Success Rate of Nocturnal Neutral Wrist Splint in Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Yupadee Fusakul MD Phongphitch Saensri BSc (Occupational therapy) Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, BMA Medical College and Vajira Hospital Objective: To determine the success rate of nocturnal neutral wrist splint in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome in Thai patients. Study design: Prospective descriptive study. Subjects: A total of 40 patients with mild and moderate degree of carpal tunnel syndrome, confirmed by standard electrodiagnosis, who were treated by nocturnal neutral wrist splint in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, BMA Medical College and Vajira Hospital during February to August 2008. Methods: All subjects were treated with custom-molded neutral wrist splint and were instructed to wear the splint every night for 12 weeks. They were followed up and assessed by Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and Functional Status Scale (FSS) at 2, 6 and 12 weeks. They also reported overall treatment results. Electrodiagnosis were reperformed at 12 weeks after treatment. Main outcome measures: Success rate of splint treatment which was determined from percentage of patients who rated the overall treatment results as "much improved" or "completely recovered". Results: The success rate of nocturnal neutral wrist splint in the treatment of mild and moderate degree of carpal tunnel syndrome was 65.0% at 12 weeks. The means of SSS and FSS improved significantly from baseline compared with SSS and FSS at 2, 6 and 12 weeks after treatment. However, the electrodiagnosis parameters at 12 weeks after treatment were not significantly different from the parameters before treatment. Conclusion: Treatment of mild to moderate degree of carpal tunnel syndrome in Thai patients with nocturnal neutral wrist splint was effective with success rate of 65.0%. Vajira Med J 2009 ; 53 : 131-142


Various expressions have been proposed previously for the rise velocity of gas bubbles for homogeneous steady bubbly flows, generally a monotonically decreasing function of the bubble volume fraction. For disordered suspensions, some of these are of the form expected for ordered suspensions, and vice versa, as they do not reduce to the behaviour expected theoretically in the dilute limit. The microstructure of weakly inhomogeneous bubbly flows not being known generally, the effect of microstructure is an important consideration. We revisit this problem here for bubbly flows at small to moderate Reynolds number values for deformable bubbles, using direct numerical simulation and analysis. For ordered sus-pensions, the rise velocity is demonstrated not to be monotonically decreasing with volume fraction due to cooperative inertial interactions. The fore-and-aft asymmetry of an isolated ellipsoidal bubble is reversed upon increasing the volume fraction, and the bubble aspect ratio approaches unity. Recent work on rising bubble pairs is used to explain most of these results; the present work therefore forms a platform of extending the former to suspensions of many bubbles. We adopt this new strategy also to support the existence of the oblique rise of ordered suspensions, the possibility of which is also demonstrated analytically. Finally , we demonstrate that most of the trends observed in ordered suspensions also appear in disordered systems. This is attributed to bubbles in disordered systems having the same neighbours for extended periods of time.


Advances in genome-based technologies have led to the rapid generation of new data regarding the genetic etiology of many traits and conditions. In particular, new and cheaper sequencing technologies have enabled the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and wholeexome sequencing (WES) as oft-used research tools, and increasingly as clinical tests for hardto-diagnose cases. Thus, it is anticipated that WGS/WES may eclipse singleand multi-gene tests used today for disease diagnosis and treatment, and potentially be used for health screening. In December 2012, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced an ambitious initiative to sequence the genomes of 100,000 Britons (100,000 Genome Project or 100kGP) affected with cancer or rare diseases, budgeting UK£100 million for this extraordinary effort [101]. In July 2013, the Department of Health announced that this initiative will be coordinated by the newly-established, governmentowned company Genomics England (London, UK). This project will undoubtedly result in new discoveries and demonstrate whether use of WGS can result in improved health outcomes. Clinical implementation of WGS/WES in a clinical setting poses a formidable barrier. Although it may be prudent to wait until evidence of clinical utility has been gathered, given that clinical implementation studies are relatively less costly and can be done concurrently with clinical effectiveness studies, the 100kGP provides a golden opportunity to inform the delivery of WGS if and when the technology is demonstrated beneficial. In particular, there are two major areas of clinical implementation research that could be conducted concurrently with these 100,000 samples of sequenced Britons and vastly contribute to developing strategies for the effective and safe use of WGS: communication and behavioral impact. While


Electronic auxiliary equipment in many fields have been used in the prevention of disease, the vocal voice is more and more widely used, in the daily vocal training and voice disorders are mostly because the pronunciation method caused by improper, therefore, prevention and treatment of voice diseases is the scientific sound, let the human body the vocal organs reasonable movement in the vocal motor; followed by active prevention, effective treatment and daily life care. "Sound" is just like his life for the singer. How to protect it, keep it, and make it shine forever is the dream of every singer. In this paper, the application of electronic equipment, the use of voice disease prevention, through the scientific method of voice, physical health, diet and other aspects of the use of electronic auxiliary equipment, discusses the protection of artistic voice, singing can find the correct way of voice health.


The invention relates to a chitosan oligosaccharide composition for resisting wheat scab and application and a method of the chitosan oligosaccharide composition, in particular to a pesticide composition for resisting wheat scab. The pesticide composition contains chitosan oligosaccharide, and the chitosan oligosaccharide accounts for 0.003 to 0.028 percent of the weight of the pesticide composition. The invention also provides the application of the pesticide composition which contains the chitosan oligosaccharide and is used for preventing and controlling the wheat scab. The application is characterized in that: the chitosan oligosaccharide in the pesticide composition containing the chitosan oligosaccharide is 0.003 to 0.028 weight percent. The composition solves the important problem of resisting the wheat scab; and particularly, after being treated by using the pesticide composition containing the chitosan oligosaccharide, seeds and plants of wheat resist wheat scab, do not produce pesticide damage to crops, and have no pesticide residue.


This study aims to evaluate the effects of the spatiotemporal patterns of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes on the dynamics of carbon storage in a tropical region of China by linking the trajectory analysis of LULC changes and the InVEST model. Based on remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS) and change trajectories, the spatiotemporal evolution of LULC changes was explored. This evolution could be coupled with the spatiotemporal LULC change trajectories and the InVEST model for the quantitative study of the spatial distribution and temporal variation in regional carbon stocks. The results showed that during the 2000–2020 period, the built-up land continually increased to 206.05 km2 through urban expansion, and forestland became the dominant type of land, with an area of 357.39 km2. In addition to the change in land use, the carbon storage in the study region increased by 4.87 Tg C. The anaphasic trajectory had the largest area ratio at 7.05% in the total area, while the prophasic trajectory contributed to the largest increase in carbon storage, 5.87 Tg C. Moreover, the repetitive trajectories had no impact on carbon sinks and sources, whereas the anaphasic trajectory and the continual trajectory imposed passive impacts on carbon storage. These advances in research underpin scientific efforts to improve the understanding of the relationship between the optimization of land-use structure and patterns and the carbon storage service in the Nandu River Basin.


This paper studies the H∞ consensus tracking of general linear dynamical target with unknown disturbance input and time-varying sensing period. From a series of system transformations the consensus tracking problem is converted to the robust stability problem of an uncertain delayed subsystem. By using Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional analysis, an LMI-based H∞ consensus tracking condition is obtained. The condition consists of only four LMIs. Then an allowable upper bound of sensing period is provided by solving the H∞ stabilization problem. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the results.


The concept of graph partition dimension was introduced by Chartrand et al. (1998). Let G = (V,E) be a connected graph. For every v 2 V (G) and L V (G), define the distance from v to L as d(v,L) = min{d(v,w)|w 2 L}. Let = {L1,L2,··· ,Lk} be a partition of V (G). The representation of a vertex v with respect to is defined as r(v|) = ( d(v,L1),d(v,L2),··· ,d(v,Lk)). The partition is called a resolving partition of G if all representations of the vertices are distinct. The partition dimension of a graph G can be defined as the cardinality of a minimum resolving partition of G. Let e 2 V (G) and k 1. The subdivision S(G(e;k)) of a graph G on e is a graph obtained from graph G by replacing edge e with a path on k + 2 vertices. In this paper, we determine the partition dimension of S(G(e;k)) with G ' C(m;r) is a homogeneous caterpillar. We show that pd(S(G(e;k))) = pd(G) for almost all values of m, r and k.


This paper deals with the construction of a nonstandard numerical method to compute the travelling wave solutions of nonlinear reaction diffusion equations at high wave speeds. Related general properties are studied using the perturbation approximation. At high wave speed the perturbation parameter approaches to zero and the problem exhibits a multiscale character. That is, there are thin layers where the solution varies rapidly, while away from these layers the solution behaves regularly and varies slowly. Most of the conventional methods fail to capture this layer behavior. Thus, the quest for some new numerical techniques that may handle the travelling wave solutions at high wave speeds earns relevance. In this paper, one such parameter robust nonstandard numerical scheme is constructed, in the sense that its numerical solution converges in the maximum norm to the exact solution uniformly well for all finite wave speeds. To overcome the difficulty due to the nonlinearity, the problem is linearized using the quasilinearization process followed by nonstandard finite difference discretization. An extensive amount of analysis is carried out which uses a suitable decomposition of the error into smooth and singular component and a comparison principle combined with appropriate barrier functions. The error estimates are obtained, which ensures uniform convergence of the method. A set of numerical experiment is carried out in support of the predicted theory that validates computationally the theoretical results. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007


In 2002 a review of the educational and technical performance of the Virtual Schooling Service being tested in Queensland, Australia, was conducted. The service utilised synchronous and asynchronous online delivery strategies and a range of learning technologies to support students at a distance, who may otherwise have restricted choices in their selection of subjects to study in Years 11 and 12—the final and noncompulsory years of schooling where students are typically aged 16 to 17. An account of how Activity Theory was used to conceptualise the evaluation 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com INFORMATION SCIENCE PUBLISHING This chapter appears in the book, Development and Mangament of Virtual Schools: Issues and Trends, edited by Catherine Cavanaugh. Copyright © 2004, Idea Group Publishing. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. is provided. A focus on one element of the evaluation—pedagogical effectiveness—with case studies of actual delivery and receiving classes is incorporated to highlight the pedagogical limitations and potentials of the service. The "productive pedagogies" schema is introduced as a framework for the evaluation of pedagogical effectiveness of the virtual classes. Critical success factors for pedagogical effectiveness are documented, along with a reflection on these elements using Activity Theory. The chapter concludes with an update of the current initiatives being undertaken to enhance the pedagogical effectiveness of the Virtual Schooling Service. CONTEXT— QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA Queensland is the north-eastern state of the Australian continent with a population of around 3.5 million and a land area of 1,727,200 square kilometres. Brisbane, the capital city, is located in the south-eastern corner of the state. Almost half of Queensland's people live in the Brisbane metropolitan area. Roughly half of the state is in the tropical zone, with rain forests on Cape York Peninsula in the extreme north. The remaining land area is arid or semiarid, where annual rainfall is as low as five inches (13 cm), compared to 160 inches (406 cm) in parts of the northeast coast. The Great Dividing Range separates the fertile coastal strip from vast interior plains. The high population concentration in the southeast corner of the state leaves much of the remaining areas sparsely populated with small remote communities, presenting challenges for the provision of services such as school education (http://www.1upinfo.com/ encyclopedia/Q/Qunsld.html). Education Queensland is the government department with a mandate to provide quality education for all students across the state of Queensland, ranging from the isolated, vastly inhabited zones, to the densely populated urban centres. To support this goal, Education Queensland operates a large decentralised organisation whose facilities and services span the entire state. The organisation operates some 1,320 primary, secondary, distance and special education schools, which are supported by 35 district offices, four facilities service centres, and a central office located in Brisbane. Central Office 22 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the publisher's webpage: www.igi-global.com/chapter/virtual-vignettes-pedagogicalpotentials/8310


This paper presents a newly-designed loading truncated cone,its associated two gland bushes,and an analytical formula for testing dynamic fracture toughness of anthracite.The impact fracture tests were carried out by using the SHPB and the newly-designed loading components.The dynamic fracture toughness of anthracite was measured on the short-bar anthracite specimens with the V-shaped notch.The relationship between the fracture toughness and loading rate lgF of anthracite was obtained by combining with the experimental data gained from the quasi-static tests.The fracture toughness of anthracite increases gradually when lgF 6,and it increases rapidly when lgF 6.The tests prove that the newly-developed truncated cone is better than the conventional knife-wedge for measuring the dynamic fracture toughness of short-rod specimens of rocklike materials.


ERP management information systems are widely used in the process of enterprise operation and development. By optimizing the allocation of management resources such as enterprise customers, project operations, material procurement, supply, and production, the utility of various resources in the enterprise is maximized, with integrated, systematic, and organizational management characteristics. Based on this, this article discusses cloud computing and ERP systems, analyzes the positive effects of cloud computing ERP systems on enterprises, and studies the specific applications of ERP systems in enterprises under cloud computing mode. At present, many large and medium-sized enterprises in China have established a complete ERP enterprise management information system. Considering the expansion of enterprise scale and the multiplication of enterprise management data, the existing ERP management information system has shown some limitations. With the rapid development of computer technology, the concept of cloud computing has been gradually promoted and applied. Based on the characteristics of cloud computing, ERP enterprise management information system began to consciously combine with the concept of cloud computing. This paper mainly introduces the characteristics and advantages of ERP enterprise management information system based on cloud computing mode, and analyzes its application effect in depth.


The four new diterpene and diterpene glucosides 1-4, the new bergamotene derivative 5, and the two new iridoid monoterpenoid glucosides 6 and 7, together with the eleven known compounds 8-18, were isolated from the EtOH extract of the roots of Phlogacanthus curviflorus. On the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence, their structures were identified as (4 alpha,5 beta,10 alpha,14 alpha)-14,19-dihydroxyabieta-8,13(15)-dieno-16,12-lactone 19-(beta-D-glucopyranoside) (=curvifloruside A; 1), (4 alpha,5 beta,10 alpha,14 alpha)-14,19-diliydroxyabieta-8,13(15)-dieno-16,12-lactone 19-[2-O-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside] (=curvifloruside B; 2), (4 alpha,5 beta,10 alpha)-19-hydroxy-14-oxoabieta-8,13(15)-dieno-16,12-lactone 19-[2-O-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside] (=curvifloruside C; 3), 19-hydroxyjolkinolide E (4), 9-oxo-alpha-bergamoten-1-yl beta-D-glucopyranoside (=curvifloruside D; 5), 6-deoxyharpagoside (=curvifloruside E; 6), and 6-epiharpagoside (=curvifloruside F; 7). This is the first report on sesquiterpene and iridoid glycosides from the Phlogacanthus genus.


Statement of Problem: It has been established that successful root canal treatment depends on the quality of obturation. Deeper penetration of spreaders can improve the apical seal and the quality of the obturation. Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the initial penetration depth of spreaders during lateral condensation of 0.04 and 0.02 tapered gutta-percha master cones. Materials and Methods: In this study, sixty two freshly extracted single canal teeth were selected. The crowns were removed and the canals were prepared using the stepback technique. Patency of the apical foramens was maintained. The teeth were divided into 2 experimental groups of 31 teeth each. 0.02 and 0.04 tapered gutta-percha were inserted in the root canals of the first and second groups, respectively. A spreader was then placed next to the master cone and a digital scale was used to measure the force that was applied during spreader placement. An apical force of 1.5kg was employed to place the spreaders. The penetration depth was measured, subtracted from the working length, and recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test. Results: The mean spreader penetration depth, recorded as distance from working length, was 2.16 (1.03) mm when using 0.02 tapered master cones and 3.52 (1.88) mm following insertion of 0.04 tapered master cones. The difference between the two penetration depths was statistically significant (P<0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the spreader penetration using 0.02 tapered master cones was significantly larger than the 0.04 master cones.


This study proposed a new gelation method to prepare apatite/attapulgite/alginate composite hydrogels with high structural stability for effective adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous sol...


This work presents a novel Bayesian formulation for aligning faces in unseen images. Our approach is closely related to Constrained Local Models (CLM) [2] and Active Shape Models (ASM) [6], where an ensemble of local feature detectors are constrained to lie within the subspace spanned by a Point Distribution Model (PDM). Fitting a model to an image typically involves two steps: a local search using a detector, obtaining response maps for each landmark (likelihood term) and a global optimization that finds the PDM parameters that jointly maximize all the detections. The global optimization can be seen as a Bayesian inference problem, where the posterior distribution of the PDM parameters (and pose) can be inferred in a maximum a posteriori (MAP) sense. We present a novel Bayesian global optimization strategy, where the prior is used to encode the dynamic transitions of the PDM parameters. Using recursive Bayesian estimation we model the prior distribution of the data as being Gaussian. The mean and covariance were assumed to be unknown and treated as random variables. The Shape Model: The shape of a PDM is represented by the 2D locations of a mesh s = (x1,y1, . . . ,xv,yv) (v landmarks). Applying PCA on training examples, results in the parametric model s = s0 + Φb + Ψq, where s0 is the mean shape, Φ is the shape subspace matrix (n eigenvectors), b is a vector of shape parameters, q the pose parameters vector and Ψ holds four special eigenvectors that linearly model the 2D pose [4]. Goal: Given a 2v vector of observed positions y, the goal is to find the optimal set of parameters b that maximizes the posterior probability of being aligned. Using an Bayesian approach, the shape parameters are


An extreme value (Gumbel) distribution was evaluated as a model of mCLximum avalanche run-out distances in Southwest :t\10ntana. The model is defined in terms of dimensionless ratios that are defined relative to an arbitrarily defined reference point. The development and analysis of the statistical model was based on data from surveys of twenty-four avalanche paths. The technique bears promise as a user friendly tool; however, the model is quite sensitive to measurement uncertainty. The significance of this sensitivity depends on the definition of the reference point. Therefore, the reference point for this model was chosen to optimize the models sensitivity to field measurements. Comparison of the model developed here with models developed for other mountain ranges indicates that models developed for one lllountain range cannot be used to accurately estimate maximum avalanche run-out distances in other ranges until natural sources of variation are better understood.


This paper concerns electrodeposition of coatings from electrolytes containing NiCl2 (0.1 mol dm–3) and CeCl3 (0.1–0.4 mol dm–3) salts dissolved in a deep eutectic solvent, ethaline (ethylene glycol+choline chloride). The electrochemical deposition was carried out at cathodic current densities from 1 to 5 mA cm–2 and temperatures from 50 to 900C. It was shown that micromodification of the chemical composition of coatings with cerium occurred (no more than ~1–2.65 wt.% Ce), and the content of cerium in the coating was increased with an increase in the concentration of the Ce(III) salt in the plating electrolyte, an increase in the current density, and a decrease in the temperature. It was shown for the first time that the Ni-based electrodeposits micromodified with cerium exhibited an enhanced electrocatalytic activity in the reaction of hydrogen evolution in an alkaline medium (a decrease in the cathodic polarization by ~200–250 mV). Electrocatalytic activity correlated with the content of cerium in the coating. The enhancement of the efficiency of electrocatalysis resulting from micromodification of the chemical composition of the coatings with cerium was explained within the framework of the well-known concept of the synergistic effect of hypo-hyper-d-electronic combinations of transition metals. The use of electrolytes based on deep eutectic solvents provides additional opportunities for flexible control of the composition of deposited coatings and their electrocatalytic behavior via changes in the concentration of electrolyte components and electrolysis conditions in relatively wide intervals.


Histological observations were made on the JG cells of Japanese mackerel, Scomber japonicas and the following results were obtained. 1. BowrE's stain was tried on kidney sections fixed with 7 kinds of fixatives and HELLY'S fluid was ascertained to be the most suitable fixative for BOWIE'S stain. 2. JG cells in the kidneys of Japanese mackerel were stained in deep blue-purple colour with BOWIE'S method and coloured with orange G in MALLORY'S triple stain, as in those cells of mammalian kidneys. However, in other stainings, some remarkable differences were detected between the JG cells of fishes and those cells of mammals.


NYU Press and NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) announce the establishment of the Library of Arabic Literature (LAL), a new publishing series offering Arabic editions and English translations of the great works of classical Arabic literature. The translations, rendered in parallel-text format with Arabic and English on facing pages, will be undertaken by renowned scholars of Arabic literature and Islamic studies, and will include a full range of works, including poetry, poetics, fiction, religion, philosophy, law, science, history and historiography. Unprecedented in its scope, LAL will produce authoritative and fiable editions of the Arabic and modern, lucid English translations, introducing the treasures of the Arabic literary heritage to scholars and students, as well as to a general audience of readers.


Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of Typhidot-M and Widal test in the early diagnosis of enteric fever (EF) in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Methods: The study included 270 children in the age group of 1-18 years admitted to the Department of Pediatrics from November 2012 to February 2014, with fever of 5 days or more and with clinical symptoms and signs suggestive of typhoid fever. Detailed history and clinical examination findings were recorded on a standard pro forma. Complete hemogram (hemoglobin, platelet count, and total and differential leukocyte count), Typhidot-M test, Widal tube test, and blood culture were done on day 1 of admission. For Widal test, a titer of 1 in 160 or more for "O" agglutinins and a titer of 1 in 320 or more for "H" agglutinins were considered as positive results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. Results: Of 270 children included in the study, Salmonella typhi was isolated from 82 samples (30.4%) and the remaining 188 (69.6%) were blood culture negative. Widal test was positive in 107 children (39.6%) and Typhidot-M was positive in 136 (50.4%). The sensitivity was 78%, specificity was 79.3%, PPV was 59.8%, and NPV was 91.4% for Widal test. Typhidot-M test had a sensitivity of 81.7%, specificity of 84.6%, PPV of 69.8%, and NPV of 91.4%. Conclusion: Prompt diagnosis of EF is essential for appropriate management and it is, therefore, important to have a satisfactory test to replace conventional tests used for diagnosis. The present study compares newer test (Typhidot-M) against conventional tests such as Widal test and blood culture, and it appears to be a practical alternative to Widal test in the early detection of EF even in the resource-poor laboratories as it neither requires much laboratory equipment nor laboratory expertise to conduct the test. This test can be done within 7 days of illness, but whenever feasible confirmation with blood culture is strongly recommended, especially with the well-documented presence of multidrug-resistant strains of salmonella typhi worldwide. However, both Widal and Typhidot-M appear to correlate less satisfactorily with blood culture, and thus, there is a need for developing a test which allows accurate and early diagnosis of EF to manage a child effectively and limit its morbidity and mortality.


Acutetoxic effects ofmethyl isocyanate intheratwore determined fortwohourex- posurestoconcentrations intherange 11 ppm (very slight effect) to65ppm (lethality: pulmonary oedema). Changes intheeye,lungs, andbehaviour were noted. Eyechanges were confined to erosions ofthecorneal epithelium andwere mostsevereatintermediate levels ofexposure.A comparison was madeoftheeffects noted inratswithreported effects on survivors oftheBhopal disaster. Urinary thiocyanate concentrations inexposed ratswere found tobereduced relative to control values. Thecatastrophic consequences oftherelease of methyl isocyanate (MIC)fromtheUnionCarbide plant atBhopal inIndia havenaturally focused atten- tion onthetoxicity ofthis material. Itwasalready knowntobeahighly toxic andirritant material: the LD_0 forfour hoursinhalation byrats hasbeenre- ported tobe5ppminonestudy,1 andbetween 30and 60ppminanother.2 These numerical results bythem- selves, however, makeonly alimited contribution to theunderstanding ofpossible effects onman,3 and there isrelatively little published information onthe effects atsublethal concentrations, particularly asre- gards effects ontheeye,whichwasfoundtobean important target organinsurvivors oftheBhopal in- cident. Inviewofthis lackofinformation, andin support ofepidemiological studies atBhopal,4" an investigation ofthese phenomena inratsafter in- halation ofsublethal concentrations ofMICwasun- dertaken. Inaddition tothelackofinformation onthedose response, timedependence, andoutcome ofthesub- lethal effects afurther problem hasbeentheuncer- tainty aboutthemetabolic orchemical breakdown products ofMIC.We havepreviously reported that themainhydrolysis product ofMICisn,n'-dimethyl urea.5 We alsosuggested thatformation ofsome toxic materials byreaction ofMICwithendogenous substances could occur. Ontheother hand, somereports ofstudies onex- posed survivors inIndia havesuggested that metabo- lismto cyanideis important, thaturinary


Foreword In the past few years, the paradigm of breast cancer adjuvant treatment, as discussed at the St. Gallen 2007 Breast Cancer conference [1], has shifted from focusing on risk to focusing on responsiveness. When selecting systemic therapy, it is important to initially determine the endocrine responsiveness of the cancer. Breast cancer endocrine-responsiveness is divided into three categories: highly responsive – high expression of both oestrogen receptors and progesterone receptors in most tumour cells; incompletely responsive – lower expression of oestrogen receptors and/or progesterone receptors in tumour cells; and nonresponsive – complete absence of both hormone receptors. Tamoxifen has traditionally been the standard adjuvant endocrine therapy for women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. It remains the only one recommended in premenopausal women. Thirdgeneration aromatase (oestrogen synthetase) inhibitors (AIs), exemestane, letrozole and anastrozole have been initially shown to be superior to tamoxifen in the metastatic setting. Owing to their effect on the ovaries, they cannot be used in premenopausal women, and indeed caution has to be taken when they are introduced in women with a recent menopause, especially if the latter is chemotherapy-induced. Prolonged therapy with tamoxifen has been suggested to induce resistance and such treatment has therefore been limited to an initial 5 years following diagnosis. AIs have therefore been explored in various modalities in the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women. Promising results have thus led to their acceptance as the only or sequential adjuvant treatment choice for most of these women.


The paper describes the usage of simulation model of public city transport to evaluate the results of the mathematical model for the electric infrastructure design for battery electric buses in public city transport. Proposed mathematical model solves the problem of optimal locations of charging stations for electric buses in public transportation. Possible location of charging stations are on terminal stops and depots of electric buses. Mathematical model of the problem is solved using general IP-solver Xpress and can provide results for large-scale problems. The simulation model is used for verification of location of charging stations proposed by mathematical model. Simulation model is created in Anylogic simulation tool. In the paper we describe mathematical model, simulation model, extension of simulation model for ability to simulate operation of electric buses in every day use, and results of experiments with the simulation and optimization model on the test datasets created from operational data of the city of Zilina.


Sensitivity of Simulated Stratus Clouds over Eastern China to Horizontal Resolutions and Dynamical Cores in a General Circulation Model Yi Zhang, Haoming Chen, Rucong Yu Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Abstract: This study presents an investigation on the systematic errors associated with stratus clouds over Eastern China in the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 (CAM5), with emphases on the impacts of the model's dynamical components on the cloud simulation. As the horizontal resolution increases, CAM5 produces increased stratus cloud amounts and enhanced shortwave cloud radiative forcing (SWCF) over most areas of Eastern China. This is contributed by more favorable large-scale dynamical conditions in the high-resolution model (e.g., uprising motions). However, over the Sichuan basin, where is on the lee side of the eastern steep slope of the Tibetan Plateau, high-resolution models show decreased stratus amounts and weakened SWCF, exhibiting larger biases against the observations. This problem is only found in the high-resolution configuration, and is caused by the model generated unfavorable dynamical environment over this region. We found this specific problem is sensitive to the choice of the model's dynamical core. Only the default grid-point core has this problem, while an alternative spectral transform core largely alleviates this bias. The difference lies in that the grid-point core generates too strong subsiding motions near the steep topography, unfavorable to the accumulation of stratus clouds. While the spectral core is free from this dynamical problem.


Silicon (Si) has been regarded as one of the most promising anode materials for the next generation LIBs with high energy density because it has 10 times higher theoretical specific capacity (4200 mAh/g) than that of graphite. However, severe volume change (~300%) of Si during lithiation and delithiation hinders the practical application of Si anode by 1) particle fracture and pulverization, 2) disintegration of electrode, and 3) continuous electrolyte-decomposition at the newly exposed Si surface. A novel process has been developed for the preparation of porous Si/C composite-based anode which demonstrate highly stable cycling stability. The enabling factor is a wet chemical, low temperature pitch coating process that uses readily available, low-cost, and abundant precursors. The porous Si nanostructure can be preserved by impregnating petroleum pitch before high-temperature treatment. A full cell with 80 wt% pitch-derived carbon/nanoporous Si in the anode has been demonstrated with 80% capacity retention after 450 cycles. Low swelling in both particle and electrode levels has also been observed. It is expected that the unique process developed in this work is also applicable for the development of other alloying-type anodes that require preservation of the desired nanostructures during high temperature treatment.


It was identified, in this work, twelve botanical species through a floristico survey in one I break up of bush of Caatinga in the area of forest reserve of the IFPB, Campus of Sousa PB. The material was collected in the interval of twelve months, herborizado and later identified through pertinent literature and for comparison, through pertaining specimens to the Herbario Caririense Dardaro de Andrade-Rasp, in Crato - Ceara. In this survey 330 brasiliensis individuals had been catalogued and verified themselves that the Maprounea brasiliensis (Marmeleiro) is the predominant type in all the studied extension, followed of the Combretum leprosum Mart (Mofumbo) and of the Anadenanthera colubrina (Angico), with 222, 44 and 24 individuals respectively. This floristico survey represents a contribution to the knowledge of the local flora requiring, therefore, its preservation and the sustainable use of this natural resources of the semibarren northeastern.


Introduction: Obesity and overweight are now common health problems all over the world. Successful maintenance of long-term weight loss is of considerable benefit in this group as it lowers the risk of certain chronic diseases. Diets high in resistant starch may be a suitable strategy for weight loss, since foods high in resistant starch have a reduced digestibility in the small intestine. This slower rate of starch digestion and gastric emptying may have a positive effect on satiety sensation. The aim of this study was to compare in an overweight population the postprandial satiety ratings in response to meals containing high or minimal levels of resistant starch. Method: Nine males and 10 females aged 42.4 ± 13.2 y with a mean body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2) of 29.5 ± 3.39 were recruited. Subjects consumed two main meals (breakfast and lunch) containing either highamylose resistant starch (R) or non-resistant starch (N) on two separate days in a crossover design in a comfortable laboratory setting. The N meal challenge day contained a negligible amount of resistant starch, while the R meals contained 9.53 g and 15.21 g of high-amylose resistant starch in breakfast and lunch respectively. Subjective satiety ratings were obtained by using visual analogue scales. Measurements were taken at 60-minute intervals for 10 consecutive measures on each day. Results were expressed as mean ± SD. Comparison of means was performed by Student's t test and statistical significance was set as P < 0.05. Results and Discussion: The satiety ratings from both meal-types showed an early increase after the two test meals followed by a subsequent gradual decrease and remained above the basal values 4-h postprandially. Minor differences in satiety ratings were found after the two test meals, with a significant difference occurring immediately following the lunch meal (P < 0.05). Mean satiety scores were slightly higher for subjects fed the R meal compared with those fed the N meal but these were not statistically significant. Higher intakes of resistant starch may be needed to show any effects. In addition, overweight individuals may be relatively insensitive to the satiety response (1), suggesting the need for further research in this area.


In the literature on diagnosable systems it has been shown that several subclasses of systems that can be diagnosed more efficiently than the general case exist. Some of these subclasses are D(n.t,X) systems introduced by K.Y. Chwa et al. (1981), self-implicating systems (A.T. Dahbura et al., 1985), and systems with connection assignment digraph of node connectivity t (G.F. Sullivan, 1978, S.L. Hakimi et al., 1974). The relationship between these classes is investigated and a diagnosis algorithm that is applicable to systems belonging to any of these classes is formulated. >


The administrative ethics,the moral principles in public administrative field, does not have its own special field, but it is permeated through every aspect of administration, public administration governmental administration and embodied in administrative system, decision, supervision, efficiency competence.


Athletics can be a window to broader cultural issues, but so can the way in which athletic events are transmitted to fans. In this article, the author detects a rising arrogance among sports announcers that relate to American culture in general. Announcers no longer privilege the games they broadcast. Instead, they claim a status equal to the participant, and in doing so, they pollute the purity of the games they observe. The epitome of this practice occurs on ESPN, where glibness—the main symptom of the new arrogance—is overwhelming. This is the last straw. The glibness has been creeping into academics for a long time, and now, it seems to have tainted baseball, the last bastion of purity.


This essay describes Bersani's exploration of oneness and difference in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and relates it to a larger discussion of trauma, love, and afterlife.


The nature current in leaching uranium by geoelectric chemistry method and its measure are introduced.The test results show the efficiency of leaching by the nature current is higher than the efficiency of leaching by artificial current.It is pointed out that the further research on leaching uranium by geoelectric chemistry method,mainly on nature current,must be conducted.


The present invention relates to a nonvolatile memory (Dynamic Threshold Voltage Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) DTMOS manufacturing method and structure. DTMOS device manufacturing method using a double gate structure having the asymmetrical gate dielectric thickness and the work function in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, (a) forming a substrate, a lower insulating film, silicon and the hard mask comprises silicon sequentially step; (B) forming a pattern of the silicon regions to be the silicon fin and the source / drain be a channel formed in the hard mask pattern as a mask is formed; (C) to form a gate oxide film having a non-symmetrical thickness, by controlling the oxygen ion implantation angle by selecting one of the silicon pin and the silicon region injecting; And (d) after forming the gate oxide film having an asymmetrical thickness through oxidation process, depositing a gate material; (E) one step for asymmetrical so as to form a double gate having a function, injected into the different types of impurities in each of the both sides of the silicon gate pin by adjusting the impurity implantation angle; (F) separating the dual-gate junction to the chemical and mechanical polishing process; (G) patterning the gate area, the gate mask; Is achieved, including; (h) a step of doping for the source / drain region is formed. Fin field effect transistor (FinFET), chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), a double gate (Double Gate), dual-bit non-volatile memory devices, a dynamic thread hold voltage Mohs (Dynamic threshold voltage MOS)


We thank the writers for their interest. 2 We agree that bronchiolitis is a clinical diagnosis; it is because the viral aetiology cannot be determined clinically that testing is contemplated. We also agree that specific treatment is not yet available; although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) specific drugs are coming. Cohorting is controversial. Because multiple strains of RSV circulate during each season and dual infection does occur, relying on antigen testing to cohort patients risks reinfecting infants with a different RSV strain or another virus. In presenting single positive and negative predictive values, Beattie et al alludes to a key point of our paper. Both RSV and bronchiolitis prevalence are seasonal (sometimes with more than one peak). Predictive values vary with prevalence. For example, a patient using the assay described by the letter writers' 2011 paper who tested positive when RSV prevalence is 10% would have only a 35% chance of actually having RSV. Our modelling addresses the dynamic nature of RSV prevalence. Some antigen tests likely outperform others. However, methodology matters. The letter writers' paper evaluated the antigen test over a four-month period in infants in whom hospital admission was anticipated. This is a legitimate clinical practice, but as a research design, it diminishes external validity and generalisability. When measuring diagnostic performance, one should generally include a broad range of disease severity over a number of seasons (antigenic drift may affect test performance). Although confidence intervals were not presented in the letter writers' 2011 paper, they can be calculated, and for sensitivity, overlap with ours (see online response). Our measurements of specificity do differ. This likely reflects the differences in inclusion criteria. This does not diminish the cohorting papers that were not cited, rather it reflects the focused nature of our research question and (an unrequited) desire to avoid tangential controversies.


We propose to develop and assess role-play scenarios to teach central topics in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) to graduate students in science and engineering. Together the scenarios will cover plagiarism, authorship, conflict of interest, interpersonal conflicts in mentoring, and concerns about compliance with research regulations on human participants in research, animal subjects, or hazardous substances. Two scenarios will present potential whistleblowing situations.


Wild adult and reared larval Boreogadus saida were acclimated to 3·5° C before testing their cardiac response to acute warming. Heart rate transition temperatures during warming were similar for adult and larval hearts, except that the maximum temperature for heart rate was 3° C warmer for adults. Thus, in a rapidly warming Arctic Ocean, the upper temperature limit for larval rather than adult B. saida appears more likely to dictate the southern range of the species.


Formation of silicides in the presence of a thin gold interlayer is studied, making use of the rapid outdiffusion of Si through gold. With Si being the dominant diffusing species, an enhanced rate is expected, as observed for PtSi, Fe3Si, CoSi, and MoSi2. No enhancement is expected when metal is the dominant diffusing species, in agreement with the results on Pt2Si, Co2Si, and Ni2Si. Such studies thus provide valuable information regarding reaction mechanisms.


Purpose: The paper introduces the concept of Organizational Ambidexterity and offers some implications for HR practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a developed viewpoint constructed using other literature on Organizational Ambidexterity.

Findings: This paper offers a unique perspective to HR practitioners which embraces a paradoxical stance that combines exploitative and explorative dimensions.

Originality/value: Organizational Ambidexterity is growing and developing within the literature. This paper seeks to offer access to this complex perspective to provoke thought and potential action.


Measurements are presented for the diamagnetic anisotropy of thirteen nematic liquid crystals. As any bias in the rotation around the long molecular axis is most probably small, the results probe accurately the temperature variations of S, the degree of orientational order. The critical behaviour of S near the nematic-isotropic phase transition can be described by an exponent 03B2 of the order of 0.25. Procedures are considered to obtain the molecular magnetic anisotropy. By a systematic variation of the structure of the molecules an impression of the contributions of the various molecular groups can be obtained It turns out to be rather difficult to obtain accurate data for the molecular magnetic anisotropy. As a consequence the absolute scale of S can only be fixed with an accuracy of the order of 10 %. J. Physique 43 (1982) 361-367 FTVRIER 1982,


The use of digital ltering to achieve the best signal to noise ratio, over a wide range of luminosities, is required for the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter. A theoretical frequency analysis of this method, validated by experimental measurements, explains its potential limitations : spectral aliasing exacerbates any 40 MHz or high frequency noise oor. The application of the method to the ATLAS environment with the pile-up noise shows that the use of the chosen shaper time constant ( = 13 ns) is not the best to cover the full luminosity range : the use of a longer shaper time constant or a system with two shaper time constants are suggested.


Peter C. Yesawich, Ph. D., is director of marketing research for Robinsons, Inc., in Orlando, Florida, an international travel marketing firm. He received his doctorate from Cornell University, where his areas of academic concentration were psychology, marketing, and communication theory. Yesawich has served as a consultant to several travel organizations, including the Organization of American States Division of Tourism Development, and the Ministry of Tourism of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. He is currently a visiting


MapReduce is an effective tool for parallel data processing. One significant issue in practical MapReduce applications is data skew: the imbalance in the amount of data assigned to each task. This causes some tasks to take much longer to finish than others and can significantly impact performance. This paper presents LIBRA, a lightweight strategy to address the data skew problem among the reducers of MapReduce applications. Unlike previous work, LIBRA does not require any pre-run sampling of the input data or prevent the overlap between the map and the reduce stages. It uses an innovative sampling method which can achieve a highly accurate approximation to the distribution of the intermediate data by sampling only a small fraction of the intermediate data during the normal map processing. It allows the reduce tasks to start copying as soon as the chosen sample map tasks (only a small fraction of map tasks which are issued first) complete. It supports the split of large keys when application semantics permit and the total order of the output data. It considers the heterogeneity of the computing resources when balancing the load among the reduce tasks appropriately. LIBRA is applicable to a wide range of applications and is transparent to the users. We implement LIBRA in Hadoop and our experiments show that LIBRA has negligible overhead and can speed up the execution of some popular applications by up to a factor of 4.


- From the author of the successful Wabi Sabi Simple - The first book to apply the principles of wabi sabi to writing - Author Richard Powell studied creative writing at the Kootenay School of Writing under Margaret Atwood, Fred Wah, and Audrey Thomas This eloquent and thoughtful guide explores the unique wabi sabi approach to: - Inspiration--transforming strong feelings into art - Interest--understanding and stimulating the reader's motivation - Community--writer's groups and what they have to offer - Enlightenment--practicing Zen through writing A striking follow-up to Wabi Sabi Simple, this thoughtful, engaging volume provides practical suggestions along with accessible philosophy to make the writing life more productive, peaceful, and fulfilling.


At the end of his career, Billy Wilder filmed the third film adaptation of Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's classic play The Front Page. In this work, along with his customary causticity, he also brought his own experience as a reporter in Vienna and Berlin in the 20s. The Front Page has built an influential portrait of the press as a ruthless profession with no scruples, whose redemption is only possible as a watchdog of an even more corrupt political power. Ten yearst after the death of the viennese director, his Front page lives in our memory as one of the most emblematic portraits of journalists in the cinema.


A review of Developmental Influences on Adult Intelligence: The Seattle Longitudinal Study (2nd ed.) by K. Warner Schaie
New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2013. 587 pp. ISBN
978-0-19-538613-4. $98.50


Enhancing the knowledge of feeding/nutritional requirements is key in the growth of fish development and for the optimization of rearing techniques [...].


Green building technology has the potential a competitiveness. Reflecting this situation, the renewable energy market is growing rapidly. And, this field became value-added field in construction industry. In this study perform to prioritize the value improvements of green building technologies. To do this, first, we will extract potential development field through literature and case studies. Next, we will built a hierarchy structure based on the economic efficiency, technical skill, and policy. Third, we decide to prioritize between the items by performing AHP analysis.


In the past, thermal management was an afterthought in the design process of a product owing to the fact that heat dissipation loads and densities were minute and did not adversely affect component reliability. In fact, it may be stated that, historically, the sole purpose of thermal management was to ensure component operation below a critical temperature thereby providing reliable equipment operation for a given time period. However, this mindset has evolved in recent years given current economic and energy concerns. Climate change concern owing to vast green house gas emissions, increasing fuel and electricity costs, and a general trend towards energy-efficiency awareness has promoted thermal management to the forefront of "green" innovation within the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. If one considers the fact that up to 50 percent of the energy budget of a data center is spent on cooling equipment and that two percent of the United States' annual electricity is consumed by telecommunications equipment, it becomes obvious that thermal management has a key role to play in the development of eco-sustainable solutions. This paper will provide an overview of the importance of thermal management for reliable component operation and highlight the research areas where improved energy efficiency can be achieved. Novel air-cooled thermal solutions demonstrating significant energy savings and improved reliability over existing technology will be presented including three dimensional (3D) monolithic heat sinks and vortex generators.


Capacitance measurements and ellipsometry have been combined to measure adsorption isotherms on platinum electrodes for the tripeptide Bz-Phe-Val-Arg-pNa and some related compounds. The peptides adsorb essentially reversibly but with a small hysterisis


Learning Objectives: Intensive IV insulin infusion therapy has been applied widely to perioperative or critically ill patients. However, the IV insulin therapy increased the risk for hypoglycemia. Furthermore, IV insulin protocols are complex, requiring repeated calculations. Computerized insulin infusion (CII) protocols have been tried to overcome these weak points of the conventional manual insulin infusion protocol. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficiency of computerized insulin infusion (CII) on glucose control in critically ill patients. Methods: This is an observational cohort study in ICU of 1,980bed university teaching hospital. Our CII protocol was integrated in to EMR system and physician could order the protocol in EMR order system. The protocol calculates the insulin infusion dose and blood sugar test (BST) interval automatically. We obtained the BST value of 48 hour before and after applying the CII protocol. The primary outcome was proportion of BST in target range (70–180 mg/dL). Results: Between Sep. 2016 and Jan. 2017, total 43 critically ill patients were treated with CII protocol. Mean age was 63.7 years and mean BMI was 23.6 kg/m2. 30 patients had previous history of type I or II diabetes. Before protocol, mean number of BST was 10.3 times and 0.4 times per hour. After protocol, mean number of BST was increased to 21.7 and 0.7 times per hour. Mean glucose level was significantly decreased after protocol (before: 281.4 mg/ dL vs. after: 195.5 mg/dL) and the percentage of BST within target level was significantly increased after protocol (before: 25.2% vs. after 47.1%). Severe hyperglycemia (>250 mg/dL) was decreased after protocol (before: 50.2% vs. after: 17.4%). There were 2 cases of hypoglycemia before protocol, and 1 case after protocol. Conclusions: CII protocol successfully and safely maintained target glucose level with elimination of clinically significant hypoglycemia. 298


The current issue is the second for 2015; a year where much of the attention of international social work has been focusing on the topic of 'Promoting the Dignity and Worth of People'. This broad concept is not only the subject of the IASSW/ IFSW report to be presented at the world conference in Seoul in 2016, but most importantly, it is a core activity for social work practitioners and academics across the world. Over the years, much of the social work scholarship published in our journal has revealed and investigated how oppressive and unequal social and political structures undermine the dignity of the people. Although these critical links have been documented carefully and persuasively, more attention needs to be given to the systematic efforts of the social work profession to promote, defend and celebrate the worth of the people. Articles thematically linked to these concerns have been explored in this issue. Our readers will be able to navigate through four broad sub-themes: a) the social, cultural and mental health related impact of HIV/AIDS, b) social work and spirituality, c) working with vulnerable groups of the population, and d) the politics and ethics of social work. The first three articles explore the complex and inter-related challenges experienced by HIV patients, social workers and caregivers. In the first article Toorjo Ghose, Anuradha Chowdhury, Phyllis Solomon and Samira Ali examine aspects of the complex interconnection between HIV, depression and cultural norms as experienced by HIV infected sex workers in India. In particular the authors investigate how the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was modified to measure anxiety and depression among the aforementioned population. Results suggest that the inability of the above mentioned group to remain calm is experienced as depression rather than anxiety, thus presenting the complex and contradictory nature of clinical interventions. The second article takes a different thematic and methodological angle on the issue of HIV/ AIDS. The focus here is on prevention and the search for effective and creative campaigning approaches. Tawanda Sydesky Nyawasha and Crispen Chipunza assess the relevance and effectiveness of radio broadcasting as a strategy that facilitates the adoption and use of safer sexual practices among students at a South African university. In this article, the authors use an ethnographic approach while they highlight the essential and critical contribution of campus radio. They conclude that the effectiveness of the campus radio lies in its ability to create a social space for HIV/AIDS communication. The study is very relevant to social work practice as it emphasizes on the issue of critical awareness and the need for engagement with creative and approachable techniques while working in the field of prevention. The third and final article of this sub-theme confirms the importance of the cultural dimension of HIV. Oscar Labra, who provides an overview of published studies on social representations of HIV/ AIDS, argues that such representations remain present within the health care field and continue to affect populations across various cultures. This, the author claims, underlines the importance of health care that accounts for cultural needs in interventions with people living with HIV/AIDS. In the second sub-theme of this issue, the concept of religiosity and/or spirituality and its relevance to social work practice is explored. Jorge Delva, Fernando H. Andrade, Guillermo Sanhueza and Yoonsun Han examined whether alcohol use among Chilean adolescents varied as a function 570834 ISW0010.1177/0020872815570834International Social WorkEditorial editorial2015


A fundamental stage in protein characterization is to determine and verify the intact state of the macromolecule. This is often accomplished through the use of mass spectrometry (MS) to first detect and measure the molecular mass. Beyond confirmation of intact mass, the next objective is the verification of its primary structure, the amino acid sequence of the protein. Traditionally, a map of the macromolecule is reconstructed from matching masses of peptide fragments produced through external enzymatic digestion of the protein to masses calculated from an in silico digest of the target protein sequence. A more direct approach involves top-down MS/MS of the intact protein molecular ion. To accommodate progressive stages of characterization, the choice of instrument for MS-based protocols should consider the diversity of required analyses, including further interrogation of protein sequence modifications, which can be very labile (glycosylation, phosphorylation). A hybrid linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer offers extended versatility for this application, featuring both high-performance detection (high resolution, mass accuracy, and dynamic range) and distinctive flexibility in operation.1-6 It offers several choices of fragmentation, to permit sophisticated experiments such as post-translational modification (PTM) analysis with preservation of labile modifications (electron transfer dissociation, ETD),3-35 de novo sequencing (high mass accuracy and combined activation types),36-39 and disulfide mapping to augment superior, sensitive MS/MS detection for peptide identification.40-48 This note describes protein characterization using the Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap XL or LTQ Orbitrap Velos hybrid mass spectrometer, demonstrating intact protein and top-down fragmentation analysis (Figure 1).48-58 Experimental


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate clinical outcomes and pronouncing and swallowing functions after supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL).

METHOD
Eight-five cases underwent supracricoid partial laryngectomy from 1990 to 2008 were reviewed.

RESULTS
The 3- and 5-year accumulative survival rates were 90.4% and 81.6%, respectively. 97.6% (83/85) patients were decannulated. 89.4% (76/85) were able to eat normally within 6 weeks after surgery and the swallowing functions in the rest patients were recovered by training in different time after surgery. Fiber laryngoscope showed the reconstructed throats could close well with good swallowing functions six months after the operation.

CONCLUSION
SCPL is a good choice in selected cases with laryngeal cancer, with satisfactory pronouncing and swallowing functions after surgery.


Primary cutaneous amyloidosis (PCA) and post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) are common causes of cutaneous hyperpigmentation that are usually diagnosed clinically. However, their presentations are sometimes atypical, and their differentiation is difficult. Dermoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool for pigmented diseases that might aid in their diagnosis.


There exist many models for deformable image registration, mainly differing in how regularization is introduced. On one hand, models minimizing first- or second-order derivatives such as diffusion-, elastic-, or curvature-based image registration are known to generate globally smooth deformation fields. On the other hand, regularization techniques based on total variation (TV) preserving discontinuities of the deformation field are useful to a class of problems where smoothness is less a concern. It is still a challenge to design a model suitable for both smooth problems and non-smooth problems. This talk first proposes a variational model based on a modified TV regularization, which can be interpreted as a half way model between diffusion (smooth) and TV (non-smooth) registration. The idea stems from image restoration where smoothing and preserving discontinuities are both important. Second to solve the resulting Euler- Lagrange system of two coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs), we present a nonlinear multigrid (NMG) strategy and an adaptive parameter selection procedure. Numerical tests using both synthetic and realistic images not only confirm that the proposed model is more robust in registration quality for a wide range of applications than previous models, but also that the proposed NMG method can deliver an acceptable solution many orders of magnitude faster than the gradient descent approach, popularly used in image processing.


Arakawa and Wu (2013, hereafter referred to as AW13) recently developed a formal approach to a unified parameterization of atmospheric convection for high-resolution numerical models. The work is based on ideas formulated by Arakawa et al. (2011). It lays the foundation for a new parameterization pathway in the era of high-resolution numerical modeling of the atmosphere. The key parameter in this approach is convective cloud fraction. In conventional parameterization, it is assumed that <<1. This assumption is no longer valid when horizontal resolution of numerical models approaches a few to a few tens kilometers, since in such situations convective cloud fraction can be comparable to unity. Therefore, they argue that the conventional approach to parameterizing convective transport must include a factor 1 - in order to unify the parameterization for the full range of model resolutions so that it is scale-aware and valid for large convective cloud fractions. While AW13's approach provides important guidance for future convective parameterization development, in this note we intend to show that the conventional approach already has this scale awareness factor 1 - built in, although not recognized for the last forty years. Therefore, it should work well even in situations of large convective cloudmore » fractions in high-resolution numerical models.« less


Based on the mould of a kind of circuit system,convert state equation of mould into nondimensionalization differential equation,and analysis stability of the equation at the equilibrium point,as well as the bifurcation behavior reasoning.In the selection of system parameters,using the Runge-Kutta method numerical simulation global bifurcation diagram that change in with different parameters.Through the bifurcation diagram reveals that system occur periodic motion,period-doubling bifurcation,sequence period-doubling bifurcation,chaos and rich dynamical behavior at the time of different parameter range.Through contrast global bifurcation diagram of the different parameters system,reveals the system change regulation with different parameters,changes in the value of a different range,for this kind of equation corresponding to the actual circuit system provides the theory support.


Background: Transcranial color duplex ultrasound (TCCD) is becoming an important tool for cerebral monitoring of brain-injured patients. To date, TCCD reproducibility has been studied in healthy volunteers or patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and its efficiency in many brain injuries has not been proved. Our aim was to evaluate TCCD interobserver agreement in different brain injuries. Patients and Methods: We performed a prospective monocentric trial conducted from January 2014 to September 2014 in intensive care unit (ICU) of Saint-Etienne university teaching hospital, France. Brain-damaged patients admitted in ICU were included, excluding those with decompressive craniectomy. Two randomized operators among the ICU medical staff consecutively performed measurements of cerebral blood flow velocities with TCCD. Results: One hundred measurements were obtained from 42 patients. Hemodynamic and end-tidal CO2 pressure were similar between both measurement set. The results obtained with the Bland-Altman method showed bias at 0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], −4.19 to 3.16), 0.53 (95% CI, −1.86 to 2.92), and 0.002 (95% CI, −0.06 to 0.06) for mean velocity, diastolic velocity, and pulsatility index, respectively. The limits of agreement were (−32.4; 31.4), (−20.4; 21.4), (−0.5; 0.5) for mean velocity, diastolic velocity, and pulsatility index, respectively. The Passing and Bablok regression have shown a quasilinear relationship between measurements. Conclusions: We reported the reliability of TCCD interobserver agreement in brain-damaged patients.


The purpose of this study is to examine whether nepotism has influences on public servant corruption. A target group of empirical research is various personal relations of high position public servants (i.e. more than assistant secretary level) and their level of corruption in the current Lee Administration. The study divided the corruption into two types, individual corruption and power-related corruption to check which one has associated with nepotism. The main findings of the study are: 1) personal relations built in the previous job seem to have more association with corruption than alumni relations or region-related relations, 2) while nepotism is closely associated with power-related corruption, it does not have influence on individual corruption, and 3) public servants whose background is merit system showed far less degree of both individual and power-related corruption than those appointed by spoils system.


Follistatin-like 1 (Fstl1) is induced in response to lung injury and promotes the accumulation of myofibroblasts and subsequent fibrosis via regulation of TGF-β and BMP. Reducing Fstl1 in mice reduces bleomycin-induced fibrosis in vivo, offering a potential therapeutic target for progressive lung fibrosis.


Background Dementia is one of the leading public health concerns as the world's population ages. Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia diagnosis among older patients, some patients have additional behavioral symptoms. It is therefore important to provide an exact diagnosis, both to provide the best possible treatment for patients and to facilitate better understanding. Purpose To investigate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with fractional anisotropy (FA) can accurately find patients with behavioral symptoms within a group of AD patients. Material and Methods Forty-five patients from the geriatric outpatient clinic were recruited consecutively to form a group of patients with AD and behavioral symptoms (AD + BS) and a control group of 50 patients with established AD. All patients had a full assessment for dementia to establish the diagnosis according to ICD-10. MRI included 3D anatomical recordings for morphometric measurements, DTI for fiber tracking, and quantitative assessment of regional white matter integrity. The DTI analyses included computing of the diffusion tensor and its derived FA index. Results We found a significant difference in FA values between the patient groups' frontal lobes. The FA was greater in the study group in both left (0.39 vs 0.09, p < 0.05) and right (0.40 vs 0.16, p < 0.05) frontal lobes. Conclusion MRI with FA will find damage in frontal tracts and may be used as a diagnostic tool and be considered a robust tool for the recognizing different types of dementia in the future.


The naturally abundant, enantiomerically pure cyclitol quinic acid (1) has been converted into the synthetically useful enone 2 in nearly quantitative yield using the operationally straightforward and reproducible protocols reported herein. The latter compound, which was obtained in multigram quantities, engages in a diastereoselective 1,2-addition reaction with a hydrazone-based nucleophile. Furthermore, the readily derived α-iodoenone 3 participates in both cross-coupling and α,β-annulation reactions. The results reported here emphasize that the now practically accessible cyclohexenones 2 and 3 are useful, enantiomerically pure building blocks for organic synthesis.


The analysis of fauna and bloodsucking tick populations parasitizing on small forest mammals has been carried out for 4 faunistic zones of the Nizhni Novgorod region. A species list of parasitic ticks is given, as well as data on host-parasite relations and peculiarities of each zone. Similarities and differences of faunistic complexes of parasitic ticks of forest micromammals have been shown using the Chekanovsky-Sorensen similarity index and cluster analysis.


An on-line education method for interworking item pool and lecture is provided to acquire easily basic knowledge required for solving exercises by servicing moving images for conception and solution at the same time. A main server extracts moving image education from a database and supplies the extracted moving image education to student terminals(S102). The main server supplies exercises extracted from the database to the student terminals and supplies simultaneously one of solutions and moving images for conception and solution to the student terminals(S103). The main server supplies exercises to the student terminals based on user selection and supplies simultaneously one of solutions and moving images for conception and solution(S105). The main server extracts exercises, which are similar to mis-solved exercises by students, from the database and supplies the extracted exercises to the student terminals(S106). The main server supplies exercises in twice to five times for every weeks and supplies test result and simultaneously one of solutions and moving images for conception and solution.


A relationship between the occurrence of leaf yellowing of barley (Sanuki—hadaka) and its yield was investigated. There was a linear, negative correlation (P<0.01) between the degree of leaf yellowing and the yield. No correlation bewteen the degree of mosaic on leaves caused by stripe virus and the yield was found. There was, however, a linear negative correlation (P<0.01) between the degree of root browning, which is closely related to browning root rot, and the yield regardless of the occurrence of yellow mosaic.A close correlation between root browning and the yield suggested that leaf yellowing might be closely related to browning root rot caused by Pythium spp. Shortening of the ear length was considered to be the most important factor involved in yield loss, based on the analyses of yield componentsand leaf yellowing.


Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the United States is predominately from commercially manufactured Aroclor mixtures. These mixtures consist of approximately 150 congeners and are characterized by chlorination level and congener distribution profile, with some congeners maintaining a constant relative abundance across the chlorination levels. Once introduced into the environment, changes in congener profiles occur, in some cases altering the relative abundance of congeners correlated in the commercial Aroclors. The shifts in the relationships of the correlated congener pairs (trackers) are used to quantify the likelihood of natural remediation processes occurring in the anaerobic sediment and to identify positions where chlorine removal is likely. A numerical model for elucidating the most likely chlorine positions was developed, implemented, and tested on Hudson River sediment data. The model results show that flanked chlorines were most likely to have been removed, followed by meta chlorines. These results are consistent with those reported by laboratory investigation of Hudson River sediments. The findings suggest that the model can successfully determine the most likely positions of chlorine removal, even in the absence of a priori knowledge of the sediment contamination (source Aroclors) or the dechlorinating organisms. Thus the model can be applied, even where limited knowledge exists regarding the contamination source and the nature of the biogeochemical reactions affecting the fate of PCBs in a particular sediment system.


Color categories are inextricably linked to language as color categories are typically, though not necessarily, associated with color terms. It is believed that the acquisition of categories, including color categories, is influenced by language [1]. Prelinguistic infants do seem to have a set of color categories, which are then either consolidated or modified through observing or engaging in linguistic interactions about color. Language has been shown to have an influence on a range of modalities, such as time, space, and color. This phenomenon, known as linguistic relativism, shows how the language one uses, and by extension the culture one lives in, has an impact on perception and cognition. It has also been shown that language has an influence on color perception: having a particular color word speeds up spotting a chip of that color among distracting color chips [2, 3]. What is not entirely clear is how language influences the acquisition of color categories. As data on color category acquisition in infants is hard to come by, we can resort to computer simulations to learn more about how language impacts the acquisition of color categories. A language is a communication system that is shared within a group of language users. As such, a language can be seen as an agreement between all language users on the words and rules of a language, and their meaning. Color words are also subject to this agreement: in the English language speakers agree to use "red" for, among others, the chromatic perception of a ripe tomato, blood, and a light with dominant spectral wavelength of 780 nm. There is no central authority insisting on this: language users themselves agree on this convention. When a new language user, such as a newborn child, enters a linguistic community, it will to varying degrees adopt this convention. If language is a convention that is agreed upon by a linguistic community, and if language impacts category acquisition, then it follows that categories are to a certain extent also agreed upon by the community. Computer simulations can help us understand how a community can arrive at an agreement on linguistic conventions and how language shapes concepts and categories.


Combined with the MMFs established by the stator and rotor currents of the BDFM at the steady\|state, the operation principle of the BDFM is analyzed, the MMF distribution rule of the stator and rotor under varied electromagnetic machanisms is discussed, the design feature for the stator and rotor structure is explained. The practical results show that the arrangement of the stator winding should be sine approximately to eliminate the useless HAR, on the other hand, the MMF established by the rotor winding should have the very modulating function for the MMFs established by two states. Thd results offer the theoretical foundation for the machine design, formulating and parameter optimizing.


In order to improve the rate of speech endpoint detection,this paper presents a speech endpoint detection model based on multiple features and support vector machine. Firstly,the features of speech signals are obtained and combined together; then they are input to support vector machine to build the speech endpoint detection model,and finally the signal is detected by the built model. The simulation experiment results show that,compared with the other detection models,the proposed model has improved the detection rate,and has better adaptability and robustness; it can detect signals with different signal to noise ratio.


The association of the RNF4, RBP4, and IGF2 genotypes and their additive genetic effects with litter size in purebred Landrace and Yorkshire sows were studied. The results revealed significant associations between the RNF4 and RBP4 genotypes with the total number of piglets born (TNB) and number of piglets born alive (NBA) traits (P <0.05). The RNF4 CC genotype had greater TNB and NBA than the TT genotype in both breeds. The RBP4 BB genotype had greater TNB and NBA than the AA genotype in the Landrace breed. Significant additive effects of the RNF4 and RBP4 genes on the TNB and NBA were detected (P <0.05). No significant associations of the IGF2 genotypes and their additive effects with any reproductive traits were observed in both Landrace and Yorkshire sows (P >0.05). The results suggested that the RNF4 and RBP4 genes could be useful in selection for increasing TNB and NBA traits in pigs.


This case study focuses on the personal development of a low‐income single mother who participated in site‐based, decision‐making processes at an urban elementary school. Participant observation and interview data collected from 1989 to 1992 were examined to reveal the difficulties and positive outcomes for this parent and the school when opportunity and support accompany participation in varied levels of involvement in school activities.


In this brief, a synthesis procedure of cellular neural networks for associative memories is presented, The proposed method, by assuring the global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point, generates networks where the input data are fed via external inputs rather than initial conditions. This new approach enables to design both heteroassociative and autoassociative memories and reveals particularly suitable for VLSI implementation techniques.


We prove a new upper bound on the number of $r$-rich lines (lines with at least $r$ points) in a `truly' $d$-dimensional configuration of points $v_1,\ldots,v_n \in \mathbb{C}^d$. More formally, we show that, if the number of $r$-rich lines is significantly larger than $n^2/r^d$ then there must exist a large subset of the points contained in a hyperplane. We conjecture that the factor $r^d$ can be replaced with a tight $r^{d+1}$. If true, this would generalize the classic Szemer\'edi-Trotter theorem which gives a bound of $n^2/r^3$ on the number of $r$-rich lines in a planar configuration. This conjecture was shown to hold in $\mathbb{R}^3$ in the seminal work of Guth and Katz \cite{GK10} and was also recently proved over $\mathbb{R}^4$ (under some additional restrictions) \cite{SS14}. For the special case of arithmetic progressions ($r$ collinear points that are evenly distanced) we give a bound that is tight up to low order terms, showing that a $d$-dimensional grid achieves the largest number of $r$-term progressions.
The main ingredient in the proof is a new method to find a low degree polynomial that vanishes on many of the rich lines. Unlike previous applications of the polynomial method, we do not find this polynomial by interpolation. The starting observation is that the degree $r-2$ Veronese embedding takes $r$-collinear points to $r$ linearly dependent images. Hence, each collinear $r$-tuple of points, gives us a dependent $r$-tuple of images. We then use the design-matrix method of \cite{BDWY12} to convert these 'local' linear dependencies into a global one, showing that all the images lie in a hyperplane. This then translates into a low degree polynomial vanishing on the original set.


Objective To investigate the relationship between serum uric acid concentration(UA),metabolic syndrome(MS) and carotid atherosclerosis.Methods 2 232 patients were divided into metabolic syndrome group(MS group)and non-metabolic syndrome group according to the International Diabetes Federation(IDF) criteria.Carotid intima-media thickness(IMT) was measured by echocardiography for all patients.Independent association of UA with MS and IMT was assessed in all patients.Results The rates of MS and hyperuricemia were 53.7% and 24.2% in all patients respectively.The prevalence rate of hyperuricemia was higher in MS patients(29.0%) than in non-MS patients(18.6%).Excluding hyperuricemia patients(540 patients),there was no significant difference of UA between two groups(P0.01).UA was one of independent risk factors for MS(OR=1.002,95%CI:1.001-1.004).IMT was significantly higher in MS group than non-MS group(P0.01).UA was found to be not associated with IMT independently.Conclusions The prevalence rates of MS and hyperuricemia increased at the same time.UA may be one of the independent risk factors for the MS but not be that for carotid atherosclerosis.


The dependence of Christian theology on the Scriptures cannot be stated in tenus of some one method of using them. But there are features of the relationship which belong to the right and true understanding of them that is faithful to what the Christian community recognized as the decisive revelation of God.


Abstract : The reliability of a simple network can be improved by the use of highly reliable devices that monitor all sending elements attached to it. Such devices block network access if special electrical keys are not present before network communications are initiated. Such devices can also lock out network access for messages that exceed preset time limits. This report describes the construction of a simple device that serves these functions, termed a computer fault detector and net isolator, and describes the philosophy of its operation. The use of monitors of this type prevents the possible failure of a single sending element or node from disrupting the operation of an entire network.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors which influence participation of developing countries in the global value chains (GVC) and to present a mathematical modeling technique to calculate a "National Participation Index of a developing country in the GVC" (hereinafter referred to as G-NPI).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identifies 17 factors, encompassing both country-specific and firm-specific considerations that influence a developing countries' participation in the GVCs. These factors have been grouped into four sets of enablers, namely, macroeconomic, geo-economic, strategic and geopolitical. The national participation index (G-NPI) has been calculated using the graph theoretic modeling approach.

Findings

Besides identifying the factors of a developing country's participation in the GVC and grouping them as enablers, the paper considers the case of India as an example and assesses the level of interactions within (i.e. among various factors of a given enabler) and among these enablers (leading to a G-NPI value) using graph theory.

Practical implications

The findings can be used to calculate G-NPI for different countries to ascertain their potential for participation and also to find the factors(s) which may be deterring their participation in the GVCs.

Social implications

This paper can help in policy advocacy to enhance the competitiveness of developing countries and consequently to improve the life of their consumers.

Originality/value

This paper introduces the concept of G-NPI and presents a unique way of assessing a developing country's participation in the GVCs through a mathematical modeling approach.


Optimal shunt capacitor placement and sizing or optimal capacitor configuration for distribution system has received considerable attention for researchers from last three decades. In this paper, loss reduction in system using genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization(PSO) for capacitor placement and sizing are presented. While studying the optimal capacitor configuration problem there is a need to consider a single phase as well as three phase loads with voltage, power factor and harmonic constraints. Distribution system reliability indices in distribution system network is also improved and results of reliability indices are presented. Proposed method for optimal capacitor placement using particle swarm optimization (OCP-PSO) is discussed in this paper. It is observed that losses are reduced in both GA and PSO method.


This article provides a description of the state-sponsored music education system in Cuban schools. Drawing upon documentary research as well as extended visits to Cuba, the article opens with a brief history of public schooling and music education in the nation. Going on to outline the current status of music education, the article pays specific attention to reforms implemented after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 as related to organizational structure, teacher training, and curriculum design. The article concludes with a critique of the status of music education in contemporary Cuba.


SUMMARY Large areas which have been deteriorated due to soil salinity/alkalinity and waterlogging can be utilized with the planting of salt-tolerant tree species and by making some modifications in land configuration. In the case of alkali soil, the pit auger hole and furrow method is recommended over the pit planting method. The dimension of auger holes will depend on the local soil conditions. The use of soil amendment and farmyard manure (FYM) is necessary to counteract the harmful effect of exchangeable sodium and also to meet plants, nutritional requirements. In contrast to alkali soils, there is no need to have deeper auger holes, and soil amendments such as gypsum, pyrite or sulphuric acid for the establishment of plantations, in saline soils. Even the use of FYM may be avoided. The furrow planting method is preferred over other planting methods. Most of the tree species which were tolerant to alkali soil were also found suitable for saline conditions. Nevertheless, screening of tree species for sp...


The paper reviews an energy efficient multi-circuit power plant with three independent power generation circuits and a generator control system. The proposed three-circuit autonomous power plant was constructed in accordance with a modular design. The structural scheme, design, operating modes, and simulation model in the Matlab+Simulink environment is presented. The increase in electrical efficiency at this cogeneration plant is due to the use of low-temperature boiling point heat-transfer fluids. This article proposes the method of increasing the efficiency of an existing installation from 60 kW to 100 kW by equipping it with additional equipment. This equipment provides deeper utilization of flue gas heat. If the base power plant is 60 kW, the heat input is about 200 kWh (an efficiency of the station is 30%), then the total electricity generation will be 100 kW. In this case, an additional 40 kW of power is without increasing fuel consumption.


One of the consequences of the war is the arrival in this country of a considerable number of cases of malaria, especially among members of His Majesty's Forces and the Mercantile Marine. As malaria is very amenable to treatment if recognized in time, and as it is highly dangerous and often fatal if not recognized and adequately treated, it is obvious that its diagnosis and treatment are matters of great importance. The object of this article, which has been written at the request of the War Office and Ministry of Health, is to set out briefly and simply the main points in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.


FOR A CENTURY WE HAVE KNOWN that a lawsuit was argued in the mid1 630s whose documents, if they survived, would supply new information about the history of the Globe playhouse after the famous fire of 1613. For sixtyfive years we have had assertions that at least one significant document of the lawsuit did indeed survive.' But we have not had any of the documents, and we have settled for either silence or guesses about what they might say. Several remarks in the so-called sharers papers (in print since 1882) tell us very sketchily what the lawsuit was about and partly how it progressed. C. W. Wallace declared in an article in The Times on 30 April and 1 May 1914 that he had found many new documents about the Globe, including, as later writers deduced, at least one document from this lawsuit. Instead of a studied treatment accompanied by citations, however, he offered his readers only a few tantalizing remarks about the contents of the documents and a promise, which he did not keep, that he would publish them properly later. W. W Braines eventually identified and used nearly all the documents in his book, The Site of the Globe Playhouse Southwark (London: Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd., 1921, 1924), but the document or documents belonging to this lawsuit eluded him. The sharers papers consist of (1) petitions drawn up in the late spring or early summer of 1635 in which three players among the King's Men (Robert Benfield, Eliard Swanston, and Thomas Pollard) argued that they should be allowed to acquire shares in both playhouses used by the company, the Globe and Blackfriars; (2) the replies written during the month or two following by those who owned most of the shares (the Burbages and an old player, John Shanks); and (3) the decisions of the Lord Chamberlain, dated 12 July and 1 August 1635. The players, Shanks, and the Lord Chamberlain all referred to our lawsuit. The players said that they had "suffered lately the sayd Housekeepers [i.e., the shareholders] in the name of his Mats servants, to sue & obtaine a decree in the Court of Requests against Sr Mathew Brand, for confirmation vnto them of a lease paroll for about 9 or iO yeeres yet to come, which they could other wise haue prevented, vntill themselues had


The trend at which cyber threats are gaining access to companies, industries and other sectors of the economy is becoming alarming, and this is posting a serious challenge to network administrators, governments and other business owners. A formidable intrusion detection system is needed to outplay the activities of the cyberattacks. An ensemble system is believed to perform better than a single classifier. With this fact, five different Machine Learning (ML) ensemble algorithms are suggested at the perception phase of Situation Awareness (SA) model for threat detection and the algorithms include; Artificial Neural Network Based Decision Tree (ANN based DT), Bayesian Based Artificial Neural Network (BN based ANN), J48 Based Naïve Bayes Model (J48 based NB), Decision Tree based Bayesian Network (BN) and Random Forest based on Support Vector Machine (RF based SVM). The efficiency and effectiveness of all the aforementioned algorithms were evaluated based on precision, recall and accuracy. ANN based DT gave 98.87% accuracy, BN based ANN gave 99.72% accuracy, J48 based NB gave 98.90% accuracy, DT based BN gave 89.92% accuracy and FR based SVM gave 98.40% accuracy. The implication of these results is that BN based ANN is more suitable in the perception phase of SA for threats detection. Keywords- Cyber-threats, Ensemble Algorithms, Computer Network, Intrusion Detection System, Machine Learning


Many parallel applications need to access large amounts of data. In such applications, the I/O performance can play a signiicant role in the overall time to completion. Although I/O is always much slower than computation, it is still possible to achieve good I/O performance in parallel applications by using a combination of suucient amount of high-speed I/O hardware, appropriate le-system software, appropriate API for I/O, a high-performance implementation of the API, and by using that API the right way. We explain these points in further detail in this chapter. We begin by explaining what parallel I/O means, how it arises, and why it is a problem. We give an overview of the infrastructure that currently exists for parallel I/O on modern parallel systems, including I/O architecture, parallel le systems, high-level libraries, and application programming interfaces (APIs) for parallel I/O. We explain how the API plays a key role in enabling (or preventing) high performance and how the lack of an appropriate standard API for parallel I/O has hindered performance and portability. Much of the research in parallel I/O over the last several years has contributed to the deenition of the new standard API for parallel I/O that is part of the MPI-2 standard 31]. We discuss the evolution and emergence of this API, often just called MPI-IO, and introduce it with a simple example program. We also describe some optimizations enabled by MPI-IO that are critical for high performance. Finally, we provide guidelines on what users can do to achieve high I/O performance in their applications. Our focus is mainly on the type of parallel I/O commonly seen in high-end scientiic computing and not on the I/O that arises in databases, transaction processing, and other commercial applications. I/O in parallel scientiic computing often involves large data objects, such as a single large array, distributed 1


A 62-year-old male patient (six-year follow-up) is reported presenting with night-blindness, a fundus pattern characteristic of birdshot retinopathy and subclinical ataxia due to generalized peripheral neuropathy. Although associated with HLA-A29 and B12, there was only a paravascular retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) staining indicative of prior leakage due to retinal vasculopathy. The authors consider this case as birdshot or vitiliginous retinopathy with initial silent subclinical inflammatory component, but suggest to coin the disease inner neuroretinopathy, as the probable primary topography of the lesion are the inner retinal layers.A second case concerns a 48-year-old female (nine-year follow-up) who presented initially with bilateral pars planitis and retinal vasculopathy associated with HLA-A29. After four years she developed progressively a birdshot retinopathy with nightblindness. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case described in the literature in which a birdshot retinopathy with n...


The 36th Winter Colloquium on the Physics of Quantum Electronics was held in the glorious setting of Snowbird, Utah from January 2 through 6, 2006. The meeting began with a reception on Sunday, 2 January in honour of the 2006 recipients of the Willis E. Lamb medal for Laser Science and Quantum Optics: Raymond Chiao, Roy Glauber, and Manfred Kleber. The rest of the week combined superb technical talks and informal discussion in the congenial surrounding of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest area. The meeting was extremely well attended and over 200 papers were presented. Topics of special interest at the meeting included quantum information science, metamaterials, quantum optics theory, electromagnetically induced transparency, quantum control, slow light, and ultrafast spectroscopy. The meeting was organized by Marlan O. Scully, and George R. Welch and M. Suhail Zubairy all of Texas A&M University.