Wireless sensor networks are being deployed in various scenarios for environment monitoring. Sensor nodes operating on batteries have fixed lifetime. Various means of energy scavenging are being explored to achieve an autonomous, self-powered sensor node. In this paper, we propose a system for conversion of ambient RF energy to electrical energy that can be used to power the sensor nodes. The system consists of a 4times4 antenna array followed by a diode detector section, a DC combining section and power control and management module. We discuss in detail the overall architecture of the system, the design of the diode detector and the design of folded patch antenna using full wave EM simulator. The output DC voltages for various values of incident RF power are presented.


Pediatric eyes are prone to inflammation, and the fibrinous response is further provoked by cataract surgery and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.[1,2] Topical steroids are almost as essential as appropriate surgical techniques in such cases. However, missed doses and non‐compliance due to behavioral problems lead to the subtherapeutic administration of topical anti‐inflammatory medications in children.


We present detailed clustering measurements for a flux-limited sample of ∼ 14 000 quasars extracted from the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey in the redshift range 0.8 1.3. On the other hand, a number of tests based on information theory and Bayesian statistics show only marginal evidence for luminosity-dependent clustering. Anyway, the quality of the data is not good enough to accurately quantify how quasar biasing depends on luminosity. We critically discuss the limitations of our data set and show that a much larger sample is needed to rule out current models for luminosity segregation. Studying the evolution of the clustering amplitude with redshift, we detect an increase of the quasar correlation length with lookback time at the 99.3 per cent confidence level. Adopting the concordance cosmological model, we discuss the evolution of quasar biasing with cosmic epoch and show that quasars are typically hosted by dark matter haloes with mass ∼10 13 M ⊙ .


We introduce quasi-local operators (these include operators of Calder6n-Zygmund type), a hybrid Hardy space HO of functions of two variables, and we obtain sufficient conditions for a quasi-local maximal operator to be of weak type ( , 1) . As an application, we show that Cesatro means of the double Walsh-Fourier series of a function f converge a.e. when f belongs to HO. We also obtain the dyadic analogue of a summability result of Marcienkiewicz and Zygmund valid for all f E L1 provided summability takes place in some positive cone.


This is an age of BIG DATA. There is huge development in all science and engineering domains which expands big data tremendously. Tweets are considered as raw data and such a huge amount of raw data can be analyzed and represented in some meaningful way according to our requirement and processes. This work provides a way of sentiment analysis using apache hadoop which will process the large amount of data on a hadoop and storm faster in real time. Apache kafka is used here along with apache hadoop and storm as a queuing system. Sentiment analysis of the tweets from the twitter is done to know who the favourite in the tournament is.


Statistical, Gradient, Block and Graft Copolymers by Controlled/Living Radical PolymerizationsCationic Ring-Opening Polymerization of Heterocyclic MonomersControlled/"Living" polymerization studies of 6, 8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octaneRAFT Polymerization, 2 Volume SetControlled and Living PolymerizationsMolecular Technology, Volume 4Reaction Engineering and Industrial Aspects of Controlled, Living Radical Polymerization"Living"/controlled Radical PolymerizationPrinciples of Polymer ChemistryHandbook of Radical PolymerizationFundamentals of Controlled/Living Radical PolymerizationControlled Radical Polymerization at and from Solid SurfacesThe Chemistry of Radical PolymerizationControlled/living Radical PolymerizationControlled and Living PolymerizationsConstruction of Stimuli-Responsive Polymers and Polymer Networks Using Controlled, Living Polymerizations and Highly Efficient Organic ReactionsSynthesis and Characterization of Multiple Controlled Polymers by Living Radical PolymerizationComputers in Chemistry Buyers' Guide/1993Controlled/Living Radical PolymerizationControlled/living Radical PolymerizationAtom Transfer Radical PolymerizationMonitoring Polymerization ReactionsDevelopment of New Catalysts for Living PolymerizationsLiving and Controlled PolymerizationThe Use of Nitroxides in Controlled "Living" Polymerization of Thiol-Functionalized Polymers and as Quenchers of Quantum Dots and Organic FluorophoresProgress in Controlled Radical Polymerization: Mechanisms and TechniquesMetal-Catalyzed PolymerizationLiving/controlled Polymerization Conducted in Aqueous Based SystemsSynthesis of Controlled Polymeric Structures Through Living Polymerizations and Related ProcessesSequence-Controlled PolymersCationic Ring-Opening PolymerizationCationic PolymerizationsThe Chemistry of Radical PolymerizationControlled/living PolymerizationsWelldefined Macromolecular Structures and Solid-state Morphologies Through Controlled/living Polymerization Techniques and Heterophase Polymerization ProcessesPolymer Science: A Comprehensive ReferenceIntroduction of Living Polymerization. Living And/or Controlled PolymerizationFunctional Controlled/Living Radical PolymersAdvances in Controlled/living Radical PolymerizationPolymerization


The number of adults in the United States who are age 65 or older is rapidly increasing. With longer lifespan comes an increase in chronic diseases such as dementia, diabetes, and depression. This study used archival data from a larger study conducted at the Memory Clinic at John Peter Smith County Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas to examine several hypotheses and research questions related to the influence of type of dementia, presence of Type II diabetes, and presence of depression on neuropsychological test performance. First, this study attempted to identify specific patterns of performance on neuropsychological measures for those with Alzheimer's dementia (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The results indicated that those with MCI perform better than those with AD or VaD on all neuropsychological measures, and that those with VaD perform better than those with AD on a measure of verbal memory. Another purpose of the study was to determine how the presence of Type II diabetes affects this pattern of functioning; the overall finding in this study was that the presence or absence of diabetes did not affect performance on measures of cognitive functioning. Additionally, the study attempted to add to literature examining the influence of depression on older adults with diabetes and/or dementia; no significant differences emerged.


It might seem that developing low-emission, electrified drive systems is complex enough, but the auto industry has set even more ambitious goals of making tomorrow's vehicles environmentally friendly, digitally connected and autonomous. The only way to achieve these goals is through a paradigm shift in vehicle development. Engineers need to work closer together – but that means they need new methods of simulating the complex behavior of distributed functions and validating the reliability and safety of these functions in the depth and scope required. The job of ensuring everything works properly can no longer be based solely on test drives and conventional hardware-in-theloop (HiL) tests. In today's world, it requires high-performance environments that are capable of virtually replicating connected systems and testing them through simulations – not just in isolation, but also in combination with real components and with development artefacts from a wide range of different sources. These environments also need to be capable of virtually replicating the sensor systems, data communication, powertrain, steering and chassis of a vehicle as well as simulating aspects such as vehicle dynamics, test track routes, topography, weather and lighting conditions, other road users, and car-to-X communication. This list is just a starting point – but it clearly illustrates the magnitude of the work involved. It also highlights the tremendous complexity of the tasks entrusted to vehicle software and its developers, especially since the logic of complex functions is frequently distributed across multiple connected ECUs. Replicating this kind of heterogeneous system environment requires open, scalable simulation platforms. Less time, lower costs Currently, model-, softwareand hardware-in-the-loop (MiL, SiL and HiL) tests are generally performed sequentially, with different departments from the realms of development and quality assurance taking charge of the various different stages of the process. New vehicle functions are evaluated by modelling their behavior in MiL environments. The ECU functions validated in this way are then mapped to software components and tested in SiL environments, with virtual ECUs reducing the time and costs involved. These virtual ECUs can be replicated without additional costs and their availability is not tied to hardware prototypes. As a result, they are increasingly being used in HiL tests, too. These include extensive tests of the overall system and extend right through to validation of the entire E/E architecture. Test engineers typically use different simulations on HiL test benches to those used by function and software developers in their MiL/SiL environments. But getting complex systems to market quickly and efficiently in the future will require test procedures that are more agile and more tightly interlinked. That includes restricting the test cases run on costly HiL test benches to those that are absolutely necessary, and running all the remaining tests as MiL/SiL tests on computers. This will require scalable system simulations that can be used for both MiL/SiL and HiL tests.


Finger-spelling recognition is the popular way to realize Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The sign language datasets for finger-spelling recognition are mostly collected by the color camera and the depth camera. The depth camera directly captures the 3D information between the performer and lens, which can extract the precise hand gesture texture information without being influenced by the complex background and illumination. This work develops a hand gesture recognition system using depth image. This system employs a VGGNet to learn the feature extraction and classification. The experimental results show that the proposed hand gesture recognition system can correctly recognize the hand gesture using only depth image. This may reduce computational cost of the hand gesture recognition system.


The use of anti-emetic drugs before, during and after anaesthesia has been the subject of much research and comment. Most publications deal specifically with the actions of these drugs in preventing and treating nausea and vomiting, although some attention has been paid to thenside effects. While the largest number of antiemetics in clinical use are phenothiazine derivatives, their toxicity should preclude their widespread application (Cullen, 1959). Because of this toxicity attention has focused on the non-phenothiazine anti-emetics and this paper deals with two of these: cyclizine and trimethobenzamide (fig1).


This paper examines the relationship between rotor design and sensorless control and power conversion properties for four industrially relevant interior permanent magnet (IPM) machine configurations: 36 slot 6 pole stator with v bar rotor, 36 slot 6 pole stator with flat bar rotor, 9 slot 6 pole stator with v bar rotor, and 9 slot 6 pole stator with flat bar rotor. The influence of rotor geometric design variables over the range of current densities at the maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) angle were found using a design of experiments methodology and standardized regression coefficients. Tradeoffs between sensorless control and power conversion properties are found using a Monte Carlo methodology. Power conversion and sensorless control properties were found using hybrid static and time stepping finite element simulations.


Abstract Active fault diagnosis can improve the diagnosability of potential faults by injecting a suitable input into the system. This input can be designed using either a stochastic or a deterministic framework. The stochastic approach aims to maximize the probability of a correct diagnosis at a certain time, whereas the deterministic approach aims to guarantee diagnosis within a certain time interval. Recently, a hybrid stochastic-deterministic approach has been developed in which all uncertainties are described by uniform probability density functions (PDFs) with finite support on zonotopes. This method is able to provide a guaranteed diagnosis at a given time N, while approximately maximizing the probability of diagnosis at some earlier time M


Background: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome defined as a state of increased vulnerability to acute stressors related to a decline in reserve. There is abundant literature on frailty interventions, however, the literature on technology as an intervention for frailty is scarce.

Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review is to identify and summarize existing evidence on technology use as an intervention for frail older adults and to identify research gaps in the evidence base in order to inform future research.

Methodology: This review utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and a rigorous scoping review method to search the literature. A comprehensive search of computerized databases was conducted in July 2018 in the following databases published from 2013 to 2018: CINAHL, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete.

Results: The database searches yielded a total of 183 articles. Forty-four duplicates were removed. There were 114 results excluded based on title and abstract ineligibility. Thirty-two relevant articles were retrieved for fulltext examination. Eighteen of the articles were excluded based on the inclusion or exclusion criteria. References
of 14 included articles were hand-searched for relevant works to ensure completeness of the search. Four pertinent additional articles were identified. The final analysis included 18 articles.

Discussion: Current research on technology use for frail older adults focuses on assessment and diagnosis. Methodological weaknesses limit generalizability and the validity of its findings. Few studies utilize frailty as an outcome measure, limiting available research directly related to frailty.

Conclusion: More research is needed on the potential for technological tools as interventions for frailty in older adults living at home, specifically, to prevent pre-frailty and frailty.

Keywords: frailty, frail elderly, aged, independent living, technology


Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease defined by elevated blood glucose. DM is a global epidemic and the prevalence is anticipated to continue to increase. DM is can be further classified as type 1 (T1DM), which causes pancreatic beta cell failure due to which insufficient insulin is type 2 (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance [1]. Type II diabetes is most dominant form of diabetes contributing for almost 90% of total burden of diabetes [2]. Diabetic retinopathy is a cause of visual loss on a global scale. The pathology is closely associated with vascular, glial, and neuronal components of the diabetic retina. Treatments for the vision-threatening complications of diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy have greatly improved. As per recent studies, diabetes markedly impacts the retinal neurovascular unit and its interdependent vascular, neuronal, glial, and immune cells [3]. Laboratory and clinical evidence show that, microvascular changes, inflammation and retinal neurodegeneration may contribute to diabetic retinal damage in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy [4]. Clinically, diabetic changes in the retina can be divided into two stages: non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Early stage of DR is represented by NPDR, wherein the pathology is increased vascular permeability and capillary occlusion. During this stage, the fundus findings include microaneurysms, hemorrhages and hard exudates while the patients may be asymptomatic4. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is an advanced type of DR, the patients may experience severe vision impairment. This stage is characterized by neovascularization [4]. However, in addition to hyperglycemia, other factors like hypertension, dyslipidemia, and particularly the genetic load, have an immense influence on the severity and clinical course of diabetic retinopathy (DR) [5]. Using OCT, DME can be classified into four main types presented as the OCT Classification of Diabetic Macular Edema given by KolevaGeorgieva: [6]


In the preceding report (Topley and Ayrton, 1923 b) it has been shown that, if various strains of B. aertrycke be fed to mice and the subsequent events observed over a period of 42 days, and if all strains fed to the mice or isolated from their faeces or tissues be examined as regards their type of growth and their agglutination reactions, then the following associations are found to exist between the characters studied. The presence of group antigen is associated with persistent faecal excretion, whether the strain be rough or smooth. Roughness is associated with decreased faecal excretion and a decrease in the percentage mortality, when rough strains are compared with, smooth.


Chess Rating System for Evolutionary algorithms (CRS4EAs) is a novel method for comparing evolutionary algorithms which evaluates and ranks algorithms regarding the formula from the Glicko-2 chess rating system. It was empirically shown that CRS4EAs can be compared to the standard method for comparing algorithms - null hypothesis significance testing. The following paper examines the applications of chess rating systems beyond Glicko-2. The results of 15 evolutionary algorithms on 20 minimisation problems obtained using the Glicko-2 system were empirically compared to the Elo rating system, Chessmetrics rating system, and German Evaluation Number (DWZ). The results of the experiment showed that Glicko-2 is the most appropriate choice for evaluating and ranking evolutionary algorithms. Whilst other three systems' benefits were mainly the simple formulae, the ratings in Glicko-2 are proven to be more reliable, the detected significant differences are supported by confidence intervals, the inflation or deflation of ratings is easily detected, and the weight of individual results is set dynamically.


This paper introduces a Visible Light Communication (VLC) system using an LED sign panel, which allows the provision of broadcast-type information in public spaces. This system provides an additional function to an LED advertisement panel; the panel not only displays an advertisement, but also transmits wirelessly to other devices. We suggest its use in benefit of the visually impaired. They can obtain local information by using this system, named i-LightHouse (i-LH). For this purpose, i-LH transmits a long-range navigation signal to direct users to the LED sign panel and a short-range signal to download content information to the users' devices. We propose its modulation scheme which can multiplex the navigation and content information at the same time. In this system, the interruption by a passerby and ambient lights may degrade the communication performance. On these issues, we propose an error correcting method and a filter to mitigate the interference of them and evaluate the effectiveness.


One of the most persistent legends in American politics is that municipal machines cannot be defeated. Yet time and again they have been split from the inside, successfully overthrown by opposition organizations, and overwhelmed by the joint action of rival political, civic, and protest groups. On many occasions the political machine of New York City has been checked, chastened, and disrupted. On November 7, the allied forces of Fusion administered a crushing defeat to the Tammany and Bronx factions of the Democratic machine in New York City. At the same time, the organized non-partisan masses in Philadelphia administered to the Republican machine there its first defeat in fifty years; while in Pittsburgh the Mellon machine succumbed to attack from the same elements. In scores of other cities the citizens rose in arms against the machines.


An algorithm for rendering of orthographic views of volume data on data-parallel computer architectures is described. In particular, the problem or rotating the volume in regard to the communication overhead associated with finely distributed memory is analyzed. An earlier technique (shear decomposition) is extended to 3D, and it is shown how this can be mapped onto a data-parallel architecture using only grid communication during the resampling associated with the rotation. The rendering uses efficient parallel computation constructs that allow one to use sophisticated shading models and still maintain high-speed throughout. This algorithm has been implemented on the connection machine and is used in an interactive volume-rendering application, with multiple frames-per-second performance.<<ETX>>


Amongst those who have studied the subject of meteorology and the climate of Canada, the idea has been entertained, that the mean temperature of the two provinces is nearly equal on an average of years. The accompanying tables, though not perhaps perfectly exact, have been compiled with the view of obtaining something like an approximation to the truth of the above statements. They comprise a period of thirty-four months, from 1847 to 1849 inclusive, being the only years to which the compiler had access, with reference to both sections of the country, and are deficient in


We have investigated the ability of the Darcy's law to be extended in two-phase fluid flow through the sedimentary medium for the capillary non-equilibrium situations to calculate accurately wetting and non-wetting fluid flow rates. If the viscous and capillary forces are considered, the effective permeability requires three directions to be described in the sedimentary medium for the capillary nonequilibrium situations and Darcy's law can't be extended to such situations. We have used the correlated anisotropic network model to simulate the sedimentary medium and the capillary non-equilibrium situations for drainage process. There are the distinct correlations for the radii of the throats, controlling fluid flow, in the parallel and perpendicular directions to the bedding in the sedimentary medium. We have used fractional and multi-fractional Brownian motions to calculate the throat radii in the sedimentary medium. We have used a fractional Brownian motion characterized by the distinct cutoff lengths and anisotropy parameters for the parallel and perpendicular directions to the bedding and a Hurst exponent to generate the sedimentary medium. In the sedimentary medium for the capillary non-equilibrium situations, relative permeability depends on the direction of the capillary force and cannot be expressed as a scalar quantity. Therefore, the effective permeability requires three directions to be described in the sedimentary porous medium for the capillary non-equilibrium situations. Darcy's law which is a linear relationship between the flow rate and the macroscopic pressure gradient driving force cannot be extended for two-phase flow through the sedimentary porous medium for the capillary non-equilibrium situations. We have used the thermodynamics theory of non-equilibrium process and offered the new relationships to calculate accurately wetting and non-wetting fluid flow rates through the anisotropic porous media in the capillary non-equilibrium situations. The new linear relationships have two transport coefficients which are the second rank tensor in the anisotropic porous media for the capillary non-equilibrium situations.


Stamping-forging composite process has been introduced and employed in thickening some part of clutch bush.In order to design reasonable forming process,DEFORM-3D FE software has been employed to analyze this process.The analysis of numerical simulation results demonstrated that the two-step stamping-forging composite process was more reasonable than one-step stamping-forging composite process.


Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). ACM CHI 2017 May 6, 2017, Denver CO, USA. Abstract The plight of refugees across the world has reached a state of crisis. We wish to reflect on the current situation faced by refugee communities and outline how our interests as HCI and Digital Civics researchers aligns with this. Our particular research interests lie in the application of Digital Civics in refugee contexts, the potential for technology in low tech spaces, and questions of research sustainability in both formal and informal settlements populated by refugees. We consider this workshop to be a useful opportunity to critically reflect on how and why we want to engage with refugees in our work, and we hope to be able to contribute positively to discussions at this workshop.


What will become of Rousseau when read in a non-transcendent way, as a line of some of the most prominent contemporary theorists of the philosophy of education would suggest as inevitable? To answer this question, the position and analytical tools of Jacques Derrida are clarified, and Rousseau's "Emile ou De l'education" is read non-transcendentally, which implies a challenge and a deconstruction of the way Rousseau has built the argument for his educational project. The article concludes with a critical discussion of its own method, and challenges the asserted unavoidability of the deconstructive readings of Rousseau's text


ABSTRACT Activity of the alkaloid extract of Carica papaya. Linn seed on male reproductive physiology was investigated. Male rats were divided into two groups. Each group of 20 male rats was further divided into 4 subgroups of 5 rats. Each rat was treated with C. papaya. seed extract (10, 50, and 150 mg kg−1day−1) daily for 3 days for fecundity study, semen analysis, and testis histopathology, respectively. Twenty male rats treated with C. papaya. seed extract (10, 50, and 150 mg kg−1 day−1), abstained from sex for 7 days and divided into 4 groups, were mated with fertile female rats: another set of 30 male rats, divided into 4 groups, treated with the seed extract (10, 50, and 150 mg kg−1 day−1), respectively, was used for semen analysis and testis histopathology. The results showed that oral administration of C. papaya. seed extract prevented ovum fertilization, reduced sperm cell counts, revealed sperm cell degeneration, and induced testicular cell lesion. These observations led to the conclusion that C. papaya. seed extract oral administration could induce reversible male infertility and therefore could be used for pharmaceutical development of a male contraceptive.


This one-page color fact sheet depicts the essential components of a facemask and anwers the following questions about facemasks for non-medical uses:

What is a mask or face covering designed to do?
How do masks and cloth face coverings work?
How should face coverings be handled?
How should face coverings be worn?

FSHN20-29/FS371: COVID-19 Preventative Measures: Facemasks and Cloth Face Coverings (ufl.edu)


Introduction Increased ammonia levels play a central role in the cerebral alterations in acute liver failure. Acute intoxication with large doses of ammonium salts leads to rapid death of animals. Acute ammonia intoxication induces activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type of glutamate receptors in brain in vivo. Moreover, ammonia induced death of mice and rats is prevented by blocking NMDA receptors with antagonists acting on different sites of the receptor. These data support the idea that acute ammonia intoxication leads to increased activation of NMDA receptors in brain, which play a main role in the mechanisms leading to ammonia-induced death. The subsequent events by which activation of NMDA receptors results in animal death remain unclear. Astrocytes swelling and associated brain edema seem important steps in the pathogenic mechanisms in acute liver failure and ammonia intoxication. The aim of this work was to study the effects of acute ammonia intoxication on different cerebral parameters in vivo using magnetic resonance and to assess which effects are dependent or independent of NMDA receptors activation. Methods All experiments were performed in a Bruker PharmaScan® systems using a 7.0 T horizontal-bore superconducting magnet, equipped with a H selective birdcage resonator of 38 mm and a Bruker gradient insert with 90 mm of diameter (maximum intensity 300 mT/m. Data were analyzed in a Linux platform with software written in house in IDL. The different brain regions were identified according to the stereotaxic coordinates of the rat brain atlas. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed Dunnett T-test. p values lower than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using the Graph Pad Prism 4 software (GraphPad Software Inc. San Diego, CA, USA). We measured the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), T1, T2 and T2* maps in 16 brain areas of the rats treated with acute ammonium acetate (5mmol/kg i.p.). In vivo H MR spectroscopy was performed in the cerebellum and in the substantia nigra. Moreover we assessed whether these effects on NMR imaging are prevented by blocking NMDA receptors using the selective antagonist MK-801. Results and Discussion The effects of acute ammonia intoxication are not the same in different brain areas. T1 relaxation time is reduced in 8 brain areas but not in the other 8. T2 relaxation time is reduced in ventral thalamus and globus pallidus, but not in the other areas. ADC values increased in hippocampus, caudateputamen, substantia nigra and cerebellar cortex, reflecting vasogenic edema. ADC value decreased in hypothalamus, reflecting cytotoxic edema due to astrocytes swelling. ADC values were not affected in the other areas. Myo-inositol increased in cerebellum and substantia nigra, reflecting edema. Injection of ammonia did not induce any significant change in T2* map compared to vehicle administration in any of the 16 brain regions studied (not shown).


The authors report hepatosplenomegaly in 5‐year‐old girl together with pluriglandularlymphadenopathy, hepatic involvement and eosinophilia. Antibody tests for toxoplasmosis revealed high titres. The condition improved after treatment with toxoplasmacidal drugs.


We prove that an infinite family of semiprimitive groups is graph‐restrictive. This adds to the evidence for the validity of the Potočnik–Spiga–Verret Conjecture and increases the minimal imprimitive degree for which this conjecture is open to 12. Our result can be seen as a generalization of the well‐known theorem of Tutte on cubic graphs. The proof uses the amalgam method, adapted to this new situation.


This report contains a summary of our efforts to correlate head injury simulations predicting intracranial fluid cavitation with clinical assessments of brain injury from blunt impact to the head. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, collected on traumatic brain injury (TBI) subjects by researchers at the MIND Institute of New Mexico, was acquired for the current work. Specific blunt impact TBI case histories were selected from the TBI data for further study and possible correlation with simulation. Both group and single-subject case histories were examined. We found one single-subject case that was particularly suited for correlation with simulation. Diffusion tensor image (DTI) analysis of the TBI subject identified white matter regions within the brain displaying reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA), an indicator of local damage to the white matter axonal structures. Analysis of functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) data collected on this individual identified localized regions of the brain displaying hypoactivity, another indicator of brain injury. We conducted high fidelity simulations of head impact experienced by the TBI subject using the Sandia head-neck-torso model and the shock physics computer code CTH. Intracranial fluid cavitation predictions were compared with maps of DTI fractional anisotropy and fMRI hypoactivity to assess whether a possible correlation exists. The ultimate goal of this work is to assess whether one can correlate simulation predictions of intracranial fluid cavitation with the brain injured sites identified by the fMRI and DTI analyses. The outcome of this effort is described in this report.


The Baumol-Willig efficient component pricing rule states that it is efficient to set the price of access to an essential facility equal to the direct cost of access plus the opportunity cost to the integrated access provider. The authors analyze the relevant notion of 'opportunity cost' under various assumptions about demand and supply conditions, including product differentiation, bypass, and substitution possibilities, which all reduce opportunity cost compared to the benchmark case. They show that the Ramsey approach to access pricing developed by J.-J. Laffont and J. Tirole (1994) is closely related to the efficient component pricing rule provided opportunity cost is correctly interpreted.


Archivos de Zootecnia reached its 252 issue during 2016. In the present editorial report, we address the facts and figures derived from the editorial process during the past yearly editorial cycle. The updates carried out on the journal mainly head towards the successful implementation of the Open Journal System on its new website (https://www.uco.es/ucopress/az/index.php/az) from September 2016, and the changes in the Editorial Office aim at enhancing the scientific relevance of the journal through the use of new channels available which may enable a greater distribution among the scientific community. A total of 362 manuscripts coming from 21 countries. Although Brazil was still the most contributing country the percentage of submissions slightly decreased (69.45%) in favour of an increase of the submissions by authors from other countries. Therefore, the most frequently used language in the manuscripts was Portuguese, followed by Spanish, English and French. 93 works were published in 2016: 57 articles, 26 short notes and 10 reviews. Published papers came from 16 countries. The two main topics the articles were about were Feeding and food (n=27; 29.03%) and Breeding and genetics (n=20; 21.50%); while the most frequent species the works dealt with was cattle (n=77; 21.27%) followed by sheep (n=62; 17.12%). Editorial times between the reception and publication of the manuscripts have comparatively improved according to the results showed in previous years' reports.


wind turbine rotor blades: Experimental and numerical analysis of deformation and failure in composite materials DTU Orbit (02/11/2019) Multi-life-stage monitoring system based on fibre bragg grating sensors for more reliable wind turbine rotor blades: Experimental and numerical analysis of deformation and failure in composite materials One of today's greatest global challenges is the need for clean, reliable, and renewable sources of energy, and wind energy has a key role in this process. However, in order to compete with other less "green" sources of energy the cost to produce wind made electricity needs to be reduced. One way to achieve this is by improving the reliability of wind turbine components and optimising operation and maintenance strategies. This PhD project is part of the European research project MareWint, where the main objective is to develop an innovative approach for coupled multi physics cosimulation, testing, design and optimisation of offshore wind turbines. The MareWint main scientific objective is to optimise the design of offshore wind turbines, maximise reliability, and minimise maintenance costs. Integrated within the innovative rotor blades work-package, this PhD project is focused on damage analysis and structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades. The work presented sets the required framework to develop a monitoring system based on fibre Bragg gratings (FBG), which can be applied to the different life stages of a wind turbine blade. In this concept, the different measured physical parameters are used to improve the design process, and the implemented sensor are used to control the manufacturing and operation stage of a wind turbine rotor blade. The FBG sensors measurement principle is analysed from a multi-life-stage (design, material testing, manufacturing, and operation) perspective, and supported/validated by numerical models, software tools, signal post-processing, and experimental validation. The damage in the wind turbine rotor blade is analysed from a material perspective (fibre reinforced polymers) and used as a design property, meaning that damage is accepted in an operational wind turbine as long as it is monitored. Thus, a novel crack/damage detection method using FBG sensors is presented, and software/tools are developed for signal simulation and post-processing. The first part of the thesis is an introduction to the multi-life-stage monitoring system based on FBG sensors and the damage tolerant design of fibre reinforced materials, where the different theory and numerical models used are presented. The second part of the thesis is a compilation of scientific journal papers, in which the use of FBG sensors to monitor the different life-stages of the wind turbine rotor blade is described in more detail. In Paper P1, a methodology for reliable design and maintenance of wind turbine rotor blades based on a damage tolerance and structural health monitoring approach is presented. Paper P2 presents a novel method to obtain independent strain and temperature measurements using embedded FBG sensors in polymeric tensile tests. In paper P3, a novel method for assessing crack growth in fibre reinforced polymer or structural adhesive bonded structures by combining conventional measured parameters with parameters associated with measurement errors is presented. Paper P4 presents a FBG signal post-processing tool. In paper P5, a software development tool to simulate the FBG signal from a finite element method model is described. Paper P6 fits within the manufacturing stage, describing a residual strain measurement solution based on FBG sensors. In paper P7, the fracture process zone length in double cantilever beam specimens is analysed analytically and numerically.


Researchers in academics and companies working on location-based services (LBS) are paying close attention to indoor localization based on pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) because of its infrastructure-free localization method. PDR is the fundamental localization technique that utilize human motion to perform localization in a relative sense with respect to the initial position. The size, weight, and power consumption of micromechanical systems (MEMS) embedded into smartphones are remarkably low, making them appropriate for localization and positioning. Traditional pedestrian PDR methods predict position and orientation using stride length and continuous integration of acceleration in step and heading system (SHS)-based PDR and inertial navigation system (INS)-PDR, respectively. However, these two approaches provide accumulations of error and do not effectively leverage the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sequences. The PDR navigation solution relays on the standard of the MEMS, which yields PDR with the acceleration and angular velocity from the accelerometer and gyroscope, respectively. However, low-cost small MEMSs endure enormous error sources such as bias and noise. Hence, MEMS assessments lead to navigation solution drifts when utilized as inputs to the PDR. As a consequence, numerous methods have been proposed to mitigate and model the errors related to MEMS. Deep learning-based dead reckoning algorithms are provided to address aforementioned issues owing to the end-to-end learning framework. This paper proposes a hybrid convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory network (LSTM)-based inertial PDR system that extracts inertial measurement units (IMU) sequence features. The end-to-end learning framework is introduced to leverage the efficiency of low-cost MEMS because data-driven solutions provide more complete knowledge of the ever-increasing data volume and computational power over the filtering model approach. A CNN-LSTM model was employed to capture local spatial and temporal features. Experiments conducted on odometry datasets collected from multi-sensor backpack devices demonstrated that the proposed architecture outperformed previous traditional PDR methods, demonstrating that the root mean square error (RMSE) for the best user was 0.52 m. On the handheld smartphone-only dataset the best achieved R2 metric was 0.49.


Despite evidence that psychodynamic psychotherapy can be successfully applied to people with learning disabilities, it is hardly ever available in standard practice. Most specialist services for people with learning disabilities have no access to a qualified therapist, and adult psychotherapy departments refuse to see such patients or supervise staff who are willing to engage in this work, claiming a lack of knowledge of learning disabilities. As the National Health Service is moving further towards cost-effective treatments, individuals with learning disabilities will on the one hand become increasingly unable to access diverse treatment modalities, and on the other limited treatment options will hinder research into the efficacy and suitability of such treatments for this population. This paper is a brief review of our current knowledge on the application of psychodynamic psychotherapy in the field of learning disabilities and aims at opening up the debate within the framework of evidence-based practice in mental health.


Download PDF Ebook and Read OnlineTranslation In Mitochondria And Other Organelles%0D. Get Translation In Mitochondria And Other Organelles%0D Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles eBook by Read "Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles" by available from Rakuten Kobo. Sign up today and get $5 off your first purchase. The present book gives an overview on the similarities and differences of the various translation systems. Moreover, it http://www.chrismillerworks.co/Translation-in-Mitochondria-and-Other-Organelles-eBook-by--.pdf Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles Moreover, it highlights the mechanisms and control of translation in mitochondria and other organelles such as plastids and apicoplasts in different organisms. Lastly, it offers an outlook on future developments and applications that might be made possible by a better understanding of translation in mitochondria and other organelles. http://www.chrismillerworks.co/Translation-in-Mitochondria-and-Other-Organelles--.pdf Translation in mitochondria and other organelles eBook Get this from a library! Translation in mitochondria and other organelles. [Anne-Marie Duch ne;] -The present book gives an overview on the similarities and differences of the various translation systems. Moreover, it highlights the mechanisms and control of translation in mitochondria and other http://www.chrismillerworks.co/Translation-in-mitochondria-and-other-organelles--eBook--.pdf Download Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles The present book gives an overview on the similarities and differences of the various translation systems. Moreover, it highlights the mechanisms and control of translation in mitochondria and other organelles such as chloroplasts, plastids and apicoplasts in different organisms. http://www.chrismillerworks.co/Download-Translation-in-Mitochondria-and-Other-Organelles--.pdf Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles This book gives an overview on the different translation machineries in the cell. It also highlights the mechanisms and control of translation in mitochondria and other organelles, and offers an outlook on future developments and applications. The present book gives an overview on the similarities and differences of the various translation systems. http://www.chrismillerworks.co/Translation-in-Mitochondria-and-Other-Organelles--.pdf Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles Springer Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles. Anne-Marie Duch ne Editor 1 3 Translation in Mitochondria and Other Organelles. Editor Anne-Marie Duch ne 7 Translation in Mitochondria and Apicoplasts of Apicomplexan Parasites.. 159 Ankit Gupta, Afreen Haider, Suniti Vaishya and Saman Habib http://www.chrismillerworks.co/Translation-in-Mitochondria-and-Other-Organelles-Springer.pdf Mitochondrial Translation and Beyond Processes Implicated Additionally, mitochondria have been found to perform crucial roles in many other metabolic, regulatory and developmental processes. Mitochondrial dysfunction can therefore result in a variety of


EWB is a circuit emulation software which based on element level, from many years laboratory teaching experience combine computer emulation technique, research an example of transient process of second-order circuit. This paper center on EWB's application and advantage in circuit analysis laboratory teaching.


Investigated the feeding ecology of pine martens (Martes martes) in an insular (Minorca, Balearic Islands) and mainland (Cantabrian Mountains) Spanish population by analysis of food habits, food niche breadth, prey size index and prey weight distribution. Mammals, birds, fruits and insects were the main four dietary components in both populations. In Minorca all four were important during the year, whereas small mammals and fleshy fruits were dominant in the Cantabrian diet. The insular pine martens were characterized by having a wide food niche breadth and exploited all foods nearly equally compared to the Cantabrian martens and those from two other mainland populations. Pine marten prey size index and mean prey size also were greater in Minorca


Abstract The atlas emerged as a cartographic and bibliographic response to early modern Europeans' search for geographical order in a rapidly changing world. In particular, atlases were mediators in the restructuring of European ideas about political territory which culminated in the emergence (by the end of the eighteenth century) of the territorial state and its progeny, the nation‐state. For more than two centuries atlases defined political territories ever more precisely for their readers and expressed hierarchical relationships among those territories, while giving form to the political territoriality and geopolitical orientations of particular nations.


Room monitoring system using Radio frequency (RF) technology and Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR) is a solution for the electricity wastage. In this project PIR used because this device is still new in market and not widely explored by users. This device act as an automatic switch, the light will automatically on when there is presence of intruders in monitored area. Monitoring system also combined to this project where, a signal will be send to monitoring room to indicate the presence of person in monitored area. The signals send to the monitoring room using Radio Frequency and turn on the indicator for monitored area. The designed circuit will be implemented and a simple application of wireless communication will be demonstrated using the PIC microcontroller to transfer streams of data and for control and data processing.


To calculate various heat and mass transfer processes, reliable data on the molecular momentum transfer coefficient are required, which should fit seamlessly in to the General algorithm for modeling and calculating various mass transfer processes and devices in the chemical and petrochemical industries in the form of unified programs. This approach is proposed in the description of the momentum transfer mechanism, which is implemented by generalizing the kinetic equations of the model of solid spheres of a system of dense media with the help of methods of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes for associated Prigogine solution model. This allows a more accurate description of the momentum transfer in nonideal solutions. Within the framework of this model, the expression of the collision therm in kinetic equations is refined, which significantly expands the boundaries of the theory's application. A method for calculation activity coefficient is developed based on experimental data in the liquid-vapor system and the Wilson the equation. This will allow us to improve quantitatively the description of the phenomena of momentum transfer. A comparision was made between the calculated and experimental viscosity coefficients for a highly nonideal aceton-water solution, in which the activity coefficient varies on both components from 1 to 5 units. The average discrepancy between the data at different concentrations is 30%. At the sesame, the discrepancy between the coefficients, calculated according to the theory of solid spheres and experimental data reaches up to 10 times. When specifying the values of the activity coefficients and the interaction parameter between molecules the proposed method will improve the result.


Numerical computations are presented which illustrate and test various effects pertinent to the amplification and generation of turbulence in shock wave—turbulent boundary layer interactions. Several fundamental physical mechanisms are identified. Idealizations of these processes are examined by nonlinear numerical calculations. The results enable some limits to be placed s on the range of validity of existing linear theories. *Research Associate, supported by NASA Grant NAG1-109. Senior Staff Scientist, ICASE, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under NASA Contract Nos. NAS1-15810, NAS1-16394, and NAS1-17070. 'Head, Viscous Flow Branch, High —Speed Aerodynamics Division, NASA Langley Research Center, Associate Fellow AIAA. Introduction The applic&tion of low-speed turbulence modeling approaches to the calculation of high-speed boundary layers has proven quite successful, even up to Mach numbers on the order of 20 (e.g., Ref. 1). However, for shock waveturbulent boundary layer interactions computational results which are based on essentially low-speed turbulence models are generally unsatisfactory when applied to separated flow cases, where the mean flow is no longal largely pressure driven (e.g., Ref ,_ 2-3). The shock wave, from a simplistic viewpoint, could be considered as a very steep prr..sure gradient. Indeed, low-speed information, both theoretical and experimental (e.g., Refs. 4-5), for ouch pressure gradients indicate that "rapid distortion" concepts hold and, in the limit of extremely sharp gradients the Reynolds stress and turbulence intensities are "frozen ; " since there is insufficient residence time in the gradient for the turbulence to alter at all, let alone equilibrate. However, experimental information for shock wave-boundary layer interactions indicates significant amplifications of Reynolds stress and turbulence intensity across the shock wave (e.g., Refs. 6-11) and subsequent improvement in the capacity to withstand separation (Ref. 12). Evidently some new physics, associated perhaps with compressibility phenomena, is responsible for this amplification. Thiip is a situation where our extraordinary good fortune in applying low-speed turbulence modeling to high-speed flows has expired. The simpler aspects of the shock wave-turbulence interaction, i.e., the ba_Acal1,,y linear effects, are amenable to analysis. The decomposition of a general fluctuation into acoustic, entropy, and vorticity waives is well-known (e.g., Ref. 13). Some thro-e decades ago, Moore (Ref. 14), Ribner (Ref. 15), f Chang (Ref. 16), and Kerrebrock (Ref. 13), examined the effects of a shock


The aim of the present paper is to study the possibility of application of the X-ray quasi-forbidden reflection method to the composition determination of the sphalerite-type Cd 1x Μ xΤe (Μ = Mg, Zn, Mn) single crystals. The method is based on the property of quasi-forbidden reflections that their integral intensity is very sensitive to composition and weakly sensitive to crystal lattice defects. An example of application for a Cd1x Μn x Te single crystal is presented. PACS numbers: 61.10.Wg


20.11.2012 Failure mode is caused by lateral tensile stresses (red arrows) which start vertical cracks above and below branch crosssection. Finally fibre bundles separated by those cracks start to kink and global failure of the trunk completes the failure mode. Horizontal grain bridging the prospective cracks could prevent this failure mode. Curved fibres above the branch are bent inward due to lateral forces. Often these fibres bend abruptly into a horizontal tension sling just above the branch. Branch knots loaded in compression may lead to global failure of trunk by fibre kinking.


Background: Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) is a pangenotypic direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drug with a high resistance barrier. It has been used in patients with chronic hepatitis C in Turkey since March 2019. This drug's efficacy and safety data in Turkey are very limited, and there are not enough studies on real-life data. Objectives: In this study, we aim to present real-life data, efficacy, and safety for our patients. Methods: In this retrospective, observational, single-center study, 116 patients who were started on G/P (100mg/40mg) oral therapy at the infectious diseases clinic between March 2019 and December 2021 due to HCV were included. Of the 116 patients included in the study, 92 were analyzed. Demographic data of the patients, previous treatment experience, drug use, viral load (HCV RNA levels at the 4th week of treatment and 12th week after treatment), and viral genotype data were obtained retrospectively from the automation system. Statistical analysis IBM SPSS version 21.0 statistical package program was used. Results: Seventy-one (77.2%) of the patients were male, and 21 (22.8%) were female, with a mean age of 47.4 (18 - 89). Genotype distribution of patients 8.7% (n = 8) type 1a, 31.5% (n = 29) type 1b, 26.1% (n = 24) type 2, 22.9% (n = 21) type 3, 10.9% (n = 10) were type 4, 8.7% (n = 8) of the patients were treatment-experienced. In our study, there were no patients with cirrhosis. SVR-12 could not be obtained from a patient infected with only genotype 1a. In addition, this patient was co-infected with Hepatitis B. No side effects were observed in any of the patients that required treatment discontinuation. The SVR-12 rate was 98.6% with patients per protocol analysis (PP), but the SVR-12 rate was 77.2% with intention to treat analysis (ITT). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study suggested that G/P therapy in Turkey is used in real life with very high efficacy and tolerability. In addition, a significant change was observed in the genotype distribution previously reported in Turkey in the patient group we treated.


This study examines the role of disclosure source trustworthiness and perceived source hypocrisy on the effectiveness of online behavioral advertising.


A simply curved Weibull plot means that the studied data set has a three-parameter Weibull distribution with a non-zero location parameter representing the lower or the upper limit of the data set. This paper introduces a four-parameter Weibull distribution with both of these limits that can be applied in both reliability and materials engineering. A very reliable indicator of this distribution is the double-curved Weibull plot. The great advantage of this distribution is the fact that the corresponding hazard rate curve can be bathtub-shaped with a great ability to fit the measured data.


The classical scientific "best seller" by M. Born and E. Wolf already contained some elements of nano-optics (the near-field Mie scattering), though this domain of science has only recently started developing in connection with the vigorous development of nanotechnology. The optical near field differs substantially from the optical far field usually used in optical systems, measuring much more than the wavelength of light. The optical near field arises near structures of subwavelength size or near boundaries. The word "near" always means a subwavelength distance. In other words, the near field is as if "tied" to these subwavelength structures or boundaries; i.e., it does not propagate and contributes nothing to the far field formed at distances much longer than the wavelength of light. The optical near field localized within a subwavelength region forms the basis of nanooptics, a part of nanotechnology.

The nanolocalization of an optical field makes its intensity highly nonuniform in space. The strong spatial inhomogeneity of the optical near field, first, makes it possible to control the spectral characteristics of atoms placed in it (atoms near nanostructures); and second, gives rise to a gradient force that enables one to control the motion of the atoms and forms the basis of atom optics. Finally, the optical near field localized near metal nanostructures can interact in a resonance fashion with plasmons whose frequency is close to that of the optical field, the plasmons themselves being of a subwavelength size. This interaction highly enhances the intensity of the localized field and forms the basis of plasmon nano-optics and entirely new effects, such as the extraordinary optical transmission through subwavelength hole arrays (the Ebbesen effect).

In this chapter, we consider but a single avenue of inquiry in nano-optics that is associated with both the control of the spectral properties of atoms near nanostructures and the motion of atoms in the optical near field.


This work deals with human thermal comfort and human thermal stress. The major aim of this
work is the investigation and quantification of thermal comfort conditions as they configured in
open spaces under different meteorological conditions.
In this dissertation meteorological data from the METEONET network are statistically analyzed.
The variables that we will analyze are values of air temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar
radiation for ten different areas of Athens the period 2005-2011. These data are recorded every 1
hour from 10 automated meteorological station of the NTUA.
The purpose of this dissertation is the calculation of hourly values of bioclimatic index PET
(Physiological Equivalent Temperature) with the application of the model RayMan. For this
purpose, we used hourly values of the necessary meteorological parameters recorded by the
network of automatic weather stations NTUA (National Technical University of Athens).


An effective assessment of future climate change, especially future precipitation forecasting, is an important basis for the rational development of adaptive strategies for Northwest China, where the ecological environment is fragile and encompasses arid and semiarid regions. In this work, the performance of a regional climate model is assessed; then, climate changes in the near future (2018–2037), middle future (2050–2069), and distant future (2080–2099) are analyzed under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) Compared to the Met Office Hadley Centre Earth System (HadGEM2‐ES) global climate model, the latest regional climate model, RegCM4.6, with a community land model land surface process scheme and Tiedtke cumulus convective parameterization, can create a good simulation of the present‐day mean climatology over Northwest China, including temperature, precipitation, and climate extremes, and can also provide finer‐scale climate information in complex terrain and better correct the cold bias than HadGEM2‐ES. At the same time, RegCM4 inherited the bias from HadGEM2‐ES, for example, both the RegCM4 and the HadGEM2‐ES overestimated precipitation in DJF in the southeast of the study area. (2) The future near surface air temperature will experience continuous warming over Northwest China under the RCP8.5 scenario, and the warming will become more significant and exceed 6 °C by the end of the 21st century. In RegCM4, future precipitation will continue to increase and will increase by 50 mm by the end of the 21st century relative to historical data. The extreme climate index summer days will continue to increase, indicating that high temperatures will be more frequent in Northwest China. In contrast, the consecutive dry days will decrease, likely because of the increase in precipitation.


ment of mankind with respect to industries, language, and religion. He stands up as a very Goliath in his championship o? the fairer sex, and protests against the insinuation that woman had no part in making civilisation what it is. Yet we cannot help thinking that he overstates her case, or at any rate states it somewhat one-sidedly. The reader feels tempted to ask himself what the male portion of the community was doing all the time. Nevertheless, the author succeeds in causing


It is well known that higher order moments of normal random variables (RV) with zero means can be expressed by terms of second-order moments. In this correspondence an extension will be given for moments of normal RV with nonzero means.


Trying to turn around failing schools has become the newest academic cottage industry, with many colleges and universities taking on this work. Apparently, they haven't heard Joseph Murphy's sobering suggestion that "not all failing schools are worth saving" (2010). "When a school is facing failure, sometimes fighting to restore what shouldn't be saved is neither wise policy nor in the best interest of youngsters," Murphy contends. That sentiment receives strong support from a recent study of charter and traditional public schools done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. "Few low-performing schools in either sector--barely 1%--managed to dramatically improve their academic performance over this five-year period, and fewer than 10% made even moderate gains," the authors said. "We conclude that it is easier to close a low-performing school than to turn one around. Rather than pushing dubious turnaround efforts, charter authorizers and education policy makers alike should ramp up their efforts to close bad schools, particularly in cases where higher-performing schools are nearby " (Stuit, 2010). How should educators and the public respond to the suggestion that most failing schools either need a complete makeover or aren't worth saving? And what message are we sending the students and parents of such schools, and their respective communities in general, if we allow them to believe their schools should be kicked to the curb or used as a research laboratory? Hearing that America's students are becoming less competitive globally with each successive year is depressing enough, but it's worse to hear that we should either reinvent how schools operate or give up on some schools because the turnaround task is simply too daunting. I don't dispute the Fordham Institute's findings, nor do I disparage university efforts to save failing schools, but I vehemently disagree with their all-or-nothing approach. My experience with failing schools, coupled with my research on this subject, have led me to the sobering conclusion that most failing schools are the product of poor leadership and improper management--nothing more, nothing less. Furthermore, there's ample evidence that bona fide education leaders, supported by motivated and highly qualified teams of teachers and administrators, are not only capable of transforming failing schools, they can make them successful within three to five years. First and foremost, we must acknowledge that only the best school principals and the best classroom teachers are capable of doing this difficult work. As Heather Peske and Kati Haycock said clearly, "The very children who most need strong teachers are assigned, on average, to teachers with less experience, less education, and less skill than those who teach other children" (2006). My experiences show that this logic is unfortunately applied to school leaders as well. Turnaround experience Since my retirement from the Marine Corps almost 10 years ago, I've been privileged to assume the leadership role at two failing charter schools in North Carolina, and I'm currently consulting for a third. In each case, students' academic performance as measured by North Carolina's high-stakes tests was abysmal at the outset. In addition, the average free or reduced lunch rate of the three schools was 75% (ranging between 50% at the first school and 90% at the last one). When I arrived at my first school (K-8) in 2002, only 43% of the students were at grade level on the statewide exam; in the second school (K-8), fewer than 30% of the students were at grade level in 2006; and, in my current school (K-12), just over 20% of the middle/high school students and only 50% of the elementary students were at grade level in 2010. The results: After three years, 79% of students in my first school were at grade level; in my second school, the figure was 64% after three years; and after one year at my current school, almost 36% of the middle and high school students and more than 80% of the elementary students are at or above grade level. …


Properties of geopolymer coating on nonmetallic substrates, especially glass fiber-reinforced epoxy (GRE) have been considered based on the effect of Si/Al ratio and surface treatment at a determined proportion of solid to liquid (S/L) and curing temperature.Kaolin and white clay have been used as geopolymer raw material in study of adhesive strength in geopolymer coating. Effect Si/Al ratio and surface treatment on adhesive strength has been tested from 0.40-0.60using Elcometer 106 Pull Off. The answer shows that Si/Al ratio and surface treatment were effecting the adhesive strength of geopolymer coating. The highest adhesive strength 6.0 MPa was found ina Si / Al ratio of 3.5 with surface treatment.


Stroke is a major health issue for patients, families and for the health care system. The physical, social and economic consequences after stroke are even more noticeable in young adults, vital contributors to the workforce. Stroke in young adults has unique characteristics. For example, the etiologies of stroke are more heterogenous than for older stroke patients who are more likely to have the traditional vascular risk factors. Moreover, extensive investigations are usually necessary to aid medical decision-making. Despite a thorough evaluation, the etiology may remain undetermined in up to one third of these patients. In the last decade, different initiatives have been implemented to improve access to specialized care and delivery of services. To date, however, limited information is available on thrombolytic therapy in young adults with stroke. In this issue of the Journal, Poppe et al report a subgroup analysis of patients with ischemic stroke younger than 50 years receiving thrombolytic therapy. This is based on a large, prospective, national study that helped to get IV-t-PA approved in Canada (Canadian Alteplase for Stroke Effectiveness Study CASES). Main findings include: younger patients had a less severe stroke (median NIHSS 13 vs. 15; p<0.001), and a better survival (10.2 mortality vs 23.5%; p=0.002). Yet interestingly, age younger than 50 years was not an independent predictor of favourable 90-day outcome (mRS score 0-1) or decreased risk of intracranial bleeding. These results were adjusted by gender, baseline NIHSS and glucose level. Of note, baseline blood pressure has been shown to affect stroke outcome. Readers may wonder whether these results would change if blood pressure has been included in the adjustment. There was a significant difference in pretreatment systolic blood pressuremean in systolic blood pressure was 13.8 mmHg lower in the younger group. In addition, this is a non-controlled open-label study and investigators were able to select patients to participate in CASES.


Background: The aim of the research is to study the effect of elevated temperature on different grades of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC), which is having excellent deformability and segregation resistance. Methodology: SCC specimens were cast using Silicafume (SF), Flyash (FA) and Metakaolin (MK) as mineral admixture, Master Glenium SKY as Superplasticizer (SP) and Glenium Stream as Viscosity Modifying Agent (VMA). After heating the specimens to 900oC, samples were allowed to cool naturally in case of air cooling and water was sprayed on the specimens in case of water cooling. Compressive strength and Stress Strain behaviour of specimens were found. Findings: Compressive strength of SCC specimens with SF, FA and MK were found to decrease by 53.57%, 65.25% and 72.95% respectively for air cooling. In case of specimens cooled by water, the decrease in strength was found to be 78.67%, 81.19% and 83.01% respectively for specimens with SF, FA and MK. The higher powder content of SCC makes the permeability of concrete as low, thus makes SCC more susceptible to spalling under high temperature. The percentage reduction in compressive strength of M50 grade specimens with MK was found to be 72.95% and 83.01% for the specimens cooled by air and water respectively. Higher strength loss was observed for higher grade of SCC. It was found from the experimental investigations that, higher strain values were observed for the specimens cooled by water as compared to specimens cooled by air and reference specimen. Application: Fire safety design of structural elements.


Mining and discovering ontological structures plays a major role in the semantic Web. As long as many domains in the semantic Web involve different sorts of imprecision, ontologies must be expressive enough to deal with imperfect information. Most of approaches to manage imprecision in ontologies deal either with probability or employ fuzzy set and fuzzy logic techniques for representing ontologies for intrinsically vague domains. The aim of this paper is to show how they can be complemented by rough set methods to capture another type of imprecision caused by approximation spaces. It is also demonstrated how different approaches to dealing with imprecision can be joined under the common umbrella of the generic framework for handling uncertainty in description logic


Objective To observe the analgesic effect and safety of tuina manipulation on temporomandibular disorders with syndrome of obstruction of wind-cold-dampness.Methods Sixty cases of temporomandibular disorders were selected and randomly divided into two groups.The treatment group(31 cases) was treated with tuina manipulation,in which pushing and point-and-click of thumb technology were applied at shi point,Erheliao(SJ 22),Xiaguan(ST 7),Shangguan(GB 3) and Jiache(ST 6) and grasping technology was applied at Hegu(LI 4) and Waiguan(SJ 5).The control group(29 cases) was treated with ultrashort wave therapy.The treatment was given three times a week in both group,and two weeks were taken as a session.After the treatment visual analogue scale(VAS) was applied to evaluate the therapeutic effects.Results After the treatment the pain was relieved in both groups,which was statistically significant(P 0.05).The VAS and comprehensive efficacy of treatment group was significantly superior to those of control group(P 0.05).Also there was no obvious adverse effect in both groups.Conclusion The tuina manipulation could safely and effectively relieve the pain in the face and head that is caused by temporomandibular disorders.


The paper explored the perceptions of Bhutanese students studying tourism and hospitality in a private Indian university. Interviews with 21 students enrolled in 'Airlines, Tourism and Hospitality' degree program were conducted followed by focus group. The study explored the participants' perceptions about India, motivation to study tourism, viewpoints on the way of teaching, use of information technology in academics, and language at the place of study. The findings revealed that participants mostly held unfavourable pre-departure (prior) perceptions about the country, which eventually transformed to more favourable as the interface with the place of study grew. Participants' interest in the program could be attributed to the appeal towards tourism, especially in the hopes of a career in airlines. They also perceived the program to be more theoretical than practical and more inclined towards hospitality learning rather than tourism. Perceptions of information technology used in the university were positive and participants acknowledged challenges related to the language in the place of study.


By discussing the potential value,character and problem of land assets in Wuhai city,the thought and countermeasure of land assets management in Wuhai are presented in this paper.


Generating a series of images is an important task in various fields of scientific research, e.g. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In the past years, solutions based on deep neural networks gained importance. In these tasks, it's often necessary to declare regions of interest in the image. Further-more, the NN should only perform on these regions and the rest should be ignored. With this paper, we propose an inno-vative and easy method for implementing this behavior in the field of CFD.


This article aims to describe and explain how the use of the Instagram application is used as a medium of interaction and communication. The problem is focused on the use of Instagram as a communication medium, the weaknesses and strengths of Instagram as a communication medium, and the impact of using Instagram on the social life of students. In order to approach this problem, the uses and gratifications theory is used as a reference. The data was collected through observations of students' Instagram accounts, in-depth interviews with students with Instagram accounts, and documenting student activities on Instagram. The results show that Instagram has advantages and disadvantages, as well as positive and negative impacts. The positive impact of using Instagram for students is that they gain a lot of insight and information, make users creative, can see the outside world through photos and videos, can meet old friends and new people around the world, and provide many benefits for business actors. Meanwhile, the negative impact that is felt is to make Instagram addicted and wasteful in using the internet.


This paper presents some results in the asymmetric resonant circuit, which is constructed by applying a dc voltage E_0 and a sinusoidal voltage E_1 \sin {\omega}t to a series resonant circuit containing a nonlinear capacitance. The circuit is analyzed using the Ritz-Galerkin method. Assuming that the first approximation for the charge q takes on the form Q_0 + Q_1 sin({\omega}t + \theta) , the curves \omega - Q_1 , {E_1} - {Q_1} , and {E_0} - {Q_1} , are obtained. It is shown that the asymmetric circuit is a tristable circuit with respect to these parameters, while the usual ferroresonant circuit is a bistable circuit. The influence of the dc voltage E_0 upon the circuit is studied in particular, and an interesting phenomenon, called "residual jump phenomenon," may occur in the circuit only when E_0 is changed and others fixed. Furthermore, the study shows how to construct a multistable circuit using nonlinear reactances. Combining some nonlinear reactances with suitable bias voltages, circuits having two, three, four or five stable solutions are obtained.


Abstract : It is shown that if A is an integral matrix having linearly independent rows, then the extreme points of the set of nonnegative solutions to Ax = b are integral for all integral b if and only if the determinant of every basis matrix is plus or minus 1. This provides a short proof of the Hoffman- Kruskal theorem characterizing unimodular matrices, i.e., matrices in which the determinant of each nonsingular submatrix is plus or minus 1. Their theorem is that if A is integral, then A is unimodular if and only if the extreme points of the set of nonnegative solutions to Ax = or b are integral for all integral b.


This paper analyze widely-used evacuation simulation program, set up major factors and investigate the impacts by the factors to consider a weak person of disaster factor for safety assessment of evacuation simulation. This paper also aims to establish criteria of safety for the disabled on evacuation. The results show that the evacuation time increases an average of 12.07 seconds as numbers of weak people increase, and revealed greater rate of increase in evacuation time as walking speed is slower. The velocity factors" variation had little influence on the results and the impact of rate change can be classified largely in less 2%, 3-10% and 11% more. Each category presents a significant contrast as the factors changes, For further research, verification by evacuation simulations and quantitative analysis such as various walking speeds for types of disability are needed.


Interpersonal communication is the informal exchange of information between two or more people – two-person, face-to-face interaction (dyadic communication). Continuum – from dyadic to interpersonal. Developmental approach suggests that something special must occur to turn ordinary, impersonal, dyadic interaction into interpersonal communication. When 1. The rules governing the relationship 2. The amount of data communicators have about one another and 3. The communicators' level of knowledge change dyadic communication becomes interpersonal. Interpersonal communication is a special kind of dyadic communication, characterized by: o Development of personally negotiated rules o Increased information exchange o Progressively deeper levels of knowledge. Communication Rules – tell us how to communicate with one another: 1. Cultural level rules – most general, apply to all members; use with strangers 2. Sociological level rules – tied to group membership 3. Psychological level rules – used with people we know well –made up by interactants


In many application domains, general purpose search engines are not very effective as they are not designed for deep processing of semantic relations present in these domains. They need a search engine that understands domain concepts and relations. However, building a domain specific search engine is a non-trivial task. To build an effective search engine, it is not only the text processing technologies that one has to master, one also has to understand the nuances of domain entities and their relationships. Domain knowledge such as generalization hierarchies, relation types, cardinalities, property value types, units, ranges, etc., play a key role in understanding the text. To achieve right accuracy levels, these domain specific nuances have to be encoded into text processing algorithms. Developing a search engine that takes all this into account requires substantial time and effort. To address this, we present a model driven approach to realize domain specific search engines. We propose a metamodel to specify a domain in terms of concepts, relations and their extraction models. An information extraction component interprets this metamodel to access the domain model and the information contained in it. It uses this information to determine what entities, relations and properties need to be extracted, what extraction models to use for the same, and how to resolve the ambiguities that arise from the text processing stage. We also show how a domain specific query language interface can be generated from the domain model. We discuss the results of applying the proposed approach on two domains: materials science and urban mining. The model driven approach results in substantial savings in development efforts.


-Allocation of energy between reproduction and growth is a fundamental principle in life history theory. In a seasonal environment, animals with indeterminate growth are predicted to change their allocation between reproduction and growth according to the season. We examined the seasonal variation in the allocation to reproduction and growth within a breeding season in the hermit crab Pagurus nigrivittatus. Females of P. nigrivittatus produced smaller clutches during the early part of the reproductive period than later although the frequency of prenuptial molting was lower early in the period. We suggest that environmental factors, such as temperature, may affect the development rate of embryos, as well as the metabolism and surplus energy in females, which have consequences for seasonal variation in the energy allocation to repro-


Ancient Chinese poetry has long been a hot topic in academic world. Recognized worldwide as a versatile literator in Tang Dynasty in China, Wang Wei composed a large quantity of excellent landscape poems containing rich images that can enrich the cultural connotation and create more artistic effect. Undoubtedly, the English translation of Wang Wei's landscape poems plays a pivotal role in letting Chinese culture goes global. In view of the large discrepancy of cultural traits between China and western countries, translators who are not familiar with the two cultures will be prone to run into setbacks and difficulties during the whole translating process. Accordingly, if translators misinterpret the images in poetry translation, readers may feel confused and thus fail to appreciate the authentic beauty. Therefore, the image translation in Wang Wei's landscape poetry is also of great significance. However, up to now, the academic world hasn't attached great importance to the theoretical value of images in translating ancient Chinese poetry and translating strategies targeting at ancient Chinese poems are still mainly hovering on the controversy between foreignization and domestication, neglecting other significant perspectives. Guided by the translation principle-the three-dimensional transformation in the theory of Eco-translatology, this study is expected to explore the feasibility of this translation method in the study of Wang Wei's poetry translation and to evaluate the quality of different versions of image translation from the linguistic, cultural, and communicative dimensions, aiming to offer both a guideline and a criterion for Wang Wei's poetry translation, to broaden the research ideas of literary translation as well as to help promote the lasting charm of the oriental culture to the world.


Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department of Punjab, Pakistan has outsourced its clinical laboratory services at various secondary level hospitals in the province. Methodology adapted to outsource these facilities was based on phasing out the process. While methodology adapted to selection of service provider was on the basis of bidding. Two service providers contracted the procuring agency to deliver services to general public. In the first phase, clinical laboratory services of DHQ Hospital Chakwal were outsourced to a private laboratory service of the country. This communication aims on the methods adopted by Pathology Department of the hospital to evaluate the technical efficiency of the service.


Reviews p 248

It seems that the whole world is suddenly talking about measuring the performance of health systems. Last month the World Health Organization published its findings from a comparative study of healthcare systems.1 This time it is the turn of the Department of Health in England, which last week published the results of the second round of performance indicators for 99 health authorities and 275 NHS hospital trusts.2 Unlike last year's figures, these data will inform and shape key aspects of the government's plan for the NHS, which will be published next week.

The main message of the latest performance indicators is that health in England is continuing to improve. However, there is also compelling evidence of variation in health and healthcare performance between areas and between hospitals. For example, the proportion of patients waiting less than two hours to be admitted after attending an …


We propose a wideband transverse magnetic-reflected polarizing film composed of Cr and SiO2. Based on the polarization characteristics of reflected light from Cr/SiO2 film, the film can serves as a polarizer to severely attenuate the transverse electric (TE)-polarized light and reflect the transverse magnetic (TM)-polarized light in a wavelength range from 600 to 900 nm. By suitably choosing the film thicknesses, the operation angles of such polarizers can be adjusted over a wide angle range greater than the critical angle of total reflection. Cr/SiO2 film has potential use in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors based on Kretchmann configuration to form integrated structures.


Graphene nanosheets loaded with highly dispersed platinum nanoparticles (Pt@GNSs) are prepared by a simple and effective hydrothermal method. The Pt@GNS as an air cathode material exhibits a very high initial discharge capacity of 7574 mA h−1 g−1 at a current density of 0.1 mA cm−2 and delivers a stable cycling performance. The electrocatalytic characteristics of Pt on the Na–O2 cell have been investigated for the first time.


Tiang's play The Last Days of Limehouse discusses the end of London's first Chinatown. The play raises issues of heritage and loss, as well as what is considered culturally meaningful (and by whom). Moving from a majority Chinese nation to one where they are an ethnic minority allows them to find a sense of belonging in Chinatown. As a response to this loss, Tiang's play seeks to tell the stories of its residents and to be able to bring this location back to life for the audience before sending them out into Limehouse streets, where they could feel its loss all the more strongly as they made their way home.
This essay tackles the dynamic complexity of multicultural identity as Stuart Hall calls it 'the second side'  in order to clarify how these multiple identities affect the characters' personalities and psyche in Jeremy Tiang's play The Last Days of Limehouse. Skin color, language, discourse, class, education, career, skills, community, family, activities, area, friends, food, attire, customs, and political opinions are all examples of cultural identities. Hence the researchers conclude that acculturation, as well as cultural shock, are the main reasons behind the inner conflict of Jeremy Tiang's characters in The Last Days of Limehouse. This inner conflict reflects their sense of belonging to Limehouse in London as a replacement image of the real home and culture in their Nation's land.


In the early nineties, banks faced a lot of difficulties in recovering their loans which they have landed just because of the inordinate delay in deciding cases which were in Civil Courts and also because of other technical issues. To make banks recover their dues speedily 'The Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993' (RDDBI Act) was enacted and as a result of which the Banks got the opportunity to file an Original Application before specially constituted Debt Recovery Tribunal asking for a 'Certificate of Recovery' and it was treated like getting a Decree from a Civil Court in a Civil Suit seeking recovery of money. Though the RDDBI Act was enacted for the betterment of the banks and to make recovery speedily but the banks could not achieve considerable results and hence the legislature has come up with the 'The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002' (SARFAESI Act) wherein the banks are allowed to proceed against the 'Secured Assets' by determining the outstanding due on their own instead of getting the 'outstanding due' determined by the Debt Recovery Tribunal.The main objective of the SARFAESI Act of 2002 is to enable the Banks to reduce the mounting 'Non-performing Assets' (NPAs). The banks or the financial Institutions have taken the success of the advantages of the provisions of SARFAESI Act of 2002. Various concerns were also raised regarding the constitutionality of the SARFAESI Act of 2002. In addition to that the impugned Act has also been referred to as draconian piece of legislation. The constitution validity was challenged and the Apex court in Mardia Chemicals vs. Union of India ([2002] 39 SCL 897) has upheld the constitutionality of the said Act. The Courts have also addressed the concerns of the borrower by interpreting section 17 of the Act which confers authority on Debt Recovery Tribunal to pass orders in an Appeal preferred by the borrowers or any aggrieved person.


Abstract: Castleman's disease is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder that can present in both nodal and extranodal sites. The cause is unknown, but a disordered immunoregulation, which results in the excessive proliferation of B lymphocytes and plasma cells in lymphoid organs, plays a central role in the development of the condition. Three distinct histologic types (hyaline vascular, plasma cell, and mixed), and 2 anatomical variants (localized and multicentric) have been described. Clinical presentation generally consists of enlargement of lymph nodes or other tissues, fever, asthenia, weight loss, and other general symptoms, associated with nonspecific blood analysis abnormalities, such as acute phase reactant elevation and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. We report an especially intriguing case of fever of unknown origin which could not be diagnosed despite numerous diagnostic tests over a prolonged period of time. Eventually, findings in an F18-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan allowed diagnosing Castleman's disease.


Free  primary  education  (FPE)  has  attracted  a  lot  of  attention  and  its  implementation  was  a  landmark policy  decision  by  the  government  of  Kenya  in  January  2003.  This  pronouncement  of  the  attainment  of UPE  by  the  year  2005  and  education  for  all  (EFA)  by  2015  has  been  one  of  the  major  developmental goals  of  the  Kenya  government.  Research  has  shown  that  the  government  has  succeeded  in  enhancing access  to  primary  education  through  the  implementation  of  the  developmental  plans  and  abolition  of school  fees.  The  growth  of  enrolments  notwithstanding,  pupil–teacher  ratios,  pupil-classroom  ratios  are declining  with  time.  Nevertheless,  the  policy  faces  challenges.  The  purpose  of  this  study  was  to  ascertain the  challenges  involved  in  the  implementation  of  the  FPE  policy  in  Kenya.  Descriptive  survey  design specifically  Ex  post  facto  research  design  was  used.  Stratified  sampling  was  used  to  select  22  schools  in Nyamira  Division.  All  the  head  teachers  of  the  sampled  schools  participated  in  the  study.  Purposive sampling  was  used  to  select  3  teachers  per  school,  and  simple  random  sampling  was  used  to  select  8 parents  from  each  selected  school.  Similarly,  two  members  of  the  school  committees  in  of  each  of  the schools  were  randomly  selected.  The  research  tools  were  questionnaires,  observation  checklist,  focus groups  and  document  analysis  for  data  collection.  Data  analysis  employed  descriptive  statistics  and  data presented  in  graphical  description,  tabulated  description  and  statisti


Known by a variety of names in Louisiana, the shotgun house was first formally named by Fred B. Kniffen in his 1936 article on Louisiana house types. Since the pioneering work of John Michael Vlach in the 1970s, the shotgun house in New Orleans has functioned as a bellwether of political commitment to entire subcultures, including their associated social and racial predispositions. Theories of the origins of the shotgun lie deeply enmeshed in larger cultural debates on race and authority in the city. Some see the shotgun as a response to constrained urban lots while others see the building type inextricably linked to the city's substantial nineteenth-century African American population. These biases lay relatively submerged and unstated, but with the receding flood waters of Hurricane Katrina, when roughly 40 percent of the city's housing stock was severely damaged or destroyed, the competition between groups and classes for scarce resources and limited funding has brought these contests to the fore (Figure 1). In New Orleans, it seems everyone has a well-defined idea about what should be preserved and what should be bulldozed. Irreconcilable theories of the origins and value of the shotgun house go to the very heart of the question of what is to be saved. Entire sections of the city are at stake (Figure 2).


A fifty-nine year old woman presented to a tertiary care center with a few hours of increasing chest pain suspicious for angina. She reported persistent bouts of nausea and vomiting for 2 days before the onset of chest pain, but denied abdominal pain or hematemesis. She denied any recent physical or emotional stressors. Notably, the patient was congenitally deaf, and all history was obtained through a sign language interpreter. Patient also reported chronic cannabis abuse for many years. Physical examination was remarkable for prominent jugular venous pulsation, bilateral lung crackles, and left ventricular gallop, apart from sensorineural hearing loss. Her ECG showed poor R-wave progression, ST-segment elevation, and T-wave inversion in the precordial leads. An echocardiogram revealed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 20% to 25%, severe hypokinesis of apical and midsegments, and hypercontractile basal segments. Laboratory workup revealed elevated troponin-I (2.1 ng/mL) and creatine kinase myocardial band (16.2 ng/mL). Metabolic panel and blood counts were normal. Urine drug screen was positive for tetrahydrocannabinol . Cardiac catheterization revealed normal epicardial coronaries and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure of 16 mm Hg. Ventriculogram was consistent with apical ballooning, supporting the diagnosis of Takotsobu or stress cardiomyopathy (Figure 1 and Movie I in the online-only Data Supplement). According to a further review of her history, the patient had 4 admissions in the preceding 3 years for a very similar clinical course and diagnostic findings. Her urine tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol on each of these occasions. After hemodynamic stabilization, she was sequentially initiated on -blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Her chest pain improved rapidly and nausea and vomiting resolved by the third day of hospitalization. Twenty-four hour urinary metanephrines and catecholamines were normal, arguing against pheochromocytoma. The final diagnosis was recurrent stress (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy and hyperemesis syndrome due to cannabis abuse. Discharge medications included aspirin, furosemide, -blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. She was counseled against using tetrahydrocannabinol and recommended follow-up with a substance abuse specialist. At 4-week follow-up, she was asymptomatic and echocardiogram showed complete resolution of wall motion abnormalities with normal systolic function, similar to the course of her prior episodes. Five months later, patient presented to the hospital with another similar episode of hyperemesis syndrome followed by chest pain. She was compliant with medications, including -blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, but continued cannabis abuse. Initial echocardiogram at admission was relatively unremarkable, with preserved left ventricular systolic function. A cardiac MRI was done that revealed basal segments hypokinesis (Movie II in the online-only Data Supplement). Echocardiogram repeated the next day revealed obvious basal and midventricular akinesis with hyperdynamic apex (Figure 2 and Movie III in the online-only Data Supplement). The rest of the course was unremarkable, with subsequent improvement of left ventricular systolic function. Recurrent stress cardiomyopathy with a different pattern of ventricular involvement in the same patient questions the currently proposed hypothesis of variability of -adrenergic receptor density and sensitivity. Stress cardiomyopathy had been often, but not always, shown to be associated with hypercatecholaminergic states. Although the association between emotional stressors and stress cardiomyopathy is well established, the molecular mechanisms linking cardiac muscles to stress have not been clearly elucidated. Alternative mechanisms linking cardiomyopathy to psychological stresses may be the endocannabinoid system. Endogenously produced cannabis-like substances (endocannabinoids) have recently been shown to have direct (non–receptor-mediated) and cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1)–mediated cardiovascular effects.1 They reduce cardiomyocyte contractility and have been implicated in cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy, and sepsis-associated myocardial dysfunction.1,2 Furthermore, CB1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, was found to be cardioprotective in


In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States and resulted in businesses, schools, and other non-essential operations being shut down. In response, the federal government passed and administered a series of historically robust cash transfer programs, including a series of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs, know as stimulus checks), expanded unemployment insurance, and an expanded child tax credit. Studies find these measures helped lowand middle-income families build their savings, and protected many families from rising poverty and hardship (Chetty et al., 2020; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2020; Evangelist, Wu and Shaefer, 2021).


The high frequency performance limitations of Si, GaAs and InP IMPATT devices based on avalanche response time is investigated in this paper. Drift-diffusion model is used to design SDR IMPATTs based on Si, GaAs and InP at different millimeter-wave and sub- millimeter-wave frequencies and corresponding avalanche response times and associated avalanche delay as well as transit times are calculated. Results show that the high frequency limits of GaAs and Si IMPATT devices are 147 GHz and 500 GHz respectively. It is observed that InP IMPATTs are highly suitable for operation at higher mm-wave and terahertz frequencies due to smaller value of avalanche response time of InP as compared to Si and GaAs.