Protein modification is one of the important processes during oxidative stress. This modification of proteins is either due to direct oxidation of proteins by various oxidants or due to secondary modification by lipid peroxidation products, e.g. 4‐hydroxynonenal. In the here presented work we compare the intracellular distribution of protein modification products after treatment of human U87 astrocytoma cells with hydrogen peroxide or HNE. The treatment with hydrogen peroxide leads mainly to a cytosolic formation of oxidized proteins whereas HNE treatment is forming HNE‐adducts throughout the cell.


SdlledlJIan1i,aj Essen)1 twi. W'l\at is requiired at the imioniieiit is work, ilnteisiVe work, nou the miany l)loblelus wbich p)resent themselves-s comlIbined wvitlh careful documnentation of the !nietlio(ls xed(l antd Pcgistiation of the results olita'ield. Thli5 (cails fol the close co-oper-ation of physicists, cliinicians, 31(liologists, and pathologists. Somiie brilliant work lhas reaflyrl l)beii done, but nuhell more requLires to be accomiplisledl before tlle effieaey of radium cani be finially establishel. MIeanwhbile wood and effectivc uise can b?e miiade of 'a considerably larger quantity of r-adiumil, a1ind tli-s will shortly be availal)le, as a resuilt of thle' Nationld Radium Fun(l. -An even greater and miiore pressing need, however-, is for m1ore, radiumn workers, trainled in the higlhest stanlaid(fis of technique, and one of thle first efforts of 'tle Commission wirill he devoted to aiugment-ing the suipply of skilledI l)ersolliel.


Two soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] germplasm lines have been identified for unique fatty acid content. The very high content of palmitic acid in HPKKJ10 is controlled by the fap2 and fapx loci, and the very high content of stearic acid in M25 is controlled by the st 2 locus. If the fap2 and fapx loci are independently inherited from the st 2 locus, soybean germplasm could be developed with more unique and useful combinations of these fatty acids. The objectives of this study were to combine the loci of high palmitic and stearic acids, and determine the effects of altered contents of palmitic and stearic acids on other fatty acids. HPKKJ10 was reciprocally crossed to M25. The data from F 2 seed indicated that the fap2 and fapx loci controlling high palmitic acid were independently inherited from the st 2 locus controlling high stearic acid. Thus, the germplasm (HPS) with the very high palmitic acid trait from HPKKJ10, and very high stearic acid trait from M25, was easily developed. The increases in palmitic acid due to the fap2 and fapx loci in HPKKJ10, and the increases in stearic acid due to the st 2 locus in M25 were individually associated with changes in oleic acid. The combined increases in these two fatty acids in HPS were associated with decreases in oleic and linoleic acids, and increases in linolenic acid. The development of HPS with high content of saturated fatty acids could open new markets for soybean oil.


SIMULA is an advanced programming language comparable in power to PL/I or Algol 68. SIMULA is an extension of Algol 60 and contains amost the whole of Algol 60 as a subset. In addition to this, the language contains features for list structures, text processing, direct access i/o, formatted i/o, quasiparallel processes (coroutines) and discrete event simulations.


The basis of the conformal-mapping method for topographic-wave problems of Johnson (1985) is discussed in greater detail by considering the invariance under conformal mapping of the linear, barotropic, potential-vorticity equation, noted in Davis (1983). A method is presented for using this property to construct further solutions for waves propagating over varying topography. Results are given for semi-infinite channels and elongated basins. A coordinate system is constructed that approaches a Cartesian system exponentially fast with distance from end-walls. For exponentially sloping topography the solutions for infinite channels, semi-infinite channels, and basins have the same structure and dispersion relation as waves in an elliptical basin, discussed in Johnson (1987). The structures presented there can thus be considered as in some sense universal for exponentially sloping topography.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method for synthesis of 3,6-bis-[N-protected aminoalkyl]-2,5-diketopiperazine. Method involves heating a mixture of amino acids of general formula I in presence of catalyst in an organic solvent. Said catalyst is phosphorus pentoxide, which is present in concentration of 20 mol% to 50 mol% with respect to concentration of amino acids; n equals 2 or 3; PG represents trifluoroacetyl, and said solvent is selected from a group consisting of dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, diglyme, ethyl glyme, proglyme and ethyldiglyme. Invention also relates to a method for synthesis of 3,6-bis-4-(N-trifluoroacetyl)aminobutyl-2,5-diketopiperazine, which involves heating a mixture of e-trifluoroacetyl-L-lysine in presence of phosphorus pentoxide in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone to temperature from 150 to 175 °C for 0.25–5 h, wherein concentration of phosphorus pentoxide ranges from approximately 20 mol% to approximately 35 mol% of concentration of e-trifluoroacetyl-L-lysine, and slaking said mixture with a second solvent. EFFECT: disclosed methods ensure high output of reaction. 8 cl, 4 tbl, 3 dwg, 10 ex


This study aims to determine the effect of job involvement, social support and work stress on employee turnover at the Rejo Mulyo Pacitan Tofu Factory. The population in this study were all permanent and non-permanent employees at the Rejo Mulyo Pacitan tofu factory, using total sampling as a sample. The data collection technique in this study was by distributing questionnaires with negative statements to all employees of the Rejo Mulyo Pacitan tofu factory. The analytical method used in this research is multiple linear regression. The results showed that 1) Job Involvement had a positive effect on Turnover Intention with a significance of 0.007. 2) Social Support has a positive effect on Turnover Intention with a significance of 0.000. 3) Job stress has a positive effect on Turnover Intention with a significance of 0.004. 4) independent variables simultaneously affect Turnover Intention by 70.0% while 30.0% is influenced by other variables


Glass as a building material has been used since the Roman age and it is still considered modern and elegant. In the recent past, new developments allowed architects to establish transparent building envelopes and stunning designs. Such a new development are fully transparent long span beams, which consist of several glass panes in the longitudinal as well as in the lateral direction. In these structures, the panes were glued together using an interlayer material, which has a significant lower stiffness than glass. These beams have geometric singularities, which lead to stress concentration next to each joint. In combination with the brittle failure mode of glass, these stress concentrations are the point of matter regarding the load-bearing capacity. Therefore, structural engineers need on the one hand reliable models to estimate the maximum tensile stress and on the other hand an understanding of the load-bearing behavior in order to come up with suitable solutions. In the first part of this thesis, an analytical model is presented, which considers the main effects that are influencing the stress concentrations in the joint cross sections. The model is based on several assumptions and simplifications such as linear elastic material behavior for all materials or approximation of the lower edge of a beam under bending action as a region of pure tensile action. The analytical model considers the load redistribution due to the different stiffness of the base material and the interlayer using the slip equation, the influence of lateral bending as a result of the eccentricity of the residual force by means of bending of a sandwich element and taking into account of local effects using an addition local bending action. Laboratory tests as well as finite element simulations show that in general the analytical model works well. Further finite element simulations show that the stress concentrations highly depend on the shear stiffness of the interlayer material. The shear stiffness in turn strongly depends on temperature and load duration. In general, it can be claimed that a high interlayer stiffness will lead to a high stress concentration. On the other hand, in case of a low interlayer stiffness, the force transfer between the panes takes place in a larger area, which results in lower stress concentrations. This because the force has the possibility to spread equally within each pane. However, the larger influence zone may lead to an interaction between neighboring joints. Therefore, at least two different load cases have to be considered during design: one with the assumption of high interlayer stiffness and one with the assumption of low interlayer stiffness. The finite element simulations unveil that the stress concentrations can be reduced by modification of the joint configuration. Both, thinner outer panes and the use of intermediate panes will reduce the maximal tensile stress significantly in the area of an outer joint.


We obtain the superconformal master equation, which collects the superconformal solutions of the Virasoro master equation on gx × SO(p, q)1. The associated super C-function and super C-theorem are also obtained. A high-level expansion of the superconformal ansatz {SO(n)diag × SO[dim SO(n)]1}N=1 shows a large class of new, generically irrational superconformal field theories with a three-form living on the signed graphs of order n. The extension to general N = 2 superconformal symmetry is also given.


The paper proposes a multiobjective optimization procedure for five-phase induction machines based on the NSGA-II (nondominated sorting genetic algorithm). In the optimization procedure, two objective functions are used (efficiency and cost of conductor material) along with 14 design variables, producing a large number of viable solutions. The design variables describe geometrical constraints, electrical and magnetic loading, and the waveshape of the airgap induction. The underlying analytical model of the machine includes the saturation of the iron parts and magnetic losses produced by higher space harmonic waves present in the airgap induction. The most relevant solutions regarding the objectives are validated through the finite element method, showing that the method proposed here is able to find practical solutions which represent a high efficiency, a reduced volume, or even a compromise between these objectives.


An antenna simulator system has been developed, under a contract from European Space Agency (ESA), to evaluate the performance of an adaptive digital beam forming network (ADBFN), which was designed and constructed under the same contract. The system architecture is described. Measurements showed that a typical phase accuracy of +or-1 degree was achieved with this system for a single 5 MHz IF channel. >


Performance evaluation criterion is a key issue of mobile multicast algorithms.Multicast in mobile Internet faces many new problems,and how to make a comprehensive evaluation of mobile multicast algorithms has become a bottleneck.A linear energy function-based mobile multicast performance evaluation method was developed to provide a comprehensive performance evaluation from the "customer satisfaction" and "network effect" aspects,with the linear energy function used to quantify the comparison of the algorithm.The method can be widely used to evaluate and improve mobile multicast algorithms while providing a reference for users to select the appropriate algorithm in accordance with the specific requirements.Simulations show that this method can provide comprehensive and flexible performance comparison of mobile multicast algorithms.


ry, and the ebb and flow of politics at both domestic and international levels. Kerr sets out to trace the history of civil defense in the United States and to offer some analytical insights into the policy processes that he characterizes as the "politics of futility." The difficulties involved in convincing Congress and an either apathetic or hostile public are elaborated in detailed historical analyses, which, Kerr concludes, depict a story of "frustration and failure." Most of the book is taken up by legislative and bureaucratic discussion of the evolving debate over the question, How many would survive what sort of attack under what conditions? The answers change with the technological and magnitude assumptions, and to no one's surprise, the latest estimates suggest that the United States is dreadfully unprepared to deal with the consequences of full-scale thermonuclear war. In a valuable final chapter, Kerr evaluates some of the arguments people use against a serious civil defense program. These people include those who believe it to be provocative and destabilizing of the current balance of military power; those who believe that no program could work in a largescale conflict and conclude that more weapons deployment best reduces risk of war; and finally, those who seek arms control and eventually the elimination of nuclear weapons completely. Kerr points out that the emotionally charged responses to civil defense proposals and policies lead to a pattern of fear, denial, and episodic moments of fitful activity as occurred in the 1960s and most recently in the 1980s with the Reagan Crisis Relocation plan. These periods are then followed by negative reactions to the very idea of what things would be like after a nuclear war. But the sustaining elements in the narrative really have to do with politics and technology. Civil defense in America has no real constituency to sustain itself in the political arena, and the refinement of weapons systems to create new and expanded zones of devastation tend to outstrip yesterday's plan. The weapons have constituents aplenty; the plans and resources for dealing with their consequences do not. Kerr concludes this well-written description and analysis with an important insight that deserves further discussion. He notes that over the years the discussion of the subject has had a certain "abstract or even opaque quality." Although we know a great deal about the physics and engineering of nuclear weapons systems, we have spent relatively little on careful analyses of the consequences of their use. Any thoughtful adult has given a moment or more to contemplation of the dreadful question. Self, family, neighborhood, and country all pass through the mind, and the portrait cannot fail to stimulate at least a mental shudder. The mind shunts such thought away and returns to other, more comprehensible matters. Civil defense forces the dreadful question upon us, and mainly we push it away as though thought and discussion would somehow bring us closer to this worst collective dream of the twentieth century. This book should be on library shelves, because it tells us clearly and concisely how politicians, publics, and bureaucrats have dealt—or failed to deal—with the dreadful question.


In this paper, I summarise a theoretical framework for the growth of probabilistic knowledge. Through reflection on two theories that seek to model sense-making activity at quite different grain sizes, a synthetic view is proposed that draws its power from three sources: (i) its connection with the two original theories, (ii) its ability to model the behaviour of children working with a particular computer microworld, and (iii) its consistency with work in the literature. In particular, the theory offers a coherent way of thinking about inconsistency in children's responses and proposes principles that could underpin effective teaching or curriculum development.


Soy protein isolate(SPI)was slightly hydrolyzed by animal protease(pancreatin),plant proteases(papain bromelin)and microbe-proteases(alcalaseneutral proteinase)respectively,and the effect of hydrolysis on the dispersibility and solubility of SPI was systematically investigated.The results showed that the slight hydrolysis could improve the dispersibility obviously,while decrease the solubility significantly.As for the dispersibility,the three kinds of enzymes could be ranked according to the arrangement from high to low as follow:plant proteases microbe-proteasesanimal protease;and as for the solubility,the order was reversed.This study would have some reference value for preparing SPI with high dispersibility and solubility through enzymolysis.The results from the solubility of the insoluble fractions caused by papain hydrolyzation in the different solvents suggested that the hydrophobic area in the soy protein was exposed and promoted the forming of the precipitation.


[reaction: see text]. The generality of a new method for aryl amination has been defined. Ketimines derived from o-bromophenethylamine cyclize to the N-substituted indoline when treated with nBu3SnH and a radical initiator. The pH-neutral conditions tolerate base- and acid-sensitive functionality. The observed regioselectivity is nonconventional for addition reactions involving carbon radicals and carbon-heteroatom pi-bonds.


Generally, the input of a fuzzy system can be a crisp value or a fuzzy linguistic value. The input of most fuzzy systems is a crisp value while a fuzzy linguistic input is employed in a few of them. The Max-Min algorithm is used to identify matching degree, when the input is a fuzzy linguistic input. This method suffers from some drawbacks which are discussed in this paper. An alternative approach which is called Surface Matching Degree (SMD) is proposed. It can manage all mentioned disadvantages of the common approach. This new method which applies an adaptive and parametric equation to determine matching degree can be adapted to any kind of applications.


Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) combined with unilateral (UPSF) and bilateral pedicle screw �xation (BPSF) in the treatment of multi-level degenerative lumbar disease (LDD). Methods: We conducted a prospective study from May 2016 to June 2018. A total of 81 LDD patients were randomized into groups. The �rst group involving 39 patients received OLIF combined with USPF (UPS group), and the second group of 41 patients received OLIF combined with BPSF (BPS group). The perioperative conditions included intraoperative bleeding, operating time, average hospital stay, and hospitalization expenses. The clinical outcomes included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and complications. Moreover, the radiological outcomes included disc height, fusion rate, and cage subsidence rate. These perioperative conditions, clinical outcomes, and radiological conditions of the two study groups were evaluated and compared. All the patients were followed up for 24 to 28 months, with an average follow-up time of 26 months. Results: The intraoperative bleeding, operating time, and hospitalization expenses of the UPS group were signi�cantly less compared with those of the BPS group. Compared with preoperatively, the VAS and ODI scores of the two groups were improved signi�cantly after the operation. At 6 months after operation, the VAS score for back pain and ODI of the UPS group were better than in the BPS group (P < 0.05). Both groups were able to maintain the intervertebral space height of the fusion segment, and there was no signi�cant difference in the fusion rate at the 24 months. There were no signi�cant differences in complications. At the 24 months, there was no signi�cant difference in the cage subsidence of the fusion segment between the two groups. Finally, there was no loose screw and screw fracture in both groups. UPSF: unilateral pedicle screws �xation; BPSF: pedicle screws �xation; OLIF: oblique lumbar interbody fusion; TLIF: transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion; PLIF: posterior lumbar interbody fusion; MIS-TLIF: minimally invasive surgery-transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion; BMI: body mass index; ODI: Oswestry Disability VAS:


If follow the laws of quantum mechanics , it turns out that the vacuum energy density at the Big Bang emerged as a result of the decoherence of the quantum state of the universe. Perhaps our universe emerged due to the destruction of the state of quantum entanglement of the physical vacuum .


The dispersive free energy and acid–base forces of [1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate] ([HMIM]PF6) were determined by inverse gas chromatography (IGC). Nine nonpolar and polar solvents were used as the probes in the temperature range between (343.15 and 373.15) K. The IGC characterizations encompassed the adsorption thermodynamic parameters, including the standard enthalpy (ΔHas) and the free energy change of adsorption (ΔGas), by using the retention data of different probes at the infinite dilution region. The surface characterization showed that [HMIM]PF6 had a low rsd value and was a Lewis amphoteric material with a predominantly basic character, as confirmed by the Lewis acidity and basicity constants, respectively.


Welding without rupturing the plastics, was investigated with special application to stripline connectors of solar cells. Both one sided excited and double sided excited ultrasonic welding techniques were used. The method was shown to be applicable to plastic-metal-metal and plastic-metal-metal-plastic combinations provided plastics with a high plasticity point and excellently weldable metals such as aluminum, silver, and clean copper are used.


Abstract : Numerical results for stress and deformation fields have been obtained from models which portray the primordial mechanical non-uniformities of the Earth in terms of Maxwellian materials for the limiting cases of very long relaxation times. Calculations were based on these fields as produced by a primary tectonic and seismic motivating force originating from the rotation of the Earth, the Earth's inelasticity, a Maxwellian upper mantle, and structural non-uniformities of the Earth, with application of the Principle of Maximum Uniformity. Results for first and second order non-uniformities indicate that this force produces stress fields of sufficient magnitude and configuration along prominent geological features such as the San Andreas Fault, Techeng- Lukian Fault in China, Aleutian Trench and Volcanic Arc, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to activate and sustain the tectonic and seismic activity of these regions.


Abstract : This project is an investigation of advanced fire suppression agents as replacements for Halon 1211 used in U.S. Air Force flightline and aircraft portable fire extinguishers. Materials tested in this test series emphasized agent blends containing bromoalkanes. Baseline tests were run with Halon 1211. The testing took into account agent discharge patterns, flow rates, wind conditions and technique, and allowed comparison of agent effectiveness to that of Halon 1211. Blends of small amounts (up to 24 weight percent) of 1-bromopropane in a hydrofluoropolyether showed enhanced fire extinguishment performance over that of either of the pure components. Similar enhancement was seen with HFC-23fa and 1-bromopropane. Results were compared to those obtained in similar testing performed for the U.S. Army.


Airman First Class Brandon Bryant zoomed the MQ-1B Predator drone's camera in on three "suspected insurgents" along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. The message he received through his headset was clear—"confirmed weapons." Yet, for all he could tell from the video feed, the weapons "were shepherd's staffs." Bryant switched to infrared imaging and launched one hellfire missile at the three men. A bright flash of light erupted on impact. Bryant recalls:


Internet plays a vital role in the modern world. As the internet grows day by day the security problem also arises. Intruders spoof the packets by using their spoofed IP addresses. Nowadays installing Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) coupled with firewalls, and monitoring networks enables us to quickly detect and react to unauthorized access. However, even if these tools can detect illegitimate activities, their sources cannot be identified. Denial of service and Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks present an Internetwide threat. In Denial of service attacks huge amount of un-wanted packets are sent by the attacker to the IP address which they want to attack. The same attack is take place in DDos also but in a distributed manner. The reason is that denial of service (DoS) attacks, which have recently increased in number, can easily hide their sources and forge their IP addresses [1].


Cell bodies of airway afferent nerves originate from vagal ganglia and vagal afferent nerves project to the respiratory tract. The inputs from these nerves converge at the brainstem to regulate respiratory reflexes. These vagal afferent nerves can be classified into various subtypes based on the origins of cell bodies in vagal ganglia, conduction velocity, size and stimuli required for activation. The polymodal nature of vagal afferent nerves complicates the study of respiratory reflexes. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is one of the ion channels expressed in bronchopulmonary C‐fibers. Tachykinin 1 (Tac1) encodes for a neuropeptide, Substance P, which is released from sensory nerve terminals in jugular originated afferent nerves. 5HT3 is expressed in nodose originated nociceptive C‐fibers. In the present study, we focused on defining afferent nerves subtypes in vagal ganglia based on ion channel/receptor expression as well as innervation into respiratory tract using a transgenic mouse model.


New Zealand's rising demand for new and affordable homes is driving innovative and effective methods for project delivery. Prefabrication or off-site construction is considered an innovative approach to project delivery that eliminates the limitations of traditional construction methods. However, the prefabrication industry struggles with several challenges, including poor coordination and low supply chain integration amongst its partner organisations. There has been previous literature on improving the prefabrication supply chain integration, but few studies about the role of technology in this sector. Therefore, this article provides intuitions into the applicability and benefits of advanced technologies, namely blockchain, for improving supply chain integration in the context of prefabrication in New Zealand. A questionnaire survey was used to identify the channels used for information exchange between clients and contractors. Moreover, the questionnaire ascertained the positive effects of blockchain on enhancing supply chain integration between the two partners. Blockchain has proven to be a secure information integration instrument that can improve the integration of the prefabrication supply chain by fostering collaboration between organisations.


79 Background: MD Anderson Cancer Center is a large cancer center with 44,000 new patients per year. Radiation therapy (RT) is an effective treatment for bone metastases that can reduce pain medication use and improve quality of life. Our goal was to assess the effect of implementing a rapid access multidisciplinary clinic for bone metastases (RABC). Methods: RABC was instituted to schedule patients for radiation oncology and orthopedic surgery consult within 48 hours of referral. Same day simulation and treatment times were held for these patients for one 8Gy fraction. Thirty sequential patients treated with one fraction to bony sites in the outpatient setting prior to implementation of the clinic were chosen as a comparison group. Time from consult order to consult visit (OTV) and from consult visit to treatment completion (CTT) were recorded, in addition to frequency of multidisciplinary care (MDC; orthopedic surgery and radiation oncology). Overall Time (OT) was calculated from referral to treatment completion. T-test and chi-square test were used for analyses. Results: Between April 2018 and July 2018, 72 patients were referred to RABC. 23 patients were seen in consultation and received RT. Sites treated were pelvis (N = 10), spine (N = 6), lower extremity (N = 4) and upper extremity (N = 3). Patients had one site (N = 20), two sites (N = 2) or three sites treated (N = 1). Histologies included breast (N = 5), thoracic (N = 7), gastrointestinal (N = 6), genitourinary (N = 2) and head/neck (N = 2). OTV was shorter for RABC patients (mean 3.3 [+/-5.7] vs. 9.5 days [12.4]; p = 0.02). CTT was also significantly shorter for RABC patients (mean 5.4 hours [+/-1.8] vs. 6.5 days [+/-6.5]; p < .0001). OT was also shorter (3.5 days [+/-5.6] vs. 16.4 days [+/-14.8]; p < .0001). RABC clinic patients were more likely to receive MDC (100% vs 28%; p < .0001). Conclusions: The rapid access bone metastases clinic significantly decreased overall time from consult to completion of treatment and also decreased time to access radiotherapy. Patients were also more likely to receive multidisciplinary evaluation. The RABC approach is a promising model to improve palliation for patients with painful bony metastases.


Carcinoid tumors are the most common gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. Th ey most frequently arise from the terminal ileum and over half of them have secondary mesenteric involvement at the time of discovery. We present here an unusual case of an incidentally discovered carcinoid tumor that was initially thought to be a primary mesenteric carcinoid on computerized tomographic (CT) scan and Single Photon Emission (SPECT/CT) indinium-111 pentetreotide scan. Laparoscopic exploration showed a primary in the small intestine with metastasis to the liver in a completely asymptomatic patient with negative biomarkers. A 68-year-old male presented with a one-day history of abdominal discomfort associated with nausea and vomiting. Abdominal examination was benign. Initial labs including blood counts and chemistry were all within normal limits. A CT scan of the abdomen revealed a partially calcifi ed soft tissue mass within the mesentery of the mid abdomen, measuring approximately 2.5 cm along with surrounding desmoplastic reaction suggestive of a carcinoid tumor. Chromogranin A level was slightly elevated at 16.6 ng/ml and 5-Hydroxyindolacetic acid (HIAA) levels were normal. Subsequently, an Indinium-111 pentetreotide scan showed focal somatostatin receptor positivity in the mesentery corresponding to the abnormality noted on CT. No other area of tracer uptake was seen excluding a primary focus elsewhere. CT angiogram showed very close association of the mass with main branches of superior mesenteric artery. CT enterography was done to look for any obvious small bowel masses and none were seen but a possible 1.5 cm nodule was noted at the dome of the liver. An elective exploratory laparotomy was done in search for a primary. Th ree lesions were found in the ileum, within the vicinity of the mesenteric mass, each about 1cm in diameter. Careful palpation of the liver revealed a fi rm palpable liver nodule that anatomically corresponded with the nodule seen on CT enterography. Biopsies of lesions in the small intestine, mesentery and the liver were positive for a well-diff erentiated carcinoid tumor. Most carcinoid tumors are asymptomatic especially the ones arising from the gut as the hormones secreted by the tumor are metabolized in the liver. Carcinoid syndrome occurs when there is metastasis to the liver and presents with diarrhea, fl ushing, telangiectasia and bronchospasm. Our patient was found to have metastatic disease to the liver but he was completely asymptomatic and had normal levels of 5-HIAA with minimally elevated Chromogranin A. We present this case to highlight the fact that even if a patient presents with asymptomatic carcinoid tumor, investigations should be done to rule out metastatic disease since the treatment and prognosis changes signifi cantly.


High performance inverter circuits consisting of 0.2 wt.% Si‐doped amorphous zinc‐tin‐oxide (a‐SZTO) thin film transistor (TFT) with depletion mode (D‐mode) and 0.5 and 2 wt.% Si‐doped a‐SZTO TFTs with enhancement mode (E‐mode) have been fabricated by using all n‐type metal‐oxide TFTs. These inverter models are operated by the difference of threshold voltage (Vth) between D‐mode and E‐mode simply controlled by changing Si‐doping ratio. High voltage gains of two inverters have been obtained ∼12 and ∼14.2 at VDD = 15 V and showed strongly depending on subthreshold swing (SS). It is possible to control the transition region and the noise margin of inverter circuits by changing SS and operating voltage (VOP) of E‐mode TFT.


GPU-accelerated computing has become a popular solution for real-time scene generation in hardware-in-the-loop simulations; however, the inability to readily synchronize scene rendering to an external input in modern graphics cards remains an issue. Previous implementations of scene generation systems utilizing these cards required custom hardware and driver modifications designed for specific generations of the graphics cards. Graphics card designs are updated on a frequent basis, often resulting in the obsolescence of the custom hardware solution. A design is presented that allows any modern PC-based graphics card to be externally synchronized for hardware-in-the-loop applications by exploiting the bandwidth of the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus and advances in customizable Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The FLITES Integrated Test Bed (FLINT) scene generation system is a flexible, inexpensive, and tunable system for creating infrared scenes in real time for scene injection. FLINT is made from commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts and is based upon government-owned-software (GOTS). The FLINT's hardware consists of a standard server class computer, an FPGA board, a high end consumer video card, reflective memory, and a Red Hat derived MRG Real-Time operating system.


When mining of the thick coal seam, a large range of goaf will appears because of large mining height, so that the serious surface subsidence will come. For the protection of the surface buildings' safety, the filling mining can effectively control the surface subsidence. Based on coal gangue of a mine in Datong city, the coal gangue cemented filling materials that satisfies with the filling requirements and have better economy and reasonably ratio was made in the paper, the filling effect of different mixing proportion materials was simulated, and it has the important application value to filling mining and control subsidence in the coal mine.


Responsivities have been measured by using 14 THz laser lines (1.63–6.29 THz) in order to apply a GaAs Schottky barrier diode (SBD) to beat signal detection of the 5–6 THz band. The performance was about 1.9–966 V/W for the THz frequency range. We succeeded in heterodyne beat signal detections in the two color (5.2 and 6.3 THz) THz laser interferometer of beat modulation type by using the GaAs SBD mixer.


In article influence of an roe and an elk on reforestation depending on type of grounds is considered. Norms of optimum number of animals are offered.


Milling machines are important in machinery industry that requires an appropriate cooling is mandatory in the milling process. This paper is focused on the development of cooling system in order to simulate the action of cooling fluid on a plane plate processing. Furthermore, that study is important in milling process for the improvement of surface characteristic values regarding operability of the internal cooling supply and the implementation in milling process.


The biodegradation of contaminants in the subsurface has become a topic of great interest. In systems wherein biodegradation is coupled with transport, the magnitude and rate of biodegradation is influenced not only by microbial properties but also by physicochemical properties. The purpose of this work is to systematically evaluate the impact of coupled physicochemical factors (residence time, substrate concentration, and electron-acceptor concentra tion) on the biodegradation of contaminants during transport in porous media. A suite of miscible-displacement experiments was conducted with different residence times and initial contaminant concentrations, using a petroleum-contaminated aquifer material and benzoate as a model compound. The results were evaluated using a framework developed from a mathematical analysis of the nondimensional parameters that control biodegradation during transport. The results show that the type of transport behavior observed is dependent upon system conditions and is predict...


Some processors receive or produce refrigerated fully cooked cured meat products, then subdivide and repackage the product into single portions for refrigerated or frozen distribution. During portioning and packaging, the product is not re-heated and, because the consumer is directed to fully cook the product, it is assigned to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan category of "heat treated but not fully cooked, not shelf-stable". In a HACCP plan for this category, a primary Critical Control Point is usually the step at which the product is warmest. This study was done to support the designation of simple Critical Limits that could be incorporated in HACCP plans for heat treated but not fully cooked, not shelf-stable products to prevent growth of Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7. Single-portion cured pork chops, turkey slices, and ham slices, intended for re-cooking by the consumer, were inoculated with multi-strain cocktails of Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7, refrigerated 24 h at 5°C, and then exposed to either 10°C for 2, 4, or 6 h, or room temperature (21°C) for 1, 3, or 5 h. The greatest increase in pathogen numbers during the short-term exposure of pork chops to 10 or 21°C was 0.5 log CFU/piece with a statistically significant increase (P < 0.05) only observed after 5 h at 21°C for Salmonella spp. (0.3 log CFU/piece increase). On ham and turkey slices, there was a 0.3 – 0.4 log CFU/piece increase in pathogen numbers when the products were first removed from refrigeration, which was probably attributable to recovery of injured cells. However, there was no significant increase in pathogen numbers thereafter, indicating that neither species was growing. For full validation of Critical Limits, the individual processor should obtain actual plant and product temperature data, as well as microbiological data for their products. However the Critical Limits suggested by our results are that cured products in the heat treated but not fully cooked, not shelf-stable product category should not be between 5 and 10 °C for more than 6 hours, or between 5°C and 21°C for more than 5 hours. Introduction Some processors receive or produce refrigerated fully cooked cured meat products, subdivide them into single portions, and repackage the products for refrigerated or frozen distribution. During this process, the products are not re-heated, and, because the consumer is directed to fully cook the products before consuming them, the products are assigned to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hazard Analysis


The use of brine in winter maintenance is increasing. Pre-wetting salt and brine spraying are effective means of achieving the degree of accuracy required to cover surface areas. Brine is made by dissolving salt in water, but water pressure, salt grain size and purity will influence the quality of resulting product. Larger granules are recommended. The production of brine using down-flow and up-flow systems and the design of saturators are discussed. High-volume pumps are used to transfer brine to the spreader. The design and operation of the Multisol Pro silo, which combines an up-flow saturator and a storage tank, are described. Multisol saturators have been installed at three highway depots by Suffolk County Council. The brine produced by the saturators is stored in tanks mounted on the council's bulk gritters and added to pre-wet salt prior to spreading on the road.


Objective
To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of adrenalcortical carcinoma in children and improve its diagnosis and treatment.

Methods
Medical records were retrospectively analyzed for 16 patients hospitalized from January 2002 to March 2012. And their clinical symptoms, endocrine function, imaging findings, pathological diagnosis and treatment were discussed. And follow-ups were conducted.

Results
All cases were pathologically diagnosed as adrenal cortical carcinoma. There were functional (n=10) and non-functional (n=6) tumors. Complete macroscopic resection of tumor was performed for 12 cases while another, 4 cases had gross residue. The postoperative period was uneventful. Outpatient or telephone follow-ups were conducted for 6-12 years.. All 4 cases of total resection survived with a normal development. One case with severe kidney adhesions underwent nephrectomy with a postoperative survival of 6 months. Three cases with tumor thrombus survived 1, 5 and 12 months respectively. One case on a 4-week chemotherapy died from pulmonary metastasis while another 2 cases died 6 months later from bone marrow suppression and infection due to chemotherapy. One case received a 2-year chemotherapy and died from sudden brain metastases. One case died in a car accident While another 3 cases were lost. The average survival time was 35 months.

Conclusions
Adrenal cortical carcinoma is a rare tumor with a high degree of malignancy and a poor prognosis in children. Surgical excision remains main treatment for this disease. The perioperative application of corticosteroids is absolutely necessary. Laparotomy is preferred over laparoscopic operation. In fact, preoperative and postoperative chemotherapies fail to improve the prognosis.

Key words:
Adrenalcortical carcinoma; Diagnosis; Treatment


The Plutonium Immobilization Project (PIP) is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop technology for dispositioning excess weapons grade plutonium. This program introduces the ''Can-in-Canister'' (CIC) technology that immobilizes the plutonium by encapsulating it in ceramic forms (or pucks) and ultimately surrounding it with high-level waste glass to provide a deterrent to recovery. A cold (non-radioactive) test program was conducted to develop and verify the baseline design for the canister and internal hardware. Tests were conducted in two phases. Phase 1 Cold Pour Tests, conducted in 1999, were scoping tests. This paper describes the Phase 2 tests conducted in 2000 which verified the adequacy of the baseline CIC design and assured that the system would meet repository quality assurance requirements.


The work deals with an analysis of distribution processes in company Linde Gas a.s. I focuses on the findings of the savings potential in connection to the bulk distribution, especially on the savings of the transport costs. Focuses in the problems of the project management and in the work with project teams. The work is connected to the description and application of the Six Sigma methodology as a tool of the project management.


The study describes a validated stability indicating reverse-phase HPLC method for the estimation of tolperisone in bulk and in tablet formulation. The proposed RP-HPLC method utilizes a Hypersil C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), optimum mobile phase consisted of methanol: acetonitrile: water (containing triethylamine 1% V/V) in the ratio of (85:10:5 V/V/V), effluent flow rate was kept at 1.0 mL/min and UV detection wavelength 250 nm. Tolperisone was exposed to various hydrolytic, thermal, photolytic and oxidative stress conditions, and the stressed samples were analysed by proposed method. The drug showed degradation under alkali and neutral hydrolysis and oxidative stress conditions. The degradation products were well resolved from the drug and demonstrated that the method is specific stability indicating for assay of tolperisone in presence of degradation products. The developed method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, ruggedness and specificity.


With any new skill, the time comes when one must put together the various steps that have been practiced and actually 'play the game'. For many students of library and information science, online searching is a new search for a 'real world' client. This paper describes some problems these novice searchers have in putting it all together.


We report on self-aligned gate p-type SiGe MODFETs which exhibit superior performance in comparison with p-type devices using other technologies. The MODFETs are fabricated using a new process that benefits from a shallow, low thermal-budget ohmic contact and T-shaped gates.


This report presents mineralogic and geochemical data from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 182 Site 1128 in the Great Australian Bight. Clay mineralogy is dominated by mixed-layer illite-smectite, followed by minor amounts of kaolinite and illite, with intervals of pure smectite. Carbonate mineralogy is exclusively low-Mg calcite, except for one interval of dolomite in lower Oligocene sediments. Carbonate increases significantly in upper Eocene sediments, decreases through the lower Oligocene, then increases again in the Neogene. Quartz is present as a minor component that covaries inversely with carbonate. Highresolution sampling associated with Chron 13 normal (early Oligocene) reveals high-frequency (~23 k.y.) fluctuations in clay mineralogy and carbonate abundance and a positive oxygen and carbon isotope excursion (in bulk carbonates) related to Antarctic glaciation.


ABSTRACT In this paper, the effects of different CO2 concentrations (400 and 800 μmol·mol−1) on photosynthetic gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of mulberry (Morus alba L.) seedling leaves under drought stress were studied using an artificial climate chamber. The results showed that under non-drought conditions, the stomatal concentrations (Gs ) and transpiratration rate (Tr ) of mulberry seedling leaves decreased slightly with increased CO2 concentrations, but the net photosynthetic rate (P n) increased significantly. Under mild drought stress (5 days of drought), higher CO2 concentrations significantly affected the photosynthetic gas exchange of mulberry seedling leaves, but had little effect on chlorophyll fluorescence. Under severe drought stress (10 das of drought), increased CO2 concentrations not only alleviated drought stress by increasing the WUE of mulberry seedling leaves, but also significantly increased its PSII photochemical activity, which promoted electron transfer on the PSII acceptor side. In conclusion, increased CO2 concentrations could raise the WUE of mulberry seedling leaves under normal water conditions and drought stress, and this effect was more significant under drought stress. Under severe drought stress, increased CO2 concentrations improved the drought resistance of mulberry seedlings by improving their PSII function.


The paper discusses the A,B nework and strong magnetic network of the crushing workshop,introduces the communication realization process of the intelligent master and slave station,analyses the concrete method and techniques, and gives the reliable references for the network maintenance.


The uppermost Messinian sediments show different patterns in Holes 974B, 975B, and 978A. Hole 974B from the central Tyrrhenian Sea is characterized by rhythmically bedded claystone that is dominantly brownish and almost barren of fossil content. A transitional interval a few decimeters thick has been recorded at the top of the Lago Mare sequence at Hole 975B from the Balearic Basin. The interval is characterized by whitish-gray, finely laminated micrite and micritic silty clay yielding a Loxochonca djaffarovi (ostracode) assemblage typical of the Paratethys, interbedded with planktonic foraminifers. This transitional interval might indicate temporary incursions of marine waters. The Messinian sequence retrieved at Hole 978A from the Alboran Sea is characterized by sandy turbidites interbedded with fine-laminated sediments.The fossil content (foraminifers, calcareous nannofossils, and ostracodes) is contradictory, because both marine and lacustrine forms occur. According to the model proposed here, the sequence was deposited in a basin fed by continental waters. Temporary incursions from the Atlantic Ocean are not documented in any part of the cores investigated. p e o t e C e 8 3 r e ie e


As a key part of a space camera,the camera body structure is very important to the normal operation of the camera.According to the requirements in the aspects of optical design and satellite,the body structure of a space camera is designed.The body structure is made of silicon-aluminum alloy and its configuration is completed by welding.Through finite element analysis,the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the camera body are calculated and the reasonability of the body structure is verified.The welding stress is calculated and the calculation result shows that the welding stress can not affect the stability of the body structure.Finally,the mechanical and thermal experiments are made on the body structure.Its mechanical properties and stability are verified.The results show that the body structure of the high-resolution space optical camera can be made of silicon-aluminum alloy by welding.


Extracted from text ... W
12 Management Today May 2005
Ken Blanchard is a management and
leadership consultant, the author of
many books including being the coauthor
of The Leader Within from which
this article was taken. The book was coauthored
with Drea Zigarmi, Michael
O'Conner and Carl Edeburn. The publisher
is Financial Times Prentice Hall
and is distributed in South Africa by
Pearson Education, www.pearson.co.za.
Leadership
and change:
learning enough about
yourself to lead others
We all know the importance of effective
leadershiP.Leaders not only make a difference
in the results of their organisations,
they also make a difference in the satisfaction ..


For about the last 20 years, investigations have been carried out to determine the influence of various ecological factors on the natural regeneration of a mixed mountain forest (Picea abies (L.) Karst, Abies alba Mill., Fagus sylvatica L., Acer pseudoplatanus L.) in the Bavarian Alps. One of these factors is the influence of a ungulate population involving three species (Capreolus capreolus (L.), Servus elaphus L., Rupicapra rupicapra (L.)). Investigation results show that ungulates play a very important part on the stucture and dynamics of the regeneration of this forest. Without browsing, growth rate and species composition of the natural regenaration are mainly determined by the light conditions, which in turn are derived from difference silvicultural treatments. On the shelterwood and the clearcut plots height and height increament also increasingly depend on intraand interspecific competition effects. The impact of ungulates brings about a complete change in the situation. A high percentage of fir and sycamore saplings is damaged. The survival rates of older fir plants are drastically reduced. In all species, except spruce, height is significantly reduced. A huge loss of estimated biomass was observed. Subsequently the interference processes amongst the saplings also changed. Competition, while still intensive, is no longer important.


By using long pulses with extended dwelling time, lowered pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and reduced Nyquist velocity, the radar measurement capability can be enhanced to increase clear-air Doppler velocity data coverage (which is beneficial for radar wind analysis and data assimilation and motivated our previous study). This potential capability is further explored (beyond our previous study) by not only modifying the existing operational clear-air scan mode with a lowered PRF and reduced the Nyquist velocity (to nearly 12 m/s) but also coupling this low-PRF scan with a high-PRF scan into a new dual-PRF scan mode. With this dual-PRF scan mode, the velocities from the high-PRF scan can be used to dealias the raw velocities from the low-PRF scan. Doppler velocities collected by using the low-PRF scan in this dual-PRF scan mode exhibit enhanced clear-air data coverage but encounter increased difficulties in dealiasing beyond the radial range covered by the high-PRF scan. To overcome the encountered difficulties, the previously developed alias-robust variational method for analyzing severely aliased radar velocity observations with small Nyquist velocities is further improved adaptively, so reliable reference radial velocities can be obtained and used to dealias the low-PRF scanned raw velocities on range circles beyond those covered by the high-PRF scan.


In this appendix, we develop a way to construct fully revealing equilibria by working directly with ex post masquerading payoffs, without having to aggregate them.By doing so, we can show existence of a fully revealing equilibrium when the ex post masquerading payoffs have increasing differences, regardless of the information structure. The idea is that to enforce full revelation, players can be skeptical by attributing messages that deviate from full revelation to a worst case type of the ex post masquerade relation. Indeed, if all players but i have revealed their type, the other players can condition their beliefs on t−i. The existence of ex post worst case types is sufficient to get a fully revealing equilibrium independently of the specifics of the information structure. However, the caveat of this construction is that, in general, such beliefs violate one of the implications of strong sequential equilibria that we derived in Lemma 1. So the approach presented in this appendix sacrifices strong belief consistency and weakens the equilibrium concept used in the paper.


Abstract Conservatives in Imperial Germany often depicted Prussia's northeast as a racially endangered space. The eastern settlement program formed in response to this threat has dominated studies of such enterprises,which link these schemes to overseas colonial terror and Nazi genocide. This article offers an alternative view of prewar internal colonization by analyzing the use of another spatial scale, the social ladder, which depicted new colonies in both east and west as tools of rural social mobility. In particular, the history of wasteland colonization in northwest Prussia highlights the heterogeneity of these ventures, and the nuances which inhered in efforts to Germanize, or "civilize", rural spaces.


In this paper,an adaptive thresholding three dimensinal LEGION(Locally Exitatory Globally Inhibitory Oscillator Network)is proposed. First,it distinctly segments different color objects in the image, and then marks important details of the objects. To segment some color texture image, this paper improves the three dimensinal LEGION in order to obtain the better result for the color image segmentation of rock samples.


In order to solve the problem of high communication cost of the alliance blockchain with authorization and access mechanism, according to the actual application scenario, this paper proposes a blockchain consensus algorithm based on grouping to reduce the block acknowledgement time, reduce the number of interactions in the consensus course, eliminate the resource consumption problem, and reduce the communication cost in the consensus course. At the identical time, Prism is used to test the PBFT algorithm. The experimental results show that the PBFT algorithm can reduce the transaction acknowledgement time and communication overhead. The analysis of fault-tolerance capability and the comparison of consensus schemes show that the PBFT algorithm not only retains the security of the original algorithm, but also makes up for the defects of its high performance and availability. Therefore, the blockchain consensus algorithm based on grouping can be applied to the larger alliance blockchain system.


This study reports on blob defect reduction and process impacts by Acid Rinse System. Blob defects that appear after develop are a common problem with i-line, KrF, ArF and ArF-immersion resists. Last year we reported Blob defects were influenced by the develop process and were able to be decreased by improving process. Furthermore we identified blob defects were caused from alkaline developer and could be reduced by neutralizing Acid Rinse. In this work, we designed a novel develop process and system that reduced blob defects. We evaluated this system on the non-topcoat immersion resist. The blob defects on immersion resist were also eliminated by this system but affected by each resist surface condition. We also evaluated the impacts from Acid rinse for some kinds of patterns and resists, because we needed to indentify whether there were negatively process impacts. We reports that Acid Rinse System significantly reduced blob defect counts, and whether influenced other process impacts. Finally we report the mechanism of the blob defects reduction.


This is a much needed and timely revision of an important text on coronary care. Jointly written by a nurse and a doctor, it provides up-to-date coverage of this rapidly changing specialty and offers a multi-disciplinary approach to coronary care and treatment.


For nonparabolic dispersion law determined by the density of the energy states in a quantizing magnetic field, the dependence of the density of energy states on temperature in quantizing magnetic fields is studied with the nonquadratic dispersion law. Experimental results obtained for PbTe were analyzed using the suggested model. The continuous spectrum of the energy density of states at low temperature is transformed into discrete Landau levels.


The Silver Peak region of west-central Nevada provides a unique opportunity to study the history of a supradetachment basin, its deformed basement, and the detachment fault itself. The region experienced Late Cretaceous to Paleogene plutonism and stretching of a Neoproterozoic through Ordovician miogeoclinal section. Upper-crustal thinning above the Mineral Ridge pluton was accommodated by development of gently dipping schistosity in Neoproterozoic strata, and a mosaic of low-angle attenuation faults in overlying Cambrian strata. Middle and Late Miocene detachment faulting accommodated approximately 8-15 km of northwest transport of hanging-wall strata. The Mineral Ridge detachment fault apparently reactivated the basal décollement of the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene attenuation faults. The Esmeralda basin evolved in the hanging wall of the detachmentfault system, and represents subsidence over a significantly broader region than modern extensional basins. The supradetachment basin fill consists of three interfingering lithofacies assemblages: (1) an east-derived, conglomeratic, sedimentaclastic, alluvial-fan assemblage deposited adjacent to the breakaway; (2) mudstone and coal deposited in lacustrine and paludal environments; and (3) a westderived, sandy, volcaniclastic assemblage deposited in braidplain/braiddelta environments. Geometric relations indicate that the detachment fault dipped gently while active, and was the sole fault for a stack of listric-normal growth faults. Late Miocene arc volcanism within the Silver Peak region postdated cessation of detachment faulting. Present physiography is controlled by Pliocene to Holocene normal and strike-slip faulting associated with volumetrically minor basaltic volcanism. This complex history of late Mesozoic and Cenozoic deformation, magmatism and sedimentation in the Silver Peak region may be analogous to other parts of the Basin and Range Province, suggesting broad applicability of the model developed herein.


Testing is an often-neglected area of a product release cycle. A common planning mistake is to confuse debugging, development testing and unit testing with the integration-testing phase. Consequently not enough time/resources are allocated to this vital phase of a project. Nowhere is testing more important than in the deployment of middleware products. It is vital that middleware products be reliable since any defects will be propagated through into any applications that utilize them. Even slight defects in the middleware platform can become more serious because most designs assume a reliable 'bug free' middleware platform so much time can be spent by developers of middleware applications tracking failures that they assume are in their applications when in fact they are cause by defects in the middleware. Whilst formal methods of program proof are useful in verifying design implementation and that designs meet a given specification there are a number of issues with their use: 1) They have yet to achieve wide scale usage by developers; 2) A generally accepted method has yet to be applied to distributed problems. Fault injection is a well-proven method of assessing the dependability of a system and our previous research has indicated its usefulness to testing web service based systems [Looker and Xu 2003a; b] utilizing the SOAP protocol [Curbera, Duftler et al. 2002].


A CMOS image sensor uses a column-level ADC with a multiple-ramp single-slope (MRSS) architecture. This architecture has a 3.3times shorter conversion time than classic single-slope architecture with equal power. Like the single-slope ADC, the MRSS ADC requires a single comparator per column, and, additionally, 8 switches and some digital circuitry. A prototype in a 0.25mum CMOS process has a frame rate 2.8times that of a single-slope ADC while dissipating 24% more power.


A simple method of measuring the absorption coefficient in an electroabsorption modulator is important to both material characterization and device optimization. A variation of the photocurrent-optical-transmission method proposed by T.H. Wood (1986) for the absolute measurement of the absorption coefficient in both waveguide and planar modulators, is presented and illustrated with experimental data. The method given in this work is more accurate, does not require a guess of the absorption coefficient, and is not sensitive to the assumed form of the internal quantum efficiency. A method is also given for the measurement of the optical filling factor in waveguides.<<ETX>>


A classical result in queueing theory states that in the stable M/G/1 queue, the stationary distribution W(x) of the waiting time of an arriving customer or of the virtual waiting time satisfies a linear Volterra integral equation of the second kind, of convolution type. For many variants of the M/G/1 queue, there are corresponding integral equations, which in most cases differ from the Pollaczek–Khinchin equation only in the form of the inhomogeneous term. This leads to interesting factorizations of the waiting-time distribution and to substantial algorithmic simplifications. In a number of priority queues, the waiting-time distributions satisfy Volterra integral equations whose kernel is a functional of the busy-period distribution in related M/G/1 queues. In other models, such as the M/G/1 queue with Bernoulli feedback or with limited admissions of customers per service, there is a more basic integral equation of Volterra type, which yields a probability distribution in terms of which the waiting-time distributions are conveniently expressed. For several complex queueing models with an embedded Markov renewal process of M/G/1 type, one obtains matrix Volterra integral equations for the waiting-time distributions or for related vectors of mass functions. Such models include the M/SM/1 and the N/G/1 queues, as well as the M/G/1 queue with some forms of bulk service. When the service-time distributions are of phase type, the numerical computation of waiting-time distributions may commonly be reduced to the solution of systems of linear differential equations with constant coefficients.


A 32-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection developed progressive cerebellar ataxia. His CD4 cell count was 245 cells/lL, and a screen for opportunistic infections, including JC virus (JCV), was negative. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed mild atrophy of the cerebellar vermis and hyperintensity of the left middle cerebellar peduncle (Fig. 1a–c). Highly active antiretroviral therapy successfully suppressed cerebellar ataxia progression. MRI carried out 1 year after symptom onset showed the "hot cross bun" (HCB) sign (Fig. 1d–f), and the patient remained negative for opportunistic infections. Although HCB is typically detected in multiple system atrophy, Yadav et al. also reported it in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The present case shows that the HCB sign could also be associated with cerebellar ataxia in HIV infection. Repeated surveillance for JCV infection is required to exclude PML and other JCVassociated cerebellar disorders including JCV granule cell neuronopathy.


The development of plant activators has been facilitated by coordinated research on a relatively small number of plant species, of which ornamental geophytes, commonly termed flower bulbs, are a minor group. Nevertheless, in the last few years much data have been collected on induced resistance in ornamental geophytes as a possible mechanism to control plant pathogens in greenhouses, in the field, and in laboratory experiments. The present paper describes and characterizes plant activators that have been used in bulb crops, enumerates their activities, and discusses the complexities of their practical implementation in disease management of ornamental geophytes.


This paper makes an assessment of the impact of new economic reforms on regional growth of agricultural sector in Indian economy by analysing cropping pattern for the post reform period 1991–2013. After the introduction of liberalisation, agriculture has been steadily changing. Its progress during the last twenty two years has been fairly encouraging and gradually gaining in strength of Maharashtra in the production of few cash crops. At the same time, the production of food grain and cereals has been declined in the recent past, which has put pressure on food inflation in Maharashtra since 2002.


Aim: Pituitary adenoma is benign tumour of pituitary gland. It can present either as a mass effect or secretory anomalies. The mass effect could cause visual field anomaly (Bitemporal hemianopia), diplopia following compression of constituent cranial nerves in the cavernous sinus which is its very important lateral relation. Secretory anomalies on the other hand could lead to infertility as in prolactinoma, Acromegaly as in growth hormone over secretion and so on. Case Report: SK was a 42 year old female who presented with diplopia, obscuration of left half of objects and a history of galactorrheoa. She had been on management for Glaucoma for two years. However perimetry done revealed bitemporal hemianopia with superior quadrantanopia while a follow up CT scan showed a sellar mass. She had neurosurgical intervention with improvement of visual field and other symptoms. Discussion: The patient was a 42 year old female which is the age and gender at risk for pituitary adenoma. Her history of galactorrheoa and diplopia which are unusual in glaucoma for which she had been on treatment for the previous 2 years arose a high index of suspicion towards a sellar lesion. The finding on perimetry and follow up findings on CT scan changed the entire course of management. To achieve good visual outcome and reduce risk of interference of the gland, she had neurosurgical intervention (Trans nasal excision of pituitary mass) which gave her good visual outcome. Conclusion : Although Glaucoma could present with bumping on objects placed on patients' side. Effort should be made to characterize this as care-giver may be dealing with bitempoaral hemianopia especially in at risk age group.


There has been a recent call for companies to acknowledge and pay for the data their algorithms use to make profits. In order to achieve this, there needs to be a way to price data. Current efforts have tried to ascribe the value of data to hidden costs such as the loss of privacy. We present a novel approach to estimating an upper bound for the economic value of data in algorithms. Our method does not assume that users have failed to internalize any costs in data production (such as privacy). Here we show that the price of data is in great part determined by the power dynamics present in markets. We apply our method to ride-sharing, simulating a market using data from a large ridesharing platform (Uber). We estimate that in our scenario, with users having full market power, data would contribute up to 47% of Uber's revenue. This would translate to average payments to drivers of approximately $30 per day, solely as compensation for the value of the data they generate as drivers, which corresponds to 20 to 40 percent of a average drivers daily earnings.


The transforming growth factor b (TGF-b) superfamily was discovered in a hunt for autocrine factors secreted from cancer cells that promote transformation (Roberts et al. 1981). However, it soon became clear that TGF-b and the related bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate diverse developmental and homeostatic processes and are mutated in numerous human diseases. Furthermore, TGF-b-superfamily members such as activins, Nodal, and growth differentiation factors (GDFs) were shown to control cell fate as a function of concentration, thus defining them as a key class of secreted morphogens (Green and Smith 1990). TGF-b-superfamily members are highly conserved across animals and comprise the largest family of secreted morphogens. Ligands are produced by cleavage of a prodomain that releases active disulfide-linked homoor heterodimers. TGF-b (plus activin, Nodal, and GDFs) and BMPs both signal through transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors. These are typically presented as using distinct downstream pathways (see Figs. 1 and 2), although some cross talk in certain cell types occurs. In each pathway there are two kinds of receptors: type I and type II (Massague 1998). Ligand binding induces formation of heterotetramers containing two type II and two type I receptors, which allows the constitutively active type II receptor to phosphorylate a glycine-serine (GS)-rich region in the type I receptor. This initiates signaling through the Smad pathway (Fig. 1), with the phosphorylated GS region providing a docking site for receptor-regulated Smad proteins (R-Smads). In TGF-b signaling, this is promoted by Smad anchor for receptor activation (SARA) in the endosomal compartment (Attisano and Wrana 2002). Despite the large TGF-b superfamily (.30 members in humans), the receptor repertoire is limited: only five type II and seven type I receptors are encoded in mammalian genomes, with the type I receptors funneling signaling into one of two distinct R-Smad pathways: the TGF-b-Smad pathway (R-Smad2/3) or the BMP-Smad pathway (RSmad1/5/8) (Massague 2012). Docking of R-Smads allows phosphorylation of the last two serines in their carboxyl termini by the type I kinase, which induces dissociation from the receptor, binding to the common Smad, Smad4, and nuclear accumulation of the Smad complex. In the nucleus, most Smads regulate transcriptional responses by direct binding of their MH1 domain to DNA (Smad2 only binds to DNA indirectly) in cooperation with various DNA-binding partners that include sequence-specific transcription factors. These Smad DNA-binding partners typically bind to the R-Smad, thus maintaining specificity of the transcriptional response. Smads also interact with transcriptional coactivators or corepressors that modulate the transcriptional output. Interestingly, the remaining two Smads, Smad6 and Smad7, are transcriptional targets of R-Smads and act in a negative-feedback loop to inhibit signaling by interacting with the receptors and recruiting Smurf and related ubiquitin ligases of the Nedd4 family to induce receptor degradation. SnoN and the related Ski, as well as Arkadia, a ring-finger ubiquitin ligase (also known as RNF111), are important examples of negative and positive regulators of Smad2/3-dependent transcription, respectively (Stroschein et al. 1999; Niederlander et al. 2001). SnoN and Ski negatively regulate the pathway as corepressors of Smads, whereas Arkadia promotes signaling by degrading negative regulators of the pathway, such as Smad7 and SnoN/Ski. The Smad pathways are the major mediators of transcriptional responses induced by the TGF-b family, which control cell-fate determination, cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and actin rearrangements. However, receptor signaling is not restricted to R-Smad activation (Fig. 2). The type II receptor phosphorylates Par6 polarity proteins bound to the type I receptor to dissolve tight junctions in epithelial cells (Ozdamar et al. 2005) and specify axons (Yi et al. 2010). Furthermore, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is regulated by the receptors (Griswold-Prenner et al. 1998), signaling via SHC-Grb2 has been reported (Lee et al. 2007), and interactions between the kinase PAK and the TGF-b receptor link it to cytoskeletal and focal adhesion dynamics


Approximately 30 million citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany discard their rubbish via private enterprises. At 150 raw material recovery plants 3 million t of secondary raw materials were regained in 1989 and channeled to industrial production. A critical view is taken of the momentary situation. Aside of the normal waste collecting system, a specific recovery system for secondary raw materials is proposed. Concepts for operation and financing are developed


Based on the transformation kinetics and thermodynamics, and according to the additivity rule for the progress of transformation, the predicting model of kinetic behavior of proeutectoid ferrite from deformed austenite after continuously cooling transformation was suggested. The model was used in the controlled cooling progress of the deformed austenite, which can find out the starting temperature of ferrite transformation, the volume fraction and the grain size of ferrite. The calculated results are in good agreement with the measured ones in the experiments, which shows the model is feasible.


We present here the inversion method which has been developed to derive the electron density in the Solar Corona from LASCO-C2 white light images. We discuss how our inversion scheme can be applied either to images of polarized brightness of the corona or images of total brightness after removal of the dust and stray light components. The outputs from both schemes are compared. For the inversion of two-dimensional images of the solar corona, it is necessary to assume a global geometry for the electron density. We compare results obtained for spherical and axi-symmetric geometries. Finally, our results for December 1996 are compared to previous derivations of the electron radial density profiles obtained by other measurements.


OBE concept and engineering education concept coincide in many ways. Taking the mechanical design and manufacturing and automation majors of the Engineering College of Changchun Normal University as an example, focusing on professional characteristics, enterprise development needs and student development needs, construct a "dual coordinate" talent training model based on the OBE concept. On this basis, it is a local normal university. Provide reference suggestions for mechanical professional development.


A presentation is given of a strategic-process perspective on the development of reading skills. The approach integrates reading research with developmental findings in cognitive psychology (Brown, 1975). An explication of the main concepts of the system is provided along with re-interpretation of a variety of reading research. Analysis of strategic demands and the factors affecting strategic behavior yield a framework for conceptualizing the development of reading fluency. Implications of this approach are suggested for the subskills analysis of reading processes, remediation procedures and beginning instruction.


Related professionally conducted polls associated with energy and the environment in Florida are reviewed. Changes in attitudes brought about by economic change in 2009 versus 2007 are contrasted. While voters generally think of themselves as "pro‐environment," environmental issues are not their ♯1 priority. The survey results show the clear challenge for sustainability—that of long term social commitment and political will.


Two retractions $M$ and $N$ on convex cones $\bf M$ and respectively $\bf N$ of a real vector space $X$ are called mutually polar if $M+N=I$ and $MN=NM=0.$ In this note it is shown, that if the cones $\bf M$ and $\bf N$ are generating, $\sigma$-monotone complete, $M$ and $N$ are $\sigma$-monotone continuous, then the subadditivity of $M$ and $N$ (with respect to the order relation induced by $\bf M$ and respectively $\bf N$) imply that $\bf M$ and $\bf N$ are lattice cones. $(X,\bf M)$ and $(X,\bf N)$ become $\sigma$-Dedekind complete Riesz spaces, $M$ and $-N$ are the positive part , respectively the negative part mappings in $(X,\bf M)$; $N$ and $-M$ are the positive part, respectively the negative part mappings in $(X,\bf N)$.


The existence of positive periodic solution is studied for a class of discreted Leslie system with monotonic functional response and harvesting.By using a continuation theorem based on coincidence degree theory,sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence of at least two positive periodic solutions.Finally,some examples are given to show the correctness of the obtained results.


The high sensitivity strain sensors using tapered four-core fibers (FCFs) with the sensitivity of 21.85 pm/µε under a tapered diameter of 7.5 µm were demonstrated.


Self-interested motives are typically assumed when addressing migration causation. However, values, such as those from religion, can also motivate migration. This study develops a theoretical framework of religiously motivated migration. Inasmuch as values are derived from and reinforced within groups, religions with strong cohesion are more likely to act on one of three value-based religious migration motivations: sacred command, context conducive for religious practice, and awareness of potential membership losses from competition. This theoretical framework is demonstrated through Amish-Mennonite migration. Generalizability is suggested from a brief review of the Puritans, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, and Russian Mennonites.


Time-lapse seismic surveys, even if repeated at different calendar intervals, can only capture snapshots of a reservoir's state. To obtain continuous information from these surveys, we propose a method to interpolate qualitative time-lapse seismic interpretations. As inputs, we take the sequence of interpreted boundaries of an expanding time-lapse seismic anomaly. Our solution combines the fast-marching method (FMM) and the Pollock (1988)pathline-tracing algorithm to estimate the intermediate boundary positions at times between acquisitions. For validation, we use a synthetic data set representing the scenario of a waterflooded sandstone reservoir. The results confirm that, despite small localized discrepancies in shape, at each time, the estimated boundary positions are in close agreement with the truth case. When time-lapse anomalies result primarily from changes in water saturations, the estimated boundary-arrival times resemble the actual water-front-arrival times. Hence, combined with classical immiscible displacement theory, the estimated arrival times can support a practical, model-independent, quantitative estimation of water saturations in the reservoir.


Background:  This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cediranib, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, in a mouse model of laser‐induced choroidal neovascularization.


The development of monolithic silicon photonic systems has been the subject of intense research over the last decade. In addition to passive waveguiding structures suitable for DWDM applications, integration of electrical and optical functionality has yielded devices with the ability to dynamically attenuate, switch and modulate optical signals. However, for silicon to dominate as the substrate of choice for the fabrication of photonic circuits, the development of a full range of monolithically integrated functionality is required including detectors capable of signal monitoring at a wavelength around 1550nm. Photodetectors integrated with silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides are here demonstrated. Significant response at infrared wavelengths is shown to be mediated via deliberately introduced deep band-gap levels. This paper describes in detail the device fabrication and the performance of the waveguide photodetectors with regard to photoresponse, bandwidth, polarization sensitivity and thermal stability. Currently typical devices tap between 10-20% of an optical signal from an SOI waveguide and generate a photocurrent of several micro-amps. The most efficient device extracted 19% of the optical signal while exhibiting a responsivity of 3mA/W. We also describe results from the operation of an integrated photonic circuit consisting of a variable optical attenuator (VOA) and a photodetector. The detector monitors the optical signal as it is modulated using the VOA, however there exists a small, systematic offset in response as compared to measurements made with an external detector.


This paper proposes a new method for optically tracking a 3D scanner for auto-registration of multiple views of the 3D scanner. This method involves calibration of the system, capturing the scanner images, marker detection, 2D correspondence, 3D correspondence and then computing the required transformation for registration of the captured views. The optical tracker described in this paper is stereo vision based system. 3D scanner used in the experiment is the digital fringe projection based 3D Scanner fitted with IR based retro-reflective markers.


ABSTRACT: Strategic performance measurement systems (SPMS) that translate a firm's strategy to its employees are increasingly used. We examine whether the extent to which an SPMS is coupled with strategy affects employee performance indirectly through motivational characteristics including perceived self-efficacy and perceived psychological contract. Using data from 242 employees, we find evidence that the extent to which an SPMS is tightly coupled with strategy affects employee performance through perceived self-efficacy and perceived psychological contract. Self-efficacy is a critical dimension of intrinsic motivation. Thus, an implication of our findings is that tightly coupling an SPMS-based incentive plan with strategy facilitates internalized motivated behaviors. We also find that our hypothesized results hold across varying levels of two types of employee climate. However, the workforce's age and education levels serve as boundary conditions since we find that the relation between self-efficacy and...


Can neurophysiology address questions debated in (psyho)linguistics such as the nature of word representations, how they are formed in learning, what configuration they take and how they interact? In this talk, we will explore the neural reflections of linguistic processing that can be registered using time-resolved neurophysiological recordings available in magneto-and electro-encephalography (MEG, EEG). I will try to convince you of the ultra-rapid speed and automaticity of lexical activations in the brain and the distributed character of word representations dependent on their semantic features. We will see how MEG/EEG can be used to resolve morphosyntactic questions and track the neural correlates of rapid word learning with simple yet precise methodologies that can potentially be used also in clinical assessment of disturbances in linguistic processes.


It is discussed that the pollutant discharge trade taking pollutant discharge amount as the objects,the administrative pollutant discharge permit of environmental administration department to enterprise,and the pollutant discharge fee are independent legal relationships,which have different legal nature.Legal regulation is proposed to manage them separately.It is believed that in order to make environmental administration not a barrier to the market allocation mechanism of pollutant discharge amount,the law should regulate definitely that trading rule of commercial affairs can be applied in pollutant discharge trade.Facing with the subject alteration caused by pollutant discharge trade,the institutional mode should be admitted that the pollutant discharge license of enterprise which selling pollutant discharge amount should be changed or removed,and the new pollutant discharge permit should be applied by the enterprise which purchasing pollutant discharge amount.Furthermore,the legal function should be adopted by environmental administration department in related management system of pollutant discharge trade is demonstrated,too.


With the dynamic filtering method in the distribution scheme, a fresh converter transformer using the inductive dynamic filtering technique is recommended in this paper to prevalent issues of the traditional converter transformer. The distribution network offers energy for multiple types of non-linear charges such as three-phase rectifier fed engine drives and high-power industrial electrolysis. In the rectifier and inverter station, a converter transformer is generally used. The harmonic elements from the nonlinear load flow readily into the transformer winding, which reduces the transformer's lifetime and also causes the distribution network (DN) and the supply system to have Power Quality issues. An inductive filtering technique was suggested in this article to resolve this issue. A tap is connected with the filter circuit at the linking point of the secondary continuous winding and the secondary prevalent winding. When the harmonic current enters the secondary extended winding, the new converter transformer's common winding will create the contrasting harmonic current to balance it with the zero impedance layout of the secondary common winding, so that there will be no induced harmonic current in the new converter transformer's primary winding. Compared to the traditional shunting active power filtering technique, the efficiency of the inductive active filtering technique is very efficient


A case of chondromyxoid fibroma of the frontal bone in a 15-year-old girl is presented. This is a benign tumor, but should be excised widely enough to include a rim of normal bone, otherwise it may recur or even undergo malignant transformation.


A case history in Barcelona is described where a tunnel was excavated by traditional methods below an active railway line through a formation with lenses of water-bearing granular material. To avoid the possibility of sudden collapses a massive jet-grout treatment was applied. The treatment took several forms. Subvertical double and triple-fluid injection was applied whenever possible. Sub-horizontal monofluid cano- pies and slabs executed from within the tunnel were however required in zones where no vertical access was possible. This communication focuses on the later type of treatments and gives an overview of the design tools that were applied. These comprised the execution of several large trial fields and the systematic applica- tion of a probabilistic framework for design.


Objective To develop a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for the determination of S-allyl-L-cystein in extraction of garlic. Methods A LC-MS method was established on a ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C8 (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) column with the mobile phase consisting of 1‰ formic acid water-methanol (95:5), flow rate of 0.8 mL/min and detection with post-column splitting. The split ratio was 2:1, column temperature was set at 25℃. The mass spectrometer equipped with ESI and the ion source was operated in negative mode. The dry gas flow was 10.0 L/min, the nebulizer pressure was 30 psig, and the vaporizer temperature was 350℃. SIM detector, S-allyl-L-cystein m/z 160 and S-allyl-L-cystein sulfoxide m/z 176.Results The calibration curves showed good linearity in the range of 0.062 5-2 μg/mL of S-allyl-L-cystein. The detection limit was 0.01 μg/mL. The within-day RSD was 4.11% and the day-to-day RSD was 4.49%. The average recovery for S-allyl-L-cystein was 101.63%. Conclusions The method is simple and accurate. It is adapted to determine and analyze S-allyl-L-cystein in extraction of garlic and the average content of S-allyl-L-cystein is 0.514 μg/mg.


Thermal Wave Detection and Ranging (TWDAR) plays a vital role for non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) of various solid materials due to it's whole field, remote and quantitative inspection capabilities to reveal the surface or subsurface anomalies. This can be realized, by recording the temperature distribution over the test sample for the predefined incident thermal excitation. Present work proposes recent trends in non-stationary thermal imaging modalities and the associated pulse compression favourable post processing approaches which can be releasable experimentally by using low peak power heat sources than the widely used conventional pulsed thermographic methods (PT & PPT) and in very less time compared to sinusoidal modulated Lock-in Thermography (LT). Furthermore, results obtained with various non-stationary thermal imaging techniques are compared with the conventional frequency domain phase based post processing technique.


This article addresses the accuracy of calculated oxygen saturation (sO2), as used in some pointof-care-testing analyzers, compared to direct measurements by CO-oximetry. Measured and calculated sO2 values were compared for 1180 patients. Discrepancies between measured and calculated sO2 ≥10 % were observed in 8 % of cases. Of these discrepant measurements, 94 % occurred when the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) was less than 50 mmHg.


The recording of the volume speckle field from an object at different planes, combined with the wave propagation equation allows the reconstruction of the wave front phase and amplitude without requiring a reference wave. The main advantage of this single-beam multiple-intensity reconstruction (SBMIR) technique is the simple experimental setup due to the fact that no reference wave is required as it is in the case of holography. In this study the method is applied to the investigations of diffusely transmitting and reflecting objects. The effects of different parameters on the quality of reconstructions were investigated by simulation and experiment. Significant improvements are observed when the number of intensity measurements is 15 or more and the sequential measurement distance is 0.5 mm or larger. Performing two iterations during the reconstruction process using the calculated phase also leads to better reconstructions. The results from simulation and experiments agreed well. Subsequent work has shown that super image methods like shifting the camera a distance of half-pixel in the lateral directions enhance the sampling of speckle patterns and lead to better reconstructions. This allows to the possibility of recording wave fields from larger test objects.


We develop a discrete-time stochastic volatility option pricing model, which exploits the information contained in high-frequency data. The Realized Volatility (RV) is used as a proxy of the unobservable log-returns volatility. We model its dynamics by a simple but effective (pseudo) long memory process, the Heterogeneous Auto-Regressive Gamma with Leverage (HARGL) process. Both the discrete-time specification and the use of the RV allow us to easily estimate the model using observed historical data. Assuming a standard, exponentially affine stochastic discount factor, we obtain a fully analytic change of measure. An extensive empirical analysis of S&P 500 index options illustrates that our approach significantly outperforms competing time-varying (i.e. GARCH-type) and stochastic volatility pricing models. The pricing improvement can be ascribed to: (i) the direct use of the RV, which provides a precise and fast-adapting measure of the unobserved underlying volatility; and (ii) the specification of our model, which, on the one hand, is able to accurately reproduce the volatility persistence and, on the other hand, [...] LA VECCHIA, Davide, CORSI, Fulvio, FUSARI, Nicola. Realizing smiles: options pricing with realized volatility. Journal of Financial Economics, 2011, vol. 11, p. 1-46 DOI : 10.2139/ssrn.1547032


BACKGROUND
The value of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance is determined by the balance between benefits and harms; however, no studies have enumerated psychological harms.

METHODS
We fielded surveys measuring psychological harms to patients with cirrhosis in a multi-center randomized trial of HCC surveillance outreach. All patients with positive or indeterminate surveillance results and matched patients with negative results were invited to complete surveys measuring: 1)depression via PHQ-9, 2)anxiety via State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, 3)HCC-specific worry via Psychological Consequences Questionnaire, and 4)decisional regret. Patients were classified into four groups: true positive (TP), false positive (FP), indeterminate, and true negative (TN). Multivariable longitudinal regression analysis using generalized estimating equation method were performed to compare means of measures across groups. We conducted 89 semi-structured interviews in a subset of patients, stratified by health system and test result.

RESULTS
Of 2872 patients in the trial, 311 completed 1 + follow-up survey (63 FP, 77 indeterminate, 38 TP, and 133 TN). Moderate depression decreased in TN patients, increased in TP, and had intermittent but mild increases in those with FP and indeterminate results. High anxiety temporarily increased in TP patients but resolved over time and was stable in those with FP and indeterminate results. Decisional regret was low and did not differ across groups. In semi-structured interviews, patients reported apprehension, anxiety, emotional distress, and coping related to HCC surveillance.

CONCLUSION
Psychological harms of HCC surveillance appear mild but differ by test result. Future research should determine the impact of psychological harms on value of HCC surveillance programs.

CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER
NCT02582918 and NCT03756051.


Abstract. A role for T‐cells in the regulation of CFU‐S proliferation was investigated by determining the presence and activity of CFU‐S proliferation stimulator (CFU‐S stimulator) in adult mouse bone marrow after irradiation or cyclophosphamide (Cy) treatment. CBA mice previously deprived of T‐cells by thymectomy, irradiation and bone marrow reconstitution (TIR) were thereafter treated with 4·5 Gy irradiation or 200 mg/kg Cy. Regenerating bone marrow cells of TIR and corresponding control mice after irradiation or Cy treatment produced CFU‐S stimulator. The dose dependent increase in cytosine arabinoside cell death of normal bone marrow day 8 CFU‐S was found when both CFU‐S stimulators obtained after irradiation of TIR or corresponding control animals were tested. CFU‐S stimulator activity in the bone marrow of TIR‐Cy treated mice was also detected, but the effect was not dose‐dependent. This was not related to the presence of an inhibitor of CFU‐S proliferation. It appears that the CFU‐S stimulator activity is not related to IL‐6, IL‐1 or IL‐2, or to an inhibitor of IL‐6 or IL‐1 activity. The results demonstrate the existence of CFU‐S proliferation stimulator unrelated to the two major monokines in the bone marrow of immunosuppressed mice.


Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) is rapidly becoming a routine method for identification of microorganisms in the United States. Early studies showed strong performance for both commonly used systems, with identification rates of >90%


The present invention is a bone may be determined by weight, the weight ratio of bone, the amount of moisture / or muscle mass and displays, and sound bone useful diet and health management, and the amount of moisture / or muscle mass in the display device, and a pulse wave health unit. Body fat rate is calculated after the measurement of the body impedance, then according to the gender and the body fat rate entered by the user, age, height, weight, wrist circumference, circumference, etc. Jiaobo personal information, calculates the bone volume, bone weight, bone weight ratio, water content and / or muscle mass, and the calculation result on the display unit 105. Further, according to the type of discriminating the relationship between the amount of bone bone and body weight and the weight ratio of the display area of the display unit 111 in the matrix 105.


Real-time traffic signal control is very important for relieving urban traffic congestion. Many existing traffic control models were formulated using optimization approach, with the objective functions of minimizing vehicle delay time. To improve people's trip efficiency, this article aims to minimize delay time per person. Based on the time-varying traffic flow data at intersections, the article first fits curves of accumulative arrival and departure vehicles, as well as the corresponding functions. Moreover, this article transfers vehicle delay time to personal delay time using average passenger load of cars and buses, employs such time as the objective function, and proposes a signal timing optimization model for intersections to achieve real-time signal parameters, including cycle length and green time. This research further implements a case study based on practical data collected at an intersection in Beijing, China. The average delay time per person and queue length are employed as evaluation indices to show the performances of the model. The results show that the proposed methodology is capable of improving traffic efficiency and is very effective for real-world applications.