----------------------------------------------------------In our part of the world, the process of communal disharmony, disruption and disintegration started with the evil spirited "two nation theory" and was further institutionalized through the enactment of the Enemy property Act by the Pakistan regime during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. This law persists even today under a new nomenclature, the Vested Property Act, through the content of the law remains basically unchanged. The multidimensional impact of these relevant Acts on the life of Hindu minorities has never been studied in-depth. Our exploration on the subject shows that mass outmigration, dispossession of huge amounts of land and other assets, breaking of family ties, loss of human potential, disruption in social capital formation, and the formation of parasitic vested interest groups are some of the major impacts.


A virgin phase transition is observed in spherical particles of the industrially relevant magnetocaloric material La(Fe,Mn,Si)13H y. Upon initial cooling, the phase transition is observed 2–3 K below the heating transition on all subsequent cooling and heating transitions. This virgin transition has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry and vibrating sample magnetometry. Incremental measurements show not only how the phase transition can be carefully approached but also that the initial full transformation requires cooling of about 6 K below the observed phase transformation. No signs of structural damage due to the thermal cycling were observed, neither macroscopically or by scanning electron microscopy.


The braille code, created by Louis Braille (1809-1852), represents access to information and education, the currency of the future for children and adults who are blind or visually impaired. Being able to manage and manipulate information is vital not only to economic success but also to a person's dignity and perceived self-worth as an educated individual. It is therefore important, regardless of whatever educational program is involved, that we ensure that individuals have choice in learning and access to information now and in the future. In 2009, the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) will celebrate Louis Braille's 200th birthday throughout the year by publishing essays and excerpts relating to Louis Braille and the code he created. I have been honored by being invited to be the series editor of the JVIB Louis Braille Bicentennial Celebration. Essay topics will include teaching braille in public schools; issues of print versus braille and uncontracted versus contracted braille; braille competencies; consumers' and teachers' points of view on the importance of braille; braille translation technology and its impact on literacy; and the state of the art concerning the Unified English Braille Code. The October 2009 issue will be a Special Issue on Literacy, and that month's Braille Celebration column will include a brief summary of information on Louis Braille that is not widely known. The last celebration of Louis Braille and his life conducted by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) can be found in the March 1952 issue of one of JVIB's earlier incarnations, New Outlook for the Blind. Instead of celebrating the birthday of Louis Braille, as we will do this year, that issue marked the 100th anniversary of his death in 1852 and included the first authoritative biography of Louis Braille in the English language. Entitled The Reading Fingers: Life of Louis Braille, 1809-1852, it was a slightly abridged version of the French biography written by Jean Roblin and was translated by Ruth G. Mandaline. (The full translation of The Reading Fingers was published by AFB in 1955, and an electronic version of the booklet appears online as part of AFB's celebration of Louis Braille at: .) To further commemorate the 100 years since Braille's death, AFB and its affiliate the American Foundation of Overseas Blind (now known as Helen Keller International) issued a special seal bearing a likeness of his face and the dates of his life. The seal was entitled: "Louis Braille Centennial, 1809-1852, Light-Bearer to the World of Darkness." (An image of this seal can be viewed online in the JVIB Time Line, available at: .) I will not go into detail on the life of Louis Braille here, since the literature is already rich with accounts of his life, but I will simply highlight some interesting points that I hope the reader will enjoy as much as I do. Please check back every month to continue the celebration of this man's unique life and the impact his code has had in the 200 years since his birth. ACCOUNTS OF Louis BRAILLE'S BIRTH AND DEATH The description of Louis Braille's birth and early life from the Roblin biography provides a glimpse into life in the 19th century: The fourth of January, 1809, was a day of happiness for the Braille family. The parents, however, were no longer very young; but Simon-Rene Braille [a harness maker, aged 44] said proudly that the new baby to be born would be "the companion of his old age." ... Suffering labor pains, Monique [Baron Braille, aged 39] had been impatiently awaiting the birth.... At four o'clock in the morning, a small, puny creature, with flabby, wrinkled skin was born, and for some time, it was thought he would not live. (Roblin, 1952, p. 65) But live he did, the youngest of four siblings. As a boy of 3 years, Louis went to his father' s forbidden workbench and, "in hands, still too chubby to be skillful," took hold of a knife and a piece of leather to cut. …


In this paper the problem of designing a wideband FIR fractional delay filter using the Farrow approach is considered. A two-stage design with a half-band linear-phase prefilter optimal in the Chebyshev sense and a short maximally flat Lagrangian fractional delay filter in the Farrow structure is proposed. It offers an economic implementation with the number of multiplications smaller than for one-stage approach used hitherto, provided that the prefilter is a Nyquist filter. A novel, accurate method of computing the coefficients of Farrow subfilters is introduced based on symbolic designing of k-th degree differentiators. The proposed filter is intended for applications with variable fractional delay value.


In this study, the resistance performances of barge are analyzed by model tests and computation using CFD to investigate the flow characteristics around a barge in still water. The model tests are carried out in infinite depth in Inha Technical College Circulation Tank to observe the resistance and the numerical simulations based on VOF(Volume of Fluid) method are performed to analyze the flow around the barge. We have selected two barge models to investigate the flow characteristics according to the different type of barges. The experiments are carried out with the models from 5kts to 10kts(designed speed 7kts) considering the effect of adverse and favorable current. The numerical simulations are performed to analyze the flow and resistance characteristics of barge in the full loaded condition with the target speed and compared with the experimental data to confirm the reliability of the numerical method. The result was that the difference of resistance with 25% occurred at low speed and EHP increased rapidly from 7kts.


Different ethnic groups of Bangladesh and their colorful lifestyles have significantly enriched the entire culture of Bangladesh. For centuries, Bangladesh has been the dwelling place of different ethnic groups. At least 350 million people worldwide are considered to be indigenous and in Bangladesh about two million indigenous people of 45 different distinct communities are living throughout the country ( Hossain, 2003). These people with distinctive social and cultural practices, languages and customs are commonly known as 'Adivasis' by themselves. Among them Khasis are one of the most disadvantaged and vulnerableAdivasi community living in Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts. They have been characterized by the dominant groups as distinctive with their comparatively more isolated habitation in the hilly and forest areas and their distinct socio-economic and cultural lives ( Munda,2002). TheKhasiMongolite ethnic group. The Khasia's descended to the Khasia hills and Jaintia hills from Cherapunji and Shilong regions. They migrated to Bangladesh from Assam where they came about five hundred years ago, presumably from Tibet, and now form one of the major matriarchal tribes in Bangladesh. Khasias are short people with flat noses and mouths, high jaws, and small and straightened black eyes. This matrilineal ethnic group resides mainly in 11 Upazilas of the greater Sylhet District in the Northeastern region of Bangladesh. According to the government census of 1991, the Khasi population in Bangladesh is 12,280. Their livelihood pattern and their culture are different from the mainstream population. Khasia peoples play a great role in our socio economic condition. They are part and parcel of our tradition. They have to face a number of problems in their daily life. To alleviate their problems we should co-operate them.


This puzzle is described in Wallis's Algebra (Cap. CXI), with detailed instructions both for making it and solving it. The apparatus consists of two parts, which are easily made from simple materials, as follows:


This paper presents a new technique that is capable of detecting and classifying buried landmines at different depths in sandy soil with different soil conditions. Prony's method is used to extract the complex natural resonance (CNRs) frequencies from the reflected landmine signals. These CNRs are used as new features for detection and classification of buried landmines. Different classification methods are employed to investigate the validity of the proposed method.


Abstract A refined averaged theory of a rigid heat conductor with a microperiodic structure is used to solve a one-dimensional initial boundary value problem of heat conduction in a periodically layered plate with a large number of homogeneous isotropic layers. In such a theory, the temperature θ = θ(x,t) (0 ≤ x ≤ L, t ≥ 0)is approximated by θ(x,t) = θ0(x,t) + η(x)θ1(x,t) where θ0(x,t) is a temperature-corrector and η = η(x) is a prescribed microshape function; and the functions θ0 = θ0(x,t) and θ1 = theta;1(x,t) are to be found by solving an initial-boundary value problem described by a system of linear partial differential equations with averaged coefficients subject to suitable initial and boundary conditions. A uniqueness theorem for the averaged problem is proved and two closed-form solutions for a periodically layered semispace are obtained. One of the two solutions represents the temperature field in the layered semispace due to a sudden heating of the boundary plane, while the other stands for the...


In this article, I provide a new reading of Djebar's Le Blanc de l'Algérie as being antimourning. I argue that in the face of institutionalized amnesia and excessive commemoration, Djebar's refusal to mourn her dead friends institutes a politics of antimourning that seeks to reckon with the larger memory and history of silenced political murders in Algeria. Rejection of mourning enables remembering and empowers feminist engagements with the past. Rather than being another al-Khansā'—the Arab dirge poet who composed elegies for her slain brother, Ṣakhr—Djebar sees herself in Polybe's footsteps. In offering this new argument, I aim to steer scholarly conversations to antimourning as a condition for healing in postcolonial contexts. Conscious of the centrality of language in Djebar's writings and in her larger Maghrebi context, I have developed the undertheorized concept of Franco-graphie, which I propose opens up a new space to conceptualize violence and amnesia in writings that emerge from postcolonial, multilingual contexts, and their contested legacies.


Abstract One new sesquiterpene compound, namely, illihenlactone A ( 1 ), and one new prenylated C 6 –C 3 compound, illihenryione H ( 2 ), along with three known sesquiterpenes ( 3–5 ) were isolated from the stems of Illicium henryi . The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic evidence including NMR, HRESIMS and circular dichroism (CD). Compound 2 exhibited a weak inhibitory ratio for β -glucuronidase release induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF) in rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in vitro .


Imaging system and method for generating image data is provided. The processor, in response to the analysis and selected operating mode of the image data, processed image data, and is configured to generate a signal. The processor, at least one characteristic of the image data depending on whether villages detection condition is satisfied, selecting a village mode or non villages mode as the operation mode. The processor monitors the ambient light level over a predetermined time, the ambient light level, when the threshold is reached indicating that the driver's eyes are adapted to the bright ambient light level, changes the villages detection state.


This paper,by means of receptional aesthetics,analyzes the reception of Akira Kurosawa's movies by Chinese audiences.In the aspect of appreciation,audiences have certain appreciation anticipation of Akira Kurosawa's movies with their motive and action to contact and dialogue, but their appreciation ability is not strong enough due to the influence of ideology.In the field of criticism,critics are somewhat cold to Akira Kurosawa's movies,and focus their criticism mainly on the narrative subject and narrative structure of Roshomon and Seven Swordsmen.In view of movie creation,directors and screenwriters have become so passionate for Akira Kurosawa's movies that some of them,like Xu Ke and Zhang Yimou,take them as the model to imitate,and practice Akira Kurosawa's movie aesthetic.


Background The prevalence of hypo‐attenuated leaflet thickening (HALT) and reduced leaflet motion (RLM) is unknown in surgically implanted bioprostheses because systematic investigation of HALT and/or RLM is limited to a few catheter‐based valves. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HALT and RLM by cardiac computed tomography in patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement and received a Perceval sutureless aortic valve bioprosthesis. Methods and Results This was a single‐center prospective observational study that included 47 patients (83.5% of the total number of implantations) who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement with implantation of the Perceval sutureless bioprosthesis (LivaNova PLC, London, UK) at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden from 2012 to 2016 and were studied by cardiac computed tomography. Cardiac computed tomography was performed at a median of 491 days (range 36–1247 days) postoperatively. HALT was found in 18 (38%) patients and RLM in 13 (28%) patients. All patients with RLM had HALT. Among patients with HALT, 5 out of 18 patients (28%) were treated with anticoagulation (warfarin or any novel oral anticoagulant) at the time of cardiac computed tomography. Among patients with RLM, 3 out of 13 patients (23%) were treated with anticoagulation. Conclusions HALT and RLM were prevalent in the surgically implanted Perceval sutureless aortic valve bioprosthesis. Both HALT and RLM were found in patients with ongoing anticoagulation treatment. Whether these findings are associated with adverse events needs further study. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02671474.


Preface. Symbols. 1. INTRODUCTION. Aim of this book (E. Dulacska). Historical review (L. Varga). 2. THE SUBSOIL. Subsoil deformation due to loading (L. Varga). Deformation due to cavities (A. Arato). 3. THE STRUCTURES (E. Dulacska). Stiffness properties of the structures. Deformation tolerances of structures. Settlement criteria to prevent building damage. Safety considerations (S. Fekete). 4. MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES (S. Fekete). The soil model. Surface loads on elastic soil. Rigid footing on an elastic soil. Elastic beam foundations on elastic soil. Slab foundations on an elastic soil. Well- and pile foundations. Continuum problems. Rheological effects, construction schedule. APPROXIMATE METHODS. Approximate methods for surface loading (E. Dulacska). Approximate methods in the case of soil cavities (A. Arato). An approximate method to determine the excess stresses caused by terrain deformations in the vertical load bearing structures of buildings. 6. EXAMPLES FOR CALCULATING TERRAIN DEFORMATIONS AND BUILDING DAMAGE DUE TO CAVITIES (E. Nemestothy). Determination of excess stresses acting on vertical load-bearing structures of a building. The subsidence trough and building damage due to undermining. Characteristic building damage caused by tunnel driving. A case history to study terrain movements caused by the combined effects of various factors. APPENDIX. Tables. Subject Index.


This article considers temporary works, in particular the use of temporary supports, to precast concrete bridge beams during deck construction.


The invention relates to the technical field of mechanical automation production devices, in particular to an automatic wire winding, binding and cutting integrated machine and automatic winding, binding and cutting method thereof. The integrated machine comprises a frame, a wire releasing device, a wire feeding device, a wire winding device, a ribbon tightening device, a ribbon contour device and a ribbon cutting device are arranged on the frame, a wire is pulled to the wire winding device through the wire feeding device and is automatically clamped, fixed and wound by the wire winding device, an annular wire coil is formed after the wire is wound, a ribbon cut off by the ribbon cutting device is conveyed to the wire coil by the ribbon contour device and is further tightened onto the wire coil by the ribbon tightening device, the wire is cut off by the wire feeding device, the wire coil is automatically unloaded by a wire clamping and coil unloading device, the winding, binding and cutting process of the whole wire coil is finished, the wire can be peeled and accuracy of the length of the wire coil can be controlled according to requirements of a customer, fully automatic unmanned operation of wire winding/length counting, wire binding, compensation, wire cutting, peeling and coil unloading is realized, and the manufacturing cost of an enterprise is reduced.


Large‐cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (LCNECs), categorized as high‐grade neuroendocrine carcinomas, account for approximately 3% of resected lung cancers. LCNECs containing other components are called 'combined LCNECs' and have no standard treatment. A 73‐year‐old male with a metastatic brain tumour from a combined LCNEC of the lung containing adenocarcinoma and sarcomatoid components was referred to our department. The patient was treated with chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin and nanoparticle albumin‐bound (nab)‐paclitaxel in combination with atezolizumab, which was decided in accordance with the histological evaluation of the components. This treatment resulted in partial response and remained durable for 12 months with an ongoing regimen. The current case suggests that the constituents of chemoimmunotherapy should be selected in accordance with the reported efficacy of relevant regimens for each component of the combined LCNEC.


A pipeline ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) architecture is proposed. The ADC is composed of a unique first stage and a conventional second stage. A track-hold and an operational amplifier have been proposed to be used in the ADC system.
The first stage is implemented in the transistor level. It can generate an analog residue at 10-bit accuracy level with 100MHz sampling frequency. The track-hold has a 14-bit linearity with 13MHz input frequency and 100MHz sampling frequency. The power supply is +/−1.65V for the overall system. The circuits are designed using a 0.18 μm digital CMOS process and the layout is finished.
Two chips have been fabricated and tested. The track-hold chip consumes 23.76mW power from a +/−1.65 V power supply. The track-hold has 11-bit resolution. The ADC chip is functional with the proposed track-hold.
The results proved the research ideas.


Living loblolly pine stumps (Pinus taeda L.) appear to be relatively uncommon, but not rare. Excavation of roots and application of a P32 solution to two living stumps showed that they were connected with living trees by means of natural root grafts formed some time before the trees reached 35 years of age. Radiophosphorus was found to move out of the stump and into the stem of a single living tree in both cases. Distribution of isotope in the crowns of these trees was not uniform 3 weeks after the materials were introduced; a larger amount of isotope occurred on the side away from the point of entrance into each stem than on the side facing the point of entrance.


The dynamics of Min proteins plays a center role in accurate cell division. Although the nucleoids may presumably play an important role in prokaryotic cell division, the re is a lack of models to account for its participation. In this wo rk, we apply the lattice Boltzmann method to investigate protein osc illation based on a mesoscopic model that takes into account the nucleo id's role. We found that our numerical results are in reasonably good agreement with the previous experimental results On comparing with the other computational models without the presence of nucleoids, the highlight of our finding is that the local densitie s of MinD and MinE on the cytoplasmic membrane increases, especially a long the cell width, when the size of the obstacle increases, lea ding to a more distinct cap-like structure at the poles. This feat ure indicated the realistic pattern and reflected the combination of Min protein dynamics and nucleoid's role.


This study proposed the design of pico-scale Turgo turbine blades using triangle velocity and printing blades using three-dimensional (3D) printer technology. Then, describe the testing method of Pico scale Turgo turbines in laboratory conditions. The velocity triangle analysis accommodates backflow where it is affected by blade angle; this is relevant to the Turgo turbine because the flow and blades have an angle so that the estimated change in momentum approaches real conditions. Based on calculation results, the geometry of the pico-scale Turgo turbine blades that produce maximum performance is as follows: angle of attack is 20°, inlet blade angle is 40°, outlet blade angle is 10°, and radius blade angle is 15°. Then, simulation results determine the potential water power that the blade is capable of receiving is 17.5 W. The experimental setup has a potential water power of 14.81 W, lower than the mechanical strength simulation results. From the experimental results, the performance maximum is 0.092; the average deviation between the analytical and experimental is 4%. Therefore, the manufacture of pico-scale Turgo turbine blades using 3D printer technology is considered because of the ease of the manufacturing process, the time needed in the manufacturing process is short, and the cost is low.


In order to solve the problem of asphalt concrete pavement cracks, this paper summarizes the principle of self-healing asphalt concrete, and describes asphalt concrete self-healing technology in various countries. This paper also analyses the factors of influencing the self-healing ability of asphalt concrete and the evaluation index, and describes the prospect of asphalt concrete self-healing technology.In order to solve the problem of asphalt concrete pavement cracks, this paper summarizes the principle of self-healing asphalt concrete, and describes asphalt concrete self-healing technology in various countries. This paper also analyses the factors of influencing the self-healing ability of asphalt concrete and the evaluation index, and describes the prospect of asphalt concrete self-healing technology.


In the aftermath of the Cronulla riots, schools were faced with the fallout of social conflict, including having to deal with widespread fear and confusion both in their local communities and among students. This was especially the case for schools in the Sutherland Shire and in the local government area (LGA) of Bankstown. Apart from the presence of many young people in the initial riot and the revenge raids, some schools, like churches, had been the target of attacks (Leys and Box, 2005: 1; Daily Telegraph, 2005: 5). Schools were also targeted as places to battle the consequences of cultural division: the then Prime Minister John Howard, in his Australia Day speech just over a month after the riots, complained that the teaching of Australian history in schools needed reform to properly foster the core values that would bind a nation together (Sydney Morning Herald, 2006). At all levels of government, a raft of programs designed to ease local tensions were introduced, many of which focused on young people or on schools (see Board of Studies New South Wales, 2007; Surf Life Saving NSW, 2006).

This article outlines the contexts for understanding the role of schools: both in terms of the spatial dynamics of the 'Shire' and in terms of the changing nature of educational policy. It then focuses on a National Values Education Project (NVEP) involving five schools in south and south-western Sydney as a direct response to the Cronulla riot. It suggests that these contexts produce both a degree of cultural heterogeneity in young people's social lives and a degree of segregation amongst young people in schooling which delimits 'what is possible' in terms of schooling responses to the Cronulla riot.


A new zinc phosphate was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction of zinc oxide and phosphoric acid in the presence of 1,4-diaminebutane. The formula of the product is (ZnPO4)4(H3PO4)2(C4N2H14)2 and crystallizes in the triclinic system with a=8.6590(3) Å, b=10.3467(3) Å, c=8.3910(3) Å, α=102.180(2)°, β=93.676(2)°, and γ=88.203(2)°.


Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) real-time simulation is a powerful tool for fast verification of high-power inverter performance. On the FPGA-based HIL platform, the real-time model of the inverter was established by Verilog hardware description language (HDL), and the power loss and temperature rise of the inverter were monitored in real time. The loss model uses bilinear interpolation and the temperature rise model uses the equivalent thermal network method. Compared with the 80kW physical inverter, the experimental results show that the HIL real-time model can meet the real-time requirements. The delay for the entire HIL real-time model is 0.44μs. The maximum error of temperature rise calculation is 4.9%, and the average error is 3.4%.


The rotational level dependence of the electronic quenching of the A2A1 state of the NH2 radical is investigated by time‐resolved laser‐induced fluorescence. Quenching of ∑(0,9,0) is found to increase monotonically with rotational level from 2×10−11 cm3s−1 for N'=0 to 7×10−11 cm3 s−1 for N'=7. Measurements on the neighboring ∑(0,7,0), Π(0,8,0), and Π(0,10,0) vibronic levels show no significant rotational level dependence. The behavior in ∑(0,9,0) cannot be satisfactorily explained by either molecular collision dynamics or by state mixing.


Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), as a half-antigen can′t lead to immune reaction and has to be conjugated with a carrier, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA). Two methods were used to prepare the immunogen including the carbodiimides reaction and the mixed anhydride reaction. The conjugates of MPA-BSA were identified by the analysis of spectrophotometry, SDS electrophoresis and animal immunization test.The conjugated ratios were 14 and 20 respectively. The results demonstrated that the synthesis of MPA-BSA were successful.


La importancia de la gestion de riesgos y seguridad en la lucha contra los delitos laft
This document has the objective to describe the importance of risk management and security from different fronts of action in structuring strategies to combat crimes laundering (LA) and terrorist financing (FT) . Then it is necessary, first, to raise a description of these crimes and, also, of the mechanisms of action used to achieve them, allowing us to understand the implications and consequences that entail for actors the international community.Moreover, this document states, in general, the objectives have regimes and international partnerships implemented by the States and the private sector in this regard, emphasis is on the role that the AML / CFT regime and BASC standards in the fight against LAFT crimes. For the correct understandin of the implementation of these instruments, this paper offers an exhibition of particular actions that companies can take using as a guide the tools provided by the BASC standards.


Computer-Aided Diabetic Retinopathy Screening makes it easier for doctors to provide a fast and accurate diagnosis to save the vision of diabetes mellitus patients. Artificial intelligence based on Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Networks is widely used in medical image analysis because it has excellent image recognition capabilities. However, the problem that often arises in the deep learning method is overfitting. To solve this problem, we propose an Ordinary Convolutional Neural Network. Using a dropout regularization technique, data augmentation, and preprocessing before performing the four-stage classification of Diabetic Retinopathy. With our proposed approach, we obtained an accuracy of 98.02%, a sensitivity of 95.33%, and a specificity of 98.53% without overfitting.


BACKGROUND: Carbohydrate (CHO) receptors in the mouth signal brain areas involved in cognitive tasks relying upon motivation and task persistence. However, the minimal CHO dose that improves mental activity is unclear. PURPOSE: To identify a CHO dose (via ingestion or oral rinse) that influences sustained attention without eliciting glycemic responses in a fasted state. METHODS: Five solutions (0-6% CHO) were ingested to evaluate glycemic response in six adults. Peak blood glucose for 6% and 1.5% CHO was greater (p<0.05) than 0%, 0.4% CHO. Thus, 0.4% CHO was evaluated further. Following an overnight fast, ten healthy adults completed three trials in a crossover design: 1) 400 ml 0.4% CHO ingested (CHO-I/I), 2) 375 ml control (CON) 0% CHO ingested followed by 25 ml of 6% CHO rinse without ingestion (CON-I/CHO-R), and 3) CON ingest followed by CON rinse (CON-I/R). CHO-I/I and CON-I/CHO-R trials exposed 1.5 g CHO to the mouth for 5 s. Following the last 25 ml bolus, a 20 min Continuous Performance Task (CPT) was performed to assess accuracy (ACC) and precision (PREC). RESULTS: Ingestion of 1.5 g CHO (CHO-I/I) maintained ACC over 20 min CPT compared to significant decreases (p<0.05) with CHO and CON rinses. CHO-I/I elicited a lower (p<0.05) relative decrease in ACC (-0.5 ± 3.7%) and PREC (0.4 ± 11.2%) compared to CON-I/R (-7.5 ± 7.3%, -15.5  16.6%) and tended to be less (p=0.06, p=0.08) than CON-I/CHO-R (-6.9 ± 8.2%, -16.1  22.9%). No differences in glycemic responses were observed. CHO mouth rinse did not differ from CON rinse. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to mouth rinsing CHO (1.5 g in 6% CHO), an isoenergetic low-CHO drink maintained sustained attention over a 20 min mentally fatiguing task and appears to be effective without eliciting a glycemic response after an overnight fast.


In the face of a variety of dynamic web services on the Internet,it becomes a challenging issue how to find the most appropriate services for the users who request them.web service discovery mechanism include services matching and service choosing,although the dis-covery mechanism based on OWL-S and semantic similarity has improved the traditional discovery mechanism based on keywords and simple classification,there are some problems that reasonable weight distribution in the evaluation of service.It is able to find a better match with the request that build the web service ontology and make use of neural network to distribute the weight vector reasonably.


This work provides a check-list of all invertebrate species known, or believed to be, associated with cave guano in Australia. A total of 240 species in 121 families, representing 25 orders is listed. These species inhabit 60 karst areas in all mainland states of Australia and Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). Comprehensive assessment of all available records (published and in collections) show that the distribution of several species is more extensive than previously believed. It is unknown whether this is because of inadequate identification of specimens, poorly defined taxonomy or unrecognised intra-species variation due to a lack of specimens. Twenty species from five orders show restricted distributions and guano dependence, although endemic status can not yet be assigned. Amongst these species, eight pseudoscorpions and eight Coleoptera are distributed across several mainland states and Christmas Island.


We have considered a self-tuning technique of a fault-tolerant adaptive routing algorithm for highly parallel computer networks. Network saturation degrades communication performance especially on large-scale networks. Non-minimal routing distributes network loads, and hence it contributes improvement of overall throughput. Our preliminary experiments showed there is a trade-off between the maintenance of communication performance and the number of drainage packets during a dynamic network reconfiguration process. We propose a method that uses a deadlock detection function for self-tuning of the network. This paper describes the idea based on a Detour-UD routing algorithm that was proposed in our laboratory.


Background: In 2016 The Fraser Health Authority's Emergency Network established a priority to standardize patient access and flow through their 13 emergency departments (ED). A Model of Care (MOC) was developed after an extensive review of the literature and current practices across BC. Aim Statement: The ED Model of Care (MOC) specifies best practice expectations with respect to emergency patient access and flow. Rather than a 'top-down' mandate of expected practices, the MOC provided the opportunity for site-based teams to promote solutions that were 'locally actioned and regionally enabled'. Measures & Design: ED Quality Improvement (QI) teams were developed at all sites. The ED Network developed a "QI Bootcamp", a one-day course focused on imparting tools to drive improvements, providing a baseline understanding of how to launch and sustain local QI initiatives. Using Prosci's change approach, an emphasis was placed on using local ingenuity to implement plans, analyze feedback and diagnose gaps. This approach measured utilization of the changes to tangibly link initiatives and change to specific outcomes. As part of this strategy, an online scorecard was created to measure local results against best practice outcomes. The scorecard tracked quantitative access metrics such as ED Length of Stay (EDLOS), Left Without Being Seen rate, and triage time. Measures such as forming a QI team, identifying a QI project and completing a PDSA cycle were included in the scorecard Evaluation/Results: The MOC change management strategy was launched in May of 2018. By December 2018 all 13 EDs had formed a local QI team and identified a project. Twelve sites had completed at least one PDSA cycle and 10 sites had at least 75% of their members attend the QI Bootcamp. The scorecard displayed improvements in flow metrics. Highlights include the average arrival to triage time decreasing by 36% at one site, EDLOS for moderately ill patients decreased from 4.8 to 3.4 hours at another, and a community hospital had low acuity patient EDLOS decrease from 3.52 to 2.37 hours. Discussion/Impact: A standardized approach to patient access and flow in the ED (MOC), combined with the engaging grass roots approach to inspiring local innovation, allied with a concrete change management approach demonstrated significant results for patients accessing and moving through EDs. This pattern that is more likely to sustain itself because the results are felt and locally owned.


Antifungal property of 10 species of ferns from north-west Himalayas studied in 3 different seasons showed more antifungal property in rainy season followed by winter and summer seasons. Onychum japonicum exhibited highest inhibition, closely followed by Adiantum sp., whereas both species of Dryopteris offered least resistance. Bipolaris was most affected test fungus, whereas Aspergillus the least.


We consider a class of multi-dimensional partial differential equations involving a linear differential operator of arbitrary order and a power nonlinearity in the first derivatives. Under some additional assumptions for this operator, we study the solutions of multi-dimensional travelling waves that depend on some linear combinations of the original variables. The original equation is transformed to a reduced one, which can be solved by the separation of variables. Solutions of the reduced equation are found for the cases of additive, multiplicative and combined separation of variables.


The paper presents improvements on the short-term network planning of a distribution system and distributed generation (DG) on the open electricity market. The interconnection of DG is currently based on worst case principle thus great savings in network investments can be achieved by applying a statistical planning approach. An idea for flexible interconnection is also introduced which further extends the advantages of a statistical planning approach. The approach is applied to an existing network information system (NIS) used for distribution network planning. The capability of the proposed approach is pre- sented with a real life example and with a concept for voltage level management.


Small fluorescent molecules like tolanes are advantageous for broad applications, such as those in luminescence sensors and organic light-emitting devices. However, tolane derivatives are non-fluorescent in solution because of their...


tors of private industry and government. This regime produces a kind of pseudo-legitimacy, inasmuch as people are now judged by the results of their actions, as mutually agreed upon. The result, however, often is merely an unending push for more effort, from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy: workers must work ever harder (speed-ups in factories are a classic example), and managers must strive to realize more and more profits for stockholders. Supiot elaborates on the confusions as to the ultimate sources of legal authority for setting standards, particularly labor standards. In some European states, such as France, parliament can extend a particular labor-management agree ment to a broader group. In addition, a great many regulatory agencies have gained power, partly because of the privatization of previously state-provided services and partly because of the liberalization of the movement of capital. These "advisory bodies" are particularly prone to the ef fects of lobbying and capture by special interests, yet they are expected to give non-partisan advice to governments?and governments accept and act on such advice, deferring to it as the "will of the people," when doing so allows them to escape noisome responsibilities. At the same time, there has been an increasing tendency for states, and for the European Union, to require collective bargaining to cover certain specific matters, such as professional training, gender equality, and pensions. Whatever good these mandates do, they represent intrusion into the collective


In addition to the previously known ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states of $^{166}\mathrm{Er}$ at 1663 and 1830 keV, levels at 1812 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1 keV ($^{166}\mathrm{Er}$), 1786 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1 keV ($^{168}\mathrm{Er}$), and 1824 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1 keV ($^{170}\mathrm{Er}$) have been excited using electron bremsstrahlung. Based on the observed angular distributions of the scattered photons, all three previously unknown levels were found to have spin 1. Linear polarization measurements using a two-slab Ge(Li) polarimeter led to negative parity assignments for the 1786- and 1824-keV levels but were inconclusive with respect to the less strongly excited 1812-keV level. Below 1.9 MeV, the 1663-, 1786-, and 1824-keV levels are the dominant $E1$ excitations in their respective isotopes, the partial widths of their ground-state transitions being ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{0}=32\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5,46\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5, \mathrm{and} 30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3$ meV. The $\frac{B(E1;{1}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{g}.\mathrm{s}.)}{B(E1;{1}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{2}_{1}^{+})}$ ratios of 0.52 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.02, 0.51 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.02, and 0.53 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.02 differ considerably from the ratio 1.31 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.11 for the 1812-keV level and the reported ratio 0.22 for the 1830-keV ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state and are very close to the Alaga value of 0.50 for $K={0}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ levels.


Cost-effective Cu nanoparticles (NPs) for flexible electronics at low temperature sintering and in atmosphere conditions is difficult in response to their poor antioxidation. In this paper, a novel Cu@Ag core-shell nanoparticle with high antioxidant and size controllable characteristic using chemical reduction method was synthesized, and the corresponding conductive pastes by low temperature sintering was successfully applied to flexible printed electronics. The distinct thicknesses of Ag shell with the different [Cu]/[Ag] molar ratios were obtained. In contrast to sintering of conductive thin film of different thicknesses of Ag shell at low temperature, it is obvious that thicker Ag shell was beneficial for sintering densification and enhancing antioxidant, the corresponding resistivity significantly declined from 34.85μΩ•cm to 15.31μΩ•cm at 240°C. Besides, this air stable Cu@Ag NPs with excellent oxidation resistance were saved beyond 30 days and hardly oxidized during the process of sintering below 270°C. Finally, the flexible conductive thin film exhibited good bending-resistance with different bending radius and cycles under low sintering temperature, which has a promising potential to be applied for flexible printed electronics.


HIV and AIDS continue to be one of the most challenging developmental issues in human history. In the early days of the epidemic HIV was seen as a disease striking mainly men. Today women account for nearly half of the 39.5 million people living with HIV worldwide. Of the 3.8 million new HIV infections that occurred among adults worldwide in 2006 50 per cent were among women. In sub-Saharan Africa where HIV transmission is predominantly heterosexual almost 60 percent of those infected are women. This dramatic rise in HIV prevalence among women is due to gender inequality and blatant human rights violations. Gender determines the role and status of men and women that is culturally defined and carried on through a process of socialization starting from the early stage of infancy. This creates unequal power balances between men and women and also determines their unequal access to key resources such as information education employment and credit. Vulnerability to HIV is also influenced by sexuality. Stigma and discrimination of certain sexualities leads to their marginalization and exclusion from mainstream health programs and services. This drives them underground and makes it difficult to reach them with HIV information and services exacerbating their vulnerability to HIV. Too often the gender- and sexuality-based determinants of HIV are either completely omitted or de-emphasized by decision makers and are seldom incorporated into HIV programs. Without addressing issues of inequality and violations of rights overall efforts to stem the epidemic will be futile. (excerpt)


Transverse aortic banding in mice generates pressure overload, but cardiac hypertrophy is variable, and the effects on peripheral hemodynamics are unknown. The purpose was to characterize and model carotid and aortic blood flow patterns in banded mice using noninvasive Doppler methods. In 15 normal mice a 27-gauge needle was sutured against the transverse aorta and then removed. In 6 sham-operated mice the suture was not tied. A Doppler probe was used to measure right (R) and left (L) carotid artery (CA), aortic, and mitral blood velocity 1 day later. At 7 days the heart-weight/body-weight ratio (HW/BW) was measured. Mean aortic, mitral, and carotid velocities were similar in sham and banded mice, but peak RCA/LCA velocities were much higher in banded mice and were highly correlated to HW/BW. An esophageal Doppler probe detected high jet velocity and distal vorticity. We conclude that mice compensate for the band by increasing RCA resistance and compliance and decreasing LCA resistance to maintain normal cerebral perfusion. Velocity signals measured within one day and fitted to a lumped-parameter arterial model to estimate the pressure drop can predict the amount of cardiac hypertrophy at one week.


In this paper, a non-linear numerical method is presented to calculate the behaviour of aluminium/glass-epoxy laminates such as the GLARE (GLAss REinforced aluminium laminates). Aluminium layers are assumed to have an elastic-plastic behaviour with isotropic hardening and glass-epoxy layers are subject to damage coupled with plasticity of the matrix. Numerical examples show good agreement with experimental results and other numerical studies.


The effect of nifurpirinol on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein syntheses was investigated in 2 strains of Escherichia coli. In the both strains these syntheses were all inhibited at the concentrations higher than the minimal inhibitory concentration against the strains. DNA and RNA syntheses were also inhibited at lower concentrations than the minimal inhibitory concentration where bacterial growth was temporarily suppressed. The most sensitive to nifurpirinol was DNA synthesis among the syntheses tested. The concentration and the time inhibiting DNA synthesis almost coincided to those inhibiting bacterial growth. The results indicate that the inhibition of DNA synthesis may be a mechanismof antibacterial action of nifurpirinol.


An analytical approach has been developed to describe the grand canonical equilibrium between a three dimensional (3D) electron system and a two dimensional (2D) one, an energy of which is determined self-consistently with an electron concentration. The main attention is paid to a Landau level (LL) pinning effect. The pinning means a fixation of the LL on the common Fermi level of the 2D and 3D systems in a finite range of the magnetic field due to an electron transfer from the 2D to the 3D system. The condition and start of the pinning has been found for homogeneously broadened LLs. The electron transfer from the 3D to the 2D system controls an extremely sharp magnetic dependency of the energy of the upper filled LL at the integer filling of the LLs. This can cause a significant increase of the inhomogeneous broadening of the upper LL that was observed in recent local probe experiments.


Vascular wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum [Fon]) is the main fungal disease of watermelon crops worldwide and can be caused by any of the four known races of this fungus (race 0, 1, 2 and 3). In Mexico, there are no reports of the presence of any of these races. The presence of plants with wilt and vascular necrosis has been observed in commercial watermelon plantations in the municipality of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, mainly during the spring-summer growing seasons. The aim of this study was to identify the Fon race causing vascular wilt in watermelon plants in Hermosillo, Sonora. Three fungal isolates were collected from symptomatic plants. Based on their morphological characteristics, DNA amplification of the isolates (with specific primers Fon-1/Fon-2, FONSIX6F/FONSIX6R and FNR3-F/FNR3-R, which allow differentiating Fon race 1, 2 and 3) and inoculation into three differential watermelon cultivars, the three isolates (UESFON01, UESFON02 and UESFON03) were identified as F. o. f. sp. niveum race 1. To our knowledge, this is the first report where F. o. f. sp. niveum race 1 is identified as the causal agent of wilt, vascular necrosis and plant death in watermelon crops in Mexico.


The theory of juristic act is the product that can be traced back to the 19th centry.As one of the most abstract concepts,it is also a basic principle of the general theory of civil law in continental legal system.Although the General Principle of Civil Law of the PRC ada- pts the theory,China's academics conceit different points on the theory with legal professionals from other countries due to the influences of the trend of former Soviet laws.This article analyzes the validity embodied in the conception of juristic act from the views of classification for be- havior of private law and the traditional acknowledge of juristic act.


ion, and the acts of identification that follow from it, arguing: "children whose life circumstances and practices of daily living fail to conform to those idealised norms suffer further marginalisation, or even pathologisation" (11).


Visual search is a significant and widely researched area of cognitive psychology. By attempting to integrate and model Treisman's, Wolfe's, and Zelinsky's theories of visual search, we find unexplored areas of a cognitive architecture that can be improved by including a simple implementation of the visual pop-out effect. By introducing an initial implementation into the perceptualmotor component of ACT-R, we create a formalization of pre-attentive visual search that effectively simulates the current findings in the literature and offers a number of new testable hypotheses.


Recent technological innovations and falling hardware prices have contributed to the emergence of large-scale computational economies. At no other time in human history have so many had access to such powerful computing resources. And yet many of these resources lie idle, possibly running a screen saver or not running at all. The OCEAN [10] system, currently in development at the University of Florida, is a computational market that harnesses these resources for the economic benefit of its human users. Computational markets are composed of buyers and sellers of CPU time, and the market itself, which facilitates trade. In our development, we have noted that locating a seller(s) for a buyer is a particularly important aspect of the market's operation. We propose that buyers and sellers describe their computations and resources using standardized XML documents. The market can use these documents to locate sellers for buyers, even if the sellers are found in other markets.


Scanning stage microscopes have traditionally been used to provide high resolution, large area photocurrent mapping of solar cells and detectors. This imaging method, while very useful in the characterization and quality control of solar cells, is unfortunately slow (image acquisition takes several minutes). This paper describes a confocal scanning beam MACROscope-Microscope which can image specimens from 25 x 25 {micro}m up to 7.5 x 7.5 cm in size, a zoom factor of 3,000, using reflected light, photoluminescence, and optical beam induced current in less than 10s. Resolutions range from 0.25 to 10 {micro}m laterally and 0.5 to 300 {micro}m axially depending upon whether microscope of MACROscope mode is used. This instrument can therefore be used to characterize and provide quick and efficient quality control for solar cells and detectors at a microscopic and macroscopic level. A brief description of the MACROscope-Microscope is given. The MACROscope-Microscope`s many abilities are highlighted by showing various reflected-light, photoluminescence and optical beam induced current images from CdZnS/CuInSe{sub 2} thin film solar cells and porous silicon devices.


DURING the two summers 1929-1930, 1930-1931, we have carried out a study of the possible part played by bacteriophage in recovery from bacillary dysentery in infants. During the first season ordinary methods of treatment only were used and an attempt was made to correlate the spontaneous appearance of phage in the freces with the clinical course and outcome. Last summer a highly active polyvalent Flexner phage mixture was administered therapeutically to about half the patients, an attempt being made to have comparable series of control' and treated cases. Infantile .dysentery in Melbourne is predominantly due to T'lexuer-: type bacilli, o~r own and most of the' previous investigations (Burnet, McKie and Wood, 1930, Webster and Williams, 1925) showing a predominance of the .W type of Andrewes and Inman (f919). All the other types have been found in smaller numbers, and infections due to Sonne's bacillus are also not uncommon. The Shiga type is extremely rare in Australia and has not been found in any -of the infants examined. Like most other investigators, we have encountered a number of strains resembling Flexner bacilli in their general characters, but not corresponding serologically to the recognized races. Elsewhere we have provisionally described two groups of such bacilli as races T and U of Bacteri-um jlexneri (McKie and Burnet, 1931).


Abstract This article reports a study of the effect of online prayer lessons in building resilience and sense of personal control among adults with sensory disabilities over a six-year period. Data from intervention and control group participants in select Asian and African cities were collected at baseline (T1) (N1=244) and at three-year intervals T2 (N2=217) and T3 (N3=194). Results indicated that the online prayer lessons were effective (Cohen's d range = 0.34–1.19, p≤.01) thereby indicating that prayer endowed adults with sensory disabilities a distant perspective on their personal problems and helped make progress on it emotionally. Men, middle class, Hindus, single (never married, widowed, divorced), and living with kin/nuclear families responded better to the online prayer lessons. The ordinary least squares regression and Tobit models indicated that maximum variation in outcomes was attributed to intervention adherence: attending of the online lessons and self-recitation/practice. The longitudinal structural equation model indicated a sustained effect of the said predictors as well as a mutual covariance between resilience and personal control outcomes over a period of time. With certain refinements for women, upper class participants, Christians, currently married, and living with extended family or alone, online prayer lessons are an effective resilience-building intervention for adults with sensory disabilities.


Objective To analyze the prevalence and changing trends of self reported sexual transmitted diseases(STDs)among Chinese adults aged from 18 to 61 years in a period of 10 years.Methods Data from three well designed population-based nationwide randomized surveys conducted in 2000,2006 and 2010 were used to analyze self reported STDs and examine the social characteristics of high risk populations.ResultsThe effective sample size in the 3 nationwide survey was 3 812,5 404 and 7 202,respectively,and the self reported STDs increased from 1.2% in 2000,1.4% in 2006 to 5.9% in 2010;social factors such as sexual identity,gender,age,marital status,education and rural-urban residency had significant relationship with self-reported STDs.Logistic regression model showed that of the 13 sexual behaviors and new drug use behavior,the following behaviors were closely related with self reported STDs : group sex,new types of drug use,swing,extra marital sex,one night sex in last year and having commercial sex.Since the study covered those who did not go to hospitals or clinics but sought medical care and STD treatment by themselves,it could provide an insight and fill a gap for regular STI surveillance.Concl sion Six risk behaviors had significant relationship with self reporting of STDs.


Fifty‐eight cases of synovial sarcoma were studied from the morbid anatomical point of view. The literature was reviewed and some clinical aspects were described. The essential biphasic histological pattern of these tumors is emphasized and they are divided into 3 histological groups. Group A includes tumors in which the spindle cell elements and the pseudoepithelial ones are clearly seen throughout the tumor. In Group B the spindle cell (fibrosarcomatous) elements predominate. Group C tumors show mainly a pseudoepithelial structure. The overall 5‐year survival rate was 51% and no correlation was found between the histological picture and prognosis.


Redfern is a significant hub of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is the home and starting point for legal, health and welfare services provided by independent self-managed indigenous organisations. Redfern is where people come if they are searching for relatives, if they just got off the train, if they just got out of prison. On any one day the actual number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Redfern area is greater than numbers shown on the census.

The report of the recent NSW Parliament Inquiry into Redfern-Waterloo highlights the significance of this area for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and concludes that the significant disadvantage faced by those communities requires innovative and enhanced service provision.
The severity and prevalence of domestic and family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is well established. For recent research see for example Australian Institute of Health and Welfare "Family Violence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples" 2006.
Redfern Legal Centre employs an Aboriginal Outreach Worker to support Aboriginal women dealing with legal and court processes arising as a result of family violence. We aim to provide an effective culturally appropriate holistic and supportive link between the services of RLC - especially for women dealing with domestic violence but also for discrimination, tenancy, credit and debt, family and welfare law matters where DoCS has intervened to remove children from their parents - and the community and with other Aboriginal services operating in the inner Sydney area.

The Aboriginal worker raises awareness of our service and encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to come to us. Our partnership with Mudgin-Gal Aboriginal Women's Centre is crucial to meeting this objective.

This is an outreach/liaison/education project to raise awareness in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities of the Redfern and inner Sydney areas about family violence and the legal and other support services available. It is also, importantly, about showing the way to those services, to guide and to walk with those who need assistance. People have the right to live free from violence in their families and communities. The community education aspect of the role is about raising awareness of non-acceptable behaviour and empowering people to speak and act against it.


Gas turbine operation in urban environments creates new challenges in inlet filtration. The particulate concentration could be light, but significant quantities of the particles are sub-micron in size. Additionally, the presence of hydrocarbons can cause problems with air filter performance, both through short life and turbine fouling.A new filter system for these environments is described. Development objectives for the medias and filter systems are discussed, test and evaluation procedures are defined, and the performance of the resulting product is documented.Copyright © 1994 by ASME


This article outlines the establishment of a monopoly contract for medicines in Manila. Although colonial medicine has gained prominence in current historiography, little is known about New Spain's role in providing remedies to the Spanish population in the Philippines. This article maps the factors that motivated the Spanish Crown to modify a two-centuries-old medicine provision system led by New Spanish merchandisers and establish a monopoly contract (asiento) to administer and prepare all necessary medical treatments. Examining the causes, this study argues that this monopoly contract represents a unique royal strategy in the Philippines, in concordance with the Bourbon dynasty's ambition to improve the medical care of Spaniards in the eighteenth century. Furthermore, this new agreement signified a period of improvement in the conditions of the Royal Hospital for Spaniards in Manila and a new era in the manufacture of medicines in the Philippines that would last throughout the first half of the eighteenth century.


one of the poorest and most disaster-prone countries in the world. To address both problems simultaneously, sustainable livelihoods (SL) could be better connected with disaster risk reduction (DRR). For this purpose, one initiative implemented in Bangladesh is called the Vulnerability to Resilience (V2R) programme which ran from 2013 to 2016. This programme primarily initiated and funded the British Red Cross a consortium Swedish Red Cross and the German Red Cross. This article presents the first evaluation of the V2R programme with three objectives. The first objective was to measure whether the selected communities have achieved community resilience characteristics as defined by the programme. The second objective was to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for the intervention. The third objective was to analyse V2R's impact on the communities in terms of DRR and SL. Community-based focus group discussions and household-based surveys were conducted before and after the intervention (2013-2016) in two coastal communities in Patuakhali district, Nowapara and Pashurbunia. The analysis found that community members are now engaged with many hazard-resilient and vulnerability-reducing livelihood activities, using SL to implement DRR, yet these approaches were almost absent prior to V2R. Consequently, the communities have achieved resilience characteristics, being more well-organized and better connected; having better access to infrastructure, services, and economic opportunities; are more knowledgeable and healthier; and are better managing their available resources. Critiques of the concepts are discussed, although in this case, DRR based on SL has shown positive results, exactly as development theory suggests. scientific projects, such as Global Learning for Local Solutions (GULLS), which focuses on five fast warming regions of the southern hemisphere and aims to provide an understanding of the local scale processes influencing community vulnerability that can then be up-scaled to regional, country and global levels. This paper describes the development of a new social and ecological vulnerability framework which integrates exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity with the social livelihoods and food security approaches. It also measures community flexibility to understand better the adaptive capacity of different levels of community organization. The translation of the conceptual framework to an implementable method is described and its application in a number of "hotspot" countries, where ocean waters are warming faster than the rest of the world, is presented. Opportunities for cross-cultural comparisons to uncover similarities and differences in vulnerability and adaptation patterns among the study's coastal communities, which can provide accelerated learning mechanisms to other coastal regions, are highlighted. The social and ecological framework and the associated survey approach allow for future integration of local-level vulnerability data with ecological and oceanographic models. This paper presents a simulation-based approach that couples the outcome of a GIS based flood hazard model with a cellular automata based land-use change model, to produce risk maps linking areas under different land uses to potential flood depth. The method allows spatially explicit analysis of population at risk given a certain storm event and is applied to the case of a 1 000-year and a 4 000-year storm occurring along the Belgian coast, corresponding to the risk levels included in the Flanders Integrated Master Plan for Coastal Safety. The study shows the importance of taking land-use dynamics into account when assessing potential flood hazard impacts in coastal areas characterized by a strong pressure on land resources. paper is the second of two that describes the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) approach for quantifying physical hazards and socio-economic hazard exposure in coastal zones affected by sea-level rise and changing coastal storms. The modelling approach, presented in Part 1, downscales atmospheric global-scale projections to local scale coastal flood impacts by deterministically computing the combined hazards of sea-level rise, waves, storm surges, astronomic tides, fluvial discharges, and changes in shoreline positions. The method is demonstrated through an application to Southern California, United States, where the shoreline is a mix of bluffs, beaches, highly managed coastal communities, and infrastructure of high economic value. Results show that inclusion of 100-year projected coastal storms will increase flooding by 9-350% (an additional average 53.0 +/- 16.0 km(2)) in addition to a 25-500 cm sea-level rise. The greater flooding extents translate to a 55-110% increase in residential impact and a 40-90% increase in building replacement costs. To communicate hazards and ranges in socio-economic exposures to these hazards, a set of tools were collaboratively designed and tested with stakeholders and policy makers; these tools consist of two web-based mapping and analytic applications as well as virtual reality visualizations. To reach a larger audience and enhance usability of the data, outreach and engagement included workshop-style trainings for targeted end-users and innovative applications of the virtual reality visualizations. Establishing protected areas constitutes one of the main strategies for the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems. Increasing risks associated with environmental change along with highly degraded coastal ecosystems encompass complex management challenges for the long-term sustainability of these landscapes. This article aims to explore the role of protected areas in past and ongoing community adaptation to the compounded effects of climatic and anthropogenic change. A literature review of published articles is conducted through systematic queries of the bibliographic database Web of Sciences, and by comparing adaptation and social-ecological resilience processes within and out of coastal protected areas. Findings underscore the absence of specific studies that target these topics inside protected areas, highlighting a geographic bias towards research largely carried out in developed countries. Results also indicate the current need for management practices within protected areas to adopt more participatory, comprehensive, and flexible approaches. Protected areas not only promote the conservation and provision of ecosystem services but are also key in building coastal communities' adaptive capacity and resilience in face of future scenarios. The used a (PGIS) and in coral reef PGIS provided an efficient a and where local We detail the PGIS the project and discuss as well Key of scale and human and data This study aims to improve the current practice of EIA by introducing additional considerations for environmental impact assessment (EIA) under the framework of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). Various EIA reports on the seawater desalination projects and the UNEP guidance for EIA of desalination were collected for document analysis. Along with in-depth interviews to obtain input from coastal stakeholders, an indicator framework for the impact of seawater desalination plants was thus developed by applying the concept of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). Unlike the conventional EIA practice which mostly focuses on the direct impacts, the indicator framework under ICM includes direct and indirect impacts from three aspects: environment, economics and social, covering 14 criteria and Our results showed that the social aspect criteria in our indicator system are mostly absent in the current EIA practice. This study includes recommendations for the improvement of the existing EIA of seawater desalination plants under the concept of ICM. The environmental impacts that are not well addressed or overlooked under conventional EIA regime are discussed herein. erosion, are facing a potentially multi-hazard threat, due to a rise in sea-level that is expected to increase by between 0.07 and 0.12 m during the 21st century. The aim of this study is the superimposition of two widely used empirical indexes - the Coastal Sensitivity Index and the Social Vulnerability Index. In this research, the CSI is based on the following 6 parameters: geomorphology, coastal slope, sea-level rise, shoreline changes, mean tidal range and significant wave height, while the SVI used is constructed from 9 parameters: population < 14 years old, population over 75 years old, women, single parent families, families with more than two children, tenants, average density (inhabitants/km(2)), unemployed population, population with no education and foreigners. The research was initially conducted on the French Mediterranean coast, where environmental inequality was observed, and led to the selection of 3 areas of interest for a further investigation in finer scale (municipality/departement/coastal district scale). It was noted that in certain cases the socio-environmental vulnerability of a municipality (as a whole) differed from the one presented in its coastal district. Thus, the socio-environmental vulnerability of a place is related to the study's scale, and the interest lies in the recognition of the most vulnerable coastal districts of cities, in conjunction with coastal sensitivity, in order to prioritize the efforts for coastal management. and conceptual discussion on this emerging field and its contribution to coastal and ocean management, by exchanging experiences on a diverse array of studies within this field that include: co-management of marine protected areas, seascape management, demise, re-discovery and reimplementation of traditional knowledge-based management schemes, history of artisanal shellfish-farming and of the management of artisanal fisheries, medicinal knowledge of algae, as well as the outreach of ethnobiological studies for the conservation of the cultural-ecological herit


This paper proposes the use of a novel algorithm for smart direct load control and load shedding to minimize the power outage in sudden grid load changes, as well as reduce the Peak-to-Average Ratio (PAR). The algorithm uses forecasting, shedding, and smart direct load control. The algorithm also uses the Internet of Things and stream analytics to provide real-time load control, and generates a daily schedule for customers' equipped with IEDs, based on their demands, comfort, and the forecasted load model. The demand response techniques are utilized for real time load control and optimization. To test the algorithm, a simulation system was developed that takes into account one hundred customers owning randomly selected appliances. The results indicated that load shedding using ARIMA time series prediction model and applying smart direct load control (S-DLC) and Internet of Things can remarkably reduce customers' power outage.


A transfer device for a substrate is capable of preventing deformation or breakage of the substrate due to bending stress by reducing the amount of dead weight deflection of the substrate, e.g. a large mother glass board. Supporting members extend in opposite directions from two sides of a storage device such that the substrate can be introduced or removed by raising and lowering the hand of a transfer machine inserted into the storage device between the supporting members. The supporting members are comprised of a plurality of supporting members in parallel, formed with a gap between the supporting members facing each other. The hand is comprised of a plurality of transverse hand supporting members extending in the direction of breadth, positioned between the parallel supporting members, and a longitudinal hand supporting member extending in the direction of length and positioned between the supporting members facing each other and connecting the transverse hand supporting members at the lifting position of the hand.


The aim of this paper on Catullus 84 is to cast some light on aesthetic questions related to elocutio which had prime importance for 1st-century B.C. authors. These were thorny questions for both poets and orators and studying them helps understanding the links between prose and poetry in the late Republican period. We reconsider, from this point of view, the well-known matter of Arrius's diction of the aspirates and the not so well-known matter of his mispronunciation of hissing sounds. We also suggest, by reading in a new way the point of the epigram, that Arrius may have had trouble with hiatus as well.


High signal-to-noise coude Reticon spectra of the helium-strong star HD 64740 have been obtained for several rotational phases, in two spectral regions (3980-4160A and 4400-4580A) at the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope. These data, and previously published Zeeman analyzer observations, have been used to determine tentative abundance and magnetic field geometries of the star. Profile modeling has been performed with a line synthesis program that incorporates the effects of an assumed magnetic field and abundance distribution into the calculation of the line profiles. Helium appears to be overabundant in two spots near the magnetic poles of HD 64740. Silicon and magnesium show evidence for a high magnetic latitude band of enhanced abundances. Nitrogen and oxygen have roughly uniform abundances. The model suggests an inclination of 36 deg for the star's rotation axis, and a magnetic obliquity of approximately 78 deg. No constraint can be obtained on the surface magnetic field of HD 64740 with the current data. Additional observations are recommended. 66 refs.


The physiological and anatomical mechanisms underlying the reduced sensitivity of wheat grain growth to water deficits in the post anthesis period have been investigated. The water potential (Ψ) and water content of the developing wheat grain and of other tissues within the wheat spike and flag leaf were compared under controlled environment and field conditions. In the 14 days following anthesis when the amount of water in each grain was increasing, the Ψ gradient between the grain and the rest of the plant was most pronounced. This Ψ gradient disappeared when the water per grain reached its maximum level (15 days after anthesis). The apparent turgor potential (P) of the wheat grain was very small (less than 0.2 MPa) throughout the grain filling period. When water was withheld 10 and 20 days after anthesis, the grain Ψ changed little despite a large decrease in the Ψ of the glumes, rachis and flag leaf. Grain Ψ showed the same independence during a diurnal cycle of water deficit. The independence of grain Ψ under water deficit conditions may be related initially to the xylem discontinuity in the floral axis and, in longer-term water stress situations, to the deposition of lipid in the pigment strand of the grain itself.


This article uses a limited-capacity information-processing perspective to investigate which structural features of computers elicit orienting responses in attentive computer users. The results of three experiments test the ability of plain text, boxedtext, warnings, nonanimatedbanner ad vertisements, and animated banner advertisements to elicit cardiac-orienting responses in attentive computer users. A secondquestion asks if user or computer control of stimulus presentation alters orienting behavior. A final hypothesis predicts stimuli that elicit orienting will be better recognizedthan those that do not. Results show that plain text, boxedtext, andnonanimatedbanner advertisements do not elicit cardiac orienting. However, warnings and animated banner advertisements do elicit orienting. In general, stimuli that elicit orienting are recognizedbetter than those that do not. Control over stimulus onset has little or no effect on orienting behavior. How do various media capture people's attention? How does attention fluctuate during media use? To what extent can structural and content features of media drive people's attention to and processing ofmedia messages? Under standing how people process mediated messages can help us to answer these questions and to better develop media messages that achieve their goals (e.g., attention, memory, entertainment). Research using the limited-capacity information-processing model of media has been investigating these questions about television and radio over the past 10 years. The Limited-Capacity Model ofMediated Message Processing (A. Lang, 2000) is a data-driven model that was developed to


The evolution of knowledge networks plays an important role to the technological improvement of enterprises and countries. From the dissipative structure perspective, this paper analyses knowledge network system. And then, we propose the evolutionary conditions and its mechanisms. At last, we also discuss the policy meaning in this paper.


Wendy Hood is Associate Professor at Auburn University, USA, where she investigates the mechanisms underlying life history variation. After her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, she completed her PhD in Biology at Boston University with Tom Kunz, before undertaking postdoctoral research at Fordham University, USA. Hood discusses how she and her colleagues recently designed and built a mobile laboratory that allows them to investigate the mitochondrial function of species on location.


Heat dissipation is a drastic issue to handle due to continued integration, miniaturization, compacting and lightening of equipment. Heat dissipaters are not only chosen for their thermal performance; but also for other design parameters that includes weight, cost and reliability, depending on application. Present study has been taken place with circular perforated fin array with different perforation diameter. The main objective of this paper is the Numerical study to quantify Natural Convection heat transfer enhancement of fins array with different types of perforations like Circular, Elliptical, Square and Triangular based on its performance as well as with saving in material by mass. The variables for this natural convection cooling with the help of finned surfaces are geometrical parameters and positioning of perforation. In this study, the steady state heat transfer from the solid fin and perforated fin arrays are compared. The optimized parameters are analysed for better heat transfer coefficient. The increase in the heat transfer coefficient was achieved with perforated fins for area corresponding to 12mm perforation diameter, which shows better enhanced heat transfer coefficient as opposed to the solid fin array with saving in material by mass.


Objective To explore the reasons of intestinal injury or perforation in radiofrequency (RF) ablation of hepatic tumors adjacent to intestines, to establish a preventive strategy and investigate its clinical efficacy. Methods To prevent colon perforation, a preventive strategy was established and applied to 55 cases with 59 tumors which were adjacent to colon or small intestines. They were closely followed up with CT or ultrasound. Results Twenty-one cases (38.2%, 21/55) complained persisted abdominal pain at various degrees 3-72 hours after the procedure. Of the 48 cases which were examined with ultrasound or CT within 7 days after treatment, 12 (25.0%) were found to have thickened or edematous bowel walls in the right upper abdomen. Small amount of fluid was found between the liver and bowels in 6 cases (12.5%) with significant bowel wall edema, of which 2 had undergone prior cholangioenterostomy. All the 12 cases had prior right upper quandrant surgery or 2 to 3 sessions of RF treatment for tumors adjacent to the bowels. After adopting the corresponding measures during and after the procedure, the pain in 10 cases was obviously relieved, while in 2 cases the discomfort persisted for 4 to 6 months. On the 3 month follow-up ultrasound or CT, 8 cases demonstrated bowels adhension and no intestinal perforation occurred. The success rate of single session of RF treatment was 89.8% (53/59 tumors) with a recurrence rate of 15.3% (9/59 tumors) in this study. Eleven cases (20.0%) were subsequently converted to surgery or intraoprative RF ablation and other methods. Conclusion Prior right upper quandrant surgery and repeated RF ablation of tumors adjacent to bowels are high risk factors of bowel injury in RF treatment. Adopting the preventive strategy during and after the procedure can effectively reduce the possibility of bowels perforation and broaden the indications of percutaneous RF treatment.


This paper presents a nonlinear model which predicts the response of a piezoelectric continuum to a monotonic increase in electric field from some DC offset value under some constant mechanical load within the linear-elastic region. A general model is derived and then specialized for a piezoceramic-based material with anisotropic actuation and mechanical properties, for example, the Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) actuator. This specialized formulation includes the linear-elastic mechanical response, as well as linear and second-order piezoelectric behavior and a second-order electromechanical cross term. Thus, there are many required linear and nonlinear material parameters, namely the elastic compliances, piezoelectric strain coefficients, electrostrictive, and elastostrictive coefficients. Using previously published work dealing with the mechanical response of the MFC [1], this rather large set of material properties is determined experimentally in order to predict the response of the Macro Fiber Composite device to given external loading conditions.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


More than one critic has recalled the passage in Robertson's History of America which probably inspired the final simile of Keats's most famous sonnet. It was in September, 1513. Balboa and his men had been struggling for twenty days across the sixty miles of forest and mountain that made the isthmus of Darien, having been obliged to battle with the natives as well as with torrents, swamps, and precipices. Many of the men were sick and ready to give up.


Water-distilled volatile oil from the aerial parts of Nepeta fissa C.A. Mey. was analysed by a combination of GC and GC-MS. Forty-two components were identified, constituting approximately 99.3% of the oil. The main constituents of the essential oil were ˇ-caryophyllene (17.4%), caryophyllene oxide (12.3%), � -muurolene (7.9%), valencene (6.6%), ˇ-pinene (6.0%) and ˛-pinene (5.8%). Copyright  2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


What gives credence to such thinking is the sheer scale of projected building activity during the next few decades as global population increases to 11 billion -a likely doubling of buildings on Earth. This will be the largest manufacturing activity (by far) that humanity has ever engaged, and it raises profound questions about resources -both materials and energyjust to fabricate, let alone operate, such buildings. As sand, steel and aluminum face shortages of supply, and as fossil fuels are likely subject to increasing environmental limitation, so the need for radical light-weighting and low-energy-intensity material use at a scale of urban systems will become paramount. In this, only the hydrocarbon reserves seem really adequate to this civilizational-scale near-term challenge, so the race is on to devise lightweight composite building Composites have evidently made significant incursions into many manufacturing sectors, frequently where their strength to weight advantages offered increased performance over other materials and methods. The drive to performance has nurtured an agile and innovative industry, and the rapidity of technical development has been quite remarkable. In the wake of such innovation a range of general manufacturing materials and methods has emerged, and these are consolidating their hold in many more general markets, the elegance of material-processing allowing economical as well as performance benefit -wind turbine blades as an example-.


The paper presents an application of job process planning and scheduling into the production of turned parts. Both planning and scheduling are controlled by the genetic algorithm (GA) approach in order to achieve optimum plans. Genetic algorithms are one of the artificial intelligence methods. With GA we are searching in an iterative manner for possible schedules taking into account the limitations of the process. They imitate the Darwin theory of the development of living beings and natural selection. The objective of this paper is to present scheduling model and prove that the genetic algorithm could be applied to various technical problems with some adaptations. The article describes in detail the optimisation process of genetic algorithm, chromosome representation, selection, genetic operators and parameter settings. Some programming code details in the Visual Basic (VB) language are added for clearer presentation. The orders on the machines are scheduled on the basis of a GA, according to the target function criteria. With the GA throughput time, makespan and costs were reduced. Special attention was put on the integration of the improved scheduling algorithm into existing information system.


The present study pertains to a complex and polysemic phenomenon that has preoccupied people working in the field of education since at least thirty years, that is, school violence. Using factor analysis, analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of covariance, this research aims at exploring specifically the relationship between school climate, school context and the various roles adopted by students at the high school level when they face a situation in which school violence in present. Data for this study were collected by Michel Janosz and his team in 2010, within four schools, all in the same school board of the Montreal region. The original sample comprises 1750 students who attend both standard special classes, between 10 and 18 years of age. The analyses presented are based on a reduced sample where the special classes and the two small schools have been withdrawn. Therefore, the answers from 1551 student s are used. The results show that first, there is a significant relationship between the various dimensions of school climate and the different roles adopted by students facing a situation in which violence is present, perceptions of belonging and of security being the most important. Second, all things being equal, there are significant difference between schools, and school levels.


Local density functional is investigated by using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method for ScN in the hexagonal structure and the rocksalt structure and for hexagonal structures linking a layered hexagonal phase with wurtzite structure along a homogeneous strain transition path. It is found that the wurtzite ScN is unstable and the layered hexagonal phase, labelled as ho, in which atoms are approximately fivefold coordinated, is metastable, and the rocksalt ScN is stable. The electronic structure, the physical properties of the intermediate structures and the energy band structure along the transition are presented. It is found that the band gaps change from 4.0 to 1.0 eV continuously when c/a value varies from 1.68 to 1.26. It is noticeable that the study of ScN provides an opportunity to apply this kind of material (in wurtzite[h]-derived phase).


Stage specific mortality and sex ratio adjustment in Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister (Coleoptera: chrysomelidae), were evaluated monthly for two consecutive years, 2010 and 2011, in field conditions on Parthenium hysterophorus L. Development of immature stages was considerably affected during the cold seasons of 2010 and 2011, and it was completely arrested in January. Similarly, the mortality survival ratio and indispensable mortality were higher in December, as compared to other months. Generation mortality (K-value) was decreased in May and then further increased from September to December, in both years. A non-significant difference (P < NS) in K-values were evident in July and August 2010, as well as in June and July 2011. Different abiotic and biotic factors may have influenced the mortality of the various immature stages. Greater mortality of eggs was due to their infertility in December. Similarly, mortality of 1st and 2nd instar was significantly high in Feburary, March, October, November and December of 2010 and 2011 due to infection of entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana. One of the other causes of mortality of 2nd, 3rd and 4th instar was their predation by a pentatomid bug, Perillus bioculatus from 1st week of March to 2nd week of December 2010 and 2011. Pre-pupal mortality was due to lack ofpenetration in soil and pupal mortality was due to malformation. In addition to known factors, some unknown factors may have been responsible for mortality. The least value of sex ratio (proportion of male) showed the greatest number of female emergence. It was also noted that sex ratio was considerably higher in 2010 than in 2011, and that that female population increased gradually year by year. Therefore, the results suggested that Z. bicolorata are continuously adapting to the agro climatic conditions of Aligarh, India. Moreover, the information on the factors responsible for key mortality, can be helpful in devising strategies for its conservation.


Theaimofthermostatic detection istocontrolexperimental results showthat this methodcanachieve better thecurrent injected toPtresistor toobtain therequiredperformance ofstability, rapidness andsecurity. operating temperature. Detecting currentfluctuates with temperature, andgeneral thermostatic detecting circuit needsa II. DETECTIONPRINCIPLE longtimetoachieve stability andcan't removethepotential Suppose that room temperature, methane concentration, safety dangerwithclose loopcontrol. Inordertosolve this operating current, temperature ofcatalytic element, and problem, weestablished athermostatic detecting mathematicaling modeanddesineda PI conroler bsed nteanlysiof corresponding resistor, respectively, areT0, C,I,T,andrwhen modelanddesigned a PIDcontroller basedon theanalysis OfI h esrahee eprtr aac tt fe catalyst element performance andprinciple ofthermostaticthesensorachieves temperature balancestateafter methane detecting. Compared ittotheclosed loopcontrol, we combustion reaction, thenwe cangettheheatbalance founditbetter. Thesimulation andexperimental result show equation asfollow that thethermostatic methane detecting with PIDcontroller only


Abstract As a part of the 'bottom-up' campaign for the precise preparation of carbon nanotubes, the chemical synthesis of carbon nanohoops is observing rapid progress, with a number of milestone achievements, over the past decade. With simple carbon nanohoops (e.g. cycloparaphenylenes) now no longer elusive targets, this Synpacts article highlights latest synthetic advances to further build up nanohoops' π-systems. Works reviewed herein include the study explaining the unsuccessful Scholl reaction method, the preparation of a carbon nanohoop consisting solely of hexabenzocoronene units, syntheses of π-extended carbon nanohoops employing the ring-closing metathesis method, and the anthracene photodimerization/cycloreversion method for anthracene-incorporated carbon nanohoop synthesis. 1 Introduction 2 Some Latest Syntheses of π-Extended Carbon Nanohoops 3 Conclusion


L Jn(roduction II. I-IER·21ncu Vaccines for C11Kcr Thcr~py A. Patients with Cancer (-hve Preexistent HER·2/neu·Specilic Immuniry B. Vaccine Srrntegies to Generate or Augment HER-2/neu Immunity III. Potcnlial Pitfalls Associated with HER.2Inell.Specific Imnmnotherapy A. Autoimillune Toxicity II. 11ll1l1l1110Iof\icnl Escnpe IV. 1-I!?R.2/Ilcll·Specific Antihodies (or Cnncer Therapy A. HER-2flleu-Spccific Antibody 'n\(~rapy Can IllIerfere wilh Tumor Growth '. B. Strategies to "Eohallec" IlER·2fneu-Dirccrcd Amibody Therapy V. Conclusion Rclerences


An optical gap energy range of 1.8—0.9 eV has been obtained by chan-ging the Ge contents in a-Si_(1-x)Ge_x:H films prepared by rf glow dischargetechnique.For films with X0.3,the Fermi levels are situated near midgapand the activation energies of conductivity decrease linearly with increasingX.The photosensitivity defined by σ_p/σ_d decreases 4 orders of magnitudeby changing X from zero to unit.Experimental results show that film qualitycan be improved by choosing appropriate substrate temperature(T_s=250~300℃)and relative lower rf power.


There are approximately forty tetraploid Elymus species containing the "SY" genornes, which all occur in Asia. This group of species are traditionally classified into four different sections, viz., Sect. Elymus L., Sect. Goulardia (Huston) Tzvelev, Sect. Clinelymiopsis (Nevski) Tzvelev and Sect. Anthosachne (Steud.) Tzvelev. This treatment reflects the large morphological variation of the group. A meiotic pairing study of interspecific hybrids between 27 Elymus taxa possessing "SY" genomes, representing the four sections, and covering the whole geographic distribution area of the group, demonstrated a pattern of genomic relationships which differs from the traditional taxonomic system based on morphology. The differentiation of the "SY" genomes in these species is obvious and in accordance with their geographic origin instead of their morphological similarity. Species from the same region, i.e., within Eastern Asia, North Central Asia, South Central Asia, or Western Asia, have generally high genomic affinity to each other, whereas species from the different regions show comparatively lower genomic affinity. There is a clear tendency that the degree of genomic affinity between the species is gradually decreasing with increasing geographic distance of their origins.


A common feature in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract during allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the loss of microbial diversity and emergence of opportunistic pathogens that can adversely impact survival. Consequently, preventing transplant-associated dysbiosis is an emerging strategy for optimizing treatment outcomes. In this study, we examined the effect of an extended tocilizumab administration schedule in addition to tacrolimus/methotrexate (Tac/MTX) as graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis on microbial composition in the GI tract along with overall transplant outcomes. Twenty-nine patients received busulfan-based myeloablative conditioning and were transplanted with HLA-matched related or unrelated peripheral blood stem cell grafts. The primary end point of the trial was GVHD-free relapse-free survival (GRFS) at 12 months. The cumulative incidences of grades 2-4 and 3-4 acute GVHD were 10.5% and 7% at day 180, respectively. There was one case of GVHD of the lower GI tract within the first 12 months. Non-relapse mortality and relapse-free survival were 3.4% and 86.2% at one year, respectively. GRFS was 38% at one year which was significantly higher than the pre-specified historical control rate of 20% (p=0.02) and therefore met the primary end point of the trial. Fecal samples from this patient population were sequenced and computationally analyzed centrally along with a demographically matched control cohort that received only Tac/MTX for GVHD prophylaxis. This comparative analysis revealed significantly less loss of -diversity and reduced emergence of pathogenic organisms such as enterococcus in tocilizumab-treated recipients, demonstrating that loss of microbial diversity and enterococcal domination is attenuated in these patients. (Clinicaltrial.gov Identifier: NCT03699631).


We studied the allocative efficiency of a social security system with earning tests focusing on the leisure-work choices of older men. Given empirical findings that health status and social security benefits are the most important determinants of such choices, we incorporated risks with respect to health status into an overlapping-generations model, and analysed how allocative efficiency was changed by the introduction of social security systems. It was found that the effects of a social security system can be broken down into particular categories and that a social security system improves efficiency when the pension system is small.


Diabetes mellitus is one of the most challenging health problems of 21st century and is the fifth leading cause of death in developed countries. Asian patients are considered to have a higher risk of developing diabetes and potentially worse prognosis. By 2025, the number of individuals with diabetes is expected to be more than doubled. Urinary tract infection (UTI) poses serious future clinical repercussions, such as hypertension, anemia, kidney failure and death. Therefore, there is the need for the early detection and diagnosis of UTI. Currently, the use of the standard microbiological culture diagnostic method is hindered by the microbial tendency of being viable but non-cultural. On the other hand, molecular detection by direct Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique has proven to be more sensitive in detecting pathogens in various biological samples, this work was thus aimed at the design of a simple and reliable PCR protocol for detecting uropathogens and comparing it with dipstick and culture, using Escherichia coli as the indicator uropathogen. This study, a cross-sectional one, involved the collection of urine samples from 272 Adolescent students, aged between 13 and 18 years. Pathogens were identified by using morphological and biochemical tests. The PCR protocol targeted a more specific pap C gene for fimbriae formation and the bacitracin usp gene sequences for amplification. A general prevalence of 30.9% UTI was found. Using a sub-population made up of 195 subjects, for the comparative diagnosis of the three methods, the prevalence were 42.1%, 39.8% and 72.7% for dipstick, microbiological culturing and PCR respectively.