Cells in an organism exist within a social context— the sum of interactions with neighboring cells help to define the nature of each individual. The Zinnia system provides a unique opportunity to study in vitro the interactions between different plant cell types and the consequences for commitment to a particular cell fate. Zinnia is a model system in which mesophyll cells, released from young leaves and incubated with auxin and cytokinin, become committed to a new cell fate. Up to 60% or so of the cells eventually transdifferentiate into dead lignified tracheary elements (TEs) over the course of about 4 d (Fukuda, 1996). The emphasis in past work has been on the TEs themselves, but it has become more evident of late that the system also provides a paradigm for studying cell-cell interactions in development, interactions that have been singularly difficult to approach before in plants. In this respect, animal systems have proven to be more amenable to experimental approaches, and the patterns of signaling between cells to determine cell fate are relatively well understood. The competence of animal cells to respond to extracellular signals, provided through paracrine, autocrine, or in the case of distant cells not of the same type, endocrine signaling mechanisms, depends on the prior developmental history of each cell. The polarity of the embryo permits the later patterning of broad domains in which the cell populations express different combinations of homeotic regulatory genes. These domains become progressively refined as groups of cells acquire positional information. Finally, individual cells become determined to specialized cell fates. In both animals and plants, developmental genetics has uncovered key regulatory genes that can broadly define cell fate. Additionally, in animals, experimental embryology has been used to establish the state of commitment to a particular cell fate by microsurgical manipulation of groups of cells into new environments and by observing whether they adopt the fate of their new or original environment. In plants, studies using genetic mosaics have shown that the position of a cell, not its clonal origin, determines its fate (Scheres, 2001). Rare cell division events place daughter cells in neighboring files in the Arabidopsis root. The fate of these daughters is appropriate to their new position (Kidner et al., 2000). Within meristems, cells transit through domains of expression of regulatory genes to their final fate, with only a small number of cells remaining uncommitted to provide a population of "stem" cells that renew the meristem continuously (Haecker and Laux, 2001). Although surgical excision and transplantation of specific cells is rarely feasible in intact plants, cell culture systems offer a useful and appropriate alternative. In particular, the Zinnia mesophyll cell system now offers an opportunity to study the consequences of extracellular signaling for developmental fate. Plant growth factors have been shown in two model systems to be involved in cell commitment. Ethylene is required for the final commitment of cells to produce a root hair in the Arabidopsis root epidermis (Tanimoto et al., 1995). Both mesophyll cells (Fukuda and Komamine, 1980) and epidermal cells (Church and Galston, 1989) of Zinnia elegans can be induced, by auxin and cytokinin, to transdifferentiate into TEs in vitro. Although Arabidopsis provides an excellent molecular genetic model, the Zinnia system has the advantage of being more amenable to biochemical or in vitro culture studies. Because differentiation is synchronously induced in a large number of the cells in a relatively homogeneous cell population, it is possible to study the biochemistry and molecular biology of xylogenesis free from the complexity of intact plant tissues (Fukuda, 1996; McCann, 1997). Three factors, wounding, auxin, and cytokinin, are involved in initiating TE formation in Zinnia. Mechanically isolated cells may be regarded as wounded cells, and wounding is known to induce TE formation in intact plants. When a vascular bundle in a stem is severed, a connection is reestablished by the transdifferentiation of intervening pith parenchyma into vascular elements (Sachs, 1981). However, many further signals are required to complete TE formation (Fukuda, 1996). Inhibitors of brassinosteroid synthesis block TE formation until a very late stage of differentiation (Yamamoto et al., 1997). Because the competence to differentiate is also highly dependent on cell concentration until a late stage of culture, this strongly suggests that cell-cell signaling mechanisms are involved and, therefore, that commitment and at 1 This work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Leverhulme Trust (grant no. F/00 255/A). * Corresponding author; e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com; fax 00 – 44-1603– 450022 www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.010883.


This study aimed to investigate the potential of brown algae (Padina sp.). The investigation focused on surface morphology of the brown algae as preparation for making sodium alginate-based impression materials to obtain standardized impression materials. The sample was a natural sodium alginate type Padina sp. taken from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The extraction process was conducted to attain the sodium alginate extract. Subsequently, an irreversible hydrocolloid impression material was fabricated by mixing some of the impression material composition and sodium alginate from Padina sp. The test of physical characteristic was conducted by describing the surface morphology of impression materials using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The data analysis of the SEM images showed that there was a difference in the surface morphology structure of the impression materials of the brown algae of the type of Padina sp. and standard impression materials showing a rough surface. Furthermore, the particles had no binding with other particles for all samples.


The aims of LAMOST(Large Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscope Telescope) optical fibers positioning system is carrying out 4000 fibers minutely position quickly on the focal plane plate. Base on the dividing domain, we are putting forward parallel controllable optical fiber positioning system, this system consists of several parts as follows: In the focal plate of LAMOST, A aluminous alloy plate with plate diameter 1.75 m, globe radius is 20m. Over 4000 holes are bored on the focal plate; one optical fiber positioning unit of double revolving freedom device is inserted in each holes of focal plate, it is drived by two micro-stepping motor and positioning one fiber-end, focal plate is sustained by 8 steel tubes on the focal mechanical framework; for driving 8000 stepping motors, a control system is needed; and a measuring system with 4K surface CCD is used to calibrate the fiber's position, besides a few accessorial devices for example 4000 wire and fiber setting up need to plan elaborately, According to plan, parallel controllable fiber positioning system will be made in the next three years.


Motor drive apparatus comprising: a motor drive unit (6) having a transducer (7), which converts an AC input voltage and outputs a DC voltage, and an inverter (8), which converts the output DC voltage, and outputs as an alternating voltage to an acting as a load motor (9), and an engine control unit (5) by a control command calculating unit (4) receives a control command that sets a predetermined operation for the motor (9), a predetermined DC voltage control instruction (CDC) to the transducer (7) outputs, and outputting a predetermined motor drive control command (Cmd) to the inverter (8), characterized, in that the DC voltage by the DC voltage control instruction (CDC) is set to a high value when a control command of the control command calculating unit (4) is a control command for a gross engine operation along a machining path, while the DC voltage by the DC voltage control instruction (CDC) on a low value is set when the control command is a control command for a precise engine operating along the machining path; wherein the control command for a gross engine operation along the machining path, a rapid traverse control command for the motor (9) driven feed axis, and the control command for the exact engine operating along the machining path is a processing command for machining a workpiece along the feed axis.


We present a comparison of the statistical properties of dark matter halo merger trees extracted from the Millennium Simulation with Extended Press–Schechter (EPS) formalism and the related galform Monte Carlo method for generating ensembles of merger trees. The volume, mass resolution and output frequency make the Millennium Simulation a unique resource for the study of the hierarchical growth of structure. We construct the merger trees of present-day friends-of-friends groups and calculate a variety of statistics that quantify the masses of their progenitors as a function of redshift, accretion rates, and the redshift distribution of their most recent major merger. We also look in the forward direction and quantify the present-day mass distribution of haloes into which high-redshift progenitors of a specific mass become incorporated. We find that the EPS formalism and its Monte Carlo extension capture the qualitative behaviour of all these statistics, but as redshift increases they systematically underestimate the masses of the most massive progenitors. This shortcoming is worst for the Monte Carlo algorithm. We present a fitting function to a scaled version of the progenitor mass distribution and show how it can be used to make more accurate predictions of both progenitor and final halo mass distributions.


A method is described for determining dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in seawater. DMS was fust extracted from the seawater using organic reagent, then reverse-extracted by 5% HgCl2. In the laboratory, DMS was released by concentrated HCl and finally measured by GC-FPD. The limit of detection was 0.05 ng of S. Measurements of DMS along surface transects and on vertical profiles across the East China Sea (ECS) continental shelf showed that its concentrations of S in the surface seawater ranged from 64-180 ng/L and that its vertical distribution was divided into 3 types. Model calculations of a stagnant film show a DMS flux of 10.6 μmol/m2d across the air-sea interface.


K2Pt(CN)4 becomes soluble in dichloromethane upon addition of two equivalents of 18-crown-6. Crystals of [K(18-crown-6)]2 [Pt(CN)4] are obtained upon layering the dichloromethane solution with diethylether. No Pt⋯Pt interactions are observed in the crystal.


Let G(V,E) be a simple graph,k is a positive integer.f is a mapping from E(G) to {1,2,…,k} such that:uv,uw∈E(G),v≠w,f(uv)≠f(uw);u,v∈V(G),u≠v,C(u)≠C(v).f is a k-vertex distinguishing edge coloring of G,the minimal number k is called the vertex distinguishing edge chromatic number.This paper discusses the vertex distinguishing edge chromatic number of K2n\E(F5)(n≥13).


Reports of "imminent US preventive nuclear strikes" against Iran have recently appeared more frequently in the media. The future will show whether the "proliferation" of such news is driven by some sort of "US-psychological warfare" as claimed by the current Iranian leadership or whether they reveal serious and real considerations by particular strategists in Washington. If the latter holds true, it would be of little surprise as the reports resemble the pre-Iraq war rhetoric of the Bush administration in 2003. If the US does indeed take military action while still being embroiled in Iraq, it could be argued that the Gulf region would be moving towards what may be understood as an all-out "Iraq-Iran Crisis".


Background: The Neurologic Pupil Index (NPi), derived from automated pupillometry, can accurately predict poor neurological outcome in post-anoxic brain injury. The prognostic role of another index, called Pupillary Pain Index (PPI), remains unknown in this setting. Methods: Monocentric study in adult comatose cardiac arrest (CA) patients. Quantitative PPI and NPi were concomitantly recorded on day 1 and day 2 after CA. The primary study outcome was to assess the prognostic value of PPI to predict 3-month unfavourable outcome (UO, defined as Cerebral Performance Category of 3–5). Secondary outcome was the agreement between PPI and NPi to predict unfavourable outcome. Results: A total of 102 patients were included; 69 patients (68%) patients had UO. Patients with UO showed a lower NPi (4.2 [3.5-4.5] vs. 4.6 [4.3-4.7]; p<0.01 on day 1 - 4.3 [3.8-4.7] vs 4.6 [4.3-4.8] on day 2), and PPI (3 [1-6] vs. 6 [3-7]; p<0.01 on day 1 - 3 [1-6] vs 6 [4-8]; p<0.01 on day 2) than others. PPI and NPi had similar predictive accuracy on day 1 and day 2 for UO. A PPI=1 on day 2 showed a sensitivity of 26 [95% CI 16-38]%, a specificity of 100 [95% CI 89-100]%, a NPV of 39 [95% CI 36-43]% and a PPV of 100% [95% CI 100-100]% to predict UO. On day 2, a total of 6 patients had concomitant PPI=1 and NPi ≤2, while 12 showed NPi>2 and PPI=1; the coefficient of agreement was 0.42. Moreover, NPi and PPI values showed a moderate correlation both on day 1 and day 2. Conclusions: In this study, PPI=1 on day 2 could accurately predict UO in comatose CA patients, with 100% specificity and a higher sensitivity than NPi. The agreement between PPI and NPi values was moderate.


Financial right refers to the right of financial dominion owned by a main body,particularly emphasizing the right of financial control including financial decision right,execution rights and financial monitor rights.Allocating financial rights of Enterprise Group is to obtain the financial synergy in the Group operation and reansonable arrangement of financial rights between parent companies and subsidiary companies.In this paper,financial rights allocation of Enterprise Group was discussed on three aspects: the general principles and modes,the role of financial rights allocation,and the errors in allocation and countermeasures.


In PV system, the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is used for the controlling process. The output of the PV system is obtained with the help of MPPT technique. If the irradiance in PV panel is less the output power will be reduced. To overcome this problem the proposed system is developed using "Distributed" MPPT (DMPPT) technique in which each panel is connected to separate MPPT. To compensate the voltage variation in different PV panel the Buck-Boost converter is used. Finally all the MPPT's are connected in parallel to each other that increases efficiency of the partially shaded PV system.


Transfusions in infants < 1500 grams are used to improve oxygen availability. We were interested in determining the increase in oxygen available (AvO2) between 95% saturation and a tension of 3 kpa (22.5 mm Hg), the increase in Hb, and the change in% fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in infants pre- and post-transfusion. Using these values, we calculated the proportion of the increase in available oxygen attributable to (a) the rise in Hb and (b) the change in p50. Infants for whom transfusions were needed had blood gas and co-oximetry measurements done pre- and post-transfusion. The infants were transfused to an intended hemoglobin of 150 g/L. Transfusions were excluded only if appropriate bloodwork was not done. Each transfusion was considered as a separate event.


!. l)escription of P r o b l e m "l'tw task of choosh~g an equipment configuration from i!~(, t,:,t:~ii~y of all possible equipment selections needed to a('('~)~npiist~ may p~r~icular mission has been complicated !~v ~1~(~ lack of' a ~miversally satisfactory mechanized t)r()('~'.'!~tr('. This problem has become critical in selecting ('~)~i)()~,:'~t:s for aerospace missions, t)eeause for these t)rf)i)iell~s the suitability of a configuration is not only (lel)(,t~(h,i~t up(m axl. item's individual characteristics but als(, ~i)(~t~ the item's relationship to the other components i~ tt~e system. Total configurations of equipment must be s(,l(,(.ted rather tha~ merely a collection of individual (,(,~il)~u,~t items. X,,~ ()J~ly must an extremely large number of items be <.~(~A<h,'ed but substantial cross referencing between the itcq~> is r~,<[uired. Consider, as an example, the problem of s<,l<,cti~g an equipme~t configuration to perform a given set of ~<.asurements. Cross referencing between items arises in,cause (a) the nmasurenmnt capabilities of several pie(.<,s ~fi (,quipment may overlap, (b) the measurement <':t.p~dfility for each pioce of equipment may exceed the r(~<l,~ire~v~('l~ts for a specific mission, and (c) the total cost (s~t<:}~ as the size, weight, power) of any equipment con: iig~rali(~,t fo,:a mission is botmded. .\t.tel:~pts have been nmde to use digital computers by applyi~g information retrieval techniques to the problem. "l'w~) computer programs are usually written: (1) a pro-gl'an~ w!dch forms the stored catalogue containing the e~ tuipln(!~t relationships, and (2) a program which searches the catalogue to retrieve the required equipment eonfigura-tiolts, llowever, lit general, the programming wstems have ditIieultv with the law, e numbers of cross references betwe(,~ the entry items in the "stored" catalogue, and tile resulting catalogue ea~mot be searched efficiently. The t~,ehniques of chain list matrices, heretofore used to amtlyze COBOL language structures [1, 2], can satisfactorily handle an information catalogue of the size and complexity needed for this problem. The chain list matrix forms an ini'()rrnation catalogue composed of algorithms which have a list structure. These algorithms define all the significant relationships between each information entry in the catalogue by providing a mechanism for systematically linking together items both b y subcategory into lists, and items across lists. Using t h e rules of the matrix facilitates the subse(luent information search and the testing against the input set of criteria values. The list structure allows the information cataloglm matrix to be created as each item is brought into the s y s t e m …


The vibration dissipation mechanism of the rotating blade with a dovetail joint is studied in this paper. Dry friction damping plays an indispensable role in the direction of vibration reduction. The vibration level is reduced by consuming the total energy of the turbine blade with the dry friction device on the blade-root in the paper. The mechanism of the vibration reduction is revealed by the variation of the friction force and the energy dissipation ratio of dry friction. In this paper, the flexible blade with a dovetail interface feature is discretized by using the spatial beam element based on the finite element theory. Then the classical Coulomb-spring friction model is introduced to obtain the dry friction model on the contact interfaces of the tenon-mortise structure. What is more, the effects of the system parameters (such as the rotating speed, the friction coefficient, the installation angle of the tenon) and the excitation level on blade damping characteristics are discussed, respectively. The results show that the variation of the system parameters leads to a significant change of damping characteristics of the blade. The variation of the tangential stiffness and the position of the external excitation will affect the nonlinear characteristics and vibration damping characteristics.


Besides its traditional revenue collection and enforcement tasks, Customs places great importance on facilitating and promoting trade and automation provides tools to accomplish this. Customs plays a pivotal role in international trade transactions and in this paper, the use of an automated systems approach to the processes involved in cargo clearance is highlighted. The successful implementation of automation projects largely depends on an effective project team and the unequivocal commitment of senior management. Better results can be achieved by simplifying procedures in accordance with international best practices instead of simply automating manual systems. From traditional tasks to trade facilitation Customs formalities at border crossings are key elements in international trade insofar as they serve to monitor and control the movement of goods and passengers through customs barriers. The collection of revenue by way of duties and taxes is one of the main activities of any customs administration. The percentage of revenue collected by the customs administrations of developing countries can be up to 50 per cent of total government revenue. Certain commodities require the approval of other statutory agencies before they are released from the border-crossing point (for example, quarantine and health authorities). Statutory agencies rarely delegate authority to clear such cargo to Customs. As a result, the cargo clearance procedure has become complicated and cumbersome. The World Customs Organization (WCO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international organisations all promote trade facilitation. As a result, several countries have established their own bodies to promote and implement trade facilitation measures, for example, SITPRO (Simplification of International Trade Procedures) of the United Kingdom, and JASTPRO (Japan Association for Simplification of International Trade Procedure). Nowadays, trade facilitation is one of the key activities in most customs administrations. Many have changed their mission statements to reflect this fact and refer explicitly to 'trade facilitation'.


Toothpaste aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing halitosis, help prevent tooth decay (dental caries) and gum disease (gingivitis) , to promote oral hygiene. Multiple toothpastes have become available, which contain all the ingredients that would take care over gingivitis, tartar control sand whitening of teeth. Tooth whitening is an important criteria for many of us. Toothpaste remove plague, stains for which whitening abrasive particles on the toothpaste plays an important role. Currently the advances in the ingredients and additives to toothpastes offers some good clinical choices. In the present study ten different marketed brands of toothpastes were evaluated for various parameters like appearance, pH, spreadabiity, homogeneity, moisture content, heavy metals, anti-microbial activity and the results are in compliance with the standards of BIS. Lastly all the brands of toothpastes taken for the study possess anti-microbial activity, the better activity was seen in Sensocheck-F and Enshine when compared with the other brands, Sensocheck-F being a medicated toothpaste and it possess good antimicrobial effect to maintain oral hygiene.Even the herbal toothpastes like Vedshakti and Himalaya also have anti-microbial activity but it was less compared to medicated toothpastes. Harcourt Nigeria. The concentrations of fluoride and heavy metalswere measured using Ion-Selective Electrode method and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer respectively. [12] Docimo R et.al; reported a method on comparative evaluation of the efficacy of three commercially available toothpastes on dentin hypersensitivity reduction: an eight-week clinical study. The objective was to evaluate the dentin hypersensitivity reduction efficacy of three commercially available toothpastes: (1) Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste (2) Sensodyne Rapid Relief Toothpaste; and (3) Crest Cavity Protection .Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste, used twice daily, was more effective than other formulations.


In a twin clutch type speed change control system for changing over the gear position by switching between a pair of clutches, to reduce the collision sound generated between a free gear and a slide member at the time of changeover of the gear position. In the twin clutch type speed change control system designed to perform gear position changeovers between odd-ordinal gear positions and even-ordinal gear positions through a process in which an engaged clutch is disengaged whereas a disengaged clutch is engaged, the formerly disengaged clutch is supplied with a minute oil pressure (P1) towardthe clutch engaging side and is thereby preliminarily moved by a minute amount toward the clutch engaging side, at the time of changeover of the gear position.


says, The basis of rental for theatres was at one time based upon the seating capacity, that is ,a fixed price per seat per month established the rent. Then came the boom and rents went soaring so that the general price of $1.50 per seat for a well located theatre jumped up to $5 and $6 a seat and then some. An ordinary house like the Hollywood Music Box, with a seating capacity of less than a thousand, asks something like $4000 a month rental. Four or five dollars a seat per month is considered nominal by the land-


As a main link for understanding and researching agricultural disasters,agriculture disaster statistics plays an important role in realizing the agricultural sustainable development in China.Based on analysis of the questions existing in agriculture disasters statistics in China,this paper shows that a lot of works must be strengthened in order to improve the agricultural disaster statistics level.It is necessary to construct agricultural disaster statistics index and criterion,improve on disaster statistic methods and programs and pay more attention to managements and so on.


In this work, a new discretization of the source term of the shallow water equations with nonflat bottom geometry is proposed to obtain a well-balanced scheme. A Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation based on Riemann solvers is presented to solve the SWE.Moving-Least Squares approximations are used to compute highorder reconstructions of the numerical fluxes and, stability is achieved using the a posteriori MOOD paradigm. Several benchmark 1D and 2D numerical problems are considered to test and validate the properties and behavior of the presented schemes.


This datasheet on Gossypium herbaceum covers Identity, Overview, Associated Diseases, Pests or Pathogens, Distribution, Biology & Ecology, Uses, Management, Genetics and Breeding, Economics.


The certainty and necessity of the development of community service and real estate management was analyzed to the needs of sustained development of cities. The relationship between community service and real estate management was discussed, and some thinking was put forward.


In equations of equilibrium, amounts of the tyre tread radius, gyroscopic couples due to wheels and engine as well as special properties of conventional models which have a large angle of lean and a small steering angle in rounding a curve are taken into account. And both results of calculations and experiments are well agreeable with each other. The angle of lean is always greater than the balancing angle of gravitational and centrifugal force. This is due to effects of large tyre tread radius and low position of mass centre. Moreover, the gyroscopic effect of engine is considerably intensive, especially in lower gear. The main reason why the motor-cycle has the property of oversteering is in the geometrical relation of the steering system. The side slip angle of tyre in single-trackers takes a far smaller value than that of four-wheeled vehicles.


Cities for Children. Creating Child Friendly Cities - Reinstating Kids in the City, 2006, Brendan Gleeson and Neil Sipe (eds.), London: Routledge


Assessment of learning outcomes is one of the important activities in the world of education as explained in Permendikbud No. 23 of 2016, assessment is the collection and processing of information to measure the achievement of student learning outcomes. This research produces a product in the form of blog media as a guide to improve the ability to write and create web. Blog. Blogs can be accessed anywhere and anytime, as long as they are connected to the internet network. The material in this blog is tailored to the needs of written material for middle school students. Blog material is also validated through three aspects. These three aspects were validated by material experts, trainers, and participants in writing activities. The first aspect is the clarity of the material delivered. The validation results show an 80% number which means that the material delivered is clear. The second aspect is communicative language and ease of understanding. The validation results show 81% which means that the language on the blog is very communicative, making it easy for users to understand. The last aspect is the suitability of the material with the aim of journalistic extracurricular guidance. The validation results show 77% which means that the material is in accordance with the purpose of writing skills.


As part of Syracuse University Press' Sports and Entertainment series, Robert J. Turpin explores the relationship between consumers and advertisers in the history of the bicycle, unravelling how th...


students of Pharmacy School of Hunan TCM Institute are psychologically investigated by SCL-90(Symptom Check List-90). The investigation shows that different psychological trouble exceed the normal standard. So it is necessary to strengthen psychological health education, perfect the social assistance system for poor students.


Willard E. Goodwin was born to Willard and Olive (Belt) Goodwin on July 24, 1915 in Los Angeles, California and died on July 22, 1998, just 2 days short of his 83rd birthday (fig. 1). Willard and his younger brother by 8 years, Donald A. Goodwin, grew up in La Canada, California, an area just outside of Pasadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where their nearest neighbors were nearly 1 mile away. Lacking neighborhood playmates, Goodwin developed a passion for the outdoors and books. Both interests were encouraged by his father, an avid outdoorsman and employee at Fowler Brothers Book (one of the earliest bookstores west of the Mississippi), and his mother, a collector of books. Goodwin started schooling in a 2 room school house in La Canada. He finished at the top of his class and entered John Muir Technical High School in La Canada in 1929. Goodwin's mother was the elder sister of Dr. Elmer Belt, a distinguished urologist who later became a founder of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical School. Willard and Donald were heavily influenced by their uncle and it was this close relationship that led them to medicine and urology. Goodwin often said later in life that he knew he wanted to become a urologist since eighth grade. In high school Goodwin was active in the drama club, sports and Boy Scouts. He graduated in 1933 as valedictorian and student body president, and delivered his valedictory address on the virtues of world peace at the Rose Bowl. Since private university was beyond the family means, Goodwin chose the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate education.


Hermeneutics can be understood on the one hand as the art of interpretation, and on the other hand as a medium for dealing with the past, for conveying events, contexts or even writings in new ways of speaking for new recipients. The interpretation of writings, however, places special demands on hermeneutics: it does not take place in a sterile vacuum, but is rather embedded in a social and cultural context that shapes the interpretation or mediation and is an expression of a time, a fashion or a specific requirement of modernity. The question therefore arises as to what role reason and experience, science and/or social ideas, tradition(s) and/or community play in interpretation.
Using Thomas More's masterpiece Utopia as an example, various resulting interpretative approaches to a concrete writing will be presented. Through the hermeneutic design of a historical horizon in relation to Thomas More's time as well as through the development of a historical awareness of the work, the possibility of an understanding of this world-famous, still controversial writing as well as the efficiency of Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics will become recognisable.


The paper deals with the numerical solution of elliptic boundary value problems for 2D linear elasticity using the fictitious domain method in combination with the discrete Fourier transform and the FETI domain decomposition. We briefly mention the theoretical background of these methods, introduce resulting solvers, and demonstrate their efficiency on model benchmarks.


We have studied the greenhouse's celery water requirement volume, water requirement rule, the relationship between output and water consumption during the winter, the irrigation scheme of the greenhouse's celery in the semi-arid region of northeast China, the influence of different waterings on celery's growth and yield in various periods. The findings can provide technical assistance to farmers in their celery planting practice.


The main goal of this bacelor thesis is evaluation of the most important development trends of age and sex structure of elementary and high school teachers in Czechia from 2006 to 2016. First we described system of czech education and then we analyze age and sex structure of teachers. In the thesis we used several indicators: average and median age, ageing index and feminity index of elementary and high school teachers. Based on this indicators we described population aging of teachers and feminisation of teaching profession. We created analyze of number of graduates of pedagogical disciplines on colleges and we also analyzed graduates of courses lifelong learning with a focus on education. Finally we described a forecast of number of elementary school pupils and the development of number of pupils per teacher for 2006–2016. Based on the forecast of needed time jobs of elementary and high school teachers in relation to estimated number of pupils we found out that we will need more full-time jobs of teachers.


PURPOSE: A position control method of a synchronizer for a double clutch transmission is provided to modify the position of the synchronizer by detecting slip or displacement of the synchronizer from the complete assembling position or the minimum assembling position. CONSTITUTION: A control routine starts to assemble a synchronizer with a gear set completely by moving(160). To detect displacement of the synchronizer from the complete assembling position, the position of the synchronizer is monitored. The control routine restarts to move the combined synchronizer into the complete assembling position in displacing the synchronizer from the minimum assembling position. The position of the synchronizer is monitored again to check the complete assembling position of the synchronizer(168).


It is of special importance for the scientific world to establish models for global competitiveness for emerging countries so that managers can manage their companies outside the paradigms that have been adopted for decades. Ecuador has not very encouraging competitiveness results: it is ranked 99 out of 131 countries in innovation and in the ranking 130 out of 141 in business dynamism, which is related to a business culture to accept change and risk, along with the ability to execute ideas innovative. This research is framed in the descriptive and explanatory type through a complete statistical analysis; In addition, a documentary review of the main concepts of purpose, learning and training of people is carried out; and, elements of the organizational culture and strategy such as innovation, creativity, technology and resources of Industry 4.0. The results show that only 42.4% of the organizations surveyed have a long-term purpose, 48% of the managers believe that people are not essential for the development of the strategy, 26.8% of the companies use the driver innovation and only 4% are considering artificial intelligence as a critical assumption for the future. As a consequence, to increase the dynamism in the businesses of the companies, the design of a model in stages is proposed, taking into account the impact of each of the variables and their correct location to achieve competitiveness.


Looks at the important health issue of obesity, focusing on the often‐neglected scientific evidence on its causes, and possible links between obesity and advertising. Covers attitudes to physical activity and diet, the failure of Europeans to match recommended levels of activity, family eating habits and their effects on children, the importance of habit regarding fat consumption, the role of genetics, socio‐economic status in developed and developing countries, and the role of advertising. Concludes that the literature confirms that obesity is multi‐factorial, and that there is no direct evidence of a causal relationship between food advertising and obesity levels.


This article investigates the perceptions of educators from Shanghai on the assessment system and reform in their municipality. The study shows that the Chinese educators perceive the conventional assessment system in Shanghai, particularly the national college entrance exam (gaokao), to be rigorous and fair but inadequate in fostering the holistic development of students. While the Chinese educators support the current assessment reform that is aimed at holistic education, they highlight the challenges of enacting alternative assessment due to prevailing historical and socio-cultural conditions. The case of Shanghai illustrates the continual relevance, strengths, and weaknesses of conventional assessment as well as its potential in complementing alternative assessment.


In 1986, Richard Lowenstein directed 'Dogs in Space', a look back at Melbourne's punk and post-punk scenes of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Now, in turn, his 2009 documentary recalls both the making of the film and the era that inspired it. He speaks to Sally Hussey.


The expansion of social commerce websites has gradually transformed most people's lives in terms of social interactions during leisure time. Communication has been made easier due to the advancement of information communication technology due to the fact that information sources can efficiently assist in providing the information required. Nevertheless, the possibility struggling to understand online content exists as the information may have inaccuracies and biases. By combining the technology acceptance model (TAM) and social support theory (SST), this study has developed a detailed purchase intention model to analyse relationships related to social commerce websites. Trust has been examined as the mediator in this research. The study has employed an online quantitative approach and has conducted non-probability (convenience) sampling to recruit 392 respondents. The findings demonstrate that different SS forms (emotional and informational) contain significant relationships with the TAM, trust and purchase intention. Nonetheless, perceived usefulness and purchase intention reveal insignificant relationships. Meanwhile, trust significantly mediates the association between SS and TAM constructs in this proposed model. The results also show that the proposed model has achieved a good fit and clearly explains each relationship. Therefore, the integration and extension of constructs may serve as future research paths. The findings could also be applied by marketeers and practitioners when developing social commerce websites.


To meet the change in world in terms of digitalization and progress, the need and importance of education is known to everyone. The increasing awareness towards and digitization has given rise to increase in size of education field's database. Such database contains information about students. The information includes students behavior, their family background, the facility they have, the society environment which surrounds them, their academic records etc. The increasing technology in data sciences can help utilize this huge education field database in a productive way by applying data mining on it. When the techniques of Data mining are applied on the database relating education records, then this process is called as education data mining. This process helps us understand the area and the students on whom the attention and the amendments are required. This increases the level of education system and also affects the success rate and understanding of the students in academics in positive direction. In this paper four different classification algorithms are used to predict grades of the students, by referring student's previous academic records. Out of the four algorithms, the one which gave the most accurate prediction is considered as the final prediction. The performance accuracy of different algorithm is compared through accuracy performance percentage.


Abstract As part of the analysis of options to generate additional 6 – 8 TWh of electrical energy for Croatian consumers in the next decade, a comparison between natural gas combined cycle plants jointly with wind electricity generators and nuclear power plants has been performed. The criteria for the optimal option are minimal electricity cost and minimal carbon dioxide emissions. Since the comparison has to include the analysis of electricity cost generated during plant life time and since potential long term fuel cost variations (gas, uranium concentrate and uranium enrichment) containing substantial uncertainties, the best solution is to calculate life time levelized electricity costs with probabilistic methods. The results, obtained in form of probabilistic distributions, show that the option with nuclear plants leads to remarkably lower electricity cost and CO2 emissions than the option with gas and wind plants. The difference is more pronounced when wind generators have low capacity factors.


The taking of private property for development projects has caused controversy in many nations, where it has often been used to benefit powerful interests at the expense of the general public. This edited collection is the first to use a common framework to analyze the law and economics of eminent domain around the world. The authors show that seemingly disparate nations face a common set of problems in seeking to regulate the condemnation of private property by the state. They include the tendency to forcibly displace the poor and politically weak for the benefit of those with greater influence, disputes over compensation, and resort to condemnation in cases where it destroys more economic value than it creates. With contributions from leading scholars in the fields of property law and economics, the book offers a comparative perspective and considers a wide range of possible solutions to these problems.
The Introduction summarizes the rest of the book, and describes the common analytical framework used by the contributors.


Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: control group, Cro group, B(a) p group and Cro plus B(a) p group. Samples of lung tissue were collected 90, 180, 270, 360 and 540 days after the third time of intratracheal. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, the level of lipid peroxide (LPO) and the ratio of SOD/LPO were observed. The results indicated that there was a synergistic action of Cro. and B(a) p.


Discusses on the congnition of Huangdi Neijing about physiological functions and pathologica changes in human body from the methods of knowing interior from superficies.Reveals the scientific of congnition of objective matters.


The crystallization fraction (Xf) was quantitatively determined by the decrement in the crystallization enthalpy of an annealed Fe78Si13B9 alloy as compared with that of the as-cast one. The Xf was used to interpret the variation in ac-initial permeability (µi) of the Fe78Si13B9 alloy in-situ measured during isothermal annealing at 646 and 666 K, respectively. There are two µi maxima as soaking time elapses for both annealings. The first µi maximum is attributed mainly to the stress-relaxation effect and some crystallization effect with a measured Xf of 2–3.5%. The second µi maximum, appearing at about 210 and 36 ks for the annealings at 646 and 666 K, respectively, is invariantly much higher than that of the first one. The two corresponding crystallization fractions (Xf) are the same, about 9 % for both annealings. The second maximum is thus associated with crystallization effect. The Curie temperature of the amorphous matrix, being 668.5 K for the as-cast sample, increases sharply with annealing time. This makes difference in the shape of the first maximum, leveling off for the 646 K annealing and sharpening for the other. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) studies of the crystallized α-Fe and Fe(Si) phases in the alloy annealed at 646 K for more than 180 ks were depicted.


Researchers argue about the beta anomaly and related anomalies in the capital market based on existing theories of asset pricing. This article shows that the observed beta anomaly is added due to the mathematical errors, inconsistencies, and limitations in existing theories. We propose a general theory for central concepts in asset pricing, including beta and cost of capital, that holds for growth, taxes, and risky debt. Our theory addresses observed beta-related anomalies and other phenomena, and provides a clearer taxonomy for ongoing research and a step toward resolving several issues. The findings are highly significant for researchers and firms. JEL Codes: G32, G12, G11, G35


A framework with two scalar parameters is introduced for various problems of finding a prefix code minimizing a coding penalty function. The framework encompasses problems previously proposed by Huffman, Campbell, Nath, and Drmota and Szpankowski, shedding light on the relationships among these problems. In particular, Nath's range of problems can be seen as bridging the minimum average redundancy problem of Huffman with the minimum maximum pointwise redundancy problem of Drmota and Szpankowski. Using this framework, two linear-time Huffman-like algorithms are devised for the minimum maximum pointwise redundancy problem, the only one in the framework not previously solved with a Huffman-like algorithm. Both algorithms provide solutions common to this problem and a subrange of Nath's problems, the second algorithm being distinguished by its ability to find the minimum variance solution among all solutions common to the minimum maximum pointwise redundancy and Nath problems. Simple redundancy bounds are also presented


Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common hospital-acquired infections; ~70%–80% are attributable to an indwelling urethral catheter. Daily risk of bacteriuria acquisition varies from 3% to 7% with a catheter. CAUTIs are associated with increased mortality, cost, and inappropriate treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria which promotes antimicrobial resistance and Clostridium difficile infection. NHSN CAUTI criteria is most commonly met when a patient has a positive urine culture and a fever. Although fever can be associated with many sources, it cannot be excluded from UTI determination even when attributable to another recognized source. Given the high prevalence of bacteriuria in catheterized patients and the many sources of fever, the NHSN definition lacks specificity. Objective: To better classify CAUTI using enhanced criteria to so that appropriate reduction efforts would be utilized. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted to evaluate NHSN-defined CAUTIs from July 2017 to December 2018. Patients with NHSN defined CAUTI were evaluated to determine elements present to meet criteria. Overcaptured (O-CAUTIs) were defined as follows: (1) O-CAUTI 1, a positive culture with fever attributable to an infectious source; (2) O-CAUTI 2, a positive culture with fever attributable noninfectious source; (3) O-CAUTI 3, repeated positive cultures outside the RI period; (4) O-CAUTI 4, a positive culture with symptoms attributable to another source and no fever. Classifications were discussed with the medical and clinical leadership to determine appropriate opportunities for improvement. Results: Overall, 49 NHSN CAUTIs were identified with 11 of 49 (22%) being true CAUTIs and 38 of 49 (78%) O-CAUTI. O-CAUTI 1 was most common, with 17 of 38 (45%). The most frequent attributable source of fever for O-CAUTI 1 (infectious source) was respiratory (7 of 17, 59%) followed by gastrointestinal (6 of 17, 35%). Also, 14 of 38 (37%) were O-CAUTI 2. Central fever was the most frequent source of fever for the noninfectious source (9 of 14, 64%) followed by drug fever (2 of 14, 14%). Of 38 patients, 3 (8%) had both an infectious and noninfectious reason for fever (CAUTI 1 and 2); 4 patients had no fever. Furthermore, 2 were O-CAUTI 3 (repeat culture positive) and 2 were O-CAUTI 4 (1 with hematuria and renal cell carcinoma and 1 with dysuria without leukocytosis). Conclusions: NHSN CAUTI definitions capture UTIs and other events. In FY2018, there were no true CAUTIs in 5 of 12 months (42%). Also, 50% of CDC CAUTIs were not UTI but could lead to inappropriate antibiotic use. Reviewing only CAUTI reduction work in O-CAUTIs prevents the assessment of other appropriate opportunities for improvement. Funding: None Disclosures: None


A novel method was developed to easily fabricate micro-fluidic devices with a low cost. It will be especially useful at preliminary research stages. In the new method, inexpensive commercial air-pressure dispenser was used. Adopting originally developed "wire nozzles", it was verified that fine resist patterns with widths down to 50 μm were successfully delineated. However, because patterns have to be delineated connecting simple line patterns, it was difficult to delineate trench or hole patterns by painting out a large area. Moreover, sidewalls of the delineated patterns were not sharp. For this reason, easy image-reverse process was thought out. In the novel process, opaque liquid patterns were delineated using the dispenser on a thick negative resist film coated on a substrate, and the resist film was exposed to flood exposure light. As a result, the resist was sensitized except under the opaque liquid patterns. Therefore, trench or hole patterns corresponding to the opaque liquid pattern shapes were obtained after developing the resist. Replicated thick resist patterns have sharply-cut sidewalls, and will be durable for micro-fluidic paths or vessels of biodevices.


An inexpensive, but versatile computer-controlled luminescence spectrometer has been developed for fluorescence, room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP), and RTP lifetime measurements. A continuum xenon-arc lamp was modulated with a rotating single-disk type chopper, and the chopping phase was accurately detected by a simple and flexible circuit. An integrated, menu-driven software package was developed for data acquisition, instrument control, and data manipulation with IBM-XT compatible personal computer. The system developed has a number of advantages, compared with the conventional rotating-can type phosphoriscope, including increased sensitivity, high selectivity, and versatile applicability for short-lived RTP.


T HE Scientific Advisory Committee for the IndoPacific Fish Conference (IPFC) offers an award for distinguished contributions to Indo-Pacific ichthyology. The award honors the father of Indo-Pacific ichthyology, Pieter Bleeker. The first Bleeker awards were presented in 2005 at the 7 IPFC, Taiwan, to John E. Randall and J. Howard Choat. Nominations are now solicited for the third round of the Pieter Bleeker Awards for Excellence in Indo-Pacific ichthyology. The prize is awarded to an ichthyologist for ''an outstanding body of published work in Indo-Pacific ichthyology, mainly in systematics and ecology.'' The award will be presented during the 9 IPFC, to be held during June 2013 in Okinawa, Japan. Nominations may be made by any ichthyologist, including self-nominations, and should include the nominee's curriculum vitae, details of the nominee's specific contributions, and their impacts on ichthyology. Nominations should be submitted as an e-mail attachment by 15 October 2012 to the Chair of the Bleeker Award Committee, Professor Lynnath Beckley, Murdoch University, Australia (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com).


Summary Jabal Dumbeir is a nepheline syenite-carbonatite complex of Cambrian age (550 ± 87 Ma). The earliest igneous event of the complex was the intrusion of a phlogopite-sodalite nepheline syenite (ditroite) which was derived from the partial melting of the upper mantle. K, CO2 and F-rich volatiles metasomatise both the ditroite and the gneissic country rock which results in an orthoclase-rich undersaturated syenite (orthoclasite). Carbonatitic breccias and sovite dykes were subsequently emplaced carrying high levels of F, REE, Y and Th with extremely high LREE/HREE ratios (CeN/YbN = 64 ± 8). Such carbonatiticmagmas may be derived by partial melting of an LREE-enriched upper mantle. Hydrothermal emplacement of fluorite-quartz veins represent the final phase of igneous activity and these carry high levels of REE, Y, Th and U. Their emplacement was strongly controlled by a system of NNE strike-slip faults which have been reactivated in recent times.


To optimize the extraction technology of total flavonoids from Cinnamomum camphora(L.) Presl.roots by ultrasonic-assisted method,single factor tests were adopted to study the effects of ethanol volume fraction,ultrasonic treatment time,solid to liquid ratio on the extraction yield of total flavonoids;and L9(34) orthogonal design was conducted to obtain the optimum extracting process.Using rutin as the standard sample,the content of total flavonoids was determined by NaNO2-Al(N03)3-NaOH colorimetric spectrophotometry.According to the single factor tests and orthogonal experiments,the order of the factors affecting the extraction yield of total flavonoids from C.camphora roots was the ethanol volume fraction solid to liquid ratio ultrasound treatment time.The optimum extracting technology was using 50%(volume fraction) ethanol as extractant,with solid to liquid ratio at 1∶25(m / V,g∶mL),and treated by ultrasonic for 30 min.According to the validated test,the extraction yield of total flavonoids from C.camphora roots was 2.692 mg / g under these conditions.


In this introductory essay in the "Platform Studies in Education" symposium, T. Philip Nichols and Antero Garcia consider the expanding role of platform technologies in teaching, learning, and administration and the contributions of education research to the emerging multidisciplinary literature of platform studies. Their essay outlines theoretical lineages that identify platforms not as standalone tools but as multisided markets linking their users to competing social, technical, and political-economic imperatives. It also highlights connections to related education research that demonstrates the impact of these conflicting imperatives for equitable student learning, teacher education, and policy making. The authors conclude by reflecting on the critical interventions that greater attention to platform relations in education might offer and the forms of coalitional work, across disciplinary and geographic borders, needed to realize these potentials.


Cytocentrifuged preparation of synovial fluid from the stifle of a 7-year-old female spayed Great Dane. Modified Wright's. The dog was presented with an acute onset of lameness localized to the left rear limb. Rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament was suspected. Approximately 6 mL of orange, cloudy fluid were obtained by arthrocentesis and submitted for analysis. The nucleated cell and protein concentrations were 20,000/mL and 4.2 g/dL, respectively. The nucleated cell differential count was 95% nondegenerate neutrophils, 3% large mononuclear cells, and 2% small lymphocytes. Most of the neutrophils contained abundant, variably sized, purple, intracytoplasmic inclusions, morphologically consistent with phagocytosed immune complexes (ragocytes). Fewer neutrophils were noted with a single, large, amphophilic inclusion that laterally displaced the nucleus and was interpreted to be phagocytosed nuclear material (LE cells). Occasionally, cells exhibited characteristics of both ragocytes and LE cells. Other clinically unaffected joints were also aspirated and had similar cytologic findings. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures of pooled synovial fluid were negative. Based on the cytologic findings, the patient was diagnosed with immune-mediated polyarthropathy and placed on immunosuppressive therapy. No other diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus were present. The ANA titer at the time of the arthrocentesis was o1:10.


Objective To study the improvements in transurethral resection of prostate. Methods 170 cases with BHP underwent transurethral resection of prostate with improved techniques. The mainly improved techniques included ingressing the resectoscope under direct vision, the bladder fistulization by puncture, the stronger electrocoagulation followed by weaker electrosection, electro-vaporization, and keeping the "11~12~1" prostate tissues. Results Average resection speed of the improved techniques was 0.65(0.13-0.67) g/min with a significant difference ( P 0.05) compared to the traditional TURP. 98.8% (168/170) had a smooth emiction when the catheter was removed 3~5 days after operations. Conclusions The improved techniques can widen indications, increase efficiency, reduce bleeding and complications.


Objective To phylogenetically analyze enterrovirus 71(EV71) strains isolated from Zhuhai by amplifing VP1 gene.Methods Ten EV71 positive samples from patients with hand,foot,mouth disease(HFMD) in Zhuhai City were selected to conduct gene amplification using specific primers of VP1 gene,and were sequenced by ABI3730 Automated Sequencing Machine,and then analyzed by software Claxter,DNA Star,and Mega.Results The sequence analysis showed that the homogeneity of these 10 strains shared 88.2%~99.2% nucleotide acid identity,and they shared 98.7%~99.7% amino acid identity,especially there were 97.6%~99.2% nucleotide acid identity and 99.3%~99.7% amino acid identity among these 10 strains and the representative strains of C4 sub-genotype.There were only 81.8%~84.4% nucleotide acid identity and 94.6%~98.0% amino acid identity among these 10 strains and the representative strains of genotype A and B.It suggested that these 10 strains belong to C genotype and C4 sub-genotype. Conclusions The strains isolated from Zhuhai and Xinhui are closely related to those isolated from Fuyang and Zhejiang.All of them belong to C4 sub-genotype.The C4 sub-genotype widely distributes and spreads in mainland.So it is important to enhance EV71 gene analysis and search after evolution track for studying Enterovirus and prevention of EV71 outbreak in China.


In this paper, the authors present two methods to predict a host vehicle's trajectory based on measured and recorded position data from other vehicles. The quality of the projection is determined by the number of tracked vehicles, their number of lane changes, and the quality of the signals that are received from a distance sensor. It is not affected by changes of the host vehicle and the varying lane curvature. A second method analyzes each vehicle's trajectory separately, extracts the corresponding parameters, and then assigns a quality. Based on these values, a statistical analysis calculates representative trajectory parameters to predict he host vehicle's motion


IMAGINE International Microgrid Assessment: Governance, INcentives, and Experience Nan Zhou, John Romankiewicz, Min Qu, and Chris Marnay Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory This work was supported by the China Sustainable A microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined Energy Program of the Energy Foundation through the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid. A microgrid can DE-AC02-05CH11231. connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid-connected or island-mode. — U.S. Department of Energy Microgrid Exchange Group, 2010 Land of Penalties Refusal to interconnect, connection charges, backup charges, exit fees, directional pricingv Policy Lower costs; RPS, CHP, DG targets; Electricity pricing International standards; Better microgrid controls Uniform pricing, time of use pricing, CO 2 price, net metering, feed-in tariff, demand response payments Technology RD Land of Payments Figure 1. Drivers for microgrids across four stakeholder groups Figure 3. From penalties to payments using policy and technology Figure 2. Overview of the main components in a common microgrid Figure 4. Timeline of microgrid programs (blue) and select projects (white) to date Table 1. Valuing the economic benefits of microgrids CASE STUDY 1: SANTA RITA JAIL MICROGRID CASE STUDY 2: SENDAI MICROGRID Technologies used: Iron-phosphate battery, fuel cell, back up diesel generators, solar PV (rooftop and tracking), islanding switch Secrets of success: Role of local government entity Alameda County; diversity of partners involved: local utility (PGE involvement of LBNL to optimize the economics and risk involved in the project through data collection and analysis Lessons learned: Battery cost very high and only made possible by government grants, but useful for ultra-high reliability applications Technologies used: fuel cell, gas gensets, batteries, solar PV, microgrid control system, now CHP Secrets of success: Involvement and support of local city government Lessons learned: Consider CHP from the start (was added in second phase of project but would have had benefited the project from the start); heterogeneous power quality is possible Recommendations for Establishing a Microgrid Program: from Demonstration to Deployment Research and demonstration program Set the foundation Set a goal for the R&D program based on the microgrid benefits and functions sought Promote results-oriented R&D program based on overall goals Allow for post-demonstration analysis (and matrix for scoring achievement against goals) Field demonstration projects Create initial successes Ensure project's economic viability Include customer microgrids Match technology with end-use requirements Integrate energy functions: CHP and CCHP Policy support Incentivize deployment Develop standards and processes for interconnection of microgrids Consider modifications to electricity rate design (time of use, demand charges, distribution charges, etc.) Inventory current incentive policies and analyze gaps for widespread microgrid deployment


Network management is one of the biggest challenges in operating the Internet network today. This is mainly due to its complexity and inflexibility, which result from the tight coupling of the control plane and data plane. Efforts to address this challenge have led to the introduction of Software Defined-Networking (SDN), an emerging architecture in which a logical single controller controls the behaviour of the whole network. This paper presents a solution that exploits the separation to simplify many management tasks. Our work is based on RouteFlow, a framework that enables IP routing and virtualization in OpenFlow networks. We extend the framework to allow live migration of virtual topologies to new physical infrastructure in order to simplify management tasks such as planned maintenance. Our evaluation in emulated environments shows that the proposed system is capable of performing live migration operation with little impacts on network traffic.


Vessel damage incurred by ships manoeuvring in restricted waters and during berthing operations has identified a need for a precise navigation system that would give a master positional information of a high degree of accuracy in a simple visual manner. Such a system would improve operations in marginal weather conditions and decrease turn-around time for the regular port user. Drawing upon its offshore survey and positioning experience, Wimpol Ltd has developed a precise vessel positioning system which meets a demanding specification with regard to accuracy, reliability and simplicity of operation.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative, multi-component reading intervention approach for adolescent students in high school with severe reading disabilities. Students in the experimental condition received 24 weeks of multi-component, differentiated small group interventions from a special-education teacher, a speech pathologist, and a paraprofessional with time to engage in cooperative groups and practice skills to mastery. Monthly progress monitoring informed the instructors of ongoing progress and drove instructional components based on student learning. The control group received whole classroom instruction combined with traditional, special educational supports. The results showed significant differences in growth between conditions on standardized measures of word reading fluency, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension with medium effect sizes. No differences were noted in standardized vocabulary growth. Grade level progress in reading was not observed for either the experimental or the control groups; however, outcomes indicated only three "nonresponders" in the experimental group compared to six in the control. Findings are discussed in regard to practical application, limitations, and future research.


This paper describes the design and performance of a tightly- coupled shared-memory coherent cache optimized for the ex- ecution of parallel logic programming architectures. The cache utilizes a copy-back write-allocation protocol having five states and a hardware lock mechanism. Optimizations for logic programming are introduced in four software controlled memory access commands: direct-write, exclusive-read, read-purge, and read-invalidate. In this paper we describe these operations and present simulated measurements showing their performance advantage for an architecture of the committed-choice language KL1 The cache optimizations also improve the performance of non-committed-choice languages, such as OR-parallel Prolog. A version of the cache design described here is currently being implemented for ICOT's Parallel Inference Machine (PIM).


IT is only during the last few years that the layman has become familiar JL with the terms fats, carbohydrates and proteins ; the other &dquo; food factors &dquo; are an even more recent addition to his vocabulary. He has learnt that they are available in an ever-widening range of foodstuffs, and being provided by nature with a palate, and being still in a free country, he claims the right to make up his diet as he chooses. Dr. Moran has written in a recent article, that eating-to some at least-is still a form of recreation, an aesthetic pleasure rather than a scientific duty. Therefoie a food manufacturer's contribution to public health should be to offer appetising food to the public in perfect condition ; that is, his products should conform to that definition of quality which includes such attributes


To use entries of The Analects of Confucius as examples,the paper points out some ambiguous explanations of disyllabic and polysyllabic words in Chinese Dictionary. It is found that 1076 disyllabic or polysyllabic words from The Analects of Confucius are included in Chinese Dictionary,among which there are as many as 22 inaccurate entries( 2. 04% of the total) and 12 vague explanations.


Background:  Interferon (IFN)‐α is a cytokine that possesses potent anti‐viral and immunoregulatory activities. We aimed to assess clinical and immunological effects of low‐dose IFN‐α in patients with severe corticosteroid‐resistant asthma with and without Churg–Strauss syndrome. There is currently no efficient pharmacological treatment available for this group of patients.


Power System Stabilizers (PSS) are added to excitation systems, in order to enhance the damping of electric power system during low frequency oscillations. For large scale power systems comprising of many interconnected machines, the PSS parameter tuning is a complex exercise due to the presence of several poorly damped modes of oscillation. The problem is further being complicated by continuous variation in power system operating conditions. In the simultaneous tuning approach, exhaustive computational tools are required to obtain optim um parameter settings for the PSS, while in the case of sequential tuning, although the computational load is fewer, evaluating the tuning sequence is an additional requirement. There is a further problem of eigenvalue drift. This research proposes the PSS model based on IEEE Standard 421.5 PSS 4B for designing robust power system stabilizers for a multi machine system. Simulations were carried out using several fault tests at transmission line on a Two-Area Multimachine Power System. As a reference the PSS model, Delta w PSS and Delta Pa PSS has been used for comparison with the PSS under consideration. The result shows that power transfer response using the model is more robust than Delta w PSS and Delta Pa PSS, especially for three phase faults and phase to ground faults.


The semilooper complex infesting soybean was studied in a field experiment laid out at the instructional farm of Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, during kharif 2016. The semilooper complex included the following species: Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), Chrysodeixis includens (Walker), Chrysodeixis acuta (Walker), Chrysodeixis chalcites (Esper), Amyna axis (Guenee) and Amyna natalis (Walker). The semilooper population was the maximum during mid-August (7.25/5 plants) and evinced a significant negative correlation with the mean atmospheric temperature (r = 0.64); while, a significant positive correlation with the mean relative humidity (r= + 0.86) and total rainfall (r= + 0.61), notable being abundant after the rains. The morphological characterization of the two species of Amyna is given with suitable photographs, besides reporting the occurrence of A. natalis on soybean for the first time. A key to distinguish the two species has also been presented.


Fine γ-Fe 2 O 3 particles with diameter of 80-700? were prepared. Their saturation magnetization per unit mass σs and specific surface area Sa were measured. An empirical formula σ s (s) = σ s (∞ (1-aS a ) was obtained. It was proposed that the fine particles consist of two parts: the first part is the surface layer, whose magnetic moment can not be turned entirely to the field direction by the applied magnetic field, but make an average angle (canting angle) with the field. The second is the inner part of the particles, whose magnetic moment can be aligned along the direction of the applied magnetic field. The above empirical formula can be interpreted very well by this simple model.


Anti-oxidation copper powders were prepared by N2H4·H2O reduction method. The optimal conditions to prepare the copper nanopowders were obtained by studying the effects of following factors,such as the reducing agent,the dispersing agent,antioxidant and the temperature on the particle size and oxidation resistance of copper powders. The properties,such as microstructure,purity and morphology of copper powders were analyzed by X-ray diffraction( XRD),X-ray fluorescence( XRF),transmission electron microscope( TEM). The optimization conditions were as follows: the molar ratio of N2H4·H2O and Cu SO4 of 5,temperature of 50 ℃,8% benzotriazole( BTA),and 10% polyvinylpyrrolidone( PVP)as disperser. The well-dispersed uniform copper powders with a high purity of 99. 91% were synthesized under optimized conditions,its mean diameter was 80 nm.


Although a few efforts have been taken to conserve rare and endangered species Erythropleum fordii Olive.,information about its pollination and mating system still remains unknown.The pollination and mating system of E.fordii through performing the field observation,SEM observation of pollen and stigma,controlled pollination experiment and genetic analyses in Dinghushan Nature Reserve,China were studied.Erythrophleum fordii has brightly colorful inflorescences and sends forth delicate odor,its pollen is coated by strong mucous substance and its stigmas have not specific structure for pollen capturing,and meanwhile the inflorescences pollinated by wind did not fruit at all,therefore it was inferred that E.fordii might be entomophilous.According to genetic analyses and fruiting of two object trees under contrasting reproductive situations,E.fordii can be selfing occasionally but out-crossing is dominant with out-crossing rate in the Dinghushan E.fordii community for 90.6%.This preliminary elucidation of pollination and mating system would benefit the conservation of E.fordii.


Are fault simulation techniques feasible and effective for fault diagnosis of analog circuits? In this paper, we investigate these issues via a software tool which can generate testability metrics and diagnostic information for analog circuits represented by SPICE descriptions. This tool, termed the virtual test bench (VTB), incorporates three different simulation-based techniques for fault detection and isolation. The first method is based on the creation of fault-test dependency models, while the other two techniques employ machine learning principles based on the concepts of: (1) Restricted Coloumb Energy (RCE) Neural Networks, and (2) Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ). Whereas the output of the first method can be used for the traditional off-line diagnosis, the RCE and LVQ models render themselves more naturally to on-line monitoring, where measurement data from various sensors is continuously available. Since it is well known that analog faults and test measurements are affected by component parameter variations, we have also addressed the issues of robustness of our fault diagnosis schemes. Specifically, we have attempted to answer the questions regarding fixing of test measurement thresholds, obtaining the minimum number of Monte-Carlo runs required to stabilize the measurements and their deviations, and the effect of different thresholding schemes on the robustness of fault models. Although fault-simulation is a powerful technique for analog circuit testability analysis, its main shortcomings are the long simulation time, large volume of data and the fidelity of simulators in accurately modeling faults. We have plotted the simulation time and volume of data required for a range of circuit sizes to provide guidance on the feasibility and efficacy of this approach.


Using as a source two scientific accounts of sea journeys by Fortis, the author examines the Dalmatia area at the end of the 18th century in search of places with complex and interesting names from an historical and literary point of view.


INTRODUCTION
Reductions in β-cell number and function contribute to the onset type 2 diabetes (T2D). Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery can resolve T2D within days of operation, indicating a weight-independent mechanism of glycemic control. We hypothesized that RYGB normalizes glucose homeostasis by restoring β-cell structure and function.

METHODS
Male Zucker Diabetic Fatty (fa/fa; ZDF) rats were randomized to sham surgery (N=16), RYGB surgery (N=16), or pair feeding (N=16). Age-matched lean (fa/+) rats (N=8) were included as a secondary control. Post-prandial metabolism was assessed by oral glucose tolerance testing before and 27 days post-surgery. Fasting and post-prandial plasma GLP-1 was determined by mixed meal tolerance testing. Fasting plasma glucagon was also measured. β-cell function was determined in isolated islets by a glucose stimulated insulin secretion assay. Insulin and glucagon positive area were evaluated in pancreatic sections by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
RYGB reduced body weight (P<0.05) and improved glucose tolerance (P<0.05) compared to sham surgery. RYGB reduced fasting glucose compared to both sham (P<0.01) and pair-fed controls (P<0.01). Post-prandial GLP-1 (P<.05) was elevated after RYGB compared to sham surgery. RYGB islets stimulated with 20 mM glucose had higher insulin secretion compared to both sham and pair-fed controls (P<0.01) and did not differ from lean controls. Insulin content was greater after RYGB compared to the sham (P<0.05) and pair-fed (P<0.05) controls.

CONCLUSION
RYGB improves insulin secretion and pancreatic islet function which may contribute to the remission of type 2 diabetes following bariatric surgery.


Nesprin-2 is one of the Giant proteins in mammalian cells. It localizes at the ONM through the interaction with SUN domain proteins and performs diverse functions within the cells including maintenance of nuclear morphology, bridging
between nucleoplasm and cytoplasm, cell migration and polarity, and regulation of extracellular signalling. There is evidence for roles in clinical disorders as well. Using a Nesprin-2 Giant knockout mouse model we showed here that the protein participates in vivo in cell migration and tissue repair during wound healing. In the wound healing situation, Nesprin-2 Giant regulates cell proliferation and
differentiation as Nesprin-2 KO wounds caused the reduction in keratinocyte proliferation. Nesprin-2 KO mice also showed higher influx of inflammatory cells, mainly macrophages, indicating the protein's importance in the controlled expression of inflammatory cells. In Nesprin-2 KO mice reduced expression of cell proliferation related transcription factors c-Fos, PPAR


This paper evaluates whether foreign bank activity (i) increases the likelihood of suffering a banking crisis, (ii) improves the efficiency of domestic banks, and (iii) accelerates long-run economic growth. Using bank-level data across a broad cross-section of countries, we find foreign bank participation (1) lowers the probability that a country will experience a banking crisis, (2) lowers overhead costs and profits of domestic banks, and (3) accelerates overall economic growth by boosting domestic banking efficiency. * A. Demirguc-Kunt: World Bank; R. Levine: University of Minnesota; H.Min: World Bank. We thank Edward Kane, Val Koromzay, Allan Meltzer, Adrian Orr, and John Taylor for helpful comments. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank, its Executives Directors, or member countries. This paper was prepared for the Bank of Korea conference, "The Implications of Globalization of World Financial Markets," in Seoul, Korea, June 1998.


Role of Aspergillus in causing fish mycoses is of outmost importance because in recent years Aspergillus infections have increased in fresh water fishes. The study was carried out on randomly collected 102 infected fresh water fishes from different water bodies. Three different species of Aspergillus  viz. A.fumigatus, A.niger, A.sydowii have been isolated from 9  different species of fishes viz. Channa striatus, Cirrhinus mrigala, Clarias batrachus, Labeo rohita, Macrognathus aculeatus, Mystus seenghala Puntius sarana, Puntius ticto and Trichogaster fasciatus. Total 38 isolates were recorded from infected fishes. Maximum isolates were of A.fumigatus (71%) followed by A. niger(18%) and minimum of A.sydowii(11%). Among the fishes, the maximum infected specimens were of M.seenghala and P.sarana. Organ wise, most infected area was caudal region (53%) and least was gills (8%). On   Corn Meal Agar (CMA) fastest growth was observed in A.fumigatus (47mm) within 10 days duration. Pathogenecity tests showed all the isolated species of Aspergillus were pathogenic to fishes causing infection and mortality of most of the fishes.


ABSTRACT:

This article is dedicated to the notion of "mystical smoking" in Kabbalah and Hasidism. In spite of the fact that many researchers have dealt with the smoking habits of the Hasidim, the sources and meanings of this behavior have not yet been fully clarified. This paper will reexamine "mystical smoking" by reading some of the writings of R. Moshe David Valle, an eighteenth-century Italian kabbalist. According to Valle, the act of smoking plays a crucial role in the enduring struggle of the righteous person (tsaddik) against the powers of the Evil Side (sitra achra) and the impure husks (qelipot). From several paragraphs of Valle's writings, it becomes clear that smoking is equated with sacrificing to the sitra achra, and is as necessary and important as the biblical scapegoat in the struggle against the sitra achra. Moreover, the calming, relaxing, or clouding effect that comes naturally with smoking causes the sitra achra within the tsaddik's soul to be satisfied and to restrain itself from fighting against the Holy Side. In light of "the secret of the pipe," which Valle discusses at length, Hasidic stories and sermons in which smoking plays an essential role will be reevaluated. Until now, these sources have been subject to ultra-positivist, psychological, or literary explanations, which are unsatisfying and insufficient. In this paper, a new explanation, based on specific kabbalistic ideas, will be suggested, and conjectures regarding the transmission of knowledge from Italy to Eastern Europe will be proposed. <related-article href="/article/859384" related-article-type="corrected-article" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Corrigendum</related-article>


Interbank markets have been at the core of the international transmission of recent financial crises, including the euro area sovereign debt crisis. This paper studies the transmission of shocks in a two-country DSGE model where government bonds are used as collateral in interbank markets. We isolate an "interbank collateral channel" of transmission, which works through banks' portfolio allocation between loans and government bonds, the resulting value of banks' bond holdings and the tightness of collateral constraints in the interbank market. We find that, while in some scenarios this channel compounds a "bank net worth channel" in amplifying negative shocks, in other scenarios the "interbank collateral channel" acts as a macroeconomic stabilizer. Credit policies financed by government debt can erode this stabilizing effect. JEL Classification: E32, E44, F44.


Correction for 'Global spectral and local molecular connects for optical coherence tomography features to classify oral lesions towards unravelling quantitative imaging biomarkers' by Satarupa Banerjee et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 7511–7520.


People often discuss whether there are creatures on other planets .Some people say "yes" while others say "no" This is because they haven't seen any real creatures or flying objects from other planets.


7 1 Institute of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, 8 Apartado Postal 2-123, 44281 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico 9 2 Hospital General de Mexico, Mexico 10 3 Advantagene, Inc., San Diego, California 92024, USA 11 4 OPD Hospital Civil Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico 12 13 14 *To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed at the Institute for Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, 15 Apartado Postal 2-123, 44281 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Fax: (52)-33-3617-4159. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. 16 17 Gene therapy may represent a new avenue for the development of multimodal treatment for diverse 18 forms of cirrhosis. This study explores the potential benefits of combining adenovirus-mediated 19 human urokinase-plasminogen activator (AdHuPA) gene delivery and biliodigestive anastomosis to 20 enhance the therapeutic efficacy of each treatment alone for cholestatic disorders resulting in 21 secondary biliary cirrhosis. In an experimental model of secondary biliary cirrhosis, application of 6 22 10 vp/kg AdHuPA adenovirus vector resulted in 25.8% liver fibrosis reduction and some 23 improvement in liver histology. The relief of bile cholestasis by a surgical procedure (biliodigestive 24 anastomosis) combined with AdHuPA hepatic gene delivery rendered a synergistic effect, with a 25 substantial 56.9 to 42.9% fibrosis decrease. AdHuPA transduction resulted in clear-cut expression of 26 human uPA protein detected by immunohistochemistry and induction of up-regulation in the 27 expression of metalloproteinases MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-2. Importantly, functional hepatic tests, 28 specifically direct bilirubin, were improved. Also, hepatic cell regeneration, rearrangement of 29 hepatic architecture, ascites, and gastric varices improved in cirrhotic rats treated with AdHuPA but 30 not in counterpart AdGFP cirrhotic animals. We believe this might represent a novel therapeutic 31 strategy for human cholestatic diseases.


Industrial processes often comprise many heat transfer operations and potential sources of heat, with water widely used as the heat transmission vehicle. Since there are economic advantages in reusing the effluent from a hotter operation to heat a cooler one, the thermal design of these industrial processes has to be done by considering simultaneously all the heat transfer operations and potential heat sources. Provided some rules are followed in decomposing the process in elementary heat transfer operations, tasks, it is possible to solve the problem efficiently by rather simple methods. Two of them, an algorithmic procedure, suitable for hand calculation in processes without many tasks, and a more powerful mathematical programming approach are presented.


Background: Epigenetic changes may contribute importantly to cognitive decline in late life including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are epigenetic "readers" that may distort normal gene expression and contribute to chronic disorders. Objective: To assess the effects of apabetalone, a small molecule BET protein inhibitor, on cognitive performance of patients 70 years or older participating in a randomized trial of patients at high risk for major cardiovascular events (MACE). Methods: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was performed on all patients 70 years or older at the time of randomization. 464 participants were randomized to apabetalone or placebo in the cognition sub-study. In a prespecified analysis, participants were assigned to one of three groups: MoCA score≥26 (normal performance), MoCA score 25–22 (mild cognitive impairment), and MoCA score≤21 (dementia). Exposure to apabetalone was equivalent in the treatment groups in each MoCA-defined group. Results: Apabetalone was associated with an increased total MoCA score in participants with baseline MoCA score of≤21 (p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in change from baseline in the treatment groups with higher MoCA scores. In the cognition study, more patients randomized to apabetalone discontinued study drug for adverse effects (11.3% versus 7.9%). Conclusion: In this randomized controlled study, apabetalone was associated with improved cognition as measured by MoCA scores in those with baseline scores of 21 or less. BET protein inhibitors warrant further investigation for late life cognitive disorders.


Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important cash crop in tropical growing regions of the world and particularly for small cacao farmers. Over the past two decades, 'CCN 51' has become one of the most planted cultivars in Ecuador, mainly as a result of its high productivity and disease resistance. Intermixing of Nacional fine flavor Ecuadorian beans with beans of 'CCN 51' has become common practice, reducing overall bean quality and decreasing value.The primarygoalsof thisstudywere to determine thegenetic identity,structure, andallelic richness of 'CCN 51', its maternal origin and to compare 'CCN 51's' agronomic characteristics against a composite group of Nacionalcultivars.Toinvestigatethecomplexgeneticbackgroundofthiscultivar,70simplesequencerepeatlociwere used. The high heterozygosity observed (56 of 70 loci) for 'CCN 51' is not characteristic of traditional Nacional cultivars. Comparison of agronomic characteristics between 'CCN 51' and several Nacional cultivars indicates significant differences in cacao dry bean weight, yield potential, production efficiency, percent healthy pods, and witches' broom (Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime & Phillips-Mora) disease incidence. Additionally, physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics suggest that 'CCN 51' is different from those of Nacional lineage. Based on population structure analysis, the predominant ancestries for 'CCN 51' are Iquitos (45.4%), Criollo (22.2%), and Amelonado (21.5%) genetic groups. A lesser proportion of its genome was accounted for by genetic groups Contamana (3.9%), Purus (2.5%), Maranon (2.1%), and Nacional (1.1%) admixtures. Results of phylogenetic analyses using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean yielding high bootstrap values strongly support the relatedness of 'CCN 51' with Iquitos, Criollo, and Amelonado genetic groups. Moreover, seven mitochondrial simple sequence repeat loci revealed that 'CCN 51' maternally inherited the 'IMC 67' cytotype. 'CCN 51' constitutes a valuable cacao genetic resource that is currently used not only in its country of origin, but also in many other national breeding and selection programs worldwide.


The authors of the article have reviewed national and foreign literature on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction of spermatozoa in the pathogenesis of male infertility and analyzed the correlation between oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of various pathosperm cells.


Polymeric foams have good capacity of absorbing energy in compression but are brittle in tension. Linear elastic fracture mechanics is successfully applied to assess the integrity of polymeric foam-based composite structures. The fracture toughness represents an important parameter. The different approaches to estimate the fracture toughness of polymeric foams are reviewed: analytical and numerical micromechanical models and experimental investigations. Focus is given on the parameters influencing the fracture toughness of polymeric foams like specimen type, solid material, density, loading speed, size effect and temperature. Data on mixed-mode loading and dynamic fracture toughness are also presented. The last part of the paper presents some results to increase the fracture toughness by reinforcing of polymeric foams.


A method and apparatus for video encoding and decoding. Video decoding method includes receiving control information for an extraction of receiving a bit stream for compressed video and video. The method includes the step of identifying that the on the basis of the respective first stage, and the control information identifying a plurality of blocks having a first size in a video image based on the control information at least one of the blocks of the partitioned into multiple subblocks do. The method also includes determining whether to apply a filter to the pixels in each block and each sub-block based on the control information. Additionally, the method includes the step of selectively applying the filter to one or more of the blocks and the one or more sub-blocks in the bit sequence is decoded on the basis of the determination.


Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, with a 10.4% incidence rate worldwide. It is the fifth most common cause of death. Treatment includes surgery, radiation and drugs. Conventional treatment of estrogen receptor positive types of tumors involves the use of hormone therapy. The side-effects of these drugs, i.e. menopausal type symptoms, are an extra burden to women with breast cancer. Further use of drugs to treat such side-effects often provokes adverse symptoms, prompting a search for alternative types of treatment. This paper aims to review research into the use of traditional Chinese medical acupuncture to combat side-effects in breast cancer patients medicated with estrogen antagonists, and examine its complementary role.


Methanolic extracts of 4 Indian medicinal plants, traditionally used in different ailments, were evaluated for antioxidant activity using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. Among the extracts, C. lanceolatus significantly decreased the absorption at 10 μg/ml indicating that it is effective even at a very low concentration.


WHILERECOMMENDATIONSCALL for adults aged 50 years or oldertoreceivecolorectalcancerscreening,fartoomanystilldonotundergothepotentiallylife-savingprocedure. Studies of the US population published late last year found that between 1998 and 2004, only 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries were screened, and that as of 2005, half of people aged 50 years or older had never had a screening colonoscopy, considered the gold standard of the screening modalities. Health professionals, insurers, public health advocates, and the government need to work harder to get the word out that colorectal cancer screening can save lives, said Grace Elta, MD, president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and a professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2007, almost 154 000 people would be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 52 180 people would die from the disease. That places colorectal cancer as the fourth most diagnosed cancer and the second most deadly. Yet it is also one of the most treatable forms of cancer—if detected early. According to the ASGE, the 5-year relative survival rate for people treated for an early stage of colorectal cancer is more than 90%, but only 39% of such cancers are found at this early stage. Elta said that although screening rates are low, theyhavebeen increasingslowly. "I think it takes a while to change practice styles and the public's perception of what is good and necessary," she said. The barriers to broader acceptance of this screening, according the ASGE, are a lack of public awareness about colorectal cancer and the benefits of regular screening, inconsistent recommendations for screening by clinicians, uncertainty of coverage by insurance, concerns about painful or embarrassing tests, and a hesitancy to discuss diseases of the colon and rectum.


Images of a vibrating surface can be formed by focused (lens type) scanning, and holographic (lensless) optical systems. In this paper, methods for adapting focused optical systems to obtain vibration measurements are reviewed. Included in the review are methods for determining the state of vibration from displacement, slope, and velocity measurements. The use of optical, spatial, and temporal filters, as well as reference beam interferometers is described. In particular, recent advances in the design and application of confocal mirror interferometers to vibration measurements are described. Real‐time and time‐averaging variations of each method are noted. The types of data obtained with each method and procedures for interpreting the data are discussed. Characteristics of the various methods such as sensitivity, cost, and convenience for in‐air and in‐water measurements are summarized.


Calcium channel blocker-induced gingival overgrowth (CCB-GO) is increasing in elderly patients who have been prescribed medication for hypertension for years. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the comprehensive protein expression levels of candidate biomarkers in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from CCB-GO patients. Eleven GO patients (10 males and one female, mean ± SD: age: 64.4 ± 14.0 years) who had been systemically prescribed CCBs, either amlodipine or nifedipine, for hypertension for at least 12 months were recruited. Before (baseline) and 4 weeks after initial periodontal treatments, subgingival plaque and GCF samples were taken from two sites per patient: sites affected by CCB-GO and chronic periodontitis. Measurement of clinical parameters and quantitative analysis of periodontopathic bacteria using real-time PCR were performed. Biomarkers/cytokines in GCF were examined using multiplex bead immunoassays. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the collected data between groups. The correlations between pairs of biomarkers were assessed using the Spearman correlation relationship. Levels of two of the 14 biomarkers, interleukin (IL)-1β and transforming growth factor (TGF)- β, were significantly decreased in CCB-GO sites after initial periodontal therapy. The intragroup comparison at baseline showed that counts of Treponema denticola in the GO group were significantly higher than those in the chronic periodontitis group (P < 0.05). The results confirmed that initial periodontal therapy effectively reduces pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TGF-β in CCB-GO patients. These factors are involved in initiation and progression of GO as well as periodontitis.


This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the determinants for the optimal choice of contract terms on Eurobonds issued by UK companies. We examine predictions of extant theories that associate the choice of debt features namely, maturity, call options, convertible options, and protective covenants to firm and market characteristics. Like in Correia (2003), a simultaneous equations approach is adopted to test the alternative use of contract features for mitigating debt-contracting costs. The evidence provides strong support to the prediction that both callable and short-term debt and convertible and debt with protective covenants are used as alternative control devises to mitigate agency costs. Further evidence suggests, however, that contrary to the fundamentals guiding the choice of maturity and callability structures, the use of conversion options and protective covenants in Eurobond contracts seems to be determined by equity agency costs rather than debt agency costs. Also, some support is found for the risk uncertainty theory underlying the use of convertibles and for liquidity risk arguments regarding the choice to include protective covenants.


Protection from acarids, insects, and annelids is achieved mainly by treatment of the clothing with repellents. When properly used they will provide a high degree of comfort in the presence of large numbers of bloodsucking arthropods. None of our present repellents are completely satisfactory, but the better repellents are: for ticks—diethyltoluamide (deet) ( N,N -diethyl- m -toluamide), Indalone (butyl-3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-4-oxo-2 H -pyran-6-carboxylate), dimethyl carbate, and benzyl benzoate; for fleas—deet and benzyl benzoate; for chiggers (larvae of trombiculid mites)—dimethyl phthalate, ethyl hexanediol, or any of the tick repellents; for leeches—deet and benzyl benzoate. The only chigger repellent remaining effective after rinsing and washing in water is benzyl benzoate.