goods, such as nature areas, are often made by private actors, as well as governmental agencies. Typically, the motivation of citizens to voluntarily contribute depends on how the distribution of such tasks has evolved between public and private actors, and wider contextual factors. Therefore, it is unclear whether decreased public spending on nature areas affects private funding. We conduct an economic experiment in The Hague Forest in the Netherlands and ask citizens to perform a task that generates funding for the forest. In the treatment condition, we describe the ongoing policy changes, which implies less state funding and greater dependency on private actors. We find that highlighting a greater need for private funding reduces individual contributions significantly, which is mostly due to a drop in motivation of frequent visitors. Overall, our study suggests that decreasing public spending may have unexpected repercussions on citizens' motivation to contribute.


Upflow granular media filtration devices are widely used for stormwater runoff treatment. However, the system performance is not well characterized due to the irregular removal of suspended solid (SS) in the pretreatment (sedimentation) chamber and, hence, its irregular input to the media layer. In this regard, the performance of the granular media layer of an upflow filtration system is investigated herein by the use of various models. Due to the significant variation in the SS concentration of the influent and effluent to and from the media layer, the deep bed filtration model, the k-C* model, and the porous media capture model provide limited descriptions of the system performance. By contrast, the performance is well described using the kinetic model, the modified k-C* model using a specific deposit, and the modified porous media capture model using a specific deposit. The parameters of the latter models are shown to be in good correlation with the filtration velocity, SS removal, and specific deposit. The results suggest that modeling using a specific SS deposit can provide an accurate description of the granular media layer performance under a highly variable influent SS concentration.


134Background: FOLFOXIRI-Bmab has been recognized as one of the standard first-line treatments for mCRC. We conducted a single arm, multicenter, phase II study to assess the efficacy and safety of ...


According to the continuous time-frequency characteristic of linear frequency modulated (LFM) signals, a detection method based on Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) and a new Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) detector is proposed. The input signals are short-time Fourier transformed to achieve coherent integration of frequency-shift sample sequences with complex envelopes, modular square of which are to be CFAR detected in frequency domain. On the basis of GO, the proposed Greatest Of and Statistics-Based Order Statistics (GOSBOS) algorithm exploits the a priori information provided by statistics of former frames for threshold adaptation. The scheme takes advantage of both OS's superior detection performance and GO's noticeable ability to control false alarms under non-homogeneous background. Simulation results show its fine detection performance in -15dB signal to noise ratio (SNR) condition, which can well meet the need of electronic reconnaissance.


This paper presents information on the characteristics of 981 people living in a mental handicap hospital, including their sex, age, sensory and physical impairments, and level of behaviour disorder, and examines the inter-relation of these features. The findings indicate that health and local authorities should take particular note of two features, age and behaviour disorders, when developing and implementing their resettlement policies for people with mental handicaps.


One of the most important challenges for startup companies is securing financing. Indeed, it is crucial for startups to demonstrate their projects' profitability to potential investors. We develop a model of single-stage startup financing with signaling under ambiguity. Nature determines the ability of a technology entrepreneur (startup), who strategically chooses a costly patent level to signal his ability to potential investors. Because the project undertaken by a startup may involve highly innovative technology and may not be well known to agents, they might face ambiguity about the value of the project. To examine ambiguity effects on startup financing, we provide three different financing models in view of the degree of ambiguity: (i) no ambiguity; (ii) only investors face ambiguity; (iii) all agents face ambiguity. In each model, we derive perfect Bayesian equilibria and refine them into a unique equilibrium by imposing the Intuitive Criterion of Cho and Kreps (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 102, 1987, 179) or its extension. We analyze the refined equilibria from the perspectives of agents' equity shares and expected profits, and equilibrium patent levels.


A novel printed monopole antenna with an ultra‐wide bandwidth is presented. The proposed antenna has very compact size (12 × 22 mm2) as well as very simple configuration and easily fed by using a 50 Ω microstrip line. The antenna impedance bandwidth based on S11 < −10 dB is from 3 to 14 GHz, about 130%. A stably omnidirectional radiation patterns over a wide bandwidth is obtained. These features will make the antenna attractive for modern ultra‐wideband applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52:2267–2269, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25486


The formation of bimolecular complexes on metal surfaces through interaction between a single chemisorbed chiral molecule and a single chemisorbed prochiral substrate molecule can be considered as a preorganization step toward chirality transfer. In the case of asymmetric hydrogenation on chirally modified platinum catalysts, the metal surface dissociates H2 and provides atomic hydrogen for the desymmetrization step. Along the reaction path, the combined chemisorption and intermolecular interactions in the assembly formed between the modifier and the substrate determine which enantiomer is formed in excess. In this study, we use DFT calculations and STM measurements to describe chemisorption and intermolecular interactions in isolable structures formed between single ketopantolactone and single (R)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine molecules on Pt(111). The study reveals several distinct complexation geometries at the sub-molecular level as well as the stereodirecting forces operating in the most abundant bimolecular assemblies. The comparison of theoretical and experimental data strongly suggests that partial hydrogenation of KPL occurs under the experimental conditions and that some of the most abundant complexes are formed by the hydroxy intermediate.


In the millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) multiuser-multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) system, the interferences among different users generally degrade the system performance. In the meantime, orbital angular momentum (OAM) or radio vortex communication suffers significant fading due to the nature of divergence radiation. In this contribution, we utilize the divergence and propose an OAM-based independent analog beam selection (OAM-IABS) as well as a sub-optimal beam search solution to address all the above challenges. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme.


We experimentally demonstrate an all-fiber few-mode recirculating loop system (AF-FMRLS) with the ultralow-cost transfer-learning multi-input and multi-output (TL-MIMO) equalizers. 20 round trips were tested with the training-cost reduction up to 66.7% to 100%.


Significant progress has been made over the past 20 yr in the use of formal optimization methods to develop oil and gas prospects. Considerable art and ingenuity still is required to set up each modeling situation. The following types of optimization methods are emphasized: (1) linear programing (LP) models where the reservoir behavior (flow rate vs. pressure) takes on a very simple form; this approach is adequate for many situations dominated by economic optimization; (2) LP models intertwined with reservoir simulators where several stages may be involved; (3) use of mixed integer programing (MIP) models for improved representation of the nonlinear decision variables, probably by simplified representation of the reservoir parameters; and (4) systems approach leading to simplified optimizing models. The nature of the simplification is to identify only the key decision variables, model the reservoir behavior that matters, and include economic optimization. The models should be so structured that it is possible to obtain an analytic solution or at least a straightforward computational procedure. 40 references.


Hermit crabs, the gastropod shells that they inhabit, and associated epifauna constitute a motile microhabitat. Twenty-three macroscopic. epifaunal invertebrates were associated with the diogenid crab Clihanarius vittatus in Mississippi coastal waters. Epibiotic growth may discourage predation of the crab, reduce competition for the shells, or provide an advantage in agonistic shell interaction. In addition, the shell provides a hard substrate for settling and attachment of epifauna in an area that is largely devoid of hard substrate. Reduced sedimentation and prevention of shell burial, improved food availability, transport, and protection from predation may also be advantageous to the epizoans.


Rotation matrices are most easily introduced as transformation matrices between right-handed Cartesian bases ~e ′ k = ~e j D j k . (1) Here and in the following we use the Einstein summation convention, i.e., over pairs of repeated indices one has to sum. In this formula we have to sum over j ∈ {1,2,3}. The properties of the rotation matrices follows from the definition of right-handed Cartesian bases. First such a basis builds an orthonormal system, i.e., ~e ′ k · ~e ′ l = δk l ⇒ ~e j · ~em D j k D m l = δ j m D j k D m l =D j k D j l = δk l , (2) from which (D−1)l j =D j l . (3) In matrix notation that means D̂−1 = D̂T, (4) where the T denotes transposition, i.e., to write the columns of the matrix D̂ as the rows of D̂T. Finally the right-handedness of both bases means, using the Levi-Civita symbol, ε j k l , ~e j · (~e ′ k × ~e ′ l ) = ε j k l = ~e ′ m · (~en × ~eo)D m j Dn k Do l = εmno D m j Dn k Do l = det D̂ε j k l ⇒ det D̂ =+1. (5) Rotation matrices are orthonormal, i.e., D̂D̂T = D̂TD̂ = 1 and obey det D̂ = 1. These matrices build a group since it is easy to show that with two such matrices D̂1 and D̂2 also D̂1D̂2 also fulfill the conditions. This group is called the special orthogonal group in 3D Euclidean vector spaces, SO(3).


The invention is suitable for the technical field of communication, and provides an application switching method. The method comprises the following steps of: after receiving a switching mode starting instruction, displaying at least one window interface on a screen, wherein the screen is used for displaying primary application, and each window interface is used for displaying secondary application; when the window interface receives a triggering instruction, judging whether the secondary application and the primary application exist currently or not; and if the secondary application and the primary application exist, switching the primary application to new secondary application, displaying the new secondary application on the window interface, switching the secondary application to new primary application, and displaying the new primary application on the screen. Correspondingly, the invention also provides a communication terminal. By the method, the primary application and the secondary application can be conveniently switched, so that the user experience is improved.


A plastic package GaAs MESFET receiver front-end monolithic microwave integrated circuit operating at 5.8 GHz is presented in this paper. It has a two-stage low-noise amplifier followed by a dual-gate mixer. Operating at 3 V and 8.3 mA, a conversion gain of 20.4 dB, noise figure of 4.1 dB, and high port-to-port isolations have been achieved. Total chip size of 1.0/spl times/0.9 mm/sup 2/ has been achieved through on-chip matching for both RF and local-oscillator ports and the use of simple two-element matching networks for all interstage matching. The 3-dB bandwidth of conversion gain is 1 GHz.


This paper presents the QoS management for an enhanced VoIP platform based on H.323/MGCP interworking. This enhanced VoIP platform bears a call agent/gatekeeper that centrally controls one or more media gateways. The QoS management is based on a software module that resides on the call agent, terminates and processes the RTCP stream of each connection and extracts the appropriate results. These results trigger the QoS management software module to instruct the call agent to take the appropriate actions in order to retain or to improve a certain voice quality for the connections. This is achieved by using the MGCP commands of the call agent and by changing the voice codec used on the connection so that the compression used for the voice packets is bigger and the bandwidth consumption is lower. The algorithm proposed for the QoS management is based on the E-model and the R-factor recommended by the ITU-T. This paper presents the structure of the QoS management module, the algorithm itself and outlines the architecture of the enhanced VoIP platform that uses this QoS module.


Applying the finite element method, the function of finite element analysis software AnsysWorkbench is powerful. Analysis 30 groups of different groove curvature radius coefficient model in extreme condition, obtained in applying extreme working conditions, stress and deformation data. Analysis results show that the inner groove curvature coefficient is 0.525, the outer ring raceway curvature coefficient of bearing is 0.52 when the slewing bearing shows maximum carrying capacity. Calculation, results provide analysis basis for slewing bearing design.


Lead isotope analysis of ancient artifacts containing lead at the ppm level was applied to silver, copper, bronze, and to glass and glazes if they contained a trace of lead. The method is useless for re-melted and mixed objects made from scrap, although in certain cases it is a useful indicator of origin. Data have been compiled from geological museums and collections, the geological literature and field trips, e.g., to Siberia, Soviet Central Asia, and China. Ore samples from a few areas still elude us, but much of the archaeological world has been covered. (The editors share with the authors the knowledge that the conclusions proposed in this paper remain tentative until more evidence is forth coming. The compilation of the isotope ratio data presented is an important contribution. - J. S.O. and M.J.B.)


ions are favored, even if 1,6 sites with slightly lower (ca. 3 kcal/mol) BDEs are available. The algorithm seeks abstraction sites within the appropriate BDE range for the given radical type, rejects those which are in geometrically poor positions, and finally refines the remaining candidate sites to those with the lowest BDE. Resubmission. Each intermediate generated by an advanced propagation is considered for resubmission and analysis for subsequent reactions. lntermediates are briefly scanned for ( I ) fast ring closure sites, ( 2 ) rapid fragmentations, (3) intermolecular additions, and (4) 1,5 and 1,6 atom migration sites. I f any of these possibilities exist, the radical is resubmitted and subjected to the detailed analysis discussed above. Phase IV: Radical Trapping. When resubmission yields no new intermediates, the fourth phase of processing is invoked to generate closed-shell products. For chain-reaction sequences, this comprises enacting the implicit chain-transfer step described previously. The atom or fragment designated during phase I or phase I I is created and bonded to the radical species. This simulated abstraction step circumvents the need to enter or recreate an explicit chain-transfer agent. Certain intermediates are prevented from trapping, e.g., structures capable of rapid fragmentation. When diradicals or radical pairs are present, implicit chain transfer may compete with recombination and/or disproportionation, as discussed below. Integration of Diradicals. The original implementation of radical chemistry focused upon chain-reaction processes, where intermediates are generated in sufficiently low concentrations and radical-radical processes may be neglected. Successful integration of diradical and radical pair chemistry requires control of two unpaired electrons, and the recognition of possible interactions between them. Implementation has concentrated on extending the foundation of the existent algorithm to accommodate thermal unimolecular rearrangements. The radical initiation phase has been updated for inclusion of classical thermal methods of diradical generation, i.e., homolysis of cyclic species containing weak u bonds, such as diazcnc and pcroxidc thermolyses and pyrolyses of strained rings. In addition, specialized implementations have been made for synthetically significant diradical-forming reactions, including enediyne and eneynecumulene cycloaromatizations'O and decomposition of t h iohydro~amates . ' ~ Prototypical examples of these are shown below. Formation of diradicals by cycloaromatization is considered by seeking pairs of sp hybridized atoms that meet three essential criteria: ( 1 ) the atoms must be in a 1,6 relationship, ( 2 ) they must have no saturated atoms in the intervening path, and (3) a cis orientation must exist to allow bond formation. If these requirements are satisfied, the 1,6 sp pair is further analyzed for the appropriate thermal range of the reaction. Since the activation energy and, consequently, the requisite temperature decrease with smaller distances between the 1,6 sp pair, any additional connections are examined for length of the connecting chain, bridging, and multiple bonds. The results determine the temperature at which cyclization is expected to occur.lob*c Thione decomposition is also driven by impending aromaticity, and candidates for diradical formation therefore meet two requirements: (1) increasing the bond order of a bond a to the thione carbon must result in aromaticity, and (2) the subsequent /3 bond must be of sufficiently low BDE (75 kcal/mol) to permit scission, as shown. The perception algorithm has been augmented to characterize both radical atoms with regard to philicity and relative stabilization. In addition, 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-diradicals are noted as such. Large differences in stability (1 I5 kcal/mol) are used to gauge the relative reactivity of radical sites. If such a disparity exists, the more stable radical is considered "passive" and is permitted to undergo only radical-radical reactions, e.g., eq 2.15 Disparate reactivity is also recognized "passive" TDSO + ___) ArS.H TDSO$ /


Jointly organised by the Building Survey Division. Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) and Division of Architectural Conservation Programmes (ACP), Faculty of Architecture, the University of Hong Kong / Lecture 1-4


Abstract : the problem of this study is the lack of ability chest pass in basketball women's team senior high school 3 Pekanbaru. It is thought to because of the lack of arm and shoulder muscle strenght and hand-eye coordination when doing chest pass, The purpose of this research to determine the reletionship of the arm and shoulder muscle strenght and hand-eye coordination withthe chest pass ability.This is correlational study that aimed to know how big the contribution between independent and dependent variables. After that, conducted data normality test by liliefors test with significant level α= 0,05, and the result for normality test of X1 variable is Lomax (0,108) rtable then the result is, there is significant relitionship on it. From the calculation of the correlation between the strenght of the arm and shoulder muscles with the chest pass ability is obtained rhitung = 0,556 while rtable =0,532. The result of calculation of corelation between hand-eye coordination with the chest pass ability is obtained rresult =0,572 while rtable = 0,532. To determine the R variables X1 and X2 with Y performed using double formula, with rhitung = 0,632 > rtable = 0,532. So, Ho is refused and Ha is accepted. Based on the research result,the conclusion is there is significant relationship between arms and shoulder muscle strenght and hand-eye coordination with the ability chest pass in basketball women's team senior high school 3 Pekanbaru. keyword: Arm And Shoulder Muscle Strenght, hand-eye coordination, chest pass


We construct (integral) interpolationg subspline curves for given data points and knot vector. The algorithm is very close to B-spline approximation. The idea is to blend interpolating Lagrangian splines by B-spline techniques.' All is connected in aflnely invariant way with the control points and the knot vector. We are able to show, that our scheme produces high quality subsplines, which include known procedures like Overhauser or quintic interpolation schemes. In addition we may sweep to Bsplines and return in a very lucid way. Examples show the power of the method. The given procedure allows generalisations to rational subsplines and to tensor product interpolating surfaces.


Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a light-absorbing thin film layer by means of spraying, comprising the mixing of starting material solutions which include CuCl Spraying the mixed solution onto a substrate and drying it, thereby forming a thin film; and selenization of the thin film under an atmosphere of selenium. Moreover, a method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell is provided, comprising: forming a back contact layer on a glass substrate by sputtering; Forming a light-absorbing layer on the back contact layer by means of spraying; Forming a buffer layer on the light absorbing layer by means of chemical vapor deposition; Forming a window layer on the buffer layer by sputtering; and forming an upper electrode layer on the window layer.


Z source is a versatile switched mode power converter that can handle conversions between alternating and direct current with desired, controlled values. It is an improvement on traditional switched mode converters which gives a good protection against in-rush and ripple currents. In a world with increasing demand for more efficient and fail proof power electronics devices and rise in popularity of electric vehicles, Z source converter provides a good alternative to charge vehicle batteries quickly and efficiently. This paper presents a method of implementing Z-Source Converter (ZSC) to charge the vehicle battery from the grid using AC-DC power conversion with constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) charging modes. Theoretical design for charging modes between threshold values is done and the circuit with waveforms is simulated and verified. Keywords—Z-Source converter, CC-CV charging, Electric Vehicles(EV), MATLAB Simulink.


We evaluate the effectiveness and validity of J(sub)e, which comprehensively describes the effects of specimen geometry and loading type, in predicting the fatigue life of auto seat belt anchor panel. We first simplify the heat affected zone model to reduce the number of finite elements. We then establish finite element models reflecting the actual overload behavior of 3 types of seat belt anchor specimens. Using finite element models elaborately established, we obtain the effective crack driving parameter J(sub)e composed of its ductility-dependent modal components. It is confirmed that the J(sub)e concept successfully predicts the fatigue life of multi-spot welded panel structures represented by auto seat belt anchors here.


In recent days, many researchers are focusing on emerging a new class of bio-inspired architectured materials. The primary strategy of these architecture designs is directly dependent on types of available literature based on higher-ordered species such as nacre, fish scales etc. In this study, we have investigated the microstructural features, and mechanical properties of five different ray-finned fish scales from Lutjanidae family collected in Iran. It is found that habitat depth and habits may result in significant changes in scale's surface morphology and mechanical properties. Interestingly, the variations in cross-sectional microstructural features such as fiber orientation and layer thickness ratios in scales did not show noticeable differences. It has been also proved that the mechanical performance of fish scales is influenced by the shape, array pattern and compactness of strips on posterior edges in a scale. Moreover, the radii count at anterior positions are higher in fishes living in wide-ranging depth; it supports in achieving higher scale stiffness and flexibility during movement. Consideration of these factors may help in optimising the performance of newly designed architectured materials subjected to mechanical loadings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Inspiring T Cell Indole-nce in DTH See article p. 1108 Deleted D Genes Dissect Diversity See article p. 1158 RIG-ing Up Antiviral Immunity See article p. 1209 Factoring Immune Evasion by Merozoites See article p. 1239 TWISTing C3′s Role in Metastasis See article p. 1412


Numerical solutions of 2D magneto‐hydrodynamic (MHD) equations by means of a fluctuation splitting (FS) scheme (with a new wave model and dual time stepping technique) is presented. The FS scheme, essentially based on the model explained in Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference, vol. 10, Swansea, 21–25 July 1997; Godunov Symposium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1–2 May 1997; Physics Symposium, Alanya, Turkey, 27–31 October 1998; J. Comput. Phys. 1999; 153:437–466; Ph.D. Thesis, University of Marmara, Istanbul, Turkey, 2000), was extended to include gravitational source effects, limiters to limit oscillations, high order time accuracy through multistage Runge–Kutta steps, and a dual time stepping scheme to drive magnetic field divergence to zero during iterations. The numerical results show that with the new wave model called MHD‐B along with its embedded numerical dissipation, correct limiting viscosity solution has been recovered and that it can safely be used in order to investigate steady or time dependent magnetized or neutral compressible flows in two dimensions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The structure and basic parameters of the FY-1 device and experiments on the plasma configuration are briefly described. The results show that the present toroidal plasma formed in FY-1 belongs to runaway discharge. The dependence of hard X-ray intensity on the working gas pressure has preliminarily been investigated. The plasma equilibrium and configuration can be properly adjusted by changing the discharge circuit of the field shaping coils and with additional inductors passively controlling the field shaping coil image currents. Variable elongations (k=1.1-1.4) of the elliptic plasma cross section and its areas are determined by fitting the measured magnetic properties on the basis of a free boundary MHD equilibrium theory.


Anthracnose disease is a disease in chilli that can attack chili fruit in the field and post-harvest. Generally this disease control uses synthetic fungicide, with the development of science and technology found environmental friendly alternative controls to support sustainable agriculture by using rhizobacteria. This study aims to determine the ability of inhibit and effectiveness of rhizobacteria indigenous in inhibiting the development of Colletotrichum gloesporoides in vitro. This research using dual culture method on Tryptic Soya Agar media. The rizobacteria indigenous isolates tested RbLPK1-9, RbLPK1-9.1, RbTD1-3, RbTD1-8, RbTD1-8.1, RbAg1-5, RbGN3. The results showed that rhizobacteria isolate RBLPK1-9.1 had 50.60% inhibition 96.89% with effectivity, RbTD1-3 inhibition 50.66% with effectivity of 97.28%, RbTD1-8.1 inhibition 51.13% with effectiveness 98 , 72%, RbAg1-5 inhibition 45,96% with effectiveness 78,62%, RbGN3 inhibition 53,20% with effectiveness 107,00%, RbLpk1-9 inhibition 36,00% with effectivity 40,08%, RbTD1-8 inhibition of 28.23% with effectiveness of 9.73% and Control 25.73% with effectiveness 0%. This indicates that 5 isolates RBLPK1-9.1, RbTD1-3, RbTD1-8.1, RbAg1-5, RbGN3 are able to inhibit the development of C. gloeosporioides the cause of anthracnose disease in chili and can be used as biological agents.


A regional blood transfusion centre which successfully averted an imminent supply crisis has warned that current donor shortages may cause another emergency.


Analysis of the cotransductional frequencies of malB alleles, resistant or sensitive to lambda (λ), with outside markers metA exrA uvrA, and the probability of recombinations between these alleles ...


The article delves the processes of education's institutalisation and its goals of modernization under the circumstances of Russia's development. It also shows the necessity of educational management system transformation that would consider the needs of liberalisation and securing the education quality standards.


Following an earlier article, " Juvenile Crime and Justice in Japan", published three years ago in "Justice of the Peace" , this article looks at continued widely felt anxiety about rising juvenile crime and discusses legislation reforming the Juvenile Law for the first time since it came into force in 1949 which may result in more juveniles being tried as adults.


The concept of audience was widely adapted from its earlier origins in public spectacles and performance to apply to the new circumstances of mass media reception in the early 20th century, and especially to the public for film and broadcasting. It could even be applied more generally to include print media. The then novel usage of the term was a component in the larger paradigm of mass communications that in turn rested on certain preconceptions about its 'mass' character. These preconceptions have been challenged by subsequent research and theory. More recently, however, the ongoing transformation of the means of communication may have rendered the whole mass communication paradigm itself obsolescent, and with it the concept of a mass audience. In this article it is argued that paradigmatic change in ideas about the audience may be less due to a shift in technology than to the more fundamental theoretical changes of the intervening period.


Robot systems have been widely used in industry and also play an important role in human social life. Safety critical applications usually demand rigorously formal verification to ensure correctness. But for the increasing complexity of dynamic environments and applications, it is not easy to build a comprehensive model for the traditional offline verification. In this paper, we propose RobotRV, the first data-centered real-time verification approach for the robot system. Within this approach, a domain-specific language named RoboticSpec  is designed to specify the complex application scenario of the robot system, the data packets transmitted in the robot system, and the safety critical temporal properties. Then, we develop an engine to automatically translate the RoboticSpec model into a real-time verifier. The generated verifier serves as an independent plug-in component for the runtime verification of concerned temporal properties. We applied the proposed approach to a real robot system. As presented in experiment results, our method detected potential failures, and improved the safety of robot system.


CD44 is a widely distributed cell surface glycoprotein that has been shown to play an important role in a large number of adhesion-dependent cellular processes including lymphopoiesis and myelopoiesis, lymphocyte recirculation, tumour metastasis, and monocyte/macrophage activation. At present, however, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the functional activity and ligand binding specificity of this important molecule remain poorly defined. In particular, although CD44 has been shown to function as a major cell surface receptor for the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, not all CD44-positive cell lines are able to bind this particular ligand. As discussed in this review, several non-mutually exclusive regulatory mechanisms may be involved. Thus alternative splicing may generate a large number of differentially expressed CD44 isoforms with distinct ligand binding specificities. In addition, the functional activity of these various molecules may be further regulated via changes in their conformation and/or glycosylation, or by altering their distribution in the plane of the membrane. 要 旨 CD44は 生体内に広範に分布する細胞表面糖 タンパ ク質 で、リンパ造血、骨髄造血、リンパ球再循環、がん転移、単球 やマクロファージの活性化など、接着に依存 した多 くの細胞現 象に重要な役割を果たす ことが示 されている。しかしなが ら、 この重要な分子の機能的な活性 とリガンド結合特異性がどのよ うに調節 されているかに関する分子機構は、現在ほとんど明 ら かにされていない。特に、CD44は グリコサミノグリカンである ピアルロン酸に対する主要な細胞表面受容体 としての機能が示 されているが、全てのCD44陽 性細胞株がこの特定のリガンドに 結合できるわけではない。本総説で述べるように、独立 した調 節機構が幾つか存在するであろう。例えば、altemative splicing によって、異なるリガン ド結合特異性を持つ多様なCD44ア イソ フォームが多数発現するであろう。さらにこのような多様な分 子の機能的活性は、これらの分子の立体構造の変化、あるいは 糖鎖修飾、あるいは細胞膜面の局在変化などによってさらに調 節されているであろう。 A. Introduction Alterations in the expression, and/or appropriate functioning of the cell surface molecules that mediate adhesive interactions have long been suggested to contribute to the development and/or pathogenesis of malignant disease. Our interest in this regard has focussed on the broadly distributed polymorphic cell surface glycoprotein CD44. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against this molecule have been shown to block lymphopoiesis and myelopoiesis in murine long term cultures (1-3), and to inhibit both the attachment of hemopoietic cells to vascular endothelial cells in vitro (4-7) and their migration into sites of inflammation in vivo (8). Crosslinking of CD44 has also been shown to transduce signals that may directly or indirectly alter the proliferation and/or functional activity of various hemopoietic cell types (9). Presumably reflecting these diverse functional roles, correlations have been found between the expression of CD44, or particular CD44 A.は じめに 細胞接着を司る細胞表面分子の発現や機能の変化は、発生 や悪性腫瘍の病態に関与することが長い間示唆 されている。そ のため私たちは、生体内に広範に分布 し、多型を示す細胞表面 糖タンパク質CD44に 焦点をあてた。CD44に 対する単クローン 抗体は、マウス長期培養系においてリンパ造血および骨髄造血 を阻害 し(1-3)、さらにはin vitroにおける造血系細胞の血管内皮 細胞への接着(4-7)、およびin vivoにおける炎症部位へのこれら の細胞の遊走(8)を阻害することが示されている。CD44分 子の架 橋が、造血系細胞の増殖や機能を直接あるいは間接に変化させ るようなシグナルを細胞内に伝達することも示されている(9)。 おそらくこのような機能的役割の多様性を反映 して、CD44あ る いは特定のCD44ア イソフォームの発現 と、ある種の造血系、あ c1995 FCCA (Forum: Carbohydrates Coming of Age) 45 Trends in Glycoscience and Glycotechnology Vol. 7 No. 33 (January 1995) pp. 45-56 isoforms, and the metastasic propensity of certain hemopoietic and non-hemopoietic malignancies (10). At present, however, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the adhesive function and ligand-binding specificity of CD44 remain largely undefined. Only through a better understanding of these processes will it be possible to determine the precise role played by this molecule in controlling the behavior of both normal and malignant cells. B. Cellular Distribution and Structure of CD44 CD44 was originally defined as the broadly distributed human cell surface glycoprotein reactive with mAb F10-44-2 (11). Many other independently characterized mAbs are now known to also recognize CD44 and these have been instrumental in demonstrating an important role for this molecule in various adhesion-dependent cellular processes including lymphopoiesis and myelopoiesis, lymphocyte recirculation, tumour metastasis, and monocyte/macrophage activation (10,12,13). CD44 is expressed by many different cell types including lymphocytes, macrophages, granulocytes, erythrocytes, epithelial cells, endothelial cells and some glial cells (12,13). The level of expression on hemopoietic cells is strictly regulated and varies considerably according to differentiation stage and activation status (11). Leukemias and lymphomas, which can be thought of as being 'fixed' at a particular stage in differentiation and/or activation, are similarly heterogeneous in their expression of CD44 (10-13). CD44 is very polymorphic, and species ranging in size from 80-250 kD have been detected on various normal and transformed cell types (11,13). The major isoform expressed by most resting hemopoietic cells (CD44H) has an apparent molecular mass on reducing SDS-PAGE of 80-90 kD (12). Several cDNAs encoding this molecule have now been cloned (1416) and shown to contain a single long open reading frame of 341 amino acids corresponding to a typical type 1 integral membrane protein with an extracellular domain of 248 amino acids, a 21 amino acid membrane spanning domain and a 72 amino acid cytoplasmic domain. A second cDNA encoding an isoform of CD44H containing a truncated cytoplasmic domain of only 3 amino acids has also been identified, although this seems to represent a rare species in most of the cell lines that have been examined to date (15). In agreement with earlier biochemical studies (17), sequence analysis indicates that the extracellular domain of CD44H contains 6 potential sites of Nlinked glycosylation (5 of which are located at the amino terminal region of the molecule), numerous serine and threonine residues that may serve as sites of O-linked glycosylation, and 4 serine-glycine motifs that may serve as sites of chondroitin sulphate attachment (18), generating a higher molecular mass (180-220 kD) proteoglycan variant of the molecule that is exるい は そ れ 以外 の腫 瘍 の 転 移 能 との 間 に相 関 が認 め られ て い る (10)。 しか しな が ら、CD44の 接 着 機 能 と リガ ン ド結 合 特 異 性 の 調 節機 構 の 分 子機 序 は現 在 の と ころ 明 か で は な い 。 これ らの過 程 を よ り詳細 に理解 す る こ と に よっ て 、 正常 細 胞 と悪 性 細 胞 両 者 の挙 動 の コ ン トロー ル にCD44が 果 たす 役 割 をは じめ て 明 らか にす る こ とが で きる で あ ろ う。


The paper indicates the serious economic damage caused by the durability,introduces the main contents for the durability of the concrete structure,sums up the research on the durability of the concrete structure,and points out the research main points and development tendency in the future.


This article studes the racial segregation and xenophobia inside the technoindustrial development of the XXth century. It analises the policy corresponding to these social technologies which shape the behaviour of theif citizens: the beginning of the biopower of racialism and the public health (Foucault), the fascist totalitarianism (Wittgenstein) and the capitalist apartheid (Negri). They are confronted, as case studies of technologies of apartheid, with three actual and different examples: South Africa, Northern Ireland and Chiapas.


Iron (Fe) is an essential metal in biological processes, which maintains a homeostasis in the human body Divalent metal transporter I (DMTI) has been known as an iron transporting membrane protein, which is involved in the uptake Fe at the apical portion of intestinal epithelium, and may transport Fe across the membrane of acidified endosome in peripheral tissues In this study, we studied the tissue distribution of DMT1 in the Fe supplemented (FeS) diet fed rats, and the regulation of DMT1 expression by depleting body Fe Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, and fed FeS (120 mg Fe/kg) diet or Fe deficient (FeD, 2~6 mg Fe/kg) diet for 4 weeks The evaluation of body Fe status was monitored by measuring sFe, UIBC and tissue Fe concentration Additionally, DMT1 mRNA levels were analyzed in the peripheral tissues by using the quantitative real time RT-PCR method In the FeS diet fed rats, the tissue Fe was maintained at a relatively high level, and DMT1 was eventually expressed in all tissue studied DMT1 was highly expressed in the testis, kidney and spleen, while a moderate levels of DMT1 expression was detected in the brain, liver and heart In the digestive system, the highest level ot DMTI was found In the duodenum Feeding the FeD diet caused a reduced body weight gam and depletion of body Fe with finding of decieated sFe, increased UlBC and decreased tissue Fe concentration The depletion of body Fe upregulated DMT1 expression in the peripheral tissue The expresstion of DMT1 was very sensitive to the body Fe depletion in the small intestine, especially m the duodenum, showing dramatically higher levels in the FeD rats than those of the FeS group In the FeD diet fed ammals the expression of DMT1 was low significantly In other tissues compared with the duodenum The expression of DMT1, however, was 60~120% higher in the testis, kidney and spleen, and 30 ~50% higher in the lung, liver and heart, compared to the PeS diet fed rats In summary, DMT1 expression was ubiquitous in mammalian tissue, and the level of expression was the organ-dependent The expression of DMT1 In peripheral tissues was upregulated by depletion of body Fe Duodenum was the most sensitive tissue among organs studied during Fe depletion, and expressed the greatest level of DMT1, while other tissues were less higher than in duodenum This study supports that DMT1 plays a role in maintaining the body Fe level through intestinal uptake as well as homeostasis of Fe in the peripheral tissue


During the period 1987–1989 femoral artery cannulations were performed in 95 patients of whom 74 were neonates. Catheter sizes were 24 G (n= 28), 22 G (n= 54) and 20 G (n= 13). Median indwelling time was 3 days (range: 1–13 days). Catheter removal was due to perfusion related symptoms in 12 cases, malfunction in 16 cases and because they were no longer needed in 67 cases. One to three years after the catheterization event the systolic peak flow velocity in the femoral artery was analysed with a Doppler sonography system in 28 neonates and in 6 older children. Measurements were performed where the external iliac artery ascends from the pelvic fossa (proximal site) and in the common femoral artery which was considered to be the site for catheter introduction (puncture site). In the neonatal group (n= 28), there was a significant increase in the peak flow velocity at the puncture site in the catheterized leg (P < 0.05), as well as a signficant increase in the quota of the puncture and proximal site values in the catheterized leg (P < 0.05). In the catheterized leg, the peak flow velocity at the puncture site correlated positively with the length of the indwelling time (r= 0.467, P < 0.01). It is concluded that the use of the femoral artery for intra‐arterial monitoring in neonates and children is clinically a safe method. The findings of peak systolic velocity may indicate damage to the vessel and/or adjacent vessel tissue present 1–3 years after the catheterization event.


Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Fuweisan combined with ranitidine in treatment of Hp positive gastric ulcer merger of precancerous lesions. Methods Patients with Hp positive gastric ulcer merger of precancerous lesions(1 360 cases) who came to Maonan People's Hospital of Maoming City from January 2009 to December 2013 were randomly divided into treatment and control groups(n = 680). Patients in the control group were po administered with Fuweisan Capsule(10 g) for three times daily. Lesion locations of patients in the treatment group were determined under the endoscope, and the patients were injected with ranitidine. From day 2, the patients in the treatment group were treated with Fuweisan Capsule, and the usage and dosage were the same as the control group. Two groups were treated for two months. After treatment, the clinical symptoms efficacy, endoscopy efficacy, pathology efficacy, and Hp eradication rates of two groups were compared. Results Clinical symptoms efficacy in treatment and control groups were 88.5% and 68.1%, with significant differences(P 0.05). After treatment, the symptoms of ulcer, hyperemia edema, erosion, mucous membrane to bleach, particles hyperplasia, and see-through blood vessels were improved, the effective rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group. And there were significant differences between the two groups(P 0.05). After treatment, total effective rate of precancerous lesions such as intestinal metaplasia, hyperplasia, intestinal metaplasia, and hyperplasia in the treatment group were 69.8%, 70.0%, and 66.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of control group(39.8%, 42.5%, and 36.5%), with significant differences(P 0.05). Hp eradication rates of treatment and control groups were 95.2% and 77.1%, with significant differences(P 0.05). Conclusion Fuweisan Capsule combined with endoscopic Ranitidine Injection has good clinical efficacy in treatment of Hp positive gastric ulcer merger of precancerous lesions, which can give full synergistic effect of local high-dose therapy in endoscopic injection and traditional Chinese medicine composition, so as to improve the treatment efficiency.


Abstract The triangle packing number v(G) of a graph G is the maximum size of a set of edge-disjoint triangles in G. Tuza conjectured that in any graph G there exists a set of at most 2v(G) edges intersecting every triangle in G. We show that Tuza's conjecture holds in the random graph G = G(n, m), when m ⩽ 0.2403n3/2 or m ⩾ 2.1243n3/2. This is done by analysing a greedy algorithm for finding large triangle packings in random graphs.


Reported in this paper are the first experiments designed to separate the effects of reabsorbed recombination radiation (RRR) and diffusing minority carriers on the measured minority‐carrier diffusion length. From light spot scan experiments on bevelled samples of p‐type Ge‐doped GaAs it was found that for p‐layer thicknesses up to two diffusion lengths (10–20 μm) carriers created by RRR represent less than 10% of the total carriers diffusing from a generating source (illumination of p‐n junction injection). Thus for measurements and structures of interest carriers created by RRR play no substantial role.


Coordination of uterine contractions during labour is critical for successful delivery. The mechanisms underlying this coordination are not fully understood. Propagation of contraction signals has previously been observed to occur through transmission of electrical excitation waves. This thesis aims to examine the histological microarchitecture of the muscular layer of the uterus (myometrium) and determine how this structure affects the propagation of excitation by means of in silico three-dimensional reconstruction of the myometrium and numerical simulations of a spatially structured excitation-relaxation model.

A key aim of the in silico reconstruction of the smooth muscle architecture of the myometrium is to identify structural features that correspond to the control of excitation behaviour in the myometrium. This examination is aided by analysis of excitation patterns observed in multi-electrode array recordings. The reconstruction is subsequently used as a basis for simulating electrical activity in the myometrium.

Novel structural features are identified here that are located at the initiation points of electrical activity and are proposed to be the pacemaker sites in rat myometrium. Furthermore, boundary of low connectivity across the mesometrial border was observed in the rat, which corresponds to the termination of excitation waves observed in multielectrode array recordings. In addition, bridges of smooth muscle cells connecting the inner and outer layers of the myometrium were observed in both rat and human myometrium. Taken together these three features suggest a novel mechanism for control of contraction in the rat myometrium; an analogous mechanism is proposed for the human myometrium.

The results presented in this thesis could provide an explanation for the patterns of excitation propagation observed in human and rat uteri. Further refinements of the methods used here are outlined and expected to generate a more detailed visualisation of the structures underpinning these mechanisms.


We form pn-junctions by electrostatic binding of a p-type and an n-type ZnO nanoparticle. Current−voltage characteristics of pn-junctions are rectifying in nature. Individual components of the junction do not show any rectification. An np-junction, formed by reversing the binding sequence of the two types of nanoparticles, shows rectification in the reverse bias direction. By controlling the type of dopants in the ZnO nanoparticles, pn+ (and n+p) and nn+ (and n+n) junctions are formed that exhibit rectification. Current rectification in a junction between two nanoparticles shows that a depletion layer may have formed even in the quantum dot regime.


Background: The aim was to study the etiology of infective vaginal discharges prevalent in our area and to study its association with PID.
Methods: A total of 500 patients were recruited for study attending Gynae OPD and presenting with vaginal discharge. After detailed history taking and physical examination three sterile vaginal swabs were taken from the posterior fornix and sent for culture of Candida and Trichomonas on Saborauds Dextrose Agar and Kufperberg media respectively and one was used for smear for gram's staining to diagnose Bacterial vaginosis by Nugent's scoring.
Results: In this study, prevalence of BV, Candida and Trichomonas vaginalis was found to be 146 (29.2%), 106 (21.2%) and 15(3%) respectively out of 24 cases had mixed infections while no organism was found in 257 cases (51.4%). Candida infection was found to be significantly associated with presence of other complaints such as itching, burning micturition, dyspareunia etc (p


The energy loss of a fast parton scattering elastically in a weakly coupled quark-gluon plasma is formulated as an initial value problem. The approach is designed to study an unstable plasma, but it reproduces the well known result in the case of an equilibrium plasma. Contributions to the energy loss due to unstable modes are shown to exponentially grow in time. An unstable two-stream system is considered as an example.


The question of the relationship between amateurism and the essential nature of sport has long been the focus of significant debate within the sports studies literature. This commentary paper reflects critically upon the contributions to be found within four scholarly studies concerned with this issue—one historical, one largely journalistic, and two philosophical. Particular attention is paid to differentiations between those who participate in sports activities largely for the love of the game or other internal reasons and those who engage predominantly for external rewards. Following an extended analysis of points of both agreement and discord among the various authors, an exposition is presented of some important questions remaining to be addressed before the issue can be said to be resolved.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a study which was designed to use questions asked at an Information Commons Desk as an authentic assessment to determine if an information literacy course actually changes research behavior outside of information literacy course assignments.Design/methodology/approach – For four years, the initial reference question asked at the Information Commons Desk was recorded, along with demographic information and whether the user had taken the required introduction to information literacy course. A taxonomy of research questions was developed, based on Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives Handbook I: Cognitive Domain, and each question was assigned a sophistication level, according to the authors' taxonomy.Findings – Over a four‐year period, means of the taxonomy levels of questions showed a clear trend upward each spring semester over the previous spring semester.Research limitations/implications – Statistically significant differences were not found in the...


As it is well known, Aristotle in his Metaphysics seeks a science subsumed under different rubrics of "prime philosophy", "wisdom", "the study of being qua being", and "theology". The relation between these different titles of Metaphysics has been formulated by Paul Natorp as an insoluble paradox: the subject matter of prime philosophy cannot be both being qua being (being in general) and divine being (the supreme being) at the same time. Since Natorp, there has always been a controversy on this paradox as well as the problem of integrity of different books of Metaphysics. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is twofold. Firstly, we shall scrutinize the neoKantian foundation of Natorp's interpretation of Aristotle; secondly, we shall present Octave Hamelin's exegesis of Aristotle's theory of being as an interpretation on the basis of which two seemingly contradictory aspects of Aristotle's metaphysics can be reconciled, and thereby one can find an appropriate solution to this paradox. In fact, we intend to disclose the underlying assumptions lie at the bottom of Natorp's understanding of Aristotle, and we shall indicate that Hamelin's ontological interpretation of Metaphysics is so fertile that provides us with an appropriate measure to avoid confronting such contradictions.


Aquatic contamination of the pesticides causes acute and chronic poisoning of fish and other organism. The early life stages of fish, like eggs and larvae are particularly sensitive to contaminant (Fiumann, 1993). The reduced fitness and growth of the fish occurs at sublethal levels depending on exposure time, toxicity and concentrations of the chemical substances involved (Lanno and Dixon, 1994). Moore and Waring (2001) have reported that even a low level of cypermethrin in the aquatic ecosystem might have a significant long-term effect on Atlantic salmon populations through disruptions of reproductive functions. The pesticides may damage the vital organs (Joshi 2007).


Frequent/intense training increases the risk of overtraining in athletes.When overtrained, despite high effort in training, performance stagnates and/or deteriorates (Cadegiani & Kater, 2018). A growing body of literature has attempted to decipher the pathophysiology of overtraining. However, the majority of these literatures focus on the metabolic, biochemical, hormonal, and immunological aspects of overtraining. Few studies have analyzed more applicable biomarkers of overtraining such as eating and sleeping patterns, body composition, mood, and libido with conclusive results. A previous study entitled "Endocrine and Metabolic Responses on Overtraining Syndrome (EROS)" has attracted researchers' attention as they measured relevant/applicable biomarkers for overtraining. The purpose of the study by Cadegiani and Kater (2018) is to elaborate the EROS study and understand the mechanisms of overtraining more comprehensively. Male volunteers (age 18-50 years) were screened based on health history, drug use, exercise patterns, and overtraining symptoms (i.e., unexplained performance decreases). After prescreening, selected participants (n=51) were further tested on their sleeping, eating, and social patterns (self-reported), and psychological state by the POMS (Profile of Mood States) questionnaire. Based on these answers, participants were divided into three groups: healthy athletes (ATL), overtrained athletes (OTS), and non-physically active controls (NCS). Using bioimpedance and air-displacement, body hydration and composition were measured. Daily caloric/macronutrient intake, POMS, time spent studying/working (hours/day), libido on a scale 1-10, and basal metabolic rate (BMR) by indirect calorimetry were also measured for analysis. Compared to ATL, OTS reported reduced relative calorie intake (26.4 kcal/kg/day in OTS vs. 52.7 kcal/kg/day in ATL), worse sleep quality on a scale 1-10 (6.5 vs. 8.0), worse mood (POMS scores of 15.0 vs. 5.0 on anger, 5.0 vs. 2.0 on confusion, 7.5 vs. 0.0 on depression, 20.0 vs. 2.0 on fatigue, 16.5 vs. 6.0 on tension, and 9.5 vs. 26.0 vigor), lower measured-to-predicted BMR (100.5% vs. 109.0%), higher body fat (15.3% vs. 10.3%), and diminished libido on a scale 1-10 (7.0 vs. 8.0) and hydration (60.8% vs. 64.9% body water) (all P<0.05). OTS had greater musculature than NCS (40.2 kg vs. 33.7 kg) and spent more time studying/working than ATL (8 vs. 7 hours/day) (all P<0.05). Declining performance observed in OTS may originate from inadequate sleep, which prevents optimal reparative processes. Disproportionally high body fat may have caused reduced BMR in OTS. Excessive working/studying may impair physical performance as cognition requires energy. Critical risk factors for overtraining are likely inadequate sleep, excessive cognition, and insufficient caloric intake (Figure 1). The recruitment method likely involved self-selection bias and limits the validity of the findings. Furthermore, this study disregards metabolic adaptations. OTS consumed less calories than ATL, despite both groups being athletes. It is well-established that metabolism can change depending on diet/lifestyle, thus a slower metabolism observed in OTS may have been caused by previous undereating rather than from overtraining (Heilbronn et al., 2006). Future overtraining studies should record previous patterns of eating prior to participation in an effort to account for potential metabolic adaptions. Lastly, a rigorous recruitment criterion (i.e., randomized controlled setting) should be utilized to minimize potential participation bias.


The work presented in this thesis proposes the use of measured torque feedback from an integrated, low cost surface acoustic wave (SAW) torque transducer in place of a position sensor to control brushless permanent magnet (BLPM) machines. The BLPM machine closed loop control requires knowledge of the rotor position to control stator current and maximum torque per ampere. The electrical position feedback to control the phase current requires a position sensor or position sensorless technique.Position sensors such as absolute encoder or resolver are needed for position information, in the absolute encoder, an accurately patterned disk rotates between a light source and a detector giving a unique digital output signal for every shaft position. However, each bit in the digital world represents an independent track on the encoder disk, resulting in a complex and costly sensors. Brushless resolvers operation is based on inductive coupling between stator and rotor winding. The resolver with its resolver to digital converter also gives precise absolute position information, but again the cost is often prohibitive. So the disadvantages of the position sensors are the added cost and size to the machine. The position sensorless techniques for the BLPM machine are based on obtaining position from the terminal voltages and currents based on estimating the back electro-magnetic force (EMF), flux-linkage or inductance which from position can be estimated. The disadvantages of the back-EMF and flux-linkage techniques are (1) that they behave poorly at zero and low speed (2) behave poorly for load disturbances since load torque is estimated from machine parameters which can change. The inductance techniques work at zero and low speed, however the disadvantages are (1) in a surface mounted machine there is no saliency so any variation of winding inductances with rotor position arises from magnetic saturation; (2) the back-EMF dominates the rate-of-change in the current; (3) the variation of incremental inductances with rotor position undergoes two cycles per single electrical cycle of the brushless pm machine causing an ambiguity in sensed position; (4) the distortion due to the nonlinearities in the inverter; (5) the load offsets and the noise caused by signal injection.This thesis develops a start-up routine and operation algorithms that enhance the performance of position sensorless control of brushless permanent magnet machines at all speeds, including zero speed, and loads by using a machine integrated, low-cost, SAW torque transducer in place of the rotor position sensor.


Social media has developed drastically over the years. These days, individuals from all around the globe utilize online networking destinations to share data and information. Twitter is a well known communication site where users update information or messages known as tweets. Users share their day by day lives, post their opinions on everything, for example, brands and places. Various purchasers and advertisers utilize these tweets to accumulate bits of knowledge of their items and opinions on them. The aim of this paper is to exhibit a model that can perform sentiment analysis of real-time data collected from twitter and classify the tweets into positive, negative or neutral based on the sentiment expressed in them.