Colon cancer is the third most frequent malignancy in the Western world. Average 5 year-survival is around 70% and depends on the stage of the disease being very poor (under 10% 5-year survival) for stage IV patients and excellent (more than 90% 5 year survival) for stage I patients. The prognosis of patients with stage II varies between 80 and 60% 5-year survival. The causes of this variation remain unclear. Furthermore, the prognosis of patients with stage III has improved significantly, reaching 70% 5-year survival, since the introduction of adjuvant chemotherapy. However, still 30% of the patients with stage III disease that do not respond to chemotherapy.
Therefore, reliable predictive and prognostic markers in stage II and III colon carcinoma are necessary to be able to elucidate whether a patient is going to respond to therapy or not and to be able to offer personalized treatment.
In this research project, we aimed to identify predictive markers of therapy response in stage III disease and prognostic markers in stage II and III colon carcinoma.
The first three chapters focus on the value of known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes involved in the activation, metabolism of chemotherapeutic drugs like 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin as well as in the repair of DNA damage caused by these drugs as predictive markers for therapy response. In the remaining chapters , the focus is placed on the identification of molecular prognostic markers in stages II and III. Several mutations in known cancer driver genes and genes involved in signal transduction have been studied.


FIELD: process engineering. SUBSTANCE: process can be used at production of titanium structures by friction welding with mixing. Titanium sheets (802, 804) are welded together to make the blank with several cast zones of welds (918). Said blank is arranged between female die section and cover section. Female die section is heated to heat said blank. Compressed gas is fed in space between cover section and female die section to press said blank into female die for form the component. Cast zones of welds feature preset relative depth after component forming making from 1.1 to 1.25 so that metal sheets and formed component feature several, in fact identical, characteristics. Said characteristics are selected from the group composed of strength, fatigue properties, crack and rust resistance, impact strength and grain size. EFFECT: selection of required superplasticity strain in the weld cast zone at its preset depth. 14 cl, 25 dwg


Fine powders comprising nanocrystallites of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 (BCZT) were synthesized via oxalate precursor method, which facilitated to obtain homogenous and large grain sized ceramics at a lower sintering temperature. The compacted powders were sintered at various temperatures in the range of 1200 °C–1500 °C for an optimized duration of 10 h. Interestingly the one that was sintered at 1450 °C/10 h exhibited well resolved Morphotrophic Phase Boundary. The average grain size associated with this sample was 30 μm accompanied by higher domain density mostly with 90° twinning. These were believed to have significant contribution towards obtaining large strain of about 0.2% and piezoelectric coefficient as high as 563 pC/N. The maximum force that was generated by BCZT ceramic (having 30 μm grain size) was found to be 161 MPa, which is much higher than that of known actuator materials such as PZT (40 MPa) and NKN-5-LT (7 MPa).


Cloud computing is a general term used to describe a new class of network based computing that takes place over the internet. Cloud computing is the new paradigm for delivering on demand services over internet and can be described as internet amiable software. Job scheduling is one of the major activities performed in all the computing environments. Cloud computing is one the upcoming latest technology. To increase the working of cloud computing environments, job scheduling is one the tasks performed in order to gain maximum profit. In this paper, we introduce multiple scheduling research works to address this area. This review work provides acumen sight on the introduction of cloud computing to understand it and then focus on the various strategies for job scheduling in cloud computing. This paper also provides the base to the new researchers in cloud computing. This paper also takes a few techniques. Our priority bases upon some factors including same number of jobs for execution at each node. This paper provides the survey on scheduling algorithms. There working with respect to the resource sharing. We systemize the scheduling problem in cloud computing, and present a cloud scheduling hierarchy.


In this paper,the mechanism and characteristic of high energy gas fracturing are described, the oil field application technology,results and ranges are proposed,which can improve the popularization of high energy gas fracturing in the future.


Objective To investigate the disposition of mosquito in Longang District,to explore the association between the meteorological factors and mosquito density,and to provide the scientific evidence for prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases. Methods Data regarding the mosquito-borne diseases,mosquito density monitoring and atmosphere information in Longang District during the period of 2008~2009 were retrospectively collected for correlation analysis and regression analysis. Results Totally 1,665 mosquitos were captured during the period of 2008~2009,with an average mosquito density of 0.99 mosquito per hour.Culex pipiens fatigans was the prevalent mosquito in Longgang District.The mosquito density in the hospital and populated area was higher than that of other places.There were statistically significant differences in category distribution and container index among different places(χ2=208.29,P0.01;χ2=24.00,P=0.000).Correlation analysis indicated that no correlation existed between meteorological factors,mosquito density and housing indexes,and no correlation existed between mosquito density and mosquito-borne diseases reports.Aedes density,Aedes positive index,Breteau index and container index were correlated with several meteorological factors.Regressive analysis further indicated that the Aedes positive index was mainly influenced by the monthly average minimum temperature,i.e.,y2=-5.891+0.53x2,and Aedes density,Breteau index and container index were influenced by the monthly average air pressure,i.e.,y3=7.529-0.007x5,y4=2,877.878-2.825x5 and y5=1,347.05-1.321x5. Conclusions The monthly average minimum temperature and air pressure are the important meteorological factors which influence the mosquito density in Longgang District.


The shells of most anomalodesmatan bivalves are composed of an outer aragonitic layer of either granular or columnar prismatic microstructure, and an inner layer of nacre. The Thraciidae is one of the few anomalodesmatan families whose members lack nacreous layers. In particular, shells of members of the genus Thracia are exceptional in their possession of a very distinctive but previously unreported microstructure, which we term herein "dendritic prisms." Dendritic prisms consist of slender fibers of aragonite which radiate perpendicular to, and which stack along, the axis of the prism. Here we used scanning and transmission electron microscopical investigation of the periostracum, mantle, and shells of three species of Thracia to reconstruct the mode of shell calcification and to unravel the crystallography of the dendritic units. The periostracum is composed of an outer dark layer and an inner translucent layer. During the free periostracum phase the dark layer grows at the expense of the translucent layer, but at the position of the shell edge, the translucent layer mineralizes with the units typical of the dendritic prismatic layer. Within each unit, the c-axis is oriented along the prismatic axis, whereas the a-axis of aragonite runs parallel to the long axis of the fibers. The six-rayed alignment of the latter implies that prisms are formed by {110} polycyclically twinned crystals. We conclude that, despite its distinctive appearance, the dendritic prismatic layer of the shell of Thracia spp. is homologous to the outer granular prismatic or prismatic layer of other anomalodesmatans, while the nacreous layer present in most anomalodesmatans has been suppressed.


Abstract: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a primary cause of gastroduodenal ulcer disease, gastric cancer, and a variety of other gastric and extra gastric diseases. The medical management of H. pylori is a dynamic process that requires frequent reconsideration due to changing epidemiologic conditions (e.g., immigration), changing resistance patterns with therapeutic implications, and new understanding relating to the reasons for pathogen eradication. Keywords: helicobacter pylori, pathogenic infection, gastric cancer.


This article examines, from a holistic perspective, the evolution of Islamic Madrid. From its founding in the ninth century to the eleventh century, the original habitat, emerged around the early emiral enclosure, powered by emir Muḥammad I, ḥiṣn to grow as a transmute in madīna. Here, you will explore not only the military architecture, too "urban" plant the settlement, alongside economic profile developed by its inhabitants. Similarly, breaking a historiographical corset, we have tried to outline, as far as possible, the territorial limits of Maŷrīṭ.


The main technical difficulty in the use of insoluble markers for faeces such as chromium sesquioxide (Whitby and Lang, 1960) or barium sulphate (Dick, 1967) is in the solubilization of these very inert compounds. Digestions with perchloric acid or chelations with EDTA are time-consuming procedures. Accordingly a search has been made for a compound which although insoluble under physiological conditions, could be decomposed by relatively mild chemical treatment. Cuprous thiocyanate (CuSCN) is a compound which has solubility characteristics in water rather similar to those of barium sulphate. In neutral or mildly alkaline conditions the solubility is about 0 5 mg% (BaSO4 0.25 mg%) and in 0 1 N HCI about 3 mg% (BaSO4 1 mg %). Cuprous thiocyanate is, however, readily decomposed by 50% nitric acid at room temperature, or by 10% nitric acid at the boiling point. Thus to estimate CuSCN in faeces it is only necessary to add nitric acid, boil and filter, in order to obtain a solution for analysis of copper. This may be estimated by conventional chemical methods, or more simply, by atomic absorption spectroscopy.


1—Many problems of elasticity have been solved, correct to the first order of displacements, but comparatively few when second order terms are considered. The first order, or "St. Venant", solution of the problem of the torsion of a prism with rectangular cross-section is well known. In a particular case, namely, a flat rectangular bar or thin strip, it can be observed by experiment that it is possible to produce a twist, without overstrain, which is much larger than that allowed for by the ordinary first order theory. It is to be expected, therefore, that the usual linear relation between the couple and the twist will no longer be true in this case. In the first part of this paper, 3, 4, a formula for the couple is found which includes a second order term depending on the cube of the twist. It is found that this second order term arises solely from the extension or contraction of linear elements, which, in the unstrained state, were parallel to the length of the strip. This formula was tested in some experiments which are described in 17. A greement between theory and experiment was fairly good, but, at a well-defined value of the twist, the strip became unstable and the formula no longer applied. This is clearly shown in figs. 3, 4. A theoretical investigation was then made into the Elastic Stability of a thin twisted strip and this work is contained in 5-14.


The accuracy of prediction of thermal filed was essential for the design of air-cooled turbines. There existed kinds of physical progresses in real turbines,such as component variation of gas caused by injecting coolant,turbulence,transition,development of thermal boundary layer and thermal radiation. And mesh quality would affect results of simulation.With a set of self-programming code,HIT3D, ANSYS-CFX and Fluent,a two-stage turbine,C3X and MARKII vanes were simulated to study the influence s of component diffusion,mesh quality,turbulence models and transition on the accuracy of predicting thermal fields.Such influences of multi-layer character of thermal boundary layer and thermal radiation were qualitatively analyzed.Finally it concluded that the factors mentioned above should be well considered in conjugate heat transfer simulation to predict thermal field accurately.


The new molecular phenoxides [BaB2(OPh)8(thf)4] 1 and [BaB2(OPh)8(dme)2] 2 have been synthesised from B(OPh)3 and either a preformed barium phenoxide or barium mental in the presence of phenol; X-ray structure determinations reveal that the barium is eight-coordinate in both compounds and that the chelating [B(OPh)4]– groups occupy trans positions in 1 but cis positions in 2.


The work presents the motor-reducer, which brushless motors are located inside the cylindrical gears. Such a motor-reducer can work in modes reduction, reduction with increased torque, multiplicidade and regenerative braking. Based on the proposed construction of a motor-reducer, the different mechanisms: bi-flow and planetary gearbox, power Electromechanical actuator for steering surfaces are shown.


Going to Ground Frustrated systems, in which the geometry of the crystal lattice stands in the way of achieving an energetic minimum on all lattice sites simultaneously, have the potential to remain disordered down to the lowest temperatures. Numerous experimental efforts to find a material with a truly fluctuating ground state have failed because ordering often sets in at a finite temperature owing to symmetry breaking. Nakatsuji et al. (p. 559; see the Perspective by Balents) identify the compound Ba3CuSb2O9 as a promising candidate for this state; the Cu-Sb dipoles reside on a hexagonal structure, forming fluctuating spin singlets. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the material does not order down to the millikelvin temperature range, remaining magnetically isotropic. Magnetic measurements indicate that a material remains disordered to millikelvin temperatures, thanks to its unusual lattice structure. Frustrated magnetic materials, in which local conditions for energy minimization are incompatible because of the lattice structure, can remain disordered to the lowest temperatures. Such is the case for Ba3CuSb2O9, which is magnetically anisotropic at the atomic scale but curiously isotropic on mesoscopic length and time scales. We find that the frustration of Wannier's Ising model on the triangular lattice is imprinted in a nanostructured honeycomb lattice of Cu2+ ions that resists a coherent static Jahn-Teller distortion. The resulting two-dimensional random-bond spin-1/2 system on the honeycomb lattice has a broad spectrum of spin-dimer–like excitations and low-energy spin degrees of freedom that retain overall hexagonal symmetry.


Declining soil fertility is a challenge to sustainable agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa. However, large volumes of agricultural waste are generated from pineapples that could be converted into soil conditioners through vermicomposting utilizing earthworms. Several types of agricultural waste have been studied extensively as vermicompost feedstock, but little work exists on pineapple waste. The objective of this study was to investigate the suitability of pineapple waste as feedstock for vermicomposting. We assessed the physicochemical properties of fresh, pre-composted pineapple waste and the resultant vermicompost. We also studied the optimal feeding rate and stocking density of the system. The study revealed that pre-composting reduced the moisture content (29%), volatile organic carbon (VOC) (10%), and increased the pH (57%), which was helpful in waste stabilization as well as in the mass reduction of the waste. Vermicomposting after precomposting increased the bulk density (92%), ash content (25.4%), pH (10%), EC (14%), total phosphorus (21%), and total potassium (28%). The technology also decreased the moisture content (1%), VOC (12%), total organic carbon (81%), total nitrogen (22%), and the carbon to nitrogen ratio (76.4%) of the pineapple waste hence yielding a more stabilized and mineralized vermicompost. The study further revealed an optimal feeding rate of 2 kg feeds/kg worms and a stocking density of 1 kg worms m-2 for total nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization of the pineapple waste. The degradation of the pineapple waste by earthworms demonstrated the practicability of vermicomposting as a low-cost and straightforward technology of converting pineapple waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.


The results of experiments [C. Y. Han et al., Low Temp. Phys. 24, 305 (1998)] on the influence of quasi-hydrostatic pressure P on the superconducting transition temperature Tc in polycrystalline samples of cuprate compounds Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3Ox (Tl-2223) with the initial value of Tc=129 K and the maximum value Tc=255.4 K at P=4.3 GPa are considered. A hypothesis on the existence of two mechanisms of the effect of pressure on Tc is proposed on the basis of an analysis of the nonmonotonic dependence of Tc on P. The first mechanism operating in the pressure range P 3 GPa is due to hydrostatic compression of the ionic lattice and an increase in the bulk concentration of charge carriers (holes) in view of the electroneutrality condition.


Abstract The main directions of evolution and trends in pedagogical education development in European countries have been analyzed. It has been found that modernization of pedagogical education in Ukraine is practically impossible without analyzing the development of pedagogical education in the EU countries. It has been proved that in order to study trends in the development of pedagogical education in the EU countries in terms of their diversity and community, it is also necessary to identify and specify the integration factors of this social phenomenon. It has been emphasized that careful attention to the quality of education is explained by the transition of most of the national education systems in Europe to the methodology of projecting education focused on learning outcomes and their monitoring. It has been clarified that with the development of the EHEA there is a gradual shift in emphasis from external assessment of higher education quality to the institutional level, from the learning process to competency-based approach with a predominant orientation towards professional and personal preparedness and, first of all, graduates employment as a criterion of learning outcomes. Special attention has been drawn to the fact that, despite the processes of internationalization and globalization of social life, covering social relations, science, culture, education, at the same time, many centuries-old traditions of various cultural-historical types of society, various civilizations that influence the character of pedagogical education are kept. It has been investigated that in most EU countries education is dominated by the ideas of humanization and continuity, aimed at meeting the growing needs of the individual, "focus on personality", which involves a variety of types and kinds of modern higher education, its multivariant character and multimodality, orientation towards result-centered criteria of definition of curricula content.


In the present conditions of the regulatory role of the state in the field of environmental management for sustainable development of agricultural production in the first place we need to determine a specific goal a clear direction of development


BACKGROUND
Calcineurin B homologous protein isoform 2 (CHP2) was identified to be expressed in various malignant cell lines including ovarian cancer, but not in the normal tissue counterpart. The biological function of CHP2 related to cancer progression is still unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A CHP2-negative human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR3 was used for this study. CHP2 was analyzed before and after gene transfection. Cell proliferation, adhesion, motility, and invasion capacities were assessed in parental and transfected OVCAR3/CHP2 cell lines to explore the possible functions of CHP2 in ovarian cancer progression.

RESULTS
With RT-PCR analysis, CHP2-transfected OVCAR3/CHP2 cancer cells showed high CHP2 gene expression, whereas non-transfected clones did not produce detectable CHP2 mRNA. CHP2-transfected OVCAR3/CHP2 cells showed increased proliferation rates and exhibited increased activities of cell adhesion, migration and invasion. The current study provides the first evidence that overexpression of the CHP2 gene affects the biological behavior of ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR3 and is one of key mechanisms for ovarian carcinoma progression, suggesting that CHP2 may be an attractive target for biological anticancer therapy.


There is growing evidence that some long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) arise from the core collapse of massive stars, and thus it is inevitable that the environments of these GRBs are preburst winds or dense media. We studied, for the first time, the wind model for afterglows based on the Blandford-McKee self-similar solution of a relativistic shock, and suggested that GRB 970616 is an interactor with a stellar wind. We also proposed a dense medium model for some afterglows, e.g., the steepening in the light curve of the R-band afterglow of GRB 990123 may be caused by the adiabatic shock which has evolved from an ultrarelativistic phase to a nonrelativistic phase in a dense medium. We further discussed the dense medium model in more details, and investigated the effects of synchrotron self absorption and energy injection. A shock in a dense medium becomes nonrelativistic rapidly after a short relativistic phase. The afterglow from the shock at the nonrelativistic stage decays more rapidly than at the relativist...


The annual mean and seasonal cycle in latent heating over the Indian Ocean are investigated using a simple, analytical ocean model and a 3D, numerical, ocean model coupled to a prescribed atmosphere, which permits interaction through sea surface temperature (SST). The role of oceanic divergence in determining the seasonal cycle in evaporation rate is reexamined from the viewpoint that the amount of rainfall over India during the southwest monsoon is a function of the amount of water evaporated over the ''monsoon streamtube'' as well as orographically induced convective activity. Analysis of Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Dataset (COADS) shows that nearly 90% of the water vapor available to precipitate over India during the southwest monsoon results from the annual mean evaporation field. The seasonal change in direction of airflow, which opens up a pathway from the southern Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea, rather than the change in evaporation rate is key to explaining the climatological cycle, though the change in latent heating due to seasonal variations is similar to that needed to account for observed interannual- to-interdecadal variability in monsoon rainfall. The simple model shows that net oceanic heat advection is not required to sustain vigorous evaporation over the southern tropical Indian Ocean; its importance lies in ensuring that the maximum evaporation occurs during boreal summer. Also shown with the simple model is that evaporation over the Arabian Sea cannot increase sufficiently to make up for the loss of water vapor accumulated over the southern Indian Ocean should there be a change in circulation such that the Southern Ocean is no longer part of the monsoon streamtube. Analytical, periodic solutions of the linearized heat balance equation for the simple model are presented


Rationale: Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) represents a class of metabolic disorders characterized by metabolic acidosis with a normal plasma anion gap. As a rare complication of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), RTA is easily overlooked, likely leading to misdiagnosis. Patient concerns: A 32-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with PBC at our hospital was found to have hypokalemia due to repeated fatigue for 2 years, and the etiology was unknown. Diagnoses: Due to the laboratory test results, radiographic findings, and pathologic results, she was diagnosed with PBC associated with RTA. Interventions: She was then treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, potassium citrate, and calcium supplements together with activated vitamin D. Outcomes: Thus far, the patient showed a good response to ursodeoxycholic acid, and the clinical symptoms and liver function were significantly improved. Lessons: Physicians that encounter refractory hypokalemia in a patient with PBC should be aware of the presence of RTA. The early diagnosis and treatment of such patients are of paramount importance to alleviate clinical symptoms and delay disease progression.


The long-lived Norwegian explorer, Helge Ingstad (1899-2001), who abandoned the practice of law after just four years because he was "afraid of getting rich and getting stuck" (p. x), is best known for his discovery in 1960 of the Norse settlement of Vinland on Newfoundland. Two decades earlier, however, he wrote a colorful book about his extraordinary sojourn among Apaches in Arizona and his search for Apaches in northern Mexico. Published in Norwegian in 1939, that book has now appeared in English translation for the first time.


In this study, the influence of fiber orientation on the flexural strength of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) was examined. To this end, a circular UHPFRC panel measuring φ1,200 × 50 mm was cast from its center, and test specimens measuring 50 × 50 × 200 mm with 10 mm notches for three-point bending tests were cut from it with angles of 0, 30, 60 and 90° between the specimen axis and the radial direction of the panel. After the bending test, fiber orientation on the ruptured surfaces of the specimens was observed. The flexural strengths of the specimens cut at angles of 60, 30 and 0° were 80, 40 and 10% of that for the specimen cut at an angle of 90°. It was also found that the flexural strength of specimens cut from a rectangular panel cast from its center point depended on their original positions and orientation within the panel. Similar fiber orientation characteristics were found in the circular and rectangular panels.


The potential of clathrate hydrates for hydrogen storage has already been demonstrated in various publications. Today, a major scientific and technological challenge would be the finding of a storage material that allows for storage of larger quantities of hydrogen, as required for new energy applications such as, for instance, in the transport sector and fulfilling the goals set by some energy agencies which require the achievement of storage capacities up to a mass fraction of 6 % of hydrogen and with an environmentally clean and safe method by the end of 2010. If it would be possible to store hydrogen in structure sH clathrate hydrate (sH), this goal possibly could be achieved. Our previous work demonstrated for the first time the possibility to crystallize hydrogen clathrate hydrate in structure sH with 1,1-dimethylcyclohexane, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), and methylcyclohexane as promoters. In this work, phase equilibrium data (p, T data) are reported for hydrogen clathrate hydrate systems with liquid hydrocarbon promoters, all of them forming the structure sH. Experiments were carried out at pressures up to 100.0 MPa.


The influence of large-scale outer-region motions on the properties and processes of the inner layer remains an open issue in wall turbulence research. In the present work, two-dimensional power spectra of the streamwise component are measured in streamwise-spanwise planes throughout the logarithmic region of smooth flat-plate turbulent boundary layers at $Re_\theta\,{=}\,1015$ and 7705. The spectra are based on PIV measurements with a wide spanwise view ($z/\delta\,{>}\, 2.5$), and the spanwise energy distribution is emphasized. The spectra reveal that the mode associated with the spacing of the low-speed streaks near the wall, $\lambda_z^+ \,{\approx}\, 100$, contains surprisingly little energy relative to modes in the range $\lambda_z^+ \,{\approx}\,$200–400 at $y^+ \,{=}\, 21$. This result is consistent with measurements in a channel flow (Liu et al. 1996) at a similar height. Further from the wall, large-scale structures that scale with outer variables organize with spacing $\lambda_z/\delta\,{=}\,$0.75–0.9, and these motions dominate the spanwise distribution of streamwise energy throughout the logarithmic region. The large spanwise modes are associated with the large streamwise modes on average, as the median energetic spanwise mode increases roughly linearly with increasing streamwise mode up to approximately $\lambda_{z,\mathrm{med}}/\delta \,{\approx}\, 0.8$, and then remains roughly constant for larger streamwise modes. The aspect ratio $\lambda_x / \lambda_{z,\mathrm{med}}$ decreases with increasing distance from the wall, suggesting that the most streaky structures remain buried near the wall.


Studies of interspecific relationships, evolution, phylogeny, and the systematics of Gossypium are numerous. Phillips (1966) recently summarized the cytogenetic data upon which current views are based, and Fryxell (1969) presented a brief account of the systematics of the genus that is in accord with these data. Distributional maps are also available (Anonymous, 1968, Figs. 2, 3). Recent papers by Cherry et al. (1970) and by Johnson and Thein (1970) have utilized data on the electrophoretic analysis of seed proteins to assess species relationships in Gossypium and to draw phyletic conclusions. The two papers, although supporting one another in broad outline, do not agree in many specific details, and consequently reach certain different conclusions. For example, Johnson and Thein show G. armourianum and G. harknessii to have very similar patterns of protein bands, whereas Cherry et al. find them to be distinctly different. Conversely, the latter authors find G. anomalum and G. triphyllum similar, while the former authors find them to be different. In view of these discrepancies, it is difficult to assign significance to the seed protein data until the basis for these discrepancies can be clarified. Cytogenetic data can be uniquely valuable in providing evolutionary understanding, by demonstrating such things as aneuploid and polyploid series, and by tracing complex patterns of genome relationships among amphidiploids and their relatives. None of these phenomena occur, however, in the diploid species of Gossypium that are under consideration here. In Gossypium the cytogenetic data from which phylogenetic interpretations can be derived concern principally the degree of chromosome pairing in interspecific hybrids. Cytogenetic data have limitations. Certain hybrids have not been or cannot be produced, or are not viable even with such aids as embryo culture. Consequently, the data that can be applied to the question of species relationships have numerous omissions. Cytogenetic data, bearing on species relationships, may be gotten from: chromosome pairing behavior at meiotic metaphase I; chiasmata frequency at metaphase I; pachytene pairing behavior; or genetic segregation data in advanced hybrid generations. Data on pachytene pairing are not conveniently accessible in Gossypium. Genetic segregation data of diploid interspecific hybrids have been reported for only a few crosses (Saunders, 1961; Endrizzi and Brown, 1968), and in any case are only available for those species pairs that will produce fertile hybrids. Consequently, the available evidence is confined largely to data derived from studies of meiotic metaphase-specifically, measurements of univalent and bivalent frequencies and of chiasmata frequencies. These metrics are relatively insensitive measures of affinity. This insensitivity gives rise to the possibility of misleading conclusions about species relationships. Poisson et al. (1969) have noted other shortcomings of this kind of data in assessing species relationships in Gossypium. The assessment of evolutionary affinity from seed protein data is subject to several criticisms. The assumption that protein


Abstract Switzerland experienced a strong increase in government spending during the 1990's. The immediate reasons are well-known: higher expenditure for the elderly and other areas of social security as well as higher expenditure for health care make up most of the increase. The political reasons are not that clear, however. A by now large literature argues that direct democracy in Switzerland reduces government spending at the level of cantons and municipalities. First, the theoretical and empirical basis for this claim is critically reviewed. Second, it is found that the variation of direct democracy between cantons had no effect on the growth of government spending during the 1990's. Third, the effect of direct democracy on the level of spending is not negative in all specifications and was decreasing during the 1990's.


An interpretation in Spanish of the introduction of the book Women Writing Culture is presented. In this introductory chapter titled "Out of exile" in its original version, Ruth Behar, its author, contextualizes through stories and experiences the constant struggle of the woman anthropologists to be recognized in the academic field, in which they have been invisibilized by their male fellows. In this context "Women Writing Culture" is born as a response to the non-existent participation of women anthropologists in the "Writing Culture" project (written by male anthropologists). Women Writing Culture incorporates the point of view of those that have been marginalized, and that have had to remain in the shadows of men throughout the historical development of the discipline. In the introduction there are glimpses of how throughout the text— by experimenting with differents forms of writing— it seeks to demonstrate the ability of women to generate anthropological writing, freeing them from the constant scrutiny of their male colleagues and mentors, who have considered them the "soft" side of the discipline, unable to perform a feminist and at the same time innovative work.


Adding defatted wheat germ flour(DWGF) to wheat flour at different ratio. Then its flour whiteness, falling number, wet gluten content, dry gluten content, the index of gluten and rheological characteristics of the dough were determined. Further more, boiled noodles made from these mixtures were measured for their texture by TA-XT2i Texture Analyser, and sensory evaluation of these noodles were determined. The result showed: flour whiteness, wet gluten content, stability time, extensogram area, extensibility, the max dough resistance to extensibility, the max R/E ratio are significantly negative related to the content of DWGF. The water absorption, development time, weakness and index of flour quality were significant positive with the content of DWGF. The falling number has no related to the ratio of DWGF. The evaluation of noodles increase by wheat germ powder increase between the range 0%~10%, and the evaluation decrease when added exceed this number.


We propose a PIM-SM based IP-multicast routing framework for delivering heterogeneous quality of service to multicast receivers. We propose two tree construction algorithms: TIQM (relying on the full availability of tree-specific information about a multicast group) and NUQM (not requiring any tree specific information). While TIQM is able to compute pseudo-optimal QoS-constrained trees, it has a control-scalability problem. This problem is overcome in NUQM by restricting the amount of information used during tree computation. For realistic networks, under low to moderate network load and receivers' bandwidth requirements, performance of NUQM is close to that of TIQM. A QoS-extended intra-domain PIM-SM framework is also presented.


In pharmaceutical drug development, preclinical tests in animal models are essential to demonstrate whether the new drug is orally bioavailable and to gain a first insight into in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters that can subsequently be used to predict human values. Despite significant advances in the development of bio‐predictive in vitro models and increasing ethical expectations for reducing the number of animals used for research purposes, there is still a need for appropriately selected pre‐clinical in vivo testing to provide guidance on the decision to progress to testing in humans. The selection of the appropriate animal models is essential both to maximise the learning that can be obtained from such experiments and to avoid unnecessary testing in a range of species.


Currently, the essence and forms of interrelation between human capital and quality of life are still insufficiently studied. Therefore, there is a need for defining general components of these categories and areas, where human capital interacts with quality of life. Today, Latvia has been developing in difficult conditions: the population is decreasing, emigration is growing, possibilities of employment are limited, and the income of residents is decreasing. All these factors reduce quality of life for the population and lead to the loss of human resources in the country. The existence of a problem stemming from the relationship between quality of life and human capital establishes the relevance of the research and determines its aim. The main contradiction is between the external positioning of the state as a country successfully overcoming crisis and the growth of internal crisis in the state, leading to the further impoverishment of the population, leading to an increased emigration of the working population of Latvia. The main research question is as follows: how to preserve human resources in the state? Based on an analysis of post-crisis socio-economic processes taking place in the society, recommendations are made to improve the socio-economic policy in ways that improve the welfare of the population of Latvia.


THE LISTER WARD AND LISTER'S CENTENARY. Although the managers of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, as we noted in our November issue, have decided to destroy the famous Lister Ward, and it is understood that tenders have actually been accepted for its demolition, Mr. James A. Morris, F.R.I.B.A., has followed his admirable " Humble Plea " for its retention with another pamphlet, believing that at the eleventh hour this disastrous decision might be averted. His new pamphlet, " A


This issue of The Journal of African History contains six research articles and fifteen book reviews. Primarily focused on the twentieth century, though one article studies a one-hundred-year period in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, these articles remind us that how historians parcel out time and give it meaning is entangled with sources and historiographies. Reading these works recalls the insights of synthetic, state of the field articles in the JAH, like Stephen Ellis's 2002 'Writing histories of contemporary Africa' and Richard Reid's 2011 'Past and presentism: the "precolonial" and the foreshortening of African history'. Writing about different ends of the historical spectrum, the contemporary and the deep past, Ellis and Reid both argue that connecting these periods is crucial to overturning European-oriented chronologies, concepts, and touchstones that have dominated professional history writing. The articles in this issue underscore the point that periodization is a working hypothesis not an inflexible structure. Read together, they raise questions about how we frame chronologies and how posing them differently can offer new ways of understanding the past and the actions of people in it. For example, Etana Dinka contends that Ethiopian imperial history ought to be read in conversation with European imperialism and Tim Livsey suggests that decolonization looks different from the vantage point of Nigerians and imperial migrants attempts to live in the Ikoyi reservation designated for white colonial administrators. Kwasi Konadu's article opens the issue. Konadu does a close reading of two of the three cases before the Portuguese Inquisition related to the Mina (Gold) Coast in the sixteenth century. Konadu takes an approach to reading Inquisition sources similar to the one described by historian Keletso Atkins for reading colonial archival sources from Natal as like 'interrogating a hostile witness'. Cross-examining the Inquisition cases through close reading, Konadu deconstructs their religious and political positions, exposes the everyday violence of enslavement, and surfaces modes of African women's advocacy, resistance, and maintaining cultural and spiritual practices. To the extent possible, he reconstructs the lives and trajectories of two women (one enslaved and one formerly enslaved but freed at the time of the Inquisition trial). Graça and Mónica Fernandes lived near the Portuguese base at São Jorge da Mina and were sent to Lisbon, Portugal to stand trial for crimes against the church and crown. Both died in Portugal, Graça imprisoned in a monastery and Mónica released but prohibited from returning home. Framed by a reading of the third Inquisition case in which women are silenced, marginalized victims, Konadu's piece offers insights about sexual violence, enslavement, religious practice, and power in early modern Atlantic Africa. Empire as a space and context also animates Etana Dinka's article, though he concentrates on the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Like Konadu, Dinka uses a court case to frame his argument that even as Menilek's empire imposed the colonial neftegna-gebbar, local elite and peasant actors took advantage of fractures in this military clientalist system to pursue their own interests and, in turn, changed elements of how it worked. Dinka draws on a wide and diverse set of sources including memoirs, British intelligence reports, published Amharic archival sources, and interviews to make his case. Dinka asks readers to consider the Ethiopian empire as working like and against


In the context of national energy conservation and emissions reduction, LED will be the most promising application of semiconductor lighting in the future with its superior physical performance. This paper mainly introduced the development status of LED lighting industry in Fujian, and analyzed the main existing problems in the current industry development, combined with these problems, the future development tendency of Fujian LED lighting industry were discussed.


Voice-over-IP (VoIP) services are emerging as a promising business opportunity for multiple system operators (MSOs). Signaling delay is one of the most important quality metrics for VoIP services. For VoIP services over networks with HFC-based access, the contention delay experienced by requests associated with signaling packets often dominates the overall signaling delay. In this paper, we present a simple analytical method to characterize this delay. The analytical method combines a closed queuing network model with a saturation model for contention delay characterization. The mean delays obtained using this method compare well with simulation results. The results also yield useful insights into the engineering of upstream channels in HFC-based access networks.


AbstractThe effect of chlorambucil on chymotrypsinogen is reported. Chlorambucil accelerates the tryptic activation of chymotrypsinogen after a 90' reaction. Upon reaction of chymotrypsinogen with chlorambucil for 18 or more hours, the complete activation of the zymogen is inhibited. Trypsin is not inactivated by the alkylating agent. The significance of these results is discussed.


This paper motivates the development of tailor-made data mangement software by presenting a relational file system that has been written from scratch to contain only the database functionality absolutely required for operation. In this paper, the background of the file system is briefly described, and it is stated why an off-the-shelf database system was not suitable for its major components. This application serves as a model for what highly configurable data management software should be able to deliver. If such a system was available at the time of development, a large amount of work would have been saved.


Objective To study the acute toxicity and sensitization of antibiotic peptide transgenic kiri leaf and pollen.Methods Maximal oral dosage was administered to mice in acute oral toxicity test;Transgenic kiri pollen skin sensitization test was conducted in accordance with the method in hygienic standard for cosmetics;Transgenic kiri pollen irritable asthma test was conducted in guinea pig through nose and abdomen.Results LD50 of kiri leaf was more than 10000 mg/kg.BW in SPF rats acute oral toxicity test. Skin sensitization and irritable asthma of kiri pollen was negative.Conclusion Transgenic kiri leaf was non toxic,and Transgenic Kiri pollen was non sensitive to skin and asthma.


With the increasing demands for fast, effective, and reliable mold design in automotive casting product, the Computer Aided Engineering(CAE) plays an important role in reducing cost and development time of a product and achieving high quality products in a competitive market. Through the CAE application, the casting processes such as solidification and filling can be simulated for predicting the microstructure and shrinkage defects In the products. in this paper, the subject of study is reducing about the armrest frame of the interior part in the part of the automobile. Through the numerical simulations carried out using the Anycasting soft, casting conditions of displacement, stress and shinkage select through the response surface method to optimize. After design optimization, the displacement and stress was reduced by about 13%, 33% compared to the initial design of the Mg frame.


The unprecedent development of technology has led to the appearance of new means of communication. The most eficient among them have proven to be the electronic ones, especially the computer. To this end, laws regulating the conclusion of distance contracts and e-commerce have been drawn up. The validity conditions of electronically signed contracts are the ones stipulated by common law, but particulaw issue raised is the achievement of the mutual agreement and the moment when the contract is considered concluded. The solution acording to which the contract is concluded at the moment of reception by the consumer of the confirmation regarding his/her order is unanimuously accepted. As for the need of ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and security of the data involved in this process, it is met by electronic signature. This fulfils several functions and represents at the same time a way to express the merchant`s will. Since the conclusion of electronic contracts has become a habit for all of us, it can be seen in the legislation of different states, including Romania, which indicates that our legal system is a dynamic one, continuing to adjust to social relationships, as well as to European and world standards.


An 18-year-old man presented with a 7-month history of abdominal pain, particularly in the epigastrium, and weight loss of 14 pounds. Symptoms were aggravated post meals. An abdominal sonogram, upper gastroendoscopy and colonoscopy, were inconclusive. A contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen revealed kinking of the proximal coeliac artery due to the median arcuate ligament, creating a hooked appearance with post-stenotic dilation (figure 1). A repeat sonography with Doppler revealed a normal calibre coeliac artery in inspiration with a peak systolic velocity (PSV) of 147 cm/s (figure 2 …


entries. In addition, the nonperiodical nature of the bibliography is further denned here. The bibliography itself lists 401 titles (plus four and a half pages of Soviet dissertations) covering Burma, Cambodia, Indo-China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and, in a general category, the region as a whole. The general subject areas are the social sciences, history, culture, and environment. Titles are in English followed by the Russian in transliteration, and any non-Russian languages are designated. The work is thoughtful, well defined, well organized, and consistent in its terms and presentation; it should prove useful to specialists and librarians. However, certain personal quirks are present, such as the compilers' insistence on their own translations of some Soviet terms which by now have standard, acceptable counterparts in English: they call the All-Union Book Chamber the National Bibliographic Board, and kandidat a master's degree. In deference to persons who expect the standard nomenclature, they have provided a glossary in which each Englishlanguage term they use is listed with its Russian counterpart. Unfortunately, although they seem to have held to this method generally, the National Bibliographic Board has not been included in the glossary. This book is the third in the Far Eastern and Russian Research Series of the School of Politics and International Relations of the University of Southern California. Let us hope there will be an opportunity to bring the bibliography up to date.


In the last decade, video surveillance cameras have experienced a great technological advance, making capturing and processing of digital images and videos more reliable in many fields of application. Hence, video-camera-based systems appear as one of the techniques most widely used in the world for monitoring volcanoes, providing a low cost and handy tool in emergency phases, although the processing of large data volumes from continuous acquisition still represents a challenge. To make these systems more effective in cases of emergency, each pixel of the acquired images must be assigned to class labels to categorise them and to locate and segment the observable eruptive activity. This paper is focused on the detection and segmentation of volcanic ash plumes using convolutional neural networks. Two well-established architectures, the segNet and the U-Net, have been used for the processing of in situ images to validate their usability in the field of volcanology. The dataset fed into the two CNN models was acquired from in situ visible video cameras from a ground-based network (Etna_NETVIS) located on Mount Etna (Italy) during the eruptive episode of 24th December 2018, when 560 images were captured from three different stations: CATANIA-CUAD, BRONTE, and Mt. CAGLIATO. In the preprocessing phase, data labelling for computer vision was used, adding one meaningful and informative label to provide eruptive context and the appropriate input for the training of the machine-learning neural network. Methods presented in this work offer a generalised toolset for volcano monitoring to detect, segment, and track ash plume emissions. The automatic detection of plumes helps to significantly reduce the storage of useless data, starting to register and save eruptive events at the time of unrest when a volcano leaves the rest status, and the semantic segmentation allows volcanic plumes to be tracked automatically and allows geometric parameters to be calculated.


I will propose a new way of advancing white dwarf research. Open science is a method of doing research that lets everyone who has something to say about the subject take part in the problem solving process.
Already now, the amount of information we gather from observations, theory and modelling is too vast for any one individual to comprehend and turn into knowledge. And the amount of information just keeps growing in the future. A platform that promotes sharing of thoughts and ideas allows us to pool our collective knowledge of white dwarfs and get a clear picture of our research field. It will also make it possible for researchers in fields closely related to ours (AGB stars, planetary nebulae etc.) to join the scientific discourse.
In the first stage this project would allow us to summarize what we know and what we don't, and what we should search for next. Later, it could grow into a large collaboration that would have the impact to, for example, suggest instrument requirements for future telescopes to satisfy the needs of the white dwarf community, or propose large surveys.
A simple implementation would be a wiki page for collecting knowledge combined with a forum for more extensive discussions. These would be simple and cheap to maintain. A large community effort on the whole would be needed for the project to succeed, but individual workload should stay at a low level.


The neurotoxin 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) causes selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in which the c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase (JNK) signalling cascade has been implicated. We have employed a differentiated mouse neuroblastoma N2a cell model to investigate the involvement of JNK and extracellular‐regulated kinase (ERK) in MPTP‐mediated toxicity and their role in neurofilament heavy chain (NF‐H) phosphorylation. Acute treatment with a cytotoxic MPTP concentration (5 mM) caused rapid and sustained JNK phosphorylation and ERK dephosphorylation, accompanied by cell death. In contrast, subcytotoxic concentrations of 10 μM MPTP resulted in lower, transient JNK activation in the presence of sustained ERK activity. This resulted in an aberrant increase in a phosphorylation‐dependent NF‐H epitope, perikaryal accumulation of NF‐H, and loss of axon‐like processes, prior to cell death. Inhibition of MEK kinase, using PD98059, showed that MEK 1/2 or the downstream kinase, ERK, is required for N2a cell differentiation, NF‐H phosphorylation and survival. Indeed, MPTP‐induced cell death was exacerbated by the presence of PD98059. However, in the presence of MPTP, reducing JNK activity by using an upstream specific mixed‐lineage kinase inhibitor (CEP‐11004) significantly attenuated aberrant NF‐H phosphorylation and perikaryal NF‐H accumulation and maintained axon‐like processes, in addition to attenuating cell death. This study reports a switch in the predominant kinase involved in NF phosphorylation in a neuronal cell model and may have implications for the formation of inclusions. Our studies provide further evidence that modulation of the JNK pathway could have a role in alleviating neuronal cell death. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Water and power cogeneration systems have been received more attention in recent years. In the present research, in addition to techno-economic investigation of the integration of multiple effect desalination/thermal vapor compression (MED/TVC) system and reverse osmosis (RO) system into the gas turbine (GT) power cycle, the GT/MED-TVC/RO configuration is also proposed. At first, the models used for GT, MED-TVC and RO systems are validated with the experimental data in the literature and good correspondence is found. In this study, the effect of air temperature on the GT stack outlet gases and the effect of seawater temperature on the MED-TVC GOR are investigated. Moreover, using the RO energy analysis, the most suitable RO membrane is selected by considering the permeate quality and membrane price. Then, the LCOE and LCOW for three scenarios of GT/ MED-TVC with 5000 m3/d, GT/RO with 5000 m3/d, and GT/MED-TVC/RO with MED-TVC and RO water production rates of 2000 m3/d and 3000 m3/d, respectively are determined. The results of the economic analysis in three scenarios showed that the least electricity cost and the least freshwater production cost belong to GT/MED-TVC and GT/RO configurations, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of number of stages of the MED-TVC system on the energy and economy of the GT/MED-TVC/ RO configuration is explored. It was observed that increasing the number of effects from 4 to 7 has no tangible effect on the LCOE. In addition, the output temperature and concentration of GT/MEDTVC/RO plant at different number of MED-TVC effects is determined. Finally, the effect of fuel cost and desalination system scale on the LCOW and LCOE at three configurations are investigated.


Pedro Garcia Barrantes had never heard of Vanderbilt University until he met Joshua Bruner, a graduate student in Craig Lindsley's lab at the Nashville institution. At a young chemists' conference in Brazil in 2011, "everyone else from the U.S. was complaining about their adviser except for Bruner," Garcia Barrantes says. "That struck me." At the time, Garcia Barrantes was in a chemistry master's degree program in his native Costa Rica. Although he'd already earned a doctor of pharmacy, he was lured back to school to chase his dream of discovering drugs. "I realized the industry in Costa Rica was very focused on generic drugs, and I wanted to discover new molecules," he says. Emboldened by his meeting with Bruner, Garcia Barrantes applied to join Lindsley's lab. As a grad student at Vanderbilt, he began balancing multiple projects, including the first total synthesis of a rare molecule produced by a marine


Abstract: Face recognition is used for security, authentication, identification, and has got many advantages over conventional methods. It is being used in many sectors since it is contactless and non-invasive. Billions of images have been uploaded on social media networks and are crawled by search engines over many years. These images may include many different faces. The increase in computing capability and collected data has helped in creating more powerful neural network models. [1] This project thesis aims to create an attendance system which uses face recognition biometric authentication as the currently used manual attendance system is cumbersome to maintain and time consuming. Face recognition prohibits the chance of students marking attendance for their peers (proxy attendance). Keywords: Face Recognition, Face embeddings, Face Detection, Image Processing, Raspberry Pi automation.


Proposed is a method for producing foam glass products, said method including preparing a composition comprising glass powders, a binder, sodium silicate and water, forming blanks using the produced composition, conducting preliminary heating of the blanks until the hardening of the composition, and subsequent heat processing. The finished product, in the form of a block, is formed using rectangular blanks positioned in regular rows and/or layers, wherein the blanks are positioned in a furnace at a distance from one another which is sufficient for being filled by the expanding mass during heat processing. The technical result consists in the ability to produce high-quality foam glass products which are large in size.


The essence of multiple attribute decision making is to use the present decision-making information to sort analyze,rank and evaluate the alternatives,so as to find out the easiest and correct way to rank.For the multiple attribute decision making problem of attribute value within interval number,transformation methods for interval number into connection number is proposed.Then,the connection number is used as possibility degree formula for those numbers between two interval numbers.And the magnitude of interval number is tested for decision making advantage matrix according to its possibility degree.Finally,examples of voting problem show that this ranking method is logical and feasible.


The invention discloses a keyboard module and a notebook computer possessing the keyboard module. The keyboard module comprises a plurality of keys, a switch circuit board and a metal baseplate. The plurality of keys are exposed on an upper surface of the keyboard module. The switch circuit board is arranged below the plurality of keys and is used to be triggered by the plurality of keys so as to output a plurality of corresponding key signals. The metal baseplate is connected to the plurality of keys and is used to bear the plurality of keys and the switch circuit board. The metal baseplate comprises a first metal plate and a second metal plate. The first metal plate and the second metal plate are superposed and are made of different metals. Because the metal materials of the first metal plate and the second metal plate are different, the metal baseplate can simultaneously acquire characteristics of two different metals. Therefore, a keyboard module manufacturer can select two different metals to form the metal baseplates with different efficacies according to different demands of a consumer.


Text mining is an effective method of obtaining potentially desired knowledge from text document. There is no accuracy in obtaining the features from the traditional techniques of text mining because the semantic information of the text is properly utilized. The semantic information needs technical support and theoretical basis, which can be provided by ontology. This paper introduces and analyzes text mining based on domain ontology using singular value decomposition technique in order to solve the high dimensional sparsity problem existing in D matrix computation. Finally this proposed method is implemented as a prototype tool and a benchmark database is used to validate it. The benchmark database consist of heart disease dataset that consist of diagnostic features. The system will also predict the condition of the patient by taking the input of diagnosis values. Keywords— Domain ontology; D matrix; Singular value


The question of whether the solar distances of the planetary system follow a regular sequence was raised by Kepler more than 400 years ago. He could not prove his expectation, inasmuch as the planetary orbits are not transformed into each other by the regular polyhedra. In 1989, Barut proposed another relation, which was inspired by the hidden symmetry of the Kepler problem. It was found to be approximately valid for our Solar System. Here, we investigate if exoplanet systems follow this rule. We find that the symmetry-governed sequence is valid in several systems. It is very unlikely that the observed regularity is by chance; therefore, our findings give support to Kepler's guess, although with a different transformation rule.


As DSP is more and more widely used in the field of power electronics conversion, in order to enhance the comparability between the result of simulation and the experimental result of DSP control system, and increase the portability of the simulation program, it is very necessary to set up a fully digital power electronic simulation system based on imitating the working mechanism of DSP. This paper proposes a kind of the S-Function written all digital simulation method under MATLAB environment based on clock drive and interruption mechanism. This method uses the sampling time of S-Function module as clock cycle to achieve the simulation clock driving mechanism, and then establishes carrier and imitate EPWM interrupt mechanism of DSP to generate interrupt signal based on the clock drive, the program of the module works once when it gets the interrupt signal, at last imitates the working way of DSP regular sampling method and realizes the discrete event simulation. At the same time, some modules are common used, it can be used repeatedly and improve efficiency of simulation. Finally, it takes three-level converter modular all digital simulation as an example, and verifies the validity of the simulation method.


It has been long recognized that decidualization is accompanied by significant changes in metabolic pathways. In the present study, we used the GC‐TOF‐MS approach to investigate the global metabolite profile changes associated with decidualization of mouse uterus on day 8 of pregnancy. We identified a total of 20 differentially accumulated metabolites, of which nine metabolites were down‐regulated and 11 metabolites were up‐regulated. As expected, seven differentially accumulated metabolites were involved in carbohydrate metabolism. We observed statistically significant changes in polyamines, putrescine and spermidine. Interestingly, the pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5, was up‐regulated. Finally, by integrating with transcriptomic data obtained by RNA‐seq, we revealed enhanced steroid hormone biosynthesis during decidualization. Our study contributes to an increase in the knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of decidualization.


Objective To observe and compare a composite material composed of deproteined bovine cancellous bone and an autogenous red marrow (DBCAM) and bone graft for repair of bony cavity defect produced by benign bone tumor. Methods The study was designed as a randomized clinical trial. DBCAM was implanted in test group. The autogenous bone was implanted in control group. Results Sixtythree patients were treated in test group and sixtytwo patients treated in control group. All patients were followed for an average of 20 months. There are no significant differences between the test and control groups with respect to rates of healing of bone defects and complications. However, the test group spends less time than the control group in operating. Conclusion For repair of the bony cavity defect produced by benign bone tumor, the efficacy and safety of DBCAM is the same as that of autogenous bone graft and the use of DBCAM method can shorten the operative time and decrease complications produced by obtaining the illiac crest bone.$$$$


A hatch cover equipped with the structure of the ship is disclosed. A hatch cover equipped with the structure of the vessel according to the embodiment of the present invention includes: a hatch cover guide member which is installed on both sides to insert the Racing bridge and, Racing bridge which is installed perpendicularly to the hatch coming, the hatch cover so as to guide the hatch cover guide member and stopper of the rolling, which is installed on top of the hatch of both incoming and includes hatch cover guide member and the throttle gap being interposed between the rolling stopper.


K-band aperture-coupled stacked microstrip antennas are studied and numerical results based on the solution of integral equations solved in the spectral domain are presented. The effects of varying physical parameters of the structure are investigated with the goal of designing millimeter-wave wideband microstrip antennas. Antennas with different characteristics are then analyzed and compared with experimental data. Bandwidths in excess of 20% are obtained and applications to phased array antennas are discussed. >


Objective To study the pharmacokinetics of puerarin from Compound Puerarin Injection in Beagle dogs in vivo.Methods The rapid and sensitive HPLC method was adopted to determine the serum puerarin concentration in 6 Beagle dogs.Cross-experiments were carried out in 6 Beagle dogs,and the data of concentration-time profiles were processed by using 3P97 pharmacokinetic program software.Results The concentration-time profiles of puerarin were shown to fit the two-compartment model.The pharmacokinetic parameters of puerarin in dogs treated with puerarin injection were t1/2α=3.111±2.166 h,t1/2β=54.946±32.475 h,AUC0-t=2228.292±1363.136 mg·h-1·L-1.The pharmacokinetic parameters of puerarin in dogs treated with Compound Puerarin Injection were t1/2α=3.752±0.572 h,t1/2β=56.247±3.112 h,AUC0-t=2361.020±109.238 mg·h-1·L-1.There were no significant differences of pharmacokinetic parameters between puerarin injection and Compound Puerarin Injection.Conclusion Compound Puerarin Injection,which is composed of puerarin and taurine,has no effect on puerarin pharmacokinetics in vivo.


The processing technology of health drink is investigated,which raw materials is ginseng fruits from Changbai Mountain.It emphasize studies the processes of processing technology and flavor prescription,etc.Its active ingredients were reserved and used to the top extent.A reasonable production process and the corresponding parameters can be obtained at the same time.The best prescription of health drink was determined:fruit juice Ginseng(4%),concentrated apple juice(3%),xylitol(2%),aspartame(0.013%),citric acid(0.14%).


e16089Background: There is a large unmet need for novel drug delivery systems and effective therapy for UTUC, especially for patients with CKD and anatomic solitary kidneys. A temperature sensitive...


Field experiments were conducted for two rainfed seasons (2006 and 2007) and one irrigated (2008) season. The objective was to study the effect of farmyard manure (M), water hyacinth (WH) compost at 15 t ha each, and Rhizobium (R) seed inoculation coupled with nitrogen (N) at 20 kg N ha (starter dose) on growth and yield of groundnuts. The results showed that either organic manure alone or with Rhizobium inoculation plus 20 kg N ha significantly increased groundnuts nodulation and early pod formation over the control. Nitrogen at the rate of 20 kg N ha with inoculation with rhizobia coupled with either manures resulted in a significant increment in shoot and root dry weights compared to the control. These treatments also influenced groundnuts shoot N and P accumulation, and resulted in significantly highest pod and straw yields over all other treatments under irrigated and rainfed conditions. The mean pod and straw yields of the farmyard manure and water hyacinth compost with inoculation and 20 kg N ha treatments and the control were 4.5, 2.2 t ha pod and 6.2, 3.2 t ha straw irrespective of the seasons and manures.


Web Systems Evolution series of events have provided a forum for researchers and practitioners to present original work and discuss issues and new solutions on subjects related to the disciplined evolution of large-scale websites and complex Web applications. This year WSE had a special emphasis on testing – a particularly important and historically under-served area of interest. As in the past, this edition of WSE is co-located with the International Conference on Software Maintenance (ICSM), which takes place in Riva del Garda on September 23–30, 2012. The quality of the papers that the Symposium has attracted over the years, and its impact to the community, is due in part to sponsorship from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society that the Symposium gratefully recognizes. This year we received 28 submissions from 17 different countries across Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Papers underwent a very rigorous reviewing process: three reviewers reviewed each paper, and a discussion was held when there was not a consensus on the overall evaluation of a work. In the end, the Program Chairs accepted 5 full papers (18% acceptance rate) and 11 short papers. The technical program of WSE 2012 includes sessions featuring crucial aspects of Web systems evolution, such as Web systems analysis and comprehension, Security, Web 2.0 technologies, Web applications reengineering, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Education, testing of Web applications and systems, and Model-Driven Development. We would like to thank everyone who helped make it possible to organize this year's Symposium. We are grateful to the members of the Program Committee who worked hard and delivered their reviews in a timely manner. We would also thank the organizers of the host conference of ICSM 2012, in particular the General Chair, Paolo Tonella, and the Finance Chair, Michael Collard, for the help they provided in once again co-locating WSE with the world's leading software maintenance conference. We hope you will enjoy the technical and social program of WSE 2012 in the wonderful town of Riva del Garda and its lovely surroundings.


departed Kansas City, Missouri, on February 13, 1884, to face charges for robbery. This would be no short trip to a local or even state jail, but instead a long cross-country journey. Frank's ultimate destination was Huntsville, Alabama, a rural city on the cusp of becoming an industrial haven, primarily for textile mills. There he was to stand trial for complicity in the robbery of a canal paymaster in nearby Muscle Shoals. The calamity that soon befell this Tennessee Valley town evolved from fact, meshed with fiction, and ultimately became legend. Weeding out rumors and myths leaves a very simple truth— that in all likelihood, Frank did not commit the crime in question. Even so, the ordeal certainly shaped James mythology, especially in Huntsville. Its locals weaved many tall tales about Frank's "visit" and continue to do so to this day. Exploring public perception of the James gang outside of Missouri, this case study argues that the trial's significance lay not in its verdict, but rather in the reasons behind the support Huntsville locals gave the brother of Jesse James. Historians have grappled over Frank's guilt or lack thereof in the Muscle Shoals robbery. In his 1955 book The James Boys Rode South, W. Stanley Hoole argued that while visiting an old childhood pal John Green Norris, the owner of a contracting firm in Selma, Alabama, Frank and Jesse planned the Muscle Shoals robbery. Hoole emphasized, however, that the heist was Jesse's idea and that an unenthused Frank simply went along with his brother's scheme.1 According to


Brilliant people. Brilliant lives. When is it first apparent that they are outstanding? For some it is in their childhood and youth, but in others it can appear later. I have had personal experience of one in the latter category although it was really a case of a missed diagnosis. He was a Fellow of our College who died in February this year. He has been the subject of many fine obituaries in local and overseas newspapers and journals.1 In spite of close friendships with him starting in his youth, neither I nor his peers recognised what was to come in his later life. Because of his connection with College you may be interested. H Rodney Withers MB BS (Qld) FRANZCR PhD DSc (London) was a Radiobiologist of the highest international repute. He invented an assay to measure the survival of stem cells of the skin in situ after irradiation, which was used subsequently on other organs of the body and enabled studies of fractionation of dose and repair. Although he never won a prize at school or university, he subsequently won four major international prizes, four gold medals, was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, the Alumnus of the Year (1997) of the University of Queensland and was an Honorary Fellow of many international medical bodies. Rod's childhood was spent in Stanthorpe. We met in 1946 when we commenced our secondary education as boarders at the Church of England Grammar School in Brisbane. Rod was 13 and I had just turned 14. 'Churchie' as the school was nicknamed, at that time consisted of 750 boys of whom 180 were boarders. We soon became close friends and shared the same school subjects for the next four years. We were both lateral thinkers and made each other laugh but there the similarity ended. I tended to be well behaved and conservative but when one thought of Rod, good behaviour and conservatism were not foremost in one's mind. He was charismatic – immediately popular, good humoured, quirky wit, humble in spite of popularity and was into everything, usually just within or without school rules. One example: While waiting for the Science Prac to start he blew down the gas tap of a Bunsen burner thus preventing ignition and sabotaging the beginning of the class. On that occasion he was caught and punished. He was a good average student but nothing 'out of the box'. This was at a time when assessments were based on how much one could remember. Rod also developed the first signs of what was to become an art form. I refer to running late or rather, nearly late. Once when travelling north by long distance train to share a vacation at the home of one of his boarder friends, they alighted at a station where hungry travellers had the opportunity to savour the delights of Queensland Rail tea and sandwiches. After a suitable interval, the station master rang the brass bell warning passengers of imminent departure. All boarded with of course the exception of Rod. Moments later he saw the train moving off with increasing speed. Racing to the platform he was able to grasp with one hand a vertical bar beside a door. When just bracing himself to leap on board the platform ended and he was left hanging by one hand as the train accelerated. Needless to say, Rod being Rod, he managed to scramble aboard but with the loss of one shoe. (This performance later developed into similar challenges with international flights.) In 1950, our tertiary education commenced and we enrolled at St John's College at the University of Queensland. We had decided on Medicine but during the vacation preceding commencement a 'Withers event' occurred. Rod shot a rabbit but there was so much blood that he felt faint. He decided immediately that he was unsuited for Medicine and enrolled in Dentistry, his father's profession. After one year of Dentistry he reverted to Medicine. He was a good average student. Arriving late at lectures and last minute preparation for examinations were part of his modus operandi. With the extra freedom of University life he was in his element taking part in any excitement available. He was president of the St John's College Student Club one year and intermittently wrote humorous articles for the student newspaper and magazine, one of which led to a conversation with the Dean of Medicine. In sport, his interest in rowing increased, and he was a member of the University 8 for three years winning a Full Blue. He graduated MB BS in December 1956. After internship at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, he became a Registrar in Pathology at the then Brisbane General Hospital. As well as the usual duties he was required by his Director who was studying carcinogenesis, to shave the skin of mice and paint them with test substances. Completing his time in Pathology at the end of 1959, he was having difficulty in deciding where his future lay. I had just qualified as a Radiotherapist, having trained at the Queensland Radium Institute. I enjoyed the work bs_bs_banner Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology 59 (2015) 619–620


Catalogue to accompany Alloucherie's first exhibition in Japan, where she presented a series of photo-sculptural installations on the theme of shadows. M. Ogura provides a personal text on the gaze and shadows in the city, while curator Parent notes the role of the shadow in art and analyzes the works' formal aspect. Includes a text by Alloucherie where she elaborates on her project. Texts in English and French; Masashi's text also in Japanese. List of illustrations. Bio-bibliography 3 p., 3 bibl. ref.


By using sample railway repairing construction project taking place at Jing-Hu Railway as reference and constructing finite element formula through the study of basic thermodynamic theories and the principle of minimum potential ener-gy,the article analyzes the occurrence of temperature field during the construction and states the thickness of the freezing wall.It also stimulates the mechanic situa-tion.Results indicate that as a supportive method,artificial freezing is more than ca-pable of taking on construction projects


In order to ensure the integrity of the patient information, undeniability, authenticity and reliability, the safety of telemedicine treatment and the regional PACS(Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) transmission, this paper designs digital signature of ECDSA(Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm)in DICOM(Digital imaging and Communications in Medicine)medical images during the rapid development of digital and information in telemedicine and medical care. we generate keys and digital certificates by OpenSSL toolkits, which can realize certificate management and generate keys. This paper also realizes digital signature by JAVA, which has advantages of Cross-platform, easy transplantation, high safety and so on .


Habitat improvements through agri‐environment schemes are the most important tool for reversing biodiversity declines in European farmland. However, little is known about their impact on mammals, including the brown hare, a priority species for conservation in the UK. We studied radio‐collared hares for 13 months in a mixed agricultural area using 'homing in' to provide high spatial‐resolution fixes. Hares selected agri‐environment field margins during both active and inactive periods and used the areas in the middle of large fields less frequently than those closer to the field boundaries. Blocks of woods and lines of trees were selected as resting sites while sheep‐grazed fields were generally avoided throughout the year. We suggest that agri‐environment schemes targeted at creating and increasing non‐farmed habitat features associated with field boundaries and reducing sward depletion through less intensive or mixed grazing regimes could prove beneficial for populations of this priority species in farmland.


The purpose of the paper is to discuss the stakeholder concept and its development, based on stakeholder theoretical framework, and instrumental, strategic management and network approaches. The authors discuss different classification of stakeholders, contrast narrow and broad stakeholder concepts, provide a review of their distinctive features. The differences in approaches to stakeholder expectations literature are contrasted.


A study explored the question of whether there is an adversary press, by examining the recent trends in adversarial attitudes among newspaper journalists in the United States. Using a differentiation model for delineating the nature and boundaries of American adversarial journalism, the study re-analyzed the data from two national surveys. The first (by Weaver and Wilhoit) involved telephone interviews of 1,001 print and broad-cast journalists. The other (by Stinnett et al.) involved questionnaires mailed to 1,211 journalists at U.S. daily newspapers. Results of the re-analysis revealed: (1) that while young and old journalists take a moderate position on the usefulness of an adversary press, the middle-aged cohort has increased adversarial sentiment over the last 5 years; and (2) that these intra cohort trends may be explained by three factors: age, cohort, and period. (Five figures, nine tables of data, and 20 notes are included.) (SR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions.supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ****************************************************.q******************


The defense "Research and Development" (R&D) projects are chancier and more costly than the civil R&D projects because of their complexity and interdisciplinary nature. Not only the risk and finance excess when comparing with the civil ones, but also the project selection process is also more complicated in the defense area. To complete an R&D project in an effective manner, a system approach has to be set to consider the life cycle as a whole. Only a well-defined R&D project has a success chance. Because of this reason, defining process of an R&D project is the most critical period in the integrated life cycle. It is very important to form a "Concepts of Operations" (CONOPS) document according to the requirements which is focus on the achievement, performance and basic technological necessities of the system. In this paper, for an influent selection of a defense related R&D project, a systematic process for an effective approach model beginning from CONOPS will be exhibited. A system approach will be discussed where the CONOPS document is in the life cycle and how the outputs of CONOPS can be used in the project definition process.


Liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE) data for the ternary system water + acetic acid + diisopropyl ether (DIPE) at (293.15, 303.15, and 313.15) K have been measured under atmospheric pressure. The reliability of the experimental LLE data was ascertained through the Othmer-Tobias and Bachman correlations. The LLE data were correlated using the nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) and universal quasichemical activity coefficient (UNIQUAC) models. The interaction parameters of those two models were regressed. The calculated values from both models agree well with the experimental values.


The utility model discloses an automatic water spraying device for printing and dyeing. The automatic water spraying device for printing and dyeing comprises a water pump (1). The right side of the water pump (1) is connected with an electric control proportional valve (3) through a water pipe (2). The upper portion of the electric control proportional valve (3) is connected with a controller (4). A control panel (5) is arranged on the controller (4). The left side of the controller (4) is connected with a speed sensor (6). The right side of the electric control proportional valve (3) is connected with a water spraying unit (7) through a water pipe (2). The water spraying unit (7) comprises a cylindrical shell (8). The lower end of the shell (8) is provided with a plurality of water orifices (9). A spray nozzle (10) is arranged in each water orifice (9). A sliding groove (11) is formed in the middle of the outer surface of the shell (8) and connected with two circular-arc-shaped sliding blocks (12). Sealing layers (13) are arranged between the sliding blocks (12) and the shell (8). The automatic water spraying device for printing and dyeing has the advantages that automatic control over the sprayed water flow rate can be achieved, the printing and dyeing quality can be ensured, and resources can be saved.


This paper describes the process and challenges of preparing and shipping Oak Ridge spent nuclear fuel (SNF) off site. The objective of the Oak Ridge SNF Project was to safely, reliably, and efficiently manage SNF that was stored on the Oak Ridge Reservation until it could be shipped off site. The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision (60 FR 28680) for SNF, issued in 1995, specified that sites with smaller inventories of SNF, like Oak Ridge, were to prepare and ship aluminum-clad SNF to the Savannah River Site (SRS) and non-aluminum-clad SNF to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). These two sites would serve as the regional storage and interim management sites for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SNF until final disposition. Oak Ridge SNF was retrieved and transferred to a hot cell for repackaging. After retrieval of SNF packages, the storage positions were decontaminated, and stainless steel liners were installed to resolve the vulnerability to water infiltration. Each repackaged SNF canister was transferred from the hot cell back to dry storage until off-site shipments were made. Three shipments of aluminum-clad SNF (11 canisters) were sent from Oak Ridge to SRS in FY 1998. Five shipments of non-aluminum-clad SNF [62 canisters and 9 intact Peach Bottom (IPB) fuel assemblies] were sent from Oak Ridge to INEEL in 2003. This paper will focus on the preparation and shipment of Oak Ridge SNF to INEEL. To prepare for and make off-site shipments of Oak Ridge SNF to INEEL, activities included (1) taking dose measurements of repackaged SNF canisters to ensure compliance with cask shielding constraints; (2) constructing a cask loading facility; (3) upgrading the Transnuclear Fort St. Vrain (TN-FSV) shipping cask to B(U)-85 requirements, fabricating an inner container for the cask, and obtaining a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license; (4) performing load planning to ensure the cask contents complied with the cask Certificate of Compliance and completing shipping and INEEL fuel receipt documentation; (5) completing the Oak Ridge SNF shipment readiness and transportation planning efforts; and (6) performing loading and shipment activities. Through the integrated cooperation of several organizations, including DOE, Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC, INEEL, and various subcontractors, SNF shipments from Oak Ridge to INEEL were completed safely and successfully during these times of heightened security.


Energy storage materials and their applications have attracted attention among both academic and industrial communities. Over the past few decades, extensive efforts have been put on the development of lead-free high-performance dielectric capacitors. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the research progress of lead-free dielectric ceramics for energy storage, including ferroelectric ceramics, composite ceramics, and multilayer capacitors. The results indicate that dielectric capacitors with both high energy density and high efficiency are feasible using the materials providing high breakdown electric field and a slim hysteresis loop. This article also lists the factors affecting the fabrication cost of dielectric capacitors, such as sintering temperature, raw material costs, and types of internal electrodes, to promote the industrial application of ceramic energy storage capacitors.


The research on the coupling transportation of water,heat and salt is a hot topic for some subjects research,such as soil science,farmland irrigation,conservation of water and soil,environmental science. It is also key content of research on preventing and controlling secondary Salinization of soil,enhancing soil fertility and soil production efficiency.Therefore,this paper briefly introduced the developing process of basic theory of transportation of soil water,heat and salt in soil,and certain research achievements of the domestic and foreign scholars about this topic in past years.Then,certain appraisal was made on the model of transportation of water,heat and salt in soil.Moreover,the urgent issues that need to be solved in this territory were discussed to provide help for the further study.


RICHARD C. WILKERSON1*, PRADYA SOMBOON2 & RALPH E. HARBACH3 1Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA. �firstname.lastname@example.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6366-1357 2Center of Insect Vector Study, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. �firstname.lastname@example.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0760-4363 3Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. �email@example.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1384-6972 *Corresponding author.


Speak Out is a company that offers teaching the English language to a specific niche
market, which satisfies the existing needs. With the passing of time there are several
companies that offer the same service (the competition), therefore the company must
find factors that compete in the market and with it do not lower the demand for it. The
objective of this research is to find tools and strategies that help the company stay in
the market and excel in the competition. The factors investigated were the main reasons for publicity; On the knowledge of the
company, the media used by the establishments to disseminate information about the
company with the help of promoting it, among other elements that help our research.
The methodology used was through surveys, the technique was carried out to 118
clients of the company and 298 possible clients. The results reflect the need for more
information about the company, to improve its advertising; So it was necessary to use
strategies such as: website, merchandising and brand activations dedicated to the
place, in order to combat the difficulty.
Meters such as Google+, Google analytics, Google My Business and Bit.ly; For the
control of strategies.


The article by Kaufman et al.1 in this issue of the Journal adds new information to the expanding body of knowledge about the clinical complexity of the long QT syndrome (LQTS). The large LQT2 pedigree reported by Kaufman et al. involves 26 affected members with a trafŽ cking mutation of the C-terminus portion of the HERG channel.2 Kaufman et al. highlight the phenotypic variation in the expression of this mutation, but many questions are raised by this intriguing study. A large overlap in QTc intervals exists between carriers and noncarriers, with greater overlap among children than adults. Among carriers, the QTc values varied directly with age. Thus, the clinical diagnosis of LQTS in children is especially difŽ cult in this pedigree. It is unclear if these Ž ndings are speciŽ c to this pedigree or if similar Ž ndings exist in affected members from families with other HERG mutations or other LQTS genetic mutations (LQT1, LQT3, LQT5, LQT6). The distribution of syncope by carrier state is bizarre. Among those carrying the mutation, only 15% (4/26) experienced syncope by the attained average age of 53 years. Among those without the gene mutation, 21% (16/19) experienced syncope by an attained average age of 32 years. It is interesting that the noncarriers with syncope had an average QTc of 0.42 seconds (range 0.40 to 0.43), and this range of QTc intervals was greater than expected in overtly healthy normal subjects of the same age range. Several additional questions come to mind. Is syncope a softer endpoint than we previously thought, or was the categorization of syncope an error? Assuming the syncope was categorized properly and that genotype status was assigned accurately, how does one explain the high rate of frequency of syncope in these noncarriers with QTc intervals consistently in the upper range of normal? Could this family have a second LQTS mutation responsible for syncope and borderline QTc Ž ndings in some family members who do not carry the R752W mutation? Of interest, there is one adult carrier of the R752W mutation with a QTc of 0.56 seconds, and one wonders whether this individual could be a compound heterozygote with two different LQTS mutations. Were second mutations searched for in the genetic studies of this pedigree? The discrepancy in QTc intervals between the children and adults in this pedigree is somewhat unusual. From my experience with the LQTS Registry that now involves . 1,000 proband-identiŽed LQTS families, I have observed that the QTc interval generally shortens with age. This pedigree exhibits exactly the reverse phenomena, and the question is, "Why?" Is the phenotypic expression of QTc interval prolongation that occurs with the R752W mutation age dependent? A few questions also arise regarding the speciŽ cs of the R752W mutation. Current evidence indicates that the R752W protein mutation results in a trafŽ cking problem such that the mutant channel protein does not fold properly, is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, and is not delivered to the myocyte plasma membrane to function as an IKr channel.2 Could this channel protein fold more effectively in childhood, resulting in more channel proteins delivered to the membrane with more normal ventricular repolarization and QTc intervals in the preadolescent age group? Could the folding of this mutant channel protein be adversely affected by hormone in uences during adolescence and adulthood? Finally, the report by Kaufman et al. raises questions about the possible presence of modiŽ er genes. The overall phenotypic expression of the QTc interval among carriers of the mutation is quite variable. This QTc variation is greater than I would expect from environmental in uences, so could modiŽ er gene(s) be playing a role? The overall severity of the clinical expression of this LQT2 disorder in this large family is remarkably mild. Is this due to the particular electrophysiologic effects of the R752W mutation, or possibly a separate modiŽ er gene? Good clinical studies raise important questions, and this is certainly the case with the interesting LQT2 pedigree reported by Kaufman et al.


Whether we like it or not, our bodies play host to a horde of microscopic organisms including viruses, bacteria and worms - some of which happily co-exist with us and others which would do the dirty on us if they could. Our only defence against these potentially harmful, uninvited guests is our immune system.

Germ Warfare describes the successes of this defence system but along with the victories it also describes breaches in the defences, leading to infections and autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis. By telling the stories of the major players in this new science of immunology, Alan Baxter explodes the myth of scientists as being stooped, stammering savants and brings their colourful characters alive. The temperamental rages of Elie Metchnikoff; the gentle New England dedication of George Snell; Howard Florey, the 'Australian bushranger'; Macfarlane Burnet, deeply shy yet politically adept; and the sophisticated charm of Peter Medawar all contribute to this refreshingly honest and humorous history of the great achievers and achievements in the once secret science that affects each and every one of us.


Relationships between atmospheric circulation patterns and ice conditions in the southern Baltic coastal lagoons were explored. Ice data consisted of number of ice days (L) and duration of ice season (S) in the Szczecin Lagoon (off Karnin), the Puck Bay (off Puck) and the Vistula Lagoon (off Krasnoflotskoye) from 1950/1951 to 1989/1990.


Isopempto- and isochlorocruoro-porphyrin dimethyl esters have been prepared by application of the MacDonald porphyrin synthesis. The vinyl group was introduced by elimination of hydrogen chloride from chloroethyl side-chains carried through from an intermediate pyrrole, and the formyl group (of isochlorocruoroporphyrin) was introduced at the porphyrin stage with butyl dichloromethyl ether in the presence of tin(IV) chloride.


The article investigates the tax policies of the new EU Member States before and during the acute aggravation of the global economic conjuncture (2008-2009), as well as during the fragile equilibrium of the post crisis revival. Based on comparative analysis, the authors establish that, despite a certain difference in orientation, the common features of the tax reforms in the EU post-socialist countries, Cyprus and Malta are ensuring a reliable financial base for the state functioning through the active use of VAT fiscal potential and well considered approach to the regulating effect of corporate income tax on the economic processes, as well as expansion of the area of use of privileged social mechanisms in the taxation of the individuals' incomes. The authors provide various conclusions as to the initiatives of the State Tax Service of Ukraine concerning the reform of Ukraine's tax system in the context of European experience.