" York Notes" are guides to literature in English, covering major British, American, Commonwealth and Third World works as well as English translations of some important writings in other languages. The notes offer literary criticism and advice to students studying and writing about literature. All "York Notes" follow a five-part format: introduction - containing a biography of the author and background information; summaries - general and detailed summaries with textual glossary; commentary - a critical essay; hints for study - advice on study techniques and preparation for exams; further reading - a bibliography. They are designed for GCE A level and GCSE students in the UK and equivalent levels in English speaking countries and for university level students in non-English speaking countries.


A mildew strain was isolated from mold-contaminated beef jerk. Based on the evaluation of colony growth, the isolated strain was identified to be Aspergillus penicillioides. This strain was osmophilic. It preferred to grow in dry medium and could grow at 0.75 water activity, while slowly grew at lower water activities below 0.7. Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of mildew in beef jerky, the strict cleaning grade in environment and water activity below 0.7 should be controlled during production.


Few effective therapeutic options exist for patients with refractory diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). YM155 is a survivin suppressant with activity against DLBCL in a phase I trial. This phase II study was conducted to better characterize the toxicity and efficacy of this small molecule in patients with refractory DLBCL.


Purpose: Bisphosphonates (such as risedronate and zoledronate) are widely used inhibitors of bone resorption.Despite their in vitro antiproliferative effects invarious cancer cells,bisphosphonates havenot exhibited significant antitumor efficacy in animalmodels of visceral cancer, which may be due to their poor bioavailability. The diagnostic use of radioactive bisphosphonates has revealed the accumulation of bisphosphonates in mesothelioma, which prompted us to test the antitumor efficacy of bisphosphonates in this disease. Experimental Design and Results: Treatment with either risedronate or zoledronate (2 10 4 to 2 10 6 mol/L) inhibited the growth of AB12 and AC29mousemesothelioma cells and induced the accumulation of unprenylated Rap1A in these cells. Both these in vitro effects were reversed by geranygeraniol, an end product of the mevalonate pathway that these bisphosphonates inhibit. Both bisphosphonates also induced the phosphorylation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in AB12 and AC29 cells. The inhibition of p38 augmented bisphosphonate-induced growth inhibition in these cells. Bisphosphonate-induced p38 phosphorylation was not reversible by geranylgeraniol. Risedronate (15 mg/kg) and zoledronate (0.5 mg/kg) inhibited the growth of s.c. tumors and increased the median survival of mice with i.p. mesothelioma tumors in vivo. Discussion: In conclusion, risedronate and zoledronate inhibit the mevalonate pathway and induce p38 activation in mesothelioma cells in vitro. The effects on the mevalonate pathway dominate because the net result is growth inhibition. Both bisphosphonates also inhibitmesothelioma tumor growth in vivo and prolong the survival of mesothelioma-bearingmice.These results support further study of bisphosphonates in the management of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, an asbestos-related neoplasm of the pleural and peritoneal space, occurs in f10,000 patients worldwide (1). Due to the long latency period for tumor development and the widespread use of asbestos for many years, the incidence is expected to rise until the year 2020 (2). The biological behavior is distinct from other solid tumors in that mesothelioma tends to grow in a sheet-like fashion, covering the surface of the pleura or peritoneum. It shows little tendency to invade, especially early in the course of the disease (3). Mesothelioma typically recurs even after the most aggressive attempts at surgical resection and is poorly responsive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Multimodality approaches have had a relatively small effect on the majority of the patients and have been associated with toxicity. The survival of patients with mesothelioma ranges between 4 and 12 months (4, 5). Clearly, new treatment modalities are needed. Bisphosphonates are synthetic analogues of the naturally occurring pyrophosphate. Depending on their molecular structure, these drugs can be divided into pyrophosphateresembling (p-bisphosphonates, such as clodronate) and nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (n-bisphosphonates, such as risedronate and zoledronate; ref. 6). At the cellular level, the different bisphosphonates have different mechanisms of action; n-bisphosphonates inhibit the mevalonate pathway, whereas the effects of p-bisphosphonates are mediated via intracellular ATP-like analogues. The main effect of all bisphosphonates is their ability to inhibit osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. These drugs are therefore widely clinically used in the treatment of metabolic bone diseases that are due to increased bone resorption, such as osteoporosis (7). Bisphosphonates also inhibit the osteolytic complications of bone metastases of solid tumors and multiple myeloma (8). Data from animal models suggest that in addition to osteoclast inhibition at the site of bone metastasis, these drugs may also inhibit cancer cell proliferation in bone (9, 10). In particular, the newer n-bisphosphonates have also been suggested to actually inhibit the cancer Cancer Therapy: Preclinical Authors' Affiliations: Department of Medicine, Division of HematologyOncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Birmingham Veteran's AdministrationMedical Center, Birmingham, Alabama Received12/19/05; revised 2/6/06; accepted 2/23/06. Grant support:UniversityofAlabamaComprehensiveCancerCenterMesothelioma Center Core grant (5P30CA13148). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges.This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with18 U.S.C. Section1734 solely to indicate this fact. Note: P.Triozzi and K.S. Selander contributed equally to this work. Requests for reprints: Katri Selander, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham,WTI T558, 1824 6th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-3300. Phone: 205-975-5973; Fax: 205975-5650; E-mail: email@example.com. F2006 American Association for Cancer Research. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-05-2766 www.aacrjournals.org Clin Cancer Res 2006;12(9) May1, 2006 2862 Cancer Research. on October 23, 2017. © 2006 American Association for clincancerres.aacrjournals.org Downloaded from spread to bones in animal models (11). Although these drugs significantly inhibit the growth of various cancer cells in vitro, they have not, however, proven effective as single agents in preventing tumor growth at visceral sites in various animal models of cancer (9–16). Thismay be due to their poor bioavailability to the tumors; bisphosphonates are poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract andwhen given i.v., they are quickly cleared from the circulation and adsorbed to bone matrix hydroxyapatite, where they are retained for prolonged periods (17). It is indeed thought that this bone-seeking propensity of the otherwise very hydrophilic drugs makes them available for the cancer cells residing in the bone microenvironment. The uptake of the bone scan agent Tc diphosphonate, which is structurally similar to the actual bisphosphonate drugs, in malignant pleural effusions and, rarely, in nonmalignant pleural effusions is well established. Although the exact mechanism of uptake in these conditions remains unclear, passive transudation has been implicated (18). There are also several reports of uptake of Tc diphosphonate by cancers localized at the soft tissue sites (19–21). Because mesothelioma has been associated with such an accumulation of Tc diphosphonate, we hypothesized that bisphosphonates may also exhibit direct antitumor activity against this tumor type in vivo (22, 23). We show here that the new nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, risedronate and zoledronate, effectively inhibit the proliferation of mesothelioma cells in vitro and the growth of mesothelioma tumors in vivo. Furthermore, we show that administration of these drugs after tumor formation can significantly extend the survival of tumor-bearing mice in experimental models of mesothelioma. Materials and Methods Bisphosphonates. Risedronate (a gift from Leiras OY, Turku, Finland) was dissolved in PBS and the stock solution was set to pH 7.4 with NaOH. Zoledronate (Novartis, Geneva, Switzerland) was obtained from the pharmacy and diluted into the cell culture medium. For animal studies, both bisphosphonates were diluted into sterile 0.9% saline. Cell culture. The mouse mesothelioma cell lines AB12 and AC29 were provided by Dr. Steven Albelda (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA). These cell lines were originally generated by Dr. Bruce Robinson at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Center (Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia) by i.p. implantation of asbestos fibers in BALB/c and CBA/J mice, respectively, and have been well characterized (24). AB12 and AC29 cells were cultured and maintained in complete medium consisting of high-glucose DMEM (Mediatech, Washington, DC) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FCS, 100 units/mL penicillin, 100 Ag/mL streptomycin, and 2 mmol/L glutamine (Sigma, St. Louis, MO). All cell cultures were done in incubators in a 37jC atmosphere of 5% CO2/95% air. In vitro growth assay. Mesothelioma cells were plated in 96-well plates in normal culture medium, and treated for the indicated periods of time with various concentrations of zoledronate, risedronate, or PBS with or without the p38 inhibitor SB202190 or the inactive control compound SB207420 (both at the final concentration of 10 5 mol/L; Calbiochem, San Diego, CA), 25 Amol/L geranylgeraniol (cold, all trans, American Radiolabeled Chemicals, St. Louis, MO), or the same volume of ethanol as a vehicle control. DNA synthesis was measured as an indication of cell proliferation, using nonisotopic bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation immunoassays (Exalpha Biologicals, Watertown, MA), according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, 10 cells were plated onto 96-well plates in 100 AL of normal culture medium. The cells were then treated with the indicated agents for various times. BrdU was added to the wells for the final 24 hours and incorporated BrdU was detected with sequential additions of monoclonal mouse anti-BrdU antibody and horseradish peroxidase– conjugated anti-mouse antibody. After addition of the substrate for horseradish peroxidase, the intensity of the colored reaction product, which is proportional to the amount of BrdU incorporated into the cells, was read with a spectrophotometer at 450 nmol/L. Western blotting. AB12 and AC29 cells were plated on six-well plates in normal culture medium until near confluency. The cells were then rinsed with sterile PBS and cultured for a further 24 hours in serum-free culture medium, in the presence or absence of 2 10 4 to 10 5 mol/L risedronate, zoledronate, or PBS control, with or without 25 Amol/L of geranylgeraniol, or the same volume of ethanol as a vehicle control. Culture medium was discarded and the cells were harvested in lysis buffer [20 mmol/L Tris (pH 7.4), 150 mmol/L NaCl, 1 mmol/L EDTA, 1 mmol/L EGTA, 1% Triton, 2.5


THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND DEPRESSION IN FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF THE ELDERLY By Cynthia L. Boland The main purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between spirituality and depression in fam ily caregivers of the elderly. Data for this secondary study came from a caregiver research project conducted by Given and Given (1989). Although the primary study was lon gitudinal , this study used a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of 191 family caregivers participated. Data on spirituality and depres sion were obtained by self-administered questionnaires. Spirituality was measured with the Spiritual/Philosophical subscale from the Coping Resources Inventory (Hammer & Marting, 1988). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977) was slightly modified and used to measure depression. The study findings included: (a) a moderately weak negative correlation between the variables of spirituality and depression (r=-.2934, df=189, p<.001) and (b) the majority of caregivers (62.3%) indicated that spirituality was a consistent resource in their lives. Limitations to the study included the use of a convenience sample and the use of a relatively new subscale to measure spirituality.


Since the duration of inflation is finite, imposing the initial condition in infinite past, i.e. the Bunch-Davies vacuum, is inherently ambiguous. In this paper, we resort to the mixed states as initial condition which are called the $\alpha$-vacua and then introduce a physical momentum cutoff $\Lambda$ [Danielsson:2002kx], in which the evolution of perturbations begins. We show that the initial time $t_i$, when the initial condition is imposed, depends on the wave number of fluctuation, as it is for the time of horizon crossing, $t_q$. Then we calculate the corrections to the scalar and tensor power spectra and their corresponding spectral indices. Throughout this work, the calculation is done up to the first order in slow-roll parameters. We indicate that the leading order corrections to the spectral indices have a $q$-dependent amplitude, $2\epsilon_{f}[2\epsilon_{f}(\frac{q}{q_{f}})^{4\epsilon+4\eta}-\eta_{f}(\frac{q}{q_{f}})^{3\epsilon+\xi}]$ times a $q$-dependent oscillatory part, $\cos(\frac{2\Lambda(q/q_{f})^{\epsilon}}{H_{f}})$, where $H$, $\epsilon$, $\eta$, and $\xi$ are the Hubble and slow-roll parameters respectively, and the subscript $f$ denotes that these quantities are evaluated at the time when the first scale, $q_{f}$, satisfies the initial condition, i.e. $q=a(t_i)\Lambda$.


This paper describes a new artificial frequency mapping technique suitable for the simulation of RF/Microwave mixers when excited by a multi-tone signal. Due to the computational efficiency gained this way, it is for the first time possible to simultaneously analyse small and large signal behaviour of nonlinear mixers subject to real multi-tone signals. As well as the theoretical study, illustrative simulation results will be given.


The invention relates to a method for welding a bolt (19) onto a workpiece, using a bolt-welding device and to a bolt-welding device. A force is applied to the drive shaft (11) using a switchable unit (29), said force exerting a resistance against a displacement of the drive shaft (11). The drive shaft (11) is moved by an electromagnetic linear drive (5) acting in an axial direction. The unit (29) can prevent the movement of the drive shaft (11) and can fix the latter in position, in such a way that the linear drive (5) can be switched to a currentless state. In addition, the unit can dampen the movement of the drive shaft (11).


Trajectory design plays a significant role in the development of reusable winged spaceship. A re-entry phase is the most complex and extreme phase of the overall spaceflight. In the study the re-entry trajectory approach is proposed for guidance of the tourist class reusable spaceplane. This approach generates a feasible re-entry trajectory for terminal area energy management phase. Passengers safety and structural constraints that define the ability to withstand the intense heat and deceleration loading produced by re-entry are also considered. The results demonstrate that the proposed guidance scheme is capable of guiding the spaceplane to the desired touchdown.


Recently, there has been increased interest in comparing the trajectories of movements made under different conditions to infer information about cognitive processes relating to aspects of motor control such as action planning. One of the more recent analysis methods involves computing the area between two trajectories to targets on opposite sides of the participant's midline for each experimental condition and then submitting those areas to a repeated measures ANOVA. Unfortunately, this method necessarily collapses the nuanced trajectory information into a single score. Therefore, we propose a new method - Bayesian Hierarchical Gaussian Process Regression (BHGPR) - which can be used to compare the entire trajectory among experimental conditions. The experimental data that was used to compare these analysis methods were taken from a study in which participants made reaching movements to targets, appearing on either side, preceded by either high (78.5%) or low predictive cues. The authors from this past study had predicted that movements to non-valid targets preceded by predictive cues would contour a lesser area than those from any other condition. The results from the comparison between traditional methods of analyzing trajectories and BHGPR indicate that BHGPR can be used to compare entire trajectories using credible intervals to demonstrate specific regions where the two trajectories differ.


tactoidal organization of a fascinating phenomenon little understood by histopathologists. Nevercheless, we come across the phenomenon often enough in the form of amyloid deposition. The antiparallel beta-pleated sheet arrangement of amyloid fibrils has been identified through X-ray diffraction crystallography and infrared spectroscopy to be responsible for the high order of regularity and parallelism whereby Congo red molecules are bound to the fibrils.'32 This is the factor that is ultimately responsible for the feature of red-green birefringence exhibited by amyloid under cross-polarized light, a feature universally accepted as the histological diagnostic criterion for amy10id.~ Ultrastructurally, amyloid is recognized as a deposition of haphazardly arranged, nonbranching fibrils which vary from 8 to lOnm in diameter. In recent years, another form of fibrillary or tactoidal protein deposition has emerged. In 1977, Rosenmann and Eliakim4 reported a case of a woman with nephrotic syndrome and fibrillary deposition in the glomeruli which appeared similar to amyloid except for a larger fibril width and negative staining with Congo red. Since then, over 60 similar cases have been reported in the literature under the terms of 'Con o red-negative amyloidosislike glomerulopathy ',' 'amyloid-like glomerulopathy', 'amyloid stain-negative microfibrillary glomerulopathy', 'fibrillary nephriti~',~ 'fibrillary glomerulonephriti~',~ and 'immunotactoid glomer~ lopa thy ' .~ ,~ The numbers in each series have been small but the picture of a progressively worsening primary glomerulopathy distinct from amyloidosis is emerging.'&l2 The ages of patients ranged widely from the second to the ninth decade. The clinical presentation was variable and included haematuria, nephrotic syndrome, hypertension, and renal insufficiency, although proteinuria has been noted as a consistent feature. The majority of biopsies showed proliferation of mesangial cells with variable thickening and splitting of the glomerular basement membrane. Unlike amyloidosis, there were no nodular glomerular masses which crowded out other cellular structures, and vascular involvement was not a feature. Fibrillary deposits could sometimes be visualized under light microscopy as PAS-positive, trichrome red-positive, Congo red negative, amorphous globules in the mesangium or capillary walls. The main immunofluorescence finding was coarse linear deposition of polyclonal IgG in the mesangium or along the glomerular capillary Electron microscopy reveals large mesangial and capillary (usually intramembranous) fibrillary deposits. These differ from amyloid fibrils in that they have a larger width (10-20 nm), and diameters as large as 49 nm have been reported. The fibrils are of variable length but exhibit a highly organized microtubular or tactoidal appearance on crosssection. These may be admixed with a variety of natural glomerular fibrils so that they do not appear as homogeneous as amyloid deposits.6 At the current stage of understanding of this condition, the designation 'immunotactoid glomerulopathy' appears to be a reasonable one as it incorporates the immunoglobulin nature (based on immunofluorescence examination) and ultrastructural appearance of the deposits. There is controversy as to whether cases without such a distinct microtubular appearance justify separate categorization as 'fibrillary glomerulonephriti~'.'~ This is not a systemic disease and there has been no association with cryoglobulinaemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes mellitus, or paraproteinemia. Patients progress towards end-stage renal disease, and recurrence after renal transplantation has been reported. Like amyloidosis, the mechanism of fibril formation in immunotactoid glomerulopathy remains a puzzle. The question is why do some light chains (particularly lambda chains) organize into beta-pleats and condense as amyloid fibrils while others, such as in light chain nephropathy, form granular deposits. What determines why immuno-


The present invention describes a method for producing an anionic polymer of the water-miscible high molar mass by polymerization of water-in-oil.


I n this editorial, a senior electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practitioner (C.H.K.) and a fourth-year medical student (E.H.L.) share their perspectives on ECT over the last several decades and now. I (C.H.K.) learned to do ECT as a psychiatric intern at Los Angeles County Hospital in 1978. Although the procedure was basically the same as it is practiced now, there were some notable differences. We, the interns and the psychiatry attending, were the only doctors present; there was no anesthesiologist. We put in the intravenous line, gave the drugs, managed the airway, and did the ECT itself. Not that this was a good thing, but it was testimony to the basic safety of the procedure that the patients all did fine. My experience was the typical one of first-time ECT viewers/participants, that it was "amazing," "miraculous," and also that it was really "cool." Thirty-seven years, hundreds of patients, and many thousands of procedures later, I am happy to say I feel the same way. (Maybe now the descriptor would be "awesome," instead of "cool.") Of course, over the years, other things have changed about ECT, both technical and clinical, in addition to the composition of the health care team. Unfortunately, many others have not, notably the stigma and the reluctance, even distaste, among professionals, even within psychiatry, to recommend the treatment. Electroconvulsive therapy, after all these decades, is still struggling to find its rightful place in psychiatric medicine. Some reasons for this struggle are easily understood, some, not so much. As some German ECT colleagues recently stated in an article, "Despite positive scientific evidence, the therapy [ECT] is often approached with reserve that cannot be explained rationally." The easyto-understand part is the reality of the brutality of original unmodified ECT, and the ubiquity of the barbaric scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But it is high time to go beyond the archaic and the fictionalized. The harder part to understand and accept is how the medical and psychiatric establishment has shunned ECT. C. P. Freeman put this into stark perspective 35 years ago in his thenanonymous editorial in Lancet, "ECT in Britain: A Shameful State of Affairs." Commenting on the results of an audit of ECT services in Great Britain that revealed poor clinical oversight and general shabbiness of ECT suites and equipment, he concluded with the statement, "It is not ECT that has brought psychiatry into disrepute. Psychiatry has done just that for ECT."Nowadays, things are much better, at least in terms of quality of care delivery in most countries, including Great Britain and the United States: ECT is very well supervised, and it benefits from being included under the rubric of surgical procedures, with all the safeguards of standardized hospital practices, including the addition of an anesthesiologist to the ECT team. Other factors, however, have kept ECT marginalized and raise important questions. Why, for example, is there no board certification in ECT? The pat answer from the American Psychiatric Association is that certification is for domains of practice, not for specific procedures. While technically true, it seems like an excuse, easily overcome by defining a subspecialty area of somatic treatment of severe psychiatric illnesses, with ECT as the main focus. Imagine trying to explain to medical students, let alone the man in the street, that there really is no set path to rigorous ECT training in the United States and that most psychiatrists, young and old, still have little experience with ECT. Why is ECT experience not an integral part of the medical school and psychiatry residency curricula (both didactic and practical) at all programs? All physicians, no matter their specialty, will encounter seriously depressed patients; they should know enough about treatment options, including ECT, to appropriately educate and refer such patients for specialty care. While the situation for ECT education in medical schools and residency programs is improving, there is still a long way to go. Why is research support for ECT so limited? With few exceptions, leaders in psychiatry view ECT as old-fashioned and not nearly as exciting as genetic research. One would have thought that the most effective treatment in psychiatry and the one that results in the most profound physiological changes in the brain would be a preferred platform for the investigation of the etiology of the major psychiatric illnesses. Perhaps this


Introduction: The objective of our study was to investigate cross-sectional associations of atrial fibrillationwith neuroimagingmeasures of cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease and their interactions with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging scans of individuals from a population-based study were analyzed for infarctions, total gray matter, and hippocampal and white matter hyperintensity volumes. A subsample underwent positron emission tomography imaging. Results: Atrial fibrillation was associated with infarctions and lower total gray matter volume. Compared with subjects with no atrial fibrillation and no infarction, the odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for MCI was 2.99 (1.57‐5.70; P 5 .001) among participants with atrial fibrillation and infarction, 0.90 (0.45‐1.80; P 5 .77) for atrial fibrillation and no infarction, and 1.50 (0.96‐2.34; P 5.08) for no atrial fibrillation and any infarction. Discussion: Participants with both atrial fibrillation and infarction are more likely to have MCI than participants with either infarction or atrial fibrillation alone. 2016 The Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


The utility model relates to a multi-path optic rotary joint which comprises a rotary end fiber optic component, a fixed end fiber optic component, a prism component, a bevel gear planetary gear train and an outer shell, wherein the bevel gear planetary gear train comprises a large bevel gear (10), a second large bevel gear (17), a minor planetary bevel gear (11), a second bearing (13), a spring (12), a screw (14) and a second bearing cover (20); and the second bearing (13) is connected with a shaft (15) by the screw (14) and the spring (12), the minor planetary bevel gear (11) is connected with the second bearing (13), the first large bevel gear (10) is connected with the minor planetary bevel gear (11), the second large bevel gear (17) is connected with the second bearing cover (20) which is connected with an end cover (21), and the second large bevel gear (17) is connected with the minor planetary bevel gear (11).


A simple and sensitive visible spectrophotometeric method has been developed for the quantitative estimation of Moprolol in bulk drug and pharmaceutical preparations. This method is based on the reaction of Moprolol with 1%w/v 3-methyl-2benzthiazolinone hydrazone hydrochloride (MBTH) reagent in presence of 2%w/v of ferric chloride salt to give a green colored chromogen with absorption maximum at 629 nm and obeyed Beer's law in the concentration range of 10-35 μg/ml.The results of analysis for the method have been validated and by recovery studies. The results obtained with the proposed method are in agreement with the labeled amounts.


Ed R Doll, J F Fraumeni, C S Muir Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, pp 583 ISBN 0 87969 391 6

Temporal changes in the occurrence of disease may provide important clues to the pathogenesis of chronic conditions such as cancer. Geographical and ethnic variation in trends can further elucidate the role of putative risk factors. International mortality data from the World Health Organisation have long been used for studying the global variations of disease, but the interpretation of trends in mortality is confounded by the introduction of effective …


Double-stranded DNA breaks are serious lesions that contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer and chronic illnesses. Free radical injury is an important mechanism for the production of DNA modifications that eventually lead to chromosomal breaks. The generation of free radicals is increased in sickle cell disease (SCD) owing to the presence of the relatively unstable HbS and recurrent ischemia-reperfusion events. In the present study, a sensitive reticulocyte micronucleus assay was used to determine the frequency of chromosomal breaks in patients with SCD (Offer et al. FASEB J. 2005;19:485). A micronucleus is a piece of a chromosome left behind in a reticulocyte as a consequence of DNA double-stranded break after the nucleus is extruded. Blood samples were obtained from patients with SCD (n=33) and healthy volunteers (n=23). After immunomagnetic enrichment of CD71+ reticulocytes (Trf-Ret), RNA was removed with RNAse, and the cells were stained for miconuclei using the DNA dye 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) followed by flow cytometric evaluation. The appearance of reactive oxygen species in cytosol and membrane lipid oxidation in RBCs were measured by flow cytometry using the fluorescent markers 2, 7-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCF) and C11-BODIPY, respectively. The frequency of micronucleated Trf-Ret was significantly higher (p<.0001) in patients with SCD (mean 3.061/10,000 Trf-Ret, range 0.256 to 9.779) as compared with normal controls (mean 0.750/10,000 Trf-Ret, range 0.043 to 2.659). Mean DCF (125.1%) and C11-BODIPY (117.6%) fluorescence intensities were significantly greater than the mean control value (100%, p 0.0001). Our data indicate that patients with sickle cell disease have increased double stranded DNA-breaks compared with healthy controls, and suggest that elevated production of oxidants could contribute to the development of genetic damage in these patients.


in a series of tests designed to show whether the angina was brought on by an increase in cardiac work, by spasm of the coronary arteries, or by the release of catechol amines. The physiological effect of smoking is due almost entirely to nicotine, of which about 0.5 mg. is absorbed from one cigarette, and intravenl cotine in these subjects reproduced both the anginal pain and the electrocardiographic changes. The authors' first patient began to develop angina within only a few seconds of beginning to smoke, and after one minute the pain was more severe and the heart rate rose to 150 beats per minute. The blood-pressure remained steady and the carotid wave form was unchanged. The electrocardiogram showed up to 5 mm. depression of the ST segment and was similar to a record made after exercise. Atropine induced tachycardia but did not cause pain. From the evidence of other workers Oram and Sowton believed that the nicotine might act by the liberation of catechol amines, and they administered drugs prior to smoking which might be expected to potentiate or inhibit such an action. The results to some extent favoured this hypothesis, for reserpine and guanethidine both abolished the response to smoking, as did anti-serotonin to a less extent. Serotonin itself produced angina and depression of the ST segment Ul the electrocardiograph. However, a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor, isocarboxazid, which is known to break down serotonih and to protect noradrenaline from breakdown (and therefore likely on two scores to increase the action of nicotine), actually gave almost complete protection against smoking, though it did not prevent the development of angina and electrocardiographic changes on exertion. The authors believe that nicotine exerts its effect by the liberation of noradrenaline from stores in or near the walls of the blood vessels and that this produces angina by increasing the cardiac work and possibly also by a deleterious effect on the metabolism of the myocardium. Coronary constriction is rejected as an explanation because nicotine seems to dilate the coronary vessels. Nitroglycerin was unimpressive in relieving the induced pain. The whole subject of the action of drugs on ischaemic cardiac pain is still somewhat puzzling, and this is due largely to the difficulty in man of measuring changes in coronary blood flow and of knowing whether coronary vasoconstriction or vasodilatation is occurring. This paper provides incidentally an excellent example of an experimental investigation which was carried out with the willing co-operation and full understanding of the patients even though it involved them in a fair amount of discomfort. The authors and the patients deserve congratulation on this welcome contribution to a rather neglected subject.


This article presents the results of an empirical survey aimed at the following: (1) providing data for a factor analysis of the various barriers to the development and implementation of close supplier–buyer relationships and (2) detecting the degree to which the development of a quality system according to the ISO 9000 series of standards can help companies to overcome these barriers. The survey was carried out in Greek manufacturing organisations. The analysis of the results led to the detection of five critical factors, sorted in descending order of criticality. The results also showed that certified companies face less difficulty in dealing with the possible barriers to the development of close relationships with their suppliers.


The problem of typology of Russian regions in terms of quality of life of the population is explained by a necessity to identify the real state of the quality of life of the population at the level of subjects of the Russian Federation with the purpose of increasing the efficiency of socio-economic management.


In this paper, we use the mathematical theory of factor space to discuss the survival space and ecological problems of the information carrier. It is pointed out that the factor neural network is a suitable mathematical tool to study the information ecology, and it puts forward the preliminary view on the application prospect of the information ecology in the big data and artificial intelligence.


In the present study, three morphological and four behavioural traits have been reported among four endogamous groups viz. Mallah, Kumhar, Banjara and Saini of Haryana. Data of 800 individuals were collected by conducting a survey. All the traits showed significant variations and heterogenous distribution except for R type handedness trait.


One of the two evening lectures at the jubilee meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1881 was delivered by the printer, stationer, mathematician, and electrical experimenter William Spottiswoode. The meeting marked the triumphant return of the British Association for the Advancement of Science to York, the site of its founding fifty years before, and Spottiswoode's stature as President of the Royal Society was commensurate with the occasion. He chose to discourse upon "The electric discharge, its forms and functions". Throughout the lecture he pressed his claim that even though electric discharges — not just sparks but the many other intricate luminous forms that appeared when electricity passed across a gap between two conductors — might appear to occur instantaneously, this was actually an optical illusion. With ingenious optical instruments and exquisite observational techniques, he explained, any discharge could now be seen to be made up of a number of separable events or phases, taking place "in a certain order or sequence of time". He had spent much of the previous decade teasing out the stages of this progressive sequence as best he could, in his study of a phenomenon known as the "stratified discharge". When high-voltage electricity was applied across a glass tube from which most of the air had been evacuated, it caused different parts of the tube to emit light. Under certain conditions, the luminosity inside the tube was broken up into a mysteriously regular series of separate regions of light and dark (Figure 1). The individual bands of light that glimmered in the vacuum tube were known to physicists as "strata" or "striae". Spottiswoode's own research had dramatized the arduous passage of an electrical disturbance, in repeated fits and starts, from one end of an evacuated tube to another, in discrete leaps from one stratum to the next. In the lecture at York he complemented his narration with demonstrations of glowing vacuum tubes in action, and photographs of intricate discharge forms projected onto a screen with an electric lantern. The very future of electrical physics, he suggested, would depend upon finding ways to peer into tiny intervals of time whose minuteness seemed beyond comprehension:


Innovation of teaching method is the inevitable requirement for cultivating innovative undertaking talents. It is the inevitable choice to innovate the teaching method of colleges on the basis of perfect lecture teaching, focusing on open practice education, taking independent research based learning as the core, and establishing an open and diverse teaching method system. This paper makes an in-depth study on the relationship between the innovation of teaching methods and the cultivation of innovative talents in colleges and puts forward corresponding countermeasures.


Phosphoinositide‐3‐kinase (PI3K) is a lipid kinase, which phosphorylates the D3 position of phosphoinositides, and is known to be activated by a host of protein tyrosine kinases. PI3K plays an important role in mitogenesis in several cell systems. However, whether parathyroid hormone (PTH) affects the activity and functional roles of PI3K in intestinal cells remain to be determined. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the PI3K pathway, and its relation to other non‐receptor tyrosine kinases in mediating PTH signal transduction in rat enterocytes. PTH dose‐ and time‐dependently increased PI3K activity with a peak occurring at 2 min. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein, c‐Src inhibitor PP1 and two structurally different inhibitors of PI3K, LY294002 and wortmannin, suppressed PI3K activity dependent on PTH. Co‐immunoprecipitation analysis showed a constitutive association between c‐Src and PI3K, which was enhanced by PTH treatment, suggesting that the cytosolic tyrosine kinase forms an immunocomplex with PI3K probably via the N‐SH2 domain of the p85α regulatory subunit. In response to PTH, tyrosine phosphorylation of p85α was enhanced, effect that was abolished by PP1, the inhibitor of c‐Src kinase. PTH causes a rapid (0.5–5 min) phosphorylation of Akt/PKB, effect that was abrogated by PI3K inhibitors, indicating that in rat enterocytes, PI3K is an upstream mediator of Akt/PKB activation by PTH. We report here that PI3K is also required for PTH activation of the mitogen‐activated protein kinases ERK1 and ERK2. Taken together, the present study demonstrate, for the first time, that PTH rapidly and transiently stimulates PI3K activity and its down effector Akt/PKB in rat enterocytes playing c‐Src kinase a central role in PTH‐dependent PI3K activation and that PI3K signaling pathway contributes to PTH‐mediated MAPK activation. J. Cell. Biochem. 86: 773–783, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The experimental design and key results appear to be robust. The justification for considering multi-centennial timescales and the light absorption could be clearer in the introduction though, with some useful context only appearing at the end of the manuscript. The explanation of why phytoplankton light absorption leads to the key is not currently robust – there are clarifications and more analysis needed on the role of temperature in the ecosystem model and, in my view, over interpretation of minimal biological carbon pump changes that needs addressing. One of the most interesting outcomes of the study for me is that the impact of light absorption has a non-linear dependence on the scenarios but unfortunately I don't think the explanation for this is as robust as it can be.


A total of 121 patients with benign multiple thyroid nodules were enrolled within a 6-months trial.The result showed that the suppressive therapy with levothyroxine could efficiently and safely inhibit the growth of benign multiple thyroid nodules.


The author argues that representation in political institutions the ultimate indicator of civic integration. An individual in a liberal democracy participates in two spheres - one cultural and the other political. The cultural, incorporating religion and ethnic traditions, is up to the individual. The government's main interest in the cultural sphere is to provide it space and ensure that individual rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of expression, are protected in the public arena. The electoral success of President Barack Obama, and that of many other candidates - black, Hispanic, Asian and otherwise - show that rejecting identity politics and espousing the vision that immigrants and minorities belong to the same larger community, based on common civic values, has greater appeal than candidates trying to advance the interests of one ethnic group or community.


The tempo‐spatial evolution of the combustion kernel in gas phase explosions was experimentally investigated using Schlieren photography. Methane and propane ‐air explosions were initiated in a cylindrical explosion vessel at a range of equivalence ratios ranging from 0.6 to 1.4. All explosions were initiated using 25 mj ignition energy at ambient conditions. The kernel growth rate, and cellular flame structure are observed and analyzed.


therapies. and we now have a way to mine available data for fast routes to new disease −− inflammatory bowel disease lung cancer and −− drugs are therefore good candidates for recycling to treat two diseases in need of better therapies improved damage in colon tissue of rats treated with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid, a model of the disease. These two mice. In addition, the antiepileptic topiramate, predicted to improve inflammatory bowel disease by similarity score, antiulcer drug, predicted by the authors to be effective against lung cancer, inhibited tumor cells in vitro and in vivo in in the ultimate test of method, the authors confirmed two new predictions in animal experiments: Cimetidine, an and other cancers (esophagus, lung, and colon), and there is experimental evidence that this is indeed the case. But histone deacetylase inhibitors trichostatin A, valproic acid, and vorinostat were predicted to work against brain tumors treatment for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, showed a strong similarity score for these two diseases. The This proved to be true for a number of drugs already on the market. The corticosteroid prednisolone, a common therapy. 1 would predict that the drug would ameliorate the abnormalities in the disease and thus be an effective − score of 1 (exactly opposite signatures). The investigators suggested that a similarity − perfect correlation of signatures) to (a Technology. A similarity score calculated by the authors for every possible pair of drug and disease ranged from +1 treated with bioactive small molecules that is maintained at the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of signatures for 164 drugs from the Connectivity Map, a collection of mRNA expression data from cultured human cells compared to normal individuals. They compared each of these disease signatures to each of the gene expression diseases, which they defined as the set of mRNAs that reliably increase or decrease in patients with that disease The authors scrutinized the data in Gene Expression Omnibus and identified a disease signature for 100 approach. this drug and an antiepileptic can be reused for lung cancer and inflammatory bowel disease reinforces the promise of drug-disease pairs and predict new indications for already approved agents. Experimental validation that an antiulcer and 164 drugs. By pairing drugs that correct abnormal gene expression in diseases, they confirm known effective . examined publicly available gene expression data and determined the genes affected in 100 diseases et al Dudley . and et al required by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies. In a pair of papers, Sirota can speed their adoption in the clinic because they can often take advantage of the existing rigorous safety testing and for drug development too. Repurposing existing, approved drugs −− Recycling is good for the environment Greening Drug Discovery


Large and growing numbers of countries around the globe are reexamining the roles of various orders of government and their partnerships with the private sector and the civil society with a view to creating governments that work and serve their people (see Shah, 1998c, and Shah and Thompson, 2004, for motivations for a change). This rethinking has led to a resurgence of interest in fiscal federalism principles and practices, because federal systems are seen to provide safeguards against the threat of both centralized exploitation and decentralized opportunistic behavior, while bringing decision making closer to the people. In fact, federalism represents either the "coming together" or "holding together" of constituent geographic units to take advantage of the greatness and littleness of nations, because in a flat (globalized) world nation-states are observed to be "too small to tackle large things in life and too large to address small things" (Bell, 1987: 13–14). However, federal fiscal systems to accommodate "coming together" or "holding together," according to some influential writers, pose a threat to macroeconomic stability. They argue that decentralized governance structure is incompatible with prudent fiscal management and even regional fiscal equity (see, e.g., Prud'homme, 1995; Tanzi, 1996). This chapter investigates the conceptual and empirical bases of these arguments. More specifically, the chapter addresses the following questions: Are there greater risks of macroeconomic mismanagement and instability with decentralized fiscal systems (federal vs. unitary countries)? What has been the experience to-date in macroeconomic management in federal versus unitary countries? Or what has been the impact of decentralization on fiscal discipline and macroeconomic stability?


Several commonly used packaging materials in food and drink industry were reviewed in this article.Both advantages and disadvantages of these packaging materials were compared.Thus the competition advantage of tinplate using as packaging materials for food and drink was proposed.


A resin coating method using nano-diamond particles is provided to decrease a friction coefficient of composite coating by maximizing dispersability of a filler and junction property with polymer by using nano-diamond particles treated by silane. A resin coating method using a nano-diamond disperse solution comprises the steps of: mixing nano-diamond powder of 5~20wt.% with an organic solvent of 100wt.%; making a nano-diamond disperse solution having the grain size of 10~100nm by bead milling; adding silane compound of 0.1~1wt.% to a disperse solution of 100wt.% and then, stirring silane compound and a disperse solution at 60~70°C for 1~6 hours; making a mixed coating solution by mixing a disperse solution and an oil coating solution at the weight percent of 1:9.9~1:1.9; coating aluminum alloy with the mixed coating solution; and drying a coating layer at 200~340°C for 30~60 minutes and then, air-cooling the coating layer.


Experiments show that during repeated sliding, oxide is included to a considerable depth beneath the surface of the metal. Subsequent annealing at high temperatures shows that the included oxide particles prevent grain growth in the surface layers. This process may be largely responsible for the fine grain size of the Beilby layer.


The effect of the probe ring size in OTA test systems was studied based on simulations and OTA measurements in the anechoic chamber of the University of Oulu. The results are presented for two methodologies: Prefaded Synthesis (PFS) and Plane Wave Synthesis (PWS). Each size and synthesis type was validated for UMI and Uma radio channel models and for the cases the DUT in free space and in phantom hand.


Pancreatic panniculitis is a rare form of panniculitis generally associated with acute or chronic pancreatitis, and less frequently with pancreatic carcinoma. Clinically, it presents with subcutaneous nodules usually located in the lower extremities, however, it presents an almost pathognomonic histopathological finding with enzymatic fat necrosis in the adipose tissue.


Continuous process improvement is critical for organisations to stay in business. An automotive component manufacturer faced productivity challenges after the launch of a new hybrid C-SUV automobile in South Africa. This paper aims to improve the seat cover sewing process line through a line balancing technique. The use of process standard times to balance the production process initially led to bottlenecks, and the cycle time was above the takt time of the assembly line. Through the use of work-study analysis and time studies, the bottleneck processes were identified. Elements were then categorized, and kaizen implementation occurred at the processes. The processes were then rebalanced to meet the calculated cycle time. A root cause analysis was also conducted to investigate the sources of muda and the factors affecting the rate of working. The assembly line was then rebalanced, and the balance delay decreased by 33%. Keywords Bottlenecks; Kaizen principle; Muda


July 2008 J A. Loewen was a missionary, anthropologist, translator, and writer. As a young boy in a Mennonite village in the USSR, Jacob Loewen could not in his wildest dreams have imagined becoming a missionary in Colombia, a college professor in Kansas, and a translation consultant in South America and Africa. Loewen's life was fascinatingly mercurial, considering, for example, his family's escape from the USSR, his earning a Ph.D. degree, the remarkable education he received from native tribes in non-Western societies, and, in his later years, his confrontationally prophetic stance and consequent virtual exclusion from Mennonite Brethren (MB) churches in British Columbia. There were, however, abiding constants in Loewen's remarkable life, mainly his deep love for the Bible and his firm conviction that the Bible needed to be accessibly translated into as many languages as possible. Loewen asked the question, "God, how would you have said this if you had spoken in our language in the first place?" which was more than an academic question for him—it was his passion.1


This article takes an activist approach to the discussion of critical literacy in theory and in praxis. Critical literacy has long been considered a powerful schema for critical pedagogical pursuits both inside and outside of schools. First, I address the need to negotiate the language around literacy for activist educational pursuits. I then move to define critical literacy, tracing the history of the topic through its theoretical and practical morphology. Finally, I address contemporary examples of critical literacy research, highlighting the limitations of school-based approaches and proffering actionable elements of critical literacy praxis beyond the boundaries of formal educational contexts. In the end, I recommend conceiving of critical literacy as a learning theory to be applied to the study of youth social and political activist organizing outside of schools.


WORDS IT is proposed to account here for a number of words with closely allied forms but different meanings: nepLarepd 'pigeon'; irepurrepis 'vervain' and 'a woman's ornament'; irepurrepiov 'vervain', 'a woman's ornament', and diminutive of Trepurrepd. There are several other by-forms, as may be seen by reference to LSJ, but they add nothing to the well-established partition of meaning in this stem between the three senses 'pigeon', 'vervain', and 'a woman's ornament'. It is my belief that we must explain the three senses together, and this I shall attempt to do. I begin with irepiarepd 'pigeon'. It is usually the generic word for the pigeon, but when used specifically it refers to the domestic pigeon: see D'Arcy Thompson, Glossary of Greek Birds, s.v. Some of the older explanations of its etymology are given by Thompson (Benfey, from Skt. prl 'love', which recalls the more ancient on -nepujaws epa; Hehn, from O.S1. pero 'feather', prati, pariti 'fly'), but they are not convincing, and he concludes that the etymology is dubious. Boisacq accepts the version of Assmann, Philologus, lxvi, p. 312 f.: irepioTepd is the sacred bird of Astarte-Aphrodite; the name is connected with Hebrew parach 'fly', Syr. parachta 'bird', Aram, peracha 'flying', and per ach-Istar would mean 'the bird of Istar'. Assmann supports his proposal by illustrations of the loss of ch in Greek versions of Semitic names. He does not quote any authorities for the use of the name perach-1star in Semitic, and I presume, therefore, that there is none. This is, of course, a defect in the explanation. Nevertheless, it is the best that has been advanced until now, and might be accepted if a better is not forthcoming.


This paper describes the design and experimental investigation of a magnetic torquing system for a strapdown north finder using an electrostatic gyroscope (ESG). The specially designed magnetic torquing system consists of 3 pairs of coils, which are located symmetrically around the gyro rotor. The supporting electronics consists of a rotor speed regulator, radial null control and torque rebalancing circuit and a current stabilizer of Z-coils. The system generates orthogonally distributed magnetic fields and ensures a linear controllable torque along the X- and Y-coils. When the spin axis of the gyro rotor has been aligned along the local vertical, the azimuth can be obtained by measuring the equilibrium torque on the gyro rotor. Experimental results show that the ESG north finder with the special magnetic torquing system provides a north-seeking accuracy of 10" (1/spl sigma/) with a measurement time less than 30 min.


A process for the preparation of DMF solvate of (S) -amlodipine-L-hemitartrate optically pure, comprising the steps of treating the base of (R, S) amlodipine with L-tartaric acid in the presence of dimethyl formamide and a co -solvent.


Fast Image Retrieval is required for many applications like Image Search and Shopping, especially for large datasets. Hashing addresses this problem by learning compact binary codes for images and using them as direct addresses into hash tables. In practice, using binary codes as addresses does not guarantee fast retrieval, as similar images are not mapped to the same binary code(address). We address this problem by presenting an efficient supervised hashing method that aims to explicitly map all images from the same class to a unique binary code to obtain fast retrieval. We refer to the binary codes of the images as 'Semantic Binary Codes' and the unique code for all same class images as 'Class Binary Code'. We formulate this intuitive objective 'directly' by minimizing the squared error criterion between the semantic binary codes and the corresponding class binary codes. We further propose a Deep Semantic Binary Code model that utilizes the class binary codes and show that we significantly outperform the state-of-the-art. We also propose a new class-based Hamming metric that dramatically reduces the retrieval times for larger databases and also improves the performance of the method by large margins.


Sideritis species have very high antioxidant activity and and are used in a range of treatments by alternative medicine. This study examined the antioxidant activities and phenolic compositions of endemic 2 Sideritis species (Sideritis phrygia Bornm and ideritis bilgerana P.H. Davis), which were collected in the Konya region of Turkey. The oil content was extracted with petroleum ether using a soxhlet extractor. The defatted plant materials were extracted with methanol and then filtered and concentrated in vacuo at 45 oC. Finally, the extracts were lyophilized and stored in the dark at +4 oC until analyzed for antioxidant activity. Total phenol concentration of the extracts were estimated with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent using gallic acid as standard, free radical scavenging activities were determined based on DPPH(2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was determined based on the method proposed by Oyaizu. Results were compared with standard BHT(Butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole). The phenolic composition of the samples was determined using HPLC. The results indicated that S. phrygia and S. bilgerana showed significant antioxidant effect and 6 phenolic compounds used in standard phenolic compounds. S. phrygia showed higher antioxidant capacity than S. bilgerana.


Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are becoming more popular to wireless communications due to wide acceptance of mobile devices. In this paper, attempt has been made to evaluate the performance of proactive routing protocols through MATLAB. Simulations is carried over Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR), Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector (DSDV) and Wireless Routing Protocol (WRP) routing protocols. We evaluate the Throughput, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), MAC collision, and Error Rate for said protocols.The evaluation results show that OLSR has the best performance than other protocols.


If the development is a economic, social and cultural phenomenon, the "economic" take up nevertheless a major role in the analysis of this concept, either at the countries internal level or at the international level. But the schools of thinking differ in the ways of approaching this problem and finding solutions for it. The difficulty in having answers is particularly clear when we bring into relation the "economic" with the wider concept of "culture". This difficulty become deeper when it is inserted in a context of "complexity" in which is not easy to have demarcation criterions in order to discern between "scientific" and "not scientific". This article asserts that, in Economics, the neo-classical tendency, based on the presupposition of the "methodological individualism" and on the almost exclusive belief upon the market mechanisms, do not give satisfactory answers in the study of development problems and still less about its correlation with culture. In counterpart, the so called "heterodoxy" tendency, in its interdisciplinary meaning, notwithstanding the obstacles at the epistemological level, seems more suited to the dissimilarity of situations. The African example studied in this paper is the ground of this confrontation between scientific interpretations, which also translate, directly or indirectly, politic choices.


Buried pipelines, used by petrochemical industries in North America for transporting oil and derivatives, are often subjected to large deformations resulting from geo-environmental factors and operating conditions, such as geotechnical movements, thermal strains, and internal fluid pressure. Exceeding the critical deformation limit of these pipes initiates wrinkles, and further increase may result in fracture, thus jeopardizing the safe operation of a field pipeline. A recent field fracture and failed laboratory specimens under monotonic load history address the necessity of conducting a full-scale test program to better understand the complete post-wrinkling behavior and failure modes of wrinkled pipes under similar loading conditions. Six tests with two sizes of pipe (NPS16 and NPS20), which are typical of those used in the field for transmission of hydrocarbons, were tested under monotonic axial and bending deformation. Test results in general had shown that both NPS16 (pipe material grade X60) and NPS20 (pipe material grade X65) steel pipelines generally exhibited a ductile behavior after wrinkling. Eventually, these pipe specimens failed due to excessive cross-sectional deformation. Several incidents of rupture or fracture in the pipe wall were observed at the sharp fold of the wrinkle on the compression side of the deformed pipe.


This paper raise a solution about current security monitoring integrated system on large-scale stadium and public area. The software of security integrated control is merged with advanced communication technology. The system commingles such terminology as optical transfers ,IEEE 802.11, RS485,RS232and serial-port, which is widely used in the world. It can be used efficiently, effectively and meets the tendency in this field.


In recent years, the issue of conservation and balanced use of biodiversity has become one of the priority areas of biology. The reason for this is the paucity of knowledge on plant diversity. Moreover, it is a top priority and urgent issue for an area that has been little studied. Now that a new paradigm has emerged in botany, it is no longer sufficient to say that a particular species is absent or present in a particular region. Information on the degree of occurrence, ecology, and population size of the species is needed to provide important indicators. Despite 300 years of studying the vegetation of Chechnya, rudimentary summaries of both the arboreal fauna and vegetation of this republic do not yet exist. This makes it difficult to determine the regularity of the vegetation cover of the republic, how it is actually formed, its dynamics and future projections.


In this article the quasi-modes model is used to observe the influence, in electromagnetic transient phenomena, of considering a more accurate representation of soil, taking into account the earth conductivity and permittivity frequency dependence. For an actual 440 kV three-phase transmission line the soil behavior is represented through a unique real value of conductance and through a more accurate model, considering its electromagnetic behavior.


The electrophile induced opening of a cyclopropyl ring with concerted intramolecular addition of a hydroxymethyl group in a number of tricyclo[3.2.2.02,4]nonene alcohol derivatives has been studied with a view to establishing a procedure for the formation of the tetrahydrofuran ring in the diterpenoid tropone 4. Treatment of the tricyclo[3.2.2.02,4]nonene diol 15 with H3PO4, for example, furnishes diether 19, the structure of which has been determined by X-ray crystallography. This conversion is shown to involve sequential 1,2-bond shifts, rather than direct attack, however, while acid treatment of the saturated diol 16 leads to rearrangement of the carbon skeleton. Nevertheless, mercuric induced opening of the cyclopropyl ring in either 15 or 16 proceeds with direct ether formation as planned and in good yield; mercury is removed from the products by simple stannane reduction.


Ga-67 uptake in lung carcinoma was first described by Edwards and Hayes in their original reports on Ga-67 uptake in tumors. Ga-67 scintigraphy has subsequently become a widely used method of defining the extent of tumoral disease. Uptake of Ga-67 in the primary lesion is reported to occur in 64%-100% of patients. The authors report a case of a 59-year-old man with low back pain who had an MRI with a lesion in L3-L4. Delayed images on the three-phase bone scan showed uptake in L3-L4 consistent with diskitis. Ga-67 scintigraphy showed multiple diffuse foci of increased uptake throughout the chest and abdomen. The biopsy results of one of the lymph nodes confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung. This case confirms the importance of considering malignancy in the differential diagnosis of Ga-67 scintigraphy.


Previous studies have shown accumulation and an enhanced proinflammatory profile of macrophages in adipose tissue of obese mice, indicating the presence of an interaction between adipocytes and macrophages in this tissue. However, the consequences of this interaction in humans are yet incompletely understood. In this study, we explored the modulating effects of adipocytes on the phenotype of macrophages in humans and studied the possible molecular pathways involved. Adipocyte-conditioned media (ACM) treatment of macrophages for 48 h strongly reduced the LPS-induced IL-12p40 secretion by macrophages, whereas the production of TNF-a and other cytokines remained largely unaffected. This effect was independent of the source of adipocytes. Interestingly, the level of inhibition correlated directly with body mass index (BMI) of the adipocyte donor. Because adipocytes release many different cytokines, adipokines, and lipids, we have separated the protein and lipid fractions of ACM, to obtain insight into the molecular nature of the soluble mediators underlying the observed effect. These experiments revealed that the inhibitory effect resided predominantly in the lipid fraction. Further studies revealed that PGE 2 and linoleic and oleic acid were potent inhibitors of IL-12p40 secretion. Interestingly, concentrations of these ACM-derived lipids increased with increase in BMI of the adipocyte donor, suggesting that they could mediate the BMI-dependent effects of ACM. To our knowledge, these results provide first evidence that obesity-related changes in adipose tissue macrophage phenotype could be mediated by adipocyte-derived lipids in humans. Intriguingly, these changes appear to be different from those in murine obesity. O besity is associated with a low-grade inflammation, characterized by increased serum concentrations of acute-phase proteins and other metabolic changes such as insulin resistance and dislipidemia (1, 2). Moreover, adipose tissue in obesity appears to fulfill a pivotal role as a site and source of inflammation (2–4). Besides obesity-related changes in adipo-cytes, alterations in the composition of the adipose tissue stromal vascular cell fraction are also considered important factors contributing to adipose tissue inflammation. The stromal vascular cell fraction is composed of various cell types, including progenitor cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, nerve cells, and immune cells (3, 5). Among the immune cells characterized in adipose tissue, macrophages are not only the most abundant, but have also been shown to accumulate with increase in adipose tissue mass (3, 6). Macrophages can express a wide range of polarization states depending on their enivronment and tissue localization (7, 8). The phenotype of macrophages in adipose tissue has been …


This article,starting with the main problems existing in the moral sphere during the period of social transition,analyzes the theoretical basis and the trend of the evolution of morality.Finally,it puts forward the fundamental principles of the evolution of morality in our country.In the author's opinion,morality belongs to an informal institution,which has three kinds of nature and three economic functions,and the trend of the evolution of morality is institutionalization.Also,in the institutionalization of the evolution of morality it is essential to follow three basic principles:the unity of moral norms and profit seeking,the integration of efficiency and fairness,and the congruity of economic development and people's development.


A recent instrumentation project called for a d.c. differential amplifier with very high common-mode rejection, which resulted in the circuit described.


ISSUE: Students in a history of modern architecture course receive much of their visual information through the medium of projected images in a lecture format. Additional images provided within written text present material in a preestablished order, rather than in a format that invites student participation, and may limit the students' ability to discover comparative relationships. APPLICATION: Student–owned computers make information available at the student's choice of time and place in a format that invites student participation. GOAL: A computer file of images serves as a resource for improving instruction by providing an interactive, nonsequential study tool while encouraging students to experiment and become more familiar with computer use. DESCRIPTION: Over 150 images were scanned from slides and incorporated into a database program that could be used on a student's personal computer (Macintosh SE or better). Images can be selected and grouped by architect/designer, location, date, and words entered by students; they can be viewed with or without text; and two can be viewed simultaneously. CONCLUSION: Although most students reported using the image files, they seemed to prefer hard–copy prints. Student interest in having images included in the notes for the course resulted in the scanning and incorporating of approximately 200 images in the photocopy packet for use in a subsequent term.


The Spanish pension system, -contributory, public and shared- is under severe strain due to a growing aging population that will produce a large elderly population, a smaller pension plan and a significant investment in housing. The authors believe this may create a new social class, with high risk of exclusion, made up of these elderly cash poor but house rich individuals. We present a demographic study of population, cash flow and heritage of this aging population. The work shows tools to turn their real estate into cash.


A pot experiment aimed at determining the effect of five NaCl concentrations (namely 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mM, determining respective EC values of 0.8, 3.0, 6.0, 9.0 and 12.2 dS m-1) on cape gooseberry plants was set up at Humboldt University's greenhouse in Berlin, Germany. Dry weight (DW) of roots, stems and leaves, as well as foliar content of ions K+, Ca2+ and Na+ and the relationship they hold with one another, were determined over a 75-day period. DW of all plant organs was observed to decrease with increasing salinity. The lowest values of this variable, which were recorded from the 120 mM NaCl plants, were found to be significantly smaller than those recorded at 60 mM and lower salt concentrations. Salt stress effects on dry matter (DM) accumulat ion were observed to increase with plant age. Leaf K+ content increased with salinity and peaked at 90 mM NaCl, where the value was significantly higher than that observed at 120 mM. Foliar Ca2+ content remained unchanged at the different salt concentrations, whilst Na+ content increased together with salt stress. The relationship among ion concentrations was significantly influenced only by 90 mM or higher NaCl concentrations, which determined a progressive increase of the Na+/Ca2+ ratio and a similar decrease of the K+/ Na+ ratio. According to the results, cape gooseberry can be considered as moderately tolerant to salt, as shown by the 30 mM NaCl treatment, which did not affect DM accumulation in plant organs. This tolerance is also supported by steady leaf Ca2+ contents at all levels of salinity, indicating that cape gooseberry uses K+ as an osmoprotectant, at least up to 90 mM NaCl.


The transition of drug-resistance of 520 strains of Staphylococcus aureus,taken from clinical samples in Shaoguan Railway Hospital during the years of 2000 to 2004,was analyzed.By K-B paper strip method,the drug sensitivity test of the strains was measured.Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) from them were detected by using the method or salt agar screen.The results showed that in all the strains,the tendency of the drug-resistance rate to the β-lactams and the fluoroquinolones was entirely to increase,to the aminoglycosides was to decrease,and to oxacillin increased year by year.The stains resistant to vancomycin appeared.All these signified that the clinicians should choose antibiotics according to the drug-resistance of pathogens derived from different patterns in aim to cure the infectious causing by Staphylococcus aureus.


While Focused-Ultrasound thalamotomy has proven effective at reducing tremor, traditional targeting methods can be suboptimal at balancing primary tremor-reduction outcomes against undesired side-effects. The traditional "canonical" technique involves an indirect method which applies a non-individualized stereotactic coordinate atlas towards identifying the presumed approximate location of VIM thalamus, the ablation target; the canonical lesion is empirically grown in size based-on dynamic intraoperative feedback from an awake patient, until the surgeon judges that an appropriate balance of tremor-reduction and side-effect risk has been achieved. We propose optimized methods to define and monitor the ideal anatomical ablation for optimized tremor-reduction/Quality-of-Life balancing.


The UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education (Labor Center) has recently opened the Los Angeles Black Worker Center (BWC) in partnership with labor and commu‐ nity. The mission of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center is to change public policies and corporate practices in Los Angeles in order to advance economic justice for African American workers as well as the families and communities that rely on them. Our long‐term goals are to dismantle the barriers of employment discrimination, create access to quality jobs, and transform low‐paying, low‐skilled jobs into fulfilling and sustaining careers and vocations through unionization and leadership development.


Making an appropriate handover decision and a proper network selection are key issues in next generation networks. A traditional way to make a handover decision and select a target access network is based on the received signal strength (RSS). But it is not sufficient to meet the user and application needs. Some existing schemes have used multi-criteria for handover decision, there are still several problems un-solved. An intelligent technique is needed for handover to be performed with service continuity and quality of service. This thesis presents a multi-agent based scheme for vertical hand-over. We introduce the agents in the mobile nodes and access points for collecting the in-formation from the environment for handover decision. A knowledge plane is proposed that keeps the knowledge needed for handover. Based on this knowledge, agents anticipate the handover to reduce the handover delay and packet loss. We have defined three agent behaviors (Monitoring, Decision, and Selection) that help handover anticipation. Monitoring is used to collect the information needed for handover. Agents in the MNs and the APs ex-change this information to create their situated views. The role of the decision behavior is to decide to execute a handover or not. It is based on the RSS threshold value and/or can be activated because of some application needs. Net-work selection is responsible of choosing the best network from the available ones in the knowledge-base by a selection function. The proposed approach has been evaluated using simulations


Industrial Revolution 4.0 requires the education sector to find new ways to learn. The education sector must be able to create industry-ready graduates who require graduates with good analytical thinking, capable of solving complex problem, creative and adaptable. BeeCEO is one of the business process simulation software developed to meet these needs. Users can practice the business process theory in this business process simulation. However, to ensure that BeeCEO has been used properly by users, it is important to know in advance if BeeCEO has fulfilled all the dimensions of the user experience (UX). User Experience Questionnaire is a technique that can be used to assess whether BeeCEO has met users' expectations from the user experience dimensions. The results of this study show which BeeCEO UX dimensions need to be improved before they can be fully utilized by users.


A 59‐year‐old black woman presented with an ill‐defined plaque on her nose. This appeared clinically suggestive of a sclerosing type of basal cell epithelioma (BCE). Microscopic sections demonstrated this diagnosis. Multiple excisions employing the microscopically controlled technique of Mohs traced the tumor deep into the nasal cartilage before histologic sections were free of tumor cells. This type of BCE deserves well planned therapy because of its destructive potential.


"A VERY STRANGE SOCIETY": A JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA. Allen Drury. New York: Trident Press, 1967. 6 + 465 pp. Map on end -papers. $6. 95. The author of the widely read novel, Advise and Consent, spent a year in reading literature on South Africa and thus prepared visited that country for two months. His book is much more than the impressions of a casual tourist, for despite the shortness of his stay he was able to interview a very large number of persons of every shade of opinion, including most of those whose names are well known in the West. He places before the reader records of these interviews, items and editorials from South African newspapers, and bits of information from official sources with all their conflicting viewpoints, leaving to the reader himself the task of drawing conclusions. It does become clear that a prevailing atmosphere in South Africa is one of fear of the "outside world", and especially of the United States, and that the problems of this country are much more complex than is often realized by its critics.


This paper mainly examines four issues within the framework of Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993, McCarthy and Prince 1993): the nature of the changed Tone 2, Tone 2 Sandhi (T2S), Tone 3 Sandhi (T3S), the interaction with T2S and T3S. T2S refers to the phenomenon in which the contour of final Tone 2s produced by Southern Min (SM) speakers in Taiwan becomes falling. In this paper, T2S is treated as a weakening/neutralization process in final positions. Phonetic evidence shows that the changed Tone 2 does fall. Evidence from perception and its interaction with T3S imply that changed Tone 2 is phonologically Tone 3. For T2S, the constraint *Rising ]#, which disallow rising contour in final positions, is proposed to be the triggering constraints. To avoid violating *Rising ]#, a final Tone 2 is forced to change. This paper shows that this T2S, as well as its interaction with T3S, can be well captured in OT.


Coulomb interaction between electrons on p-orbitals of oxygen atom in strongly correlated compounds is not negligible, since its value (U_p) has comparable order of magnitude with the value of Coulomb interaction on d-orbitals of transition metal atom (U_d). We investigate the effect of taking into account Coulomb correlations in oxygen p-shell in addition to the correlations in the transition metal d-shell in frame of the LDA+U method. Our calculations for NiO, MnO and La2CuO4 show that this additional correction in general improves the agreement with experimental data for the spectral (energy gap values, relative position of the main peaks in X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and Bremsstrahlung isohromate spectroscopy (BIS)) and magnetic properties (magnetic moment values and intersite exchange interaction parameters values).


Kinetic studies of the oxidation of the bis[1-hydroxy-2-(salicylideneamino)ethane]manganese(II) complex by hydrogen peroxide in acetonitrile solutions, at (30.0±0.2)°C, are described. A first-order dependence on the total manganese and the peroxide concentrations was verified, leading to the rapid formation of a Mn(III) intermediate, monitored by stopped-flow measurements, at 394 nm, with a rate constant kf=(1.15±0.03)×105 mol−1 dm3 s−1. The participation of hydroxyl radicals in the process was detected by spin-trapping EPR spectra. The final product was monitored both by EPR spectra, and spectrophotometrically by the slow decay of the intermediary Mn(III) species, with a rate constant kd=(2.60±0.09) s−1. It was identified as the corresponding mononuclear Mn(IV) complex, and characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. Comparative results of the reactivity of the starting complex versus molecular oxygen, leading to the same final product, were also discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 889–897, 1998


From library characters,objective requirements of library management and readers' demand,the paper discusses the necessity of the broad participation of readers in library management and points out the ways and means for readers participating library management including extensive collecting readers' opinions,encouraging readers to attend directly management and relevant activities.Moreover, it proposes suggestions for specification of management.


Introduction As the second decade of the 21st century approaches, China has been in the spotlight among academics, media, businesses, and politics. The book, When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order by Martin Jacques, represents an excellent example. From the book title, one can assume what Jacques discusses in his book. Sound familiar? Yes, this is déjà vu all over again. About three decades ago, the book, Japan as Number One: Lessons for America by Ezra Vogel, also discusses Japan, addressing how it was going to overtake the United States. Vogel's expression – Japan as number one – became a famous phrase in contemporary Japanese history describing Japan's economic superpower during its heyday. Furthermore, since the 1980s some naïve scholars called Japan Pax Nipponica, expecting that Japan would dominate the "Pacific Century" in the 21st century. Recently, a similar term -"Asian Century," referred to an irreversible political and economic shift from the global power from West to East (i.e., from the US to China), coined by a scholar in Europe. Yet, the "Pacific Century" is no longer a credible reality for Japan. Unfortunately, Japan's phenomenon is lasted only decades, basically disappearing from the front page of media attention, as well as, fervent discussions among political leaders, academic cycles, and business communities. As the financial and economic crises have loomed, Japan is no longer viewed as a model to be followed, respected, and appreciated. What happened inside Japanese politics? How did Japan slip from "number one" to number "nothing?" Why did the Japanese take so long to change the regime in the 2009 election? What can China learn from Japan's experiences? This paper analyzes contemporary Japanese politics, especially political reforms since the 1980s, which ultimately lead to the end of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 8 domination. After more than 20 years of the bursting of the Japanese bubble economy, to change and to reform LDP, is too difficult, too little, and too late. In addition to the incomplete series of reforms and the ill-fated domestic policies implemented by political leaders, the never-ending corruption scandal cycle


In terms of the studies of sedimentary microfacies and high-resolution sequence stratigraphy, a kind of sequence modeling technique may be used for the construction of the three-dimensional sedimentary microfacies models. By taking a mid-period cycle as a unit, the planar distribution of the sedimentary microfacies in different units are aligned according to time sequences and even can be drawn into animated cartoons. Then the modeled results may be tested in the light of sequence stratigraphic data and thus will improve our understanding of the evolution of sedimentary facies.


The notion of information has so far been quantified mostly in statistical terms, giving rise to Shannon's information theory and the principles of digital data transmission. Modern communication systems involving complex, intelligent, and autonomous agents call for a new look at the measures of information, where context, semantics, and agent rationality are not entirely abstracted from. In this essay we propose a framework for measuring information inspired by the event-driven paradigm.


A unified form for real and complex wave functions is proposed for the stationary case, and the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation is derived in the three-dimensional space. The difficulties which appear in Bohm's theory like the vanishing value of the conjugate momentum in the real wave function case are surmounted. The probability current which plays an essential role in the approach presented here, is interpreted in such a way as to give rise to an interesting consequence about the wave function.


ABSTRACT In this work, we have fabricated lead selenide (PbSe) thin films by the pulsed laser deposition method on Si/SiO2 substrates and investigated the effect of oxygen annealing (sensitization) in these films. The oxygen-sensitized films show high responsivity in the visible (VIS) and the near-infrared (NIR) region at room temperature without cooling. We also demonstrate the effective surface oxidation of PbSe thin films during the oxygen annealing process without treated with commonly used halogens that leads to a better photoresponse in these PbSe films.


The hypergraph matching game is a cooperative game defined on a hypergraph such that the vertices are the players, and the characteristic function is the value of a maximum hypergraph matching on a hypergraph induced by a coalition. This game models the nature of group formation and will have applications in, e.g., organ exchange and joint purchasing. The hypergraph matching game is intractable in general because evaluating its characteristic function is already NP-hard. Thus, we study a more tractable condition, called the convexity. First, we prove that the problem of checking whether a given hypergraph matching game is convex or not is solvable in polynomial time. Second, we prove that the Shapley value of a given convex hypergraph matching game is exactly computable in polynomial time. Third, we show that the problem of finding a minimum compensation to make a given hypergraph matching game convex is NP-hard, even if the input is a graph, and is 2-approximable in polynomial time if the input is an antichain. Finally, we consider the fractional hypergraph matching game and prove that if the fractional hypergraph matching game is convex, then its characteristic function coincides with the characteristic function of the corresponding (integral) hypergraph matching game.


In this study, we intend to show the basis of a general legged locomotion controller with the ability to integrate both posture and rhythmic motion controls and shift continuously from one control method to the other according to the walking speed. The rhythmic motion of each leg in the sagittal plane is generated by a single leg controller which controls the swing-to-stance and stance-to-swing phase transitions using respectively leg loading and unloading information. Since rolling motion induced by inverted pendulum motion during the two-legged stance phases results in the transfer of the load between the contralateral legs, leg loading/unloading involves posture information in the frontal plane. As a result of the phase modulations based on leg loading/unloading, rhythmic motion of each leg is achieved and leg coordination (resulting in a gait) emerges, even without explicit coordination among the leg controllers, allowing to realize dynamic walking in the low- to medium-speed range. But an additional ascending coordination mechanism between ipsilateral leg controllers helps to improve the stability. In this paper, we report the result of experiments using a newly constructed quadruped robot "Kotetsu" in order to verify the results of simulations. Details of trajectory generation and movies can be seen at: http://robotics.mech.kit.ac.jp/kotetsu/.


In oxygenated irrigation, there are problems of large oxygenated bubble particles, low oxygen concentration in water, and mismatch with current irrigation systems. In this paper, numerical simulation of micro-nano bubble releaser was carried out and the development of oxygenated irrigation
 equipment was studied. The release method of dissolved gas was selected to generate micro-nano bubbles after comparing different micro-nano bubble generation methods. The basic structure of the core-component releaser of generating micro-nano bubbles was initially determined. Effects of different
 structures of the release device on water aeration performance were studied by CFD analysis method. An optimal structure of the releaser was determined with orthogonal experiments based on a single factor experiment. The structural parameters included a throat of a 3 mm diameter, a 2 mm thick
 turbulent cavity, a six-degree exit angle, and two outlets. Optimal inlet and outlet pressure difference of the release device was 0.3 MPa. The bubble had an average particle size of 373.1 nm as measured. The release device was fabricated by 3D printing technology and the micro-nano bubble
 aeration irrigation device was developed. The system function test was carried out. Under the standard state, the performance parameters of the micro-nano bubble aerator included the maximum oxygen concentration of 11.4 mg/L, a total oxygen transfer coefficient of 0.4139 min-1,
 0.0114 kg/h oxygenation capacity, and 60.81% oxygen utilization rate. The device had advantages of a high oxygen-increasing efficiency and a small volume, making it quite prospective in the field of oxygenated irrigation.


This research is about how the usage of a CRM-system (Customer Relationship Management) affects companies and its customer relations. Other researches show that CRM-systems can give big advantages for both the customers, companies and the relations in-between. But there are many issues that affect how much a CRM-system change the relations between companies and its customers. The result from this research could be of interest for a company which is thinking about implementing a CRM-system or improve one they already use. Which leads us to our research question: How does CRM-system affect companies and their customer relations?The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze how a CRM-system affects companies and their customer relations.The research is based on a theory framework that gives an insight into what relations are and of what significance customer relations have for a company, also CRM-systems is discussed and their effects on companies. The collected theory concludes with a research model that begins with a CRM-system and shows how it according to the theory framework could affect a company and its customer relations. This model is used as the foundation in the collection of the empirical information.The study began with a literature study that resulted in a research model. We performed six interviews at four companies that use CRM-systems. Then with help from the research model we analyzed the answers from the interview and created the result and conclusions.In the thesis it's established that the examined companies don't use the CRM-systems full potential. A centralized database is one of the most important CRM-system components in a company's strive for better customer relations. The research concludes with a list of the factors we consider being of weight for a company that wants to know how a CRM-system could affect companies and their customer relations. If a company use its CRM-system in the right way they can get both better customer service, individualized services, improved information management and increased customer loyalty which all contributes to better customer relations and gives companies competitive advantages.


As a public intellectual, philosopher Takahashi Tetsuya is best known for his work on Yasukuni Shrine--the history of its usage and the challenges it presents not only for Japan's Asian neighbors but for those Japanese who object to state-sponsored mourning of those killed in war in the service of the nation. Interviewed here by postcolonial studies scholar Lee Hyo Duk, he turns his attention to the social context in which Yasukuni Shrine has been eminently exploitable by recent prime ministers and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.


The aim of this study is to analyze the manager as a taxpayer of goods and services tax due to divergent judicial decisions and interpretations of tax authorities. The considerations are centered around Article 15 § 3 Item 3 of the Act on tax on goods and services, which shows that for the self-employed activity is not considered an activity, if for the performance of these activities, the person ordering the performance is bound by legal ties with the contracted actions for the conditions of performing these activities, remuneration, and responsibility for performing these activities towards third parties. After analyzing the interpretation of tax authorities and the case law of administrative courts, the author indicates that only some minor changes in managerial contracts may decide on a different settlement in the field of taxation.


Thallium is a dispersed element and it seldom occurs in the form of independent minerals.The world annual production of Tl is about 15 ton,most of which is by-product separated from non-ferrous metal product.China is abundant in Tl resources and the reserves of Tl in China rank the first in the world.The electronic configuration of Tl is 6S26P1 when thallium atoms are in the ground state.Thallium has two geochemical valent states: positively monovalent and positively trivalent.It is mostly positively monovalent in nature.The electronic configuration and geochemical properties of Tl make it possess double geochemical properties,i.e.,on one hand,it is sulphophile and can be concentrated to form Tl deposits under low temperature conditions and on the other hand,it is lithophile and is of dispersed occurrence under high temperature conditions.Thallium is a useful element and is a toxic element as well.Thallium is widely used in supercoduction,electronics,alloy,optics,chemical industry,glass,and medicinal industry.Thallium is more toxic to mammals than mercury,cadmium,lead,copper and zinc.The high Tl level may do great harm to living things;if excessive,it would induce a variety of poisoning disease,even death.Thallium pollution and poisoning have been found in the mining districts of thallium deposits as a result of introduction of thallium into surface waters,soils,plants and human bodies owing to weathering and leaching of Tl-rich ores and rocks left in the open air.


Our study assessed mechanism of miR-21 antagonist packaged with arsenic trioxide nanoparticles (As2O3) in restraining invasion and metastasis of intestinal cancer by targeted CCR7 protein through induction of PI3K/Akt signal pathway. SW480 cell strains were adopted
 and divided into blank group, group with empty carrier, group with miR-21 agonist and group with miR-21 antagonist packaged with nanoparticles. Cell invasion and metastasis was observed after they were interfered with miR-21 agonist. Expressions of N-cadherin, Vimentin, MMP-9, MMP-2, PI3K
 and Akt were detected and targeted correlation between miR-21 and CCR7 was studied. The quantity of cells cross matrix membrane in group with carrier and miR-21 antagonist was lowest, while the quantity in the agonist group was highest. The expressions of N-cadherin, Vimentin, MMP-9, MMP-2,
 PI3K and Akt in group with carrier and antagonist were lower than in the other three groups, and expression of-cadherin and CCR-7 was reversed. The expression of CCR7 was up-regulated by the miR-21 antagonist packaged with nanoparticles, while activated degree of PI3K/Akt was restrained. The
 level of pathway factor was reduced abnormally so as to regulate the EMT procession, and expression of E-cadherin was increased. Moreover, the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2 was reduced, and cell invasion and metastasis were controlled. The molecular mechanism was related with PI3K/AKt signal
 pathway.


LAST YEAR, in the pages of The Reporter, Marya Mannes praised without discrimination all the British Broadcasting Corporation's programs for children. It was not clear from her article how much of what she praised she had seen or listened to; she had, at any rate, looked at the Radio Times and noted what was available. Certainly, what is available is less offensive than much of what American radio and television provide for children, but this is negative praise. I have had nearly two years of the B.B.C. now, and my enthusiasm is more restrained than Miss Mannes's. During the debate on "horror comics" which engaged everyone's attention in England last year, the National Union of Teachers published a list of approved comics, which were described as "harmless or educational [my italics]." I am afraid that the "Children's Hour" on the B.B.C. television and radio falls too often


Conductive and non‐conductive epoxies suitable for thick film circuits have been available since about 1970. They were originally intended for mounting semiconductor chips as an alternative to eutectic bonding, but they are now used for a much wider range of applications. This paper discusses the practical problems and results of epoxy mounted semiconductors in the light of five years manufacturing experience, and goes on to look at some of the latest applications for epoxies in thick film hybrids.


We implemented an algorithm to solve jigsaw puzzles in which the scrambled square puzzle pieces have unknown translations and rotations. We assume no input other than the scrambled pieces and the dimensions of the original image. Our algorithm reformulates the puzzle solving problem as a search for a minimum spanning tree in a graph, subject to additional spatial consistency constraints. In order to provide for quick union and find operations while searching for the MST, we implemented a modified Disjoint Set Forest data structure. Our results are on par with those of state of the art puzzle solving algorithms, and we demonstrate successful reconstruction of large, high resolution photos.