Embankment dams are widely constructed due to their suitability with different types of foundation, and it is constructed from the available material at the site. A zoned earth dam consists of a clay core at the center to control seepage supported by a shell. This paper investigated the impacts of side slopes, top width, and shape on upstream and downstream slope stability during different cases. Slide 6.0 software was used to evaluate the factor of safety of side slopes of an earth dam, and its result was validated. Different side slopes range from 0H:1V to 2 H:1V, and crest widths from 3m to 10 m were examined. In addition, for the slanting core case, several cases with varying angles of inclination were provided. The results indicated that by increasing the side slopes of the core, the factor of safety was reduced, especially in the steady state and rapid drawdown conditions. Increasing the top width also reduced the safety factor in the steady state condition. This reduction was because the core material had lower shear strength than the shell material. In addition, in a steady state and rapid drawdown conditions, the cohesion of core material sharply reduced. Compared with the vertical case, increasing the slanting core slopes influenced the slope stability insignificantly during the steady state. The slanting core had benefits in the steady state when the reservoir was full since, in this case, increasing core side slopes affected the slope stability insignificantly. The maximum core side slope in the earth dam and maximum top width, which insignificantly affected the dam's slope stability, were 0.8:1 and 5 m, respectively.


Mechanism of Stretchable Mechanochromic Color‐Tuning In article number 2202897, Su Seok Choi and co‐workers reveal the color changing mechanism of electrically stretchable mechanochromic system. The hexagonally close‐packed (HCP) nanostructure of organogels should experience lattice deformations during mechanochromic process. Using their in situ electro‐optical observations and theoretical modeling, electrically stretchable and also stable mechanochromic lattice tuning mechanism is reported for the first time.


The invention provides a communication method based on subcarrier allocating mode, comprising: plural mobile terminals sends first data frames only containing training sequence to base station; according to the received signal, the base station firstly synchronizes interference user and obtains carrier frequency offset estimated result of the interference user, uses the estimated result to optimize mapper matrix of a target user to make initial searching process of the received signal and obtains synchronous parameters of the target user and transmits the synchronous parameters to the target user by common channel, where the received signal comprises the first data frame; the target user regulates time offset and frequency offset according to the synchronous parameters and completes accessing process and sends the second data frame containing training sequence and data symbol to the base station; and the base station makes self-adaptive tracking process of the second received signal by target user optimized mapper matrix so as to complete the residual carrier frequency offset estimation, thus obtaining carrier frequency offset estimated result of the target user and implementing uplink synchronization.


Abstract In this paper, a class of hybrid type estimators is proposed in estimating the finite population variance using single auxiliary variable in simple random sampling. Expressions for the bias and the mean square error (MSE) are derived up to the first order of approximation. Theoretically comparisons are provided to show that the proposed estimators perform more efficiently than various existing estimators. Empirical study and simulation results are carried out to confirm numerically that the proposed estimators are more efficient than the usual unbiased sample variance estimator, ratio and linear regression estimators by Isaki, Singh et al., and Shabbir and Gupta estimators.


Samarajeewa, U. and Tissera, M.P., (1975). Use of ebulliometer for alcohol determination in coconut toddy. Ceylon Cocon. Q.. 26, 86-88. Ebulliometers are used in the industry for estimation of alcohol in toddy. This method was compared with hydrometer and pycnometer methods for estimation of alcohol in toddy. The ebulliometer method appeared to be accurate for toddy containing 6 to 8%(v/v) alcohol. A calibration curve is presented for reading the actual alcohol content when the estimated value using the ebulliometer is known. The readings obtained by the hydrometer method did not vary significantly from those obtained by the ebulliometer method. INTRODUCTION The alcoholic strength of liquors is generally estimated using physical properties such as density, refractive index, surface tension or boiling point. It is not possible to apply the first three methods directly to fermenting toddy due to its turbid nature, the presence of solid matter, evolution of carbon dioxide and production of the various secondary products during fermentation. The toddy is therefore distilled to obtain a clear liquid phase and made to the original volume with water in applying the above methods. The density method using a pycno meter is generally accepted as the most accurate method. In experimental work both pycno meter and hydrometer methods are commonly employed. In the arrack industry toddy is distilled to concentrate the alcohol. For this purpose toddy is bought at the distilleries through a large number of collectors. This demands a method for estimating the alcohol content in toddy in a few minutes as a large number of sam ples has to be handled within a few hours. Thus hydrometer and pycnometer methods cannot be used in the industry. Payments are made on the basis of the alcohol content of the toddy read in the ebulliometer. The principle underlying this instrument is the determination of the boiling point of the toddy which is a function of the composition of toddy. The alcohol percentage (v/v) is thus read on a scale against the boiling point. The method is convenient and rapid enabling 6 to 8 determinations per hour. The possibility of .obtaining a reading directly without a distillation is the added advantage in the instrument. However there are limiting parameters and conditions that should be carefully adopted in using ebulliometers for alcohol determination in undistilled liquors. The boiling points of alcohol-water mixtures are reported to be altered by the presence of invert sugar, high extract (solid matter) and cream of tartar (Joslyn et. ai, 1937). Natural solids content above 5g/100 ml had been shown to affect the ebulliometer readings for wines (Valaer, 1938). It is sugges ted that the wines be diluted to less than 5 g/lOOml of solid matter before testing in an ebulliometer. Toddy contains high solid matter, invert sugar, tartaric acid and aci dity, (Samarajeewa et. ah, 1976). Though ebulliometers are widely used in the toddy and arrack industries no reports are available regarding the limitations and accuracy of the ins trument. This study compares the ebulliometer method with density methods using pycnometer and hydrometer estimations and discusses the applicability of the former for alcohol deter minations in toddy. EXPERIMENTAL Toddy : Samples of toddy collected from the field were allowed to ferment to different alcohol levels in earthenware collecting pots. Replicate samples were withdrawn without disturbing the bottom sediment for the estimations by the three methods given below. 86 U. SAMARAJEEWA AND M. P. TISSERA 87 Pycnometer method:—A pre-weighed 100 ml volumetric flask was placed in a thermostat water bath at 26.6 0 .1 0 C and was made up to the mark using toddy at the same temperature. The flask was allowed to come to room temperature and was weighed. The toddy was trans ferred to a round bottom flask. The volumetric flask was rinsed thrice using 25 ml (total volume) of distilled water. Washings were added to toddy in the round bottom flask. The toddy was next distilled using a vertical condenser. About 98 ml of the distillate was collected directly into the volumetric flask used for weighing toddy. The flask was thermostated at 26.6 ±0 .1 ° c and the distillate was made up to 100 ml. using water. The flask filled with 100 ml of distilled water at 26.6 ± 0.1 °C was also weighed. The specific gravity of the distillate was calculated and the percentage of alcohol was read from the specific gravity tables for alcohol. Hydrometer method:150 ml of toddy was distilled using the same distillation apparatus as above, but without adding water. The total distillate was collected into a measuring cylin der. The specific gravity was determined using a Sike's hydrometer at thermal equilibrium. The percentage of alcohol was read from the tables. Ebulliotneter method:50 ml of toddy was used for the ebulliometer estimations. The temperature was read at the lowest constant boiling point. The blank reading was taken using distilled water. The zero of the scale was adjusted to the boiling point of water and the percentage of alcohol was read from the scale.


A computer code, KAFEPA, for analysing in-reactor behavior of a PHWR-fuel rod under reactor normal operating condition was developed. This code, KAFEPA, corresponds to the ELESIM code that was developed for the same purpose by AECL. Even though the KAFEPA originated from the ELESIM, it contains more accurate and theoretical models in comparison with the ELESIM, such as fission gas release model, in-reactor densification model and a new database for neutron flux depression across the radial direction in a fuel pellet. The KAFEPA code was verified by comparing the predictions with 22 measurements of fission product gas release. The predictions of the KAFEPA was well agreed with the experimental data.


Semiconductor device manufacturing demands rapid ramp of yield together with feature size reduction, especially for logic and ASIC because of their short-lives and small volume production characteristics. As a technological breakthrough for rapid yield ramp of such devices, we have endeavored to integrate CAD technology with SEM for printed pattern observation, and have developed Grade Scope, an evaluation technology, by combining the wafer proces and upstream design process.


Abstract An attempt is made to draw a comparison between the epistemological foundations of the theories of George Herbert Mead and Alfred Schutz. The opinion is expressed that local social scientists have paid scant attention to the origins of symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology respectively. Key concepts in both theories are addressed, with specific reference to the concept 'social'. There appears to be remarkable similarities in the theories of these two authors. The distinctions are fine and mainly of a terminological nature.


Session mobility is the transfer of media of an ongoing communication
session from one device to another. This document describes the
general methods and specifies the signaling and media flows for
providing this service using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
Service discovery is essential to locate targets for session transfer
and is discussed using the Service Location Protocol (SLP) as an
example.


The article presents a method for constructing a three-dimensional model of the equivalent wedge oblique cutting edge. This technique allows you to visually assess the complexity of changing the geometry of the tool and can be used in the design of cutting edge with a curved wedge. To construct a model, the equation of a space curve of cutting edge working part was derived. The article also shows the position of the tool-in-hand and the setting system in the developed model.


Plane harmonic wave propagation along an interface between vacuum and a semi-infinite uniaxial anisotropic medium is considered. It is shown that there is a bulk wave within an anisotropic medium in this case. It is also proved for the first time that a reflected wave must propagate perpendicularly to an interface. Moreover, a reflected wave is absent in the case of ordinary wave propagation.


A necessity to use probability-based formats in design practice of pile foundations as highly-reliable structures is underlined. The specific features of the bearing capacity of piles in groups and principles of their structural safety prediction are discussed. Probability-based approaches and design equations for structural safety prediction of axially loaded piles in groups exposed to regular and extreme irregular variable actions are presented. The survival probabilities of single piles and pile group blocks are considered. It is shown that the total survival probability of pile foundations may be calculated by the unsophisticated method of transformed conditional probabilities. The numerical example illustrates a merit of the probability-based design of pile foundations and a conditionality of the deterministic method of partial safety factors.


The energy extraction from quantum sources is a key task to develop new quantum devices such as Quantum Batteries (QB). In this context, one of the main figures of merit is the ergotropy, which measures the maximal amount of energy (as work) that can be extracted from the quantum source by means of unitary operations. One of the main issues to fully extract energy from the quantum source is the assumption that any unitary operation can be done on the system. This assumption, in general, fails in practice since the operations that can be done are limited and depend on the quantum hardware (experimental platform) one has available. In this work, we propose a new approach to optimize the extractable energy inspired by the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithm. In this approach, we explicitly take into account a limited set of unitaries by using the Hardware Efficient Ansatz (HEA) class of parameterized quantum circuits. As a QB we use an 1D spin chain described by a family of paradigmatic first neighbour hamiltonians such as the XXX, XXZ, XYZ, XX, XY and Transverse Ising models. By building our parameterized quantum circuits assuming that different types of connectivity may be available depending on the quantum hardware, we numerically compare the efficiency of work extraction for each model. Our results show that the best efficiency is generally obtained with quantum circuits that have connectivity between first neighbour spins.


Two radioisotopes (Na125I and thyroxine125I) were used to investigate thyroid function in Perca flavescens. In the thyroid, if the hormonal fraction is very small (4% of total radioactive thyroid components, 5 days after injection of Na125I) the variation of this fraction with time suggests the existence of a rapid turnover of hormones (maximum level before 24 hr). The rapid incorporation of iodine into iodotyrosine compounds by the thyroid (60% of MIT + DIT after 12 hr) also suggests the involvement of a very important biosynthetic activity. At peripheral levels the rapid metabolism of T4125I ( in the blood) confirms this view. In the plasma, the level of labelled hormones goes through two maxima followed (48 hr after injection of Na125I) by a steady increase. The second maximum observed is probably due to the release of thyroid hormones into the blood, but the first (6 hr after injection of Na125I) cannot be related to any known physiological process in fishes. The half-life of 125I in the plasma is the...


Shame is widely regarded as an awful feeling. It is usually characterized as an involuntary, negative, other‐mediated emotion about oneself, and differentiated from other uncomfortable self‐conscious emotions such as embarrassment by virtue of the fact that it involves a "negative global assessment" of oneself (Manion 2003, 2). I may feel embarrassment if, for example, I discover that I have been walking around a public space with a trail of toilet‐paper attached to my shoe; I will feel silly, self‐conscious, and possibly a corresponding desire to hide from the view of others, but this experience is not shameful because it does not prompt me to reassess my overall self‐worth. Shame emerges from an appreciation of why another would perceive one as inferior or lowly, not merely ridiculous. It has a moral dimension, distinct from that associated with guilt, because it is concerned with the status of the self. The subject of guilt is conscious of how she may have harmed others, whereas the subject of shame is aware that her personal failings may be visible. Hence, the student caught cheating on an exam may undergo the shameful realization that others have now seen her bad traits (laziness, willingness to cheat, and so on).


Background: Menopause is the time that marks end of woman's menstrual cycle, occurring on average around 51 years of age. It associated with decline in estrogen level which lead to increase central obesity as well as decrease muscle strength and endurance. Pilate exercises belong to a group of so-called body mind exercises which improve mental and physical status, increasing muscle strength and flexibility. Aim of Study: This study aimed to see the impact of Pilates exercise on abdominal muscle strength in post-menopausal women. Subjects and Methods: Thirty post-menopausal women complaining from belly abdomen were selected randomly from out-patient clinic of faculty of physical therapy to participate in this, their age ranged from 50-60 years, their BMI not exceed 35Kg/m 2 , all of them had number of parities ranged from 2-4 times, their menstrual cycle had stopped at least one year ago. Subjects were subdivided randomly into two groups each with fifteen participants, group A practiced selected exercise program that include (static abdominal, pelvic rocking and postural correction exercises) for 20min/session twice per week for 12 weeks and group B performed the same program as for group A plus Pilates exercises for another 60min. Outcome to be studied in this research was abdominal muscle strength (peak torque, total work and average power) using Isokinetic dynamometer. Results: There was a significant increase in peak torque, total work and average power in abdominal muscles in group B who perform Pilates exercise rather than group A ( p >0.001) Conclusion: Pilates exercise is an effective modality to


Abstract Objective To determine if the fortification of wheat and maize flours with iron and folic acid – which became mandatory in Brazil from June 2004 – is effective in the prevention of neural tube defects. Methods Using data from national information systems on births in central, south-eastern and southern Brazil, we determined the prevalence of neural tube defects among live births and stillbirths in a pre-fortification period – i.e. 2001–2004 – and in a post-fortification period – i.e. 2005–2014. We distinguished between anencephaly, encephalocele, meningocele, myelomeningocele and other forms of spina bifida. Findings There were 8554 neural tube defects for 17 925 729 live births notified between 2001 and 2014. For the same period, 2673 neural tube defects were reported for 194 858 stillbirths. The overall prevalence of neural tube defects fell from 0.79 per 1000 pre-fortification to 0.55 per 1000 post-fortification (prevalence ratio, PR: 1.43; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.38–1.50). For stillbirths, prevalence fell from 17.74 per 1000 stillbirths pre-fortification to 11.70 per 1000 stillbirths post-fortification. The corresponding values among live births were 0.57 and 0.44, respectively. Conclusion The introduction of the mandatory fortification of flour with iron and folic acid in Brazil was followed by a significant reduction in the prevalence of neural tube defects in our study area.


ATLAS, one of the two multi-purpose detectors at the proton-proton collider LHC, is scheduled to start taking data in 2007. This paper presents the physics performance of this experiment in studying one of the main topics of the LHC physics : the Higgs search. The use of the first data for the detector commissioning and the physics measurements that can be done in the early phase of the LHC operation are also reviewed.


Glucose or dextrose is a vital source of nutrient energy and is required continuously by the fetus. Neonatal needs are met with either intermittent oral feeds or continuous IV fluids. There has been a controversy regarding definition of hypoglycemia . There is lack of concrete evidence of association between low blood glucose levels and long term neurologic sequelae. Operational thresholds i.e. what levels to treat, have been evo lved. The important steps in preventing and treating hypoglycemia are to identify neonates at risk of developing hypoglycemia, to recognize symptoms of hypoglycemia, introducing early feeds and to initiate IV fluid therapy, where ever needed .


Summary Carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity in rats is significantly reduced by small doses of orally given enzymes which activate the rat plasminogen system. Enzymes incapable of activating rat plasminogen are ineffective. The suggestion is made that the liver protection afforded by small doses of SK or trypsin relates to the pro-coagulant, permeability-decreasing, anti-edema action of suitably low doses of SK or trypsin.


Background: The aim of the study is to compare the rates of mortality among disability pensioners to the rates of mortality in the general population. The causes considered are musculoskeletal diseases, psychiatric disorders and a group of disability pensioners disabled due to other causes. Stratified analyses are carried out for gender and cause of disability. Fitting of a generalized linear model with Poisson-distributed response variables is the method used for these purposes. The data used in the analyses are provided by Statistics Norway and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service, and it covers the total number of disability pensioners and the total population of Norway in the period between 1992 and 2006. Results and Conclusions: The results show significantly higher rates of mortality among disability pensioners than for the general population. The excess risk among disability pensioners is strongly age related. It is also shown that the risk of dying is significantly smaller for some age-groups of those disabled due to musculoskeletal disorders, than for the population in general. No significant difference from the general population is found for pensioners with psychiatric disorders in high age groups.


This study aimed to analyze BKI Grade (KI-A) plate material using the pre-heat process to determine tensile strength and hardness. The method involved welding with shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) type. The pre-heat variations used several temperatures, such as 50⁰C, 120⁰C, 220⁰C, and without heat treatment. The tensile strength obtained specimen without pre-heating had the lowest tensile strength of 442.64 MPa, and the specimen with pre-heating to 220⁰C had the highest average tensile strength of 450.11 MPa. The result showed that tensile strength was proportional to the pre-heating temperatures given. The hardness observation found that the hotter the pre-heating temperature obtained, the higher the hardness value of the base metal and HAZ would obtain. It was different with weld metal which would decrease. From those two parameters, it could be concluded that the most optimal pre-heat temperature was 220⁰C.


The chiral discrimination studies of biological system are theoretically and practically significant for the development of chiral drugs and life science. Our work has embarked upon the interaction between serum albumin (SA) (including human SA and bovine SA), R,S‐1‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)ethylamine, and R,S‐1‐(3‐methoxyphenyl)ethylamine. The formation of intermediate transition state, binding sites, and chiral discrimination ability can be investigated by ultraviolet‐visible spectra and fluorescence spectra. Moreover, both the changes of hydrophobic microenvironment and energy transfer can be detected by synchronous fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetime. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A system and a method for providing a POI(Point Of Interest) around a destination are provided to generate route search statistics information statistically processing the popular POI based on the POI selected as the destination by users, personal information of the users, and a POI selection count selected as the destination by the users. A POI database(201) stores POIs corresponding to each route data, and a statistics information database(202) stores route search statistics information of each category by relating to the POI. A search request receiver(203) receives a search request including destination information and a route search category from a user. An information searcher(204) searches the POI matched with the destination information from the POI database, and searches the route search statistics information placed in a predetermined radius from the searched POI and related to the route search category from the statistics information database. An information provider(205) provides the searched POI and route search statistics information. A statistics information generator(206) generates the route search statistics information.


For the fourth year, Respirology is proud to publish a series of reviews from the Presidents of the major international respiratory societies. We start a new series in this issue with Prof. Norbert Berend our APSR President and his review entitled 'Mechanisms of Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma' with Dr Salome and Dr King as co-authors. This comprehensive review details the mechanisms of airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic patients and discusses the clinical implication of the most recent advances in this field and represents a major reference work on the topic of airway reactivity.


Shape and size of nanoparticles are fundamental structural properties that govern the development of novel surface-related applications. Traditionally external agents such as surfactants, reducing agents, or stabilizers have been used for enforcing preferential growth orientation, size, and shape to develop tailor-made nanoparticles. However, these external agents cover the pristine surface of the particle and invariably reduce the surface activity. Here, we introduce a surfactant-free, single-step electrochemical method to control the shape of air-stable FeNi alloy nanoparticles. Using glancing-incidence X-ray diffraction, we further demonstrate that the shape evolution of nanoparticles from concave cube to truncated sphere occurs concurrently with the phase transformation from bcc to fcc. This shape evolution can be achieved by fine-tuning a single parameter, the ratio of reactant concentrations (i.e., [Ni2+]/[Fe2+]). Addition of Ni2+ to the Fe2+ electrolyte changes the nucleation mechanism from progres...


Strong correlation between electrons, due to hybridization of f-electrons and conduction electrons, can cause a number of outstanding low temperature features. Among the rare earths, a large number of these phenomena is found for Ceand Yb based compounds. The interest in this topic was triggered by the investigation on the heavy fermions YbCu4T (T = Ag, Au), which crystallize in an ordered derivative of the AuBe5-type. Recently the new compounds YbCu4Ni was studied. This compound is a new heavy fermion (HF) member of the series of YbCu4M (M = metal). In this paper we present the results of study of an influence of magnetic field on the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity till 0.4 K. Moreover, we extended our previous susceptibility measurements till high temperatures of 1000 K, in order to study possible mixed valence behaviour.


The protein p73 acts as a transcription factor, resulting in tumour suppression. MDM2, an oncogenic protein, can negatively influence p73‐mediated apoptosis by binding to p73 transactivation domains (TAD). Inhibition of the protein‐protein interaction between p73 and oncogenic proteins is an attractive strategy for promoting p73‐mediated apoptosis. Herein, we describe the use of a modified p73‐TAD peptide for the FRET‐based assay of the binding of p73‐TAD to MDM2. The FRET probe, equipped with 1‐naphthylamine (λex=330 nm, λem=445 nm), serves as a FRET acceptor, and the tryptophan of the protein acts as FRET donor (λex=280 nm, λem=340 nm). Sensitized emission from the FRET probe was observed upon excitation of the protein‐FRET‐probe complex at the excitation wavelength of Trp. Furthermore, addition of the MDM2 inhibitor Nutiln‐3 drastically reduced the FRET signal, thus indicating that the FRET probe competes with Nutiln‐3 for MDM2 binding. The developed FRET binding assay might be applicable in high‐throughput screening of novel drugs that inhibit interactions between p73 and MDM2.


preservation of individualism in a free society as he faces up to the necessity of government and state authority to achieve the fundamental purposes of civil society -namely, protection, peace, prosperity, and progress. He recognizes the problems encountered in making democracy work and appreciates its weaknesses, but, after comparing it with fascism, bolshevism, and moderate socialism, he strongly affirms the survival power of democracy in the confused, chaotic world of today. Significant in this survival power is its respect for moral and spiritual values of life and its faith in man and his cultural destiny. He examines at length the dilemma in choosing between coercion and individualism, sees a strong trend toward authoritarianism everywhere today, but believes that too much emphasis. is placed upon the coercive and restrictive nature of government. It is his conviction that the fundamental freedoms of human beings can be preserved by earnest efforts at sincere democratic procedure in the organization of civil society (as not found in totalitarian &dquo;isms&dquo;), so that in terms, of civil liberty individualism becomes fused with general social welfare. Thus, democracy comes to be viewed as a program for social as well as for individualistic values. The chapters on &dquo;Democracy, Ethics, and Christianity,&dquo; &dquo;Democracy and Authoritarian Society,&dquo; and &dquo;The Preservation of a Free Society&dquo; are specially to be commended.


A study of antimicrobial sensitivity of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) isolated from clinical sources of different diagnostic centers of Dhaka, Bangladesh was carried out to facilitate the choice of drug in the management of E. coli induced symptoms. Very low sensitivity of E. coli towards ampicillin (4%), aztreonam (4%), cloxacillin (5%), nalidixic acid (5%), ciprofloxacin (7.5%), ceftriaxone (12.5%), doxycycline (12.5%), ceftazidime (16.25%), co-trimoxazole (20%), chloramphenicol (22.51%), tetracycline (25%), and netilmicin (35%) was observed. Higher sensitivity pattern was observed for gentamicin (56%) and only imipenem (95%) showed sensitivity pattern possibly susceptible enough to consider for the management of E. coli induced cases in the area under study. The low sensitivity to different antimicrobial could be attributed to their prevailing usage and abuse in the area under study. Key words: E. coli ; Antimicrobial sensitivity; Clinical isolates DOI: 10.3329/jbas.v34i1.5497 Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences , Vol.34, No.1, 99-101, 2010


Approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SampEn) are the promising techniques for extracting complex characteristics of cardiovascular variability. Ectopic beats, originating from other than the normal site, are the artefacts contributing a serious limitation to heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. The approaches like deletion and interpolation are currently in use to eliminate the bias produced by ectopic beats. In this study, normal R–R interval time series of 10 healthy and 10 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients were analysed by inserting artificial ectopic beats. Then the effects of ectopic beats editing by deletion, degree-zero and degree-one interpolation on ApEn and SampEn have been assessed. Ectopic beats addition (even 2%) led to reduced complexity, resulting in decreased ApEn and SampEn of both healthy and AMI patient data. This reduction has been found to be dependent on level of ectopic beats. Editing of ectopic beats by interpolation degree-one method is found to be superior to other methods.


The paper presents the analysis of energy and economic effectiveness of electricity generation technologies of the future in: system power plants, large and medium scale combined heat and power (CHP) plants, and small scale power plants and CHP plants (distributed sources). For particular generation technologies were determined the quantities characterizing their energy effectiveness, unitary emission of CO2 (kg CO2/kWh) and unitary discounted electricity generation costs of 2013. DOI: 10.12736/issn.2300-3022.2014214


A method for preserving yeasts by drying them on calcium alginate swabs was developed; 10 known pure yeast cultures and 10 yeasts recovered from fermenting musts were examined. With this preservation method, all 20 strains tested retained good viability when stored for nine months under refrigerated (4°C) or room temperature (25°C) conditions. Also, there were no changes in colony morphologies or pigment production for any of the 20 yeast cultures tested. Yeast fermentation and assimilation reactions, and abilities to grow without added vitamins were not affected by use of this preservation method. This method provides an easy, economical approach to a more long-term preservation of yeast cultures.


A brief outline is given of the current status of the insurance "coverage" provided by INAIL for WMSDs. In breach of a specific European Union recommendation, in Italy various WMSDs can be recognised as occupational only based upon sentence No 179/88 of the Constitutional Court, since such disorders are not included in the list attached to DPR law 336/94. At present, during the period 1990-95, INAIL awarded indemnities in only a handful of cases. Details are provided concerning the evidence that must be submitted in the specific case of claims pertaining to suspected occupational diseases. The authors discuss the problems associated with quantifying injuries for the purposes of claiming indemnities for work-related musculo-skeletal disorders.


Using panel data analysis methods,this paper selects samples of 99 listed private companies of Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets in 2004 to 2007,and comprehensively analyses the impact of corporate governance on corporate performance in Chinese private Listed enterprises,from the areas of ownership structure,board of directors and senior management incentive.It has found that the ratio of control of ultimate controler,the ratio of cash flow rights and the separation between the two ratio have negative correlation with corporate performance;Chairman as General Manager,the number of directors with shares of the company and the intensity of the implementation of the Board of Trustees have significantly positive correlation with corporate performance;the scale of the Board of Directors and corporate performance showes inverted U-curve of the quadratic relations;senior management pay and corporate performance have positive correlation,while the proportion of senior management ownership and corporate performance show the nonlinear relationship between the three curves.


Nanotechnology, which has become an important area of science, has caused an enormous developmental revolution in many fields. In the last two decades researchers have focused on overcoming the obstacles encountered during the preparation of nanoparticles. This article highlights the nanotechnology, along with a brief description of the manufacturing, concepts and activities of nanoparticles as alternative pesticides against plant pathogens, some methods for evaluation of nanoparticles against phytopathogens in vitro and in vivo, and explains the importance of some common nanoparticle types used in agricultural applications and plant pathology.


Abstract Two methods of administering fatty acids to cells in culture were compared for their effects on growth, phospholipid acyl group composition, and triacylglycerol formation. Solutions of fatty acid salts were delivered to suspension cultures of L fibroblasts either by infusion at a constant rate over 48 hr, or an amount of fatty acid equal to that infused was added as a single dose complexed to albumin at the start of the 48-hr incubation period. With an initial cell density of 2.5 × 105/ml, 5-18 μmole of Na oleate could be delivered by either method with no adverse effects on the cells. Linoleate (18:2) at the high end of this range, however, decreased culture growth by as much as 50% when the infusion method was employed and 15% when the fatty acid was added as a single dose. At low doses, 5 μmole, 18:2 had little effect on the growth rate. Over a 48-hr period infusion of 5 μmole of 18:2 caused the dienoic acyl group content of phospholipid to increase 22-fold, while the single-dose method increased it by a factor of 18. Time-course studies showed that the triacylglycerol content in the latter case increased to max levels from the 6th to the 24th hr at least 60 times greater than that of control cells not supplemented with fatty acid. The max increase in triacylglycerol above control levels during infusion of 18:2 was only 8-fold and occurred at 24 hr. The infusion method at low levels of 18:2 is at least as effective as the single-dose method in modifying phospholipid acyl group composition, but had the advantage of maintaining lower levels of triacylglycerol.


A field experiment was conducted at Jabalpur during winter seasons of 2001–02, 2002–03, 200304 and 2004–05 to study the influence of tillage and herbicides on weed dynamics, yield and soil properties under rice-wheat system in vertisols. Irrespective of the tillage, population of Phalaris minor and Chenopodium album decreased and that of Avena ludoviciana and Medicago hispida increased over time. Zero tillage reduced the population of P. minor and C. album but increased the population of A. ludoviciana as compared to conventional tillage. Application of clodinafop at 0.06 kg/ha fb 2, 4-D ethyl ester at 0.50 kg/ha effectively controlled both grassy and broad-leaved weeds and produced 77.8% higher grain yield than that of isoproturon 1.0 kg + 2,4-D 0.50 kg/ha. Under moisture stress, zero tillage retained more soil moisture than conventional tillage. Tillage and weed control did not affect the physicochemical properties of soil.


When small amounts of suitable dyes are added to a pure nematic liquid crystal, its nonlinear optical response may be enhanced by over two orders of magnitude and even be reversed in sign. This feature may be interesting for applications. We measured the enhancement of the nonlinear optical Kerr coefficient of several dye-nematic mixtures, in order to gain some insight on the molecular mechanism that is supposed to be the basis of the phenomenon.


Unilateral narrowing of palpebral fissure and moderately impaired visual acuity induced a 14 years old woman to consult an ophthalmologist. Neuroradiological examination revealed a large osteoma starting from the ethmoid cells and invading both the orbit and the cranial cavity. This case illustrates that proptosis may be absent even in cases of extensive and compact orbital tumors. Therefore, exophthalmos is a common but not an indispensable sign of an orbital tumor. In Gardner's syndrome osteomas are associated with soft tissue tumors, intestinal polyposis and colonic adenomatosis that ultimately progresses to colorectal cancer. This association is frequent enough that a colon examination should be suggested to all patients with osteoma.


Clostridium butyricum is a widely utilized probiotics, also used as an alternative to antibiotics for humans and growth promotion in a wide variety of livestock species. The objective of this study is to develop an economical and practical fermentation medium for the growth of C. butyricum TK2 using orthogonal test. The optimal fermentation medium was obtained by the single factor and the orthogonal test of carbon source, nitrogen source and growth factors design. The fermentation medium was estimated to be the most economical formula (per liter): 8 g glucose, 20 g soybean meal (hydrolyzed for 3 h by neutral protease), 5 g brewer's yeast powder. After incubating for 48 h in the optimum fermentation medium, the populations of C. butyricum TK2 were estimated to be 8 × 108CFU ml-1, while the cost was 90% lower than ever. The optimized medium is not only more economical but also good for the growth of C. butyricum TK2. The low cost medium developed in this study can be used for large-scale commercial application where economics are quite likely to be important.

 Key words: Clostridium butyricum, soybean meal, brewer's yeast powder, medium optimization.


In this paper, an ASIC suitable for cryptography applications based on modular arithmetic techniques, is presented. These applications, such as for example digital signature (DSA) and public key encryption and decryption (RSA) use, as basic operation, the modular exponentiation. This ASIC works as a coprocessor with a special set of instructions specialized in dealing with high accuracy integers, as well as on the rapid evaluation of modular multiplications and exponentiations. The algorithm, the hardware architecture the design methodology and the results are described in detail.


Article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities and importance of the development of perceptual abilities of children studying in primary school. First of all, the concept of perception, classification and properties are considered for further understanding of the topic. The article includes a comparison of perception by age groups and shows by the example of an experiment how much perception skills affect the lives of primary school children. The peculiarities of the psyche of children aged 7-10 years, such as concentration time, attentiveness, perception of time, were taken into account. Basically, the article touches on certain types of perceptual abilities, such as visual and auditory perceptions. These types of perception skills are of the greatest importance in the development of children.


Recent years have witnessed the rapid growth of mobile users, which further accelerates the deployment of mobile communication networks, especially LTE networks, due to its high data rate, as well as comprehensive functionality. Compared to its predecessors, LTE networks have incorporated a number of security measures specified by 3GPP, including amalgamation of temporary identities, mutual authentication, and enhanced signaling procedures, which are meant to protect the system and individual subscribers against various forms of attacks. However, as we show in this paper, flaws in real-world implementation render commercial LTE systems vulnerable to several attacks, including identity spoofing and denial-of-service (DoS), which have severe impacts on subscriber's data integrity, QoS, and even privacy. Specifically, we identify the vulnerabilities by carefully analyzing LTE specifications, list possible attacks targeting these vulnerabilities, and successfully implement two attacks on a commercial LTE network with a USRP-based testbed. Our work reveals severe security risks in real-world LTE systems, which call for immediate enhancement from both standardization organizations and cellular service providers.


We introduce a new fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method using interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy numbers. We propose to incorporate pros and cons of an issue to arrive at better decision. The necessary concepts and terminologies are defined. The proposed decision method consists of three stages. We use a prioritized interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy aggregation operator to arrive at a tentative decision in the second stage. We use the existing concept of synthesis value and define a new suitable formula in order to accommodate fuzzy decision environment with pros and cons of an issue. A formula to combine the de-fuzzified pro-value and con-value of an alternative is proposed and the same is used to rank the alternatives. We further introduce concept of consolation score to align the final decision with the gut level of a decision maker. The fuzzy concepts such as fuzzy relations and fuzzy trace theory are employed to arrive at consolation score. This newly proposed fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method is a comprehensive and complete approach to a decision problem particularly concerning life-issues.


Objective: to discuss the determination of criminal liability of health professionals who work in teams, based on the principle of division of labor and the principle of trust. Methodology: the deductive method was used, in which the validity of the principle of trust in the scope of the division of labor in the health teams was evaluated, correlating it with the criminal aspects. Results: the penal doctrine is divided as to the way of determining liability for negligence in the case of plurality of agents, especially within the scope of the vertical division of labor. Conclusion: from the principle of division of labor and the principle of trust, it is possible to determine the criminal responsibility of each member of a health team when negligent performance results in an injury to the physical integrity or even the death of the patient.


In paralleled voltage source inverters (VSI), circulating current has both high frequency and low frequency components, and its spectrum highly depends on the modulation scheme. Previous research has mostly focused on the circulating current suppression for paralleled two-level VSIs. Little literature exists on similar analysis for paralleled three-level VSIs using space vector modulation. A detailed circulating current spectrum on full frequency range has not been well developed. This paper presents an improved analytical model for three-level space vector modulation (SVM), considering the impacts of regularly sampled reference and dead time. Then, circulating harmonic currents are determined across the full frequency range for various interleaving angles of two three-level ANPC inverters. The calculated harmonics are also verified by experimental results.


Human streptococci that belong to Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) have long been known under the name of b-hemolytic groups C and G streptococci. Extensive taxonomic studies during the past years have distinguished most of the veterinary pathogens belonging to Lancefield groups C and G from those of human origin. After being considered nonpathogenic for many years, SDSE is now recognized as an important bacterial pathogen. The clinical spectrum of diseases caused by this species closely resembles Streptococcus pyogenes infections, including the occurrence of poststreptococcal sequelae. In accordance with these observations, many of the virulence factors present in S. pyogenes can also be found in SDSE strains. High nucleotide-sequence identities in virulence genes and the association of these genes with mobile genetic elements support the hypothesis of extensive horizontal gene-transfer events among streptococcal species of the pyogenic group. Recent epidemiological studies have shown increasing numbers of invasive SDSE infections, often among immuno-compromised patients, and suggest that this species will probably gain even more clinical importance in the near future. For a better understanding of the changing epidemiology and pathogenicity of SDSE, an increased awareness of these microorganisms as human pathogens and proper identification are mandatory. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equismilis (SDSE) belongs to the group of pyogenic streptococci, which are often referred to as b-hemolytic streptococci. According to recent taxonomic studies, large colony–forming human groups C and G strep-tococci are currently classified as SDSE [1, 2]. The pathogenicity of these microorganisms has been increasingly recognized, with a wide spectrum of disease similar to that caused by Strepto-coccus pyogenes [3]. Historically, the species S. dysgalactiae consists of at least 5 distinct subgroups (table 1). In 1996, Vandamme et al [1] first suggested the division of S. dysgalactiae into 2 subspecies: SDSE subspecies nova for human groups C and G strains and S. dysgalactiae subspecies dysgalactiae (SDSD) subspecies nova for all strains of animal origin. The genetic relationship between human and animal isolates of S. dysgalactiae, however, remains controversial. The most widely used classification to date was proposed by Vieira et al [2] in 1998 and is based on DNA-DNA hybridization tests and multilocus enzyme electropho-resis. It defines all b-hemolytic groups C and L and human group G streptococci as SDSE and only the a-hemolytic or nonhemolytic group C streptococci as SDSD. Pyogenic streptococci of Lancefield groups C and G emerged as important human pathogens in the late 1970s and early 1980s [3, …


After its establishment in 1948 many Jews emmigrated to Israel from Arab countries, Yemen included. In 1995, a governmental committee was established to investigate the alleged disappearance of about 1000 Yemenite children from hospitals within transit camps where the new immigrants were kept in the 1950s. Interviews with Yemenites present how the bodies of new immigrants were medicalized and commodified in the transit camps during the mass-immigration period of the 1950s, and how people have come to resist it. I conclude with the role of the Israeli medical profession and biomedical technologies in promoting national goals and as mediators of collective, group and individual identities.


The problem of optimal morphological filtering is posed within the statistical framework of discrete random function theory. The optimal morphological estimator of realizations of the discrete random function (DRF) (modeling finite-gray scale digital images) corrupted by supremum/infimum noise is obtained. The mean absolute error (MAE) is used as a distance measure between the original and the estimated image. The optimal filter (which yields minimum MAE) is characterized in terms of the discrete generating functional of the image DRF and the noise DRF under the assumption of statistical independence of image and noise. The MAE of estimation by the morphological filter is represented in terms of MAE incurred by each of the basis filter elements. Recursive expressions can be used to compute the MAE for an n element basis filter in terms of an (n-1) element basis filter. Simulation results on actual image data are included to corroborate the claims of the paper.


Internet real-name authentication is animportant means which is now actively explored and normalized in China.This paper proposes a real-name authentication scheme based on short-time certificate,according to the access characteristics and the existing security techniques of the Internet.The scheme successfully makes use of the security of digital certificate in performing identity authentication,avoids some flaws in the management of digital certificate.Meanwhile the principal protocol process of real-name authentication is designed,and the security also analyzed.


Like any other measurement system, a lightning detection network (LDN) has its own limitations. Perhaps the most significant one is its detection efficiency (DE) or the ratio of the number of detected events by the actual number of events. Therefore, the better the LDN is, it will not be able to detect all cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning events without losing at least a few of them. These losses can be highly significant due to sensors faults, communication problems or unfavorable network geometry, which leads to distortions in data (Schulz. 1997; Naccarato. 2006). Furthermore, the type of the sensors plays a very important role. It is well established that the two existing technologies: Time of Arrival (TOA) and Magnetic Direct Finding (MDF) have its advantages and limitations. A high performance network is obtained only when the distribution of the sensors (as well as their types) is relatively homogeneous over all the covered area. Unbalanced networks (with more sensors of one technology and/or particular areas covered by much more sensors than others) clearly tend to present lower performance in terms of DE (Naccarato et al. 2004a). One of the primary motivations for evaluating the LDN performance (particularly its DE) is its effect over the actual climatological variations in CG lightning parameters provided by the network (Cummins and Bardo, 2004). In Brazil, this is particularly important because the network has been changing its configuration during the last years. Figure 1 shows the present configuration of the Brazilian Lightning Detection Network (BrasilDAT), which is composed by 47 sensors as a result of the integration of three other regional networks: SIDDEM, SIPAM and RINDAT. Thus, the whole network has both LPATS and IMPACT sensor, which are based on the TOA and MDF technologies, respectively (Cummins et al. 1998; Naccarato. 2006). Figure 1 The Brazilian Lightning Detection Network (BrasilDAT), which is composed by 47 sensors from the integration of three regional networks: SIDDEM, SIPAM and RINDAT.


The lack of availability of innovative learning media that is able to contain material effectively results in low learning motivation and students' understanding of the material. It takes innovative learning media that can improve the quality of learning and create a more meaningful learning process for students. This development research aims to develop instructional video media based on the powtoon application on the topic of the 6th grade solar system whose validity has been tested. This development research uses the ADDIE model. The subjects in this study were instructional video media based on the powtoon application on the topic of the 6th grade solar system with the validity of the media as objects in the study. The data were collected using a questionnaire method and a rating scale instrument in the form of an assessment sheet given to 2 material experts, 2 media experts, and 2 practitioner experts to determine the validity of the powtoon application-based instructional video media on the topic of the solar system. The percentage of scores obtained was 84% and 88% from material experts, 80% and 86% from media experts, 89% and 87% from good predicate practitioners. So, based on this analysis, the instructional video media based on the powtoon application on the topic of the 6th grade solar system is valid and suitable for use in learning.


The active optical clock (AOC) takes advantage of the narrowed linewidth and cavity pulling suppression of the bad cavity laser, making it a candidate for the next generation of optical clock. We propose a new experimental method to measure the cavity-pulling effect of a four-level AOC based on thermal cesium atoms. After modulating the frequency of the 459 nm pumping laser, atoms in different velocity groups are pumped to the 7P1/2 energy level. Therefore, population inversion is achieved in separate velocity groups, and sidebands are created in the gain profile. By measuring the central frequency of the beat spectrum between the zeroth order AOC output and the sidebands, the cavity-pulling coefficient can be calculated. This method has the advantage of not requiring any additional optical frequency reference, and can be adopted in AOC systems other than those using thermal atoms. Furthermore, our proposed method for cavity-pulling measurement can serve as a basis for the characterization of AOCs.


Abstract The present work was originally published in European Radiology and as a PhD thesis at the RWTH Aachen University and was conducted at the Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging at the RWTH Aachen University. Citation Format: • Bzyl J. Establishment of Functional and Molecular Ultrasound for Breast Cancer Xenograft Imaging. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2014; 186: 377 – 379


A possible spatial and temporal dependence of the fine-structure constant α=e2/(4 πe0c) was investigated. For this purpose, a statistical analysis of fine splitting of (OIII) doublet emission lines in SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) quasar spectra is carried out in order to estimate a possible time variation of the fine-structure constant (α) over cosmological time scales t1010 yr. After a careful selection of pairs of lines, the Thong method with a derived analytical expression for the error analysis was applied to compute the α variation. We report a new constraint on the variation of the α based on the analysis of 42 (OIII) doublets selected from SDSS quasar sample. We find Δα/α=(-0.52±0.77)×10-5 over a redshift range 0.16≤z≤0.80. This result represents a factor of 14 improvements on the constraint on Δα/α based on (OIII) doublets compared to the published results in the literature. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. Author Keywords: Cosmology: observations; Line: profiles; Quasars; Quasars: emission lines


Mixed models arise in many experimental situations. In these experiments it is often of interest to test hypotheses about the fixed effects and to perform tests of significance and estimate variance components. Except in certain special cases, exact tests are not available for random effects in unbalanced mixed models. Ordinarily, researchers apply techniques developed for balanced mixed models or treat unknown variance components as known. The design matrix for the particular mixed model of interest is obtained by concatenation of the design matrices for oneway fixed effects model and sets of oneway random effects models. The fixed and random components share a common variance. Standard methods of parameter estimation, such as, Minimum Norm Quadratic Unbiased Estimation (MINQUE), Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimation, and Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) estimation, were used. To solve the ML and REML equations, a Fisher scoring algorithm was used. Because of the complexity of the original equations, it was necessary to do some simplifications of the equations to gain efficiency in the computations. The main objective is to develop procedures for making inferences about the means from the set of fixed effects and the expectations from the sets of random effects. From the simulation results, the F test with REML estimates appears to be promising for hypothesis testing under the particular mixed model of interest.


In this work, a system for obstacle detection is proposed for mini UAVs. The proposed system is based on optical flow estimation with weighted image blocks in the streamed video sequence. Conducted experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and methods used in the system. The methods and algorithms described in this paper are versatile enough and are implemented in various fields, which use autonomous navigation system.


Social interaction competence is important for every child. Jean Piaget (in Schaefer, 2004:80) said, Social interaction is the key to development. As they grow older, children give increasing attention to how other people think and why they act in particular ways. This research aims to describe factors which influence social interaction competence of maladjustment child at group of 5-6 years old in Barunawati Kindergarten in West Pontianak. The research method is qualitative with case study approach. The data sources consist of 4 teachers at group of 5-6 years old children, 4 parents of case subjects, and 4 children as case subjects. The result of data analysis showed that childs self concept was the dominant internal factor in influencing childs social interaction competence. Whereas teachers motivation was the dominant external factor in influencing childs social interaction competence. The most dominant factor in influencing childs social interaction competence was teachers motivation.


Geographic coordinate system (represented in latitude and longitude) considers earth as a perfect sphere. But in fact its shape is slightly elliptical. This assumption puts limitations on the accuracy of distance calculated between any two points on earth. While this small error is neglected in most distance calculator algorithms, applications demanding perfect distance between any two points need alternative way to compute that. One approach to solve this problem is Jay K. Donald's elliptic projection. In this paper we briefly describe the back-ground of elliptical projection and presents an implementation of the algorithm that yields geographical coordinates from given vertical-horizontal pair. The vertical and horizontal coordinates can be used to calculate near perfect air mileage between two points. Experiments on some sample real addresses show that the calculated aerial distances are more accurate than the ones calculated by methods that do not consider earth's oblate spheroid shape.


Twenty-six in-patients treated for schizophrenia, were divided in two groups. The first group received haloperidol, 20–40 mg p.d., and the second, clozapine, 150–250 mg p.d. TRH-TSH test was performed by injecting 0·2 mg TRH. Four drug-free schizophrenic patients gave normal TSH response to TRH. as well as the group of patients treated with haloperidol. Contrary to that, the clozapinetreated group showed a blunted TSH response. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the different pharmacological profiles of haloperidol and clozapine, especially regarding their dopaminergic actions, alpha-adrenergic and serotonergic control upon thyroid axis.


The purpose of the research is to describe the piculiarities of an advertising language style. Tasks: to characterize the composition of advertising texts; to analyse stylistical possibilities concerning phonetics, syntax, word-building of advertisements; to describe methods of suggesting, used in advertisements.


In this chapter, the author had noted that 4QSam a contains 9 readings not attested in Psalm 18 or ancient versions of 2 Samuel; but now he is able to present all the 18 variants of 4QSam a as against the Masoretic Text (MT). The chapter contains a table showing some 18 items, some with more than one variant word, and so a total of 24 words. By author's count, there are some 66 words extant in the 4QSam a text of 2 Samuel. In the table, above 24 words that are variants; in only 3 cases is the variant trivial 24 variants in a text of 66 words is on average one variant every 2.75 words. Viewed from a perspective of some distance from text-critical enquiries, the text of the Hebrew Bible is reasonably sound. Keywords:Hebrew Bible; Masoretic Text (MT); Qumran Samuel (4QSAM A ); variants


Bearing in mind the important role of oxidative stress and intensification of lipid peroxidation processes in the development and progression of obstructive pathology of the respiratory organs, we deemed it appropriate to evaluate the therapeutic effect of general baths containing biolong, an agent showing the antihypoxic and antioxidative properties. The clinical and functional studies that involved 109 patients (52 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 57 with bronchial asthma (BA)) have demonstrated the advantages of application of the hydrotherapeutic modality in the patients with bronchial asthma. The therapeutic effect was due to degradation of the allergic inflammation processes, the well apparent decrease in the activity of lipid peroxidation processes, the improvement of humoral immunity, generalized reduction of bronchial obstruction, enhanced physical working capacity, and psychoemotional adaptation.


Pulse-potential coelectrodeposition of reduced graphene oxide/zinc (rGO-Zn) nanocomposite coating is directly controlled upon a steel substrate from a one-pot aqueous mixture containing [GO−/Zn2+]δ+ nanoclusters. GO nanosheets are synthesized by modified Hummer's approach while Zn cations are produced in the solution and deposited on GO nanosheets using anodic dissolution technique. Eventually, nanoclusters are reduced to rGO-Zn film through an electrochemical process. Chemical composition, surface morphology, and corrosion resistance of the thin film are characterized. Results show that the corrosion resistance of rGO-Zn coating is approximately 10 times more than the bare steel.


Cutans that coat and link sand grains in cemented podzolic B horizons (ortstein) of well and poorly drained podzolic soils from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were described in thin sections and analyzed by energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The principal type of cutan was brown and weakly to moderately anisotropic; it included numerous silt and fine sand grains. X-ray spectra showed this type to be composed dominantly of Al and Si with lesser amounts of K and Fe, and minor amounts of P, S, and other elements. The silt and clay particles of these cutans were apparently impregnated with Al, Fe-organic complexes. Another common type of cutan was dark reddish brown, monomorphic and isotropic; it consisted mainly of Al and organic matter as indicated by dominant Al and weak P and S peaks. In a few samples such cutans were composed mainly of Fe and organic matter. Rarer black cutans contained Mn in various proportions. The dominant cementing material of these ortstein horizons was shown to be organic complex...


A new controller scheme based on the observer based stabilizing controller with a simplified design is proposed in this paper. The proposed controller scheme has position tracking property and disturbance estimation property. By applying these properties to teleoperation control, a master-slave system without force sensors is obtained. The effectiveness of the controller scheme is verified by experiments.


Gesture-based recognition systems are susceptible to input recognition errors and user errors, both of which negatively affect user experiences and can be frustrating to correct. Prior work has suggested that user gaze patterns following an input event could be used to detect input recognition errors and subsequently improve interaction. However, to be useful, error detection systems would need to detect various types of high-cost errors. Furthermore, to build a reliable detection model for errors, gaze behaviour following these errors must be manifested consistently across different tasks. Using data analysis and machine learning models, this research examined gaze dynamics following input events in virtual reality (VR). Across three distinct point-and-select tasks, we found differences in user gaze patterns following three input events: correctly recognized input actions, input recognition errors, and user errors. These differences were consistent across tasks, selection versus deselection actions, and naturally occurring versus experimentally injected input recognition errors. A multi-class deep neural network successfully discriminated between these three input events using only gaze dynamics, achieving an AUC-ROC-OVR score of 0.78. Together, these results demonstrate the utility of gaze in detecting interaction errors and have implications for the design of intelligent systems that can assist with adaptive error recovery.


The present study aimed to compare the calcium absorption from calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate in nano and micro-sized forms using everted gut sac technique. It was found that calcium concentrations in sac fluid were higher after incubation in nano-sized calcium carbonate than micro-sized calcium carbonate by 18.23% at 45 min and 21.39% at 75 min. Likewise, Ca concentration in sac fluid was 20.50 and 15.13% higher in nano-sized calcium phosphate than those incubated in micro-sized forms at 45 and 75 min, respectively. Present study revealed that calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate are more extensively absorbed in nano-sized forms than in microsized forms, suggesting their possible use as calcium supplements in poultry and livestock farming.


This study examined Bulgarian students', teachers', and parents' attitudes toward children's rights to education as set forth in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The data come from a pilot micro-project on respecting and promoting the child's right to education in the present Bulgarian socioeconomic context. The project combined empirical research with workshops and discussions specifically designed for the population concerned: high school students and their teachers and parents. The project was also stimulated by a national program "Children at Risk" initiated by the Bulgarian Association of School Psychologists. Study subjects were 111 ninth- and tenth-graders from two public secondary schools in Sofia, Bulgaria, and their teachers and parents. A questionnaire was administered covering: (1) the meaning subjects assign to the right to education; (2) attitudes toward specific articles of the Convention, and Bulgarian schools' and institutions' roles in promoting children's right to education; and (3) subjects' participation in discussion on the topic. Results showed that most students associate the "right to education" with the exercise of their "rights in education," namely the freedom of choice, respect for individual's views, and being allowed to express one's opinion in school matters. This may explain students' general disappointment in the schools revealed by the data. Adults focused on educational possibilities. There was a great similarity between subjects' subjective perception of the right to education and the approved international standards in the field.


From hypothesis (6) we see that the restrictions commonly imposed on f(x) are not necessary ; f(x) need not be (i) positive, or (ii) monotonely decreasing for x = 1, or (iii) such that/(re) =an for every re. The conditions (i), (ii), (iii) are of course sufficient to justify the application of the integral test and are such as hold in many practical examples. But they are not necessary. The only restriction that need be placed on f{x) is that its mean value for the rth interval shall lie between ar_t and ar for every r ; f{x) may vary in any manner provided only that this condition is fulfilled. Nor do we need the supposition that/(a;) is continuous for all x > 1 in proving the integral test. Remarks similar to the above may be made on the Euler-Maclaurin summation formula, which is an expression for the difference between Sn and In. A simple proof of the formula is here given. We have identically


This chapter selects a contemporary disease and looks at it in a manner acceptable to that of the doctor in antiquity. The purpose is to understand what lies behind modern management, and this may in turn cast some light on the approach of the ancient physician. The chapter examines a disease that baffles us and yet is common enough to observe patterns in the patients' and doctors' way of handling it. A good example is what is now called "chronic fatigue syndrome". In Hippocratic times opposition to supernatural causes of disease was the dominant philosophy and "natural" causes were considered an imbalance of the four bodily humours: blood, phlegm, choler and melancholy. The chapter suggests that the springs of human perception remain the same through the millennia and through the change and transformation of religions and philosophy. Keywords: ancient physician; chronic fatigue syndrome; contemporary disease; Hippocratic times; human perception; modern management


Studies have been made to correlate the sound power spectrum of a free jet and its principal downstream aerodynamic parameter—the velocity profiles. Using the relationship established by NACA which describes the effective sound source locations, fd/U = a(x/d)−b, (1) where a and b are constants, d and U are exit diameter and exit mean velocity of the jet, f is frequency, and x is downstream distance from exit. Assuming that there is no turbulence noise generated in the potential core of the jet, it is found that the sound power at any frequency band may be approximately described by the following relationship: P (f) Kρ0c0−5 ∫ 0r(max) u8(r,x)rdr, (2) where u(r,x) represents the velocity profile across the axial‐symmetric jet at some distance x downstream, and P(f) represents the sound power at some frequency f, which is uniquely related to x by Eq. (1). K, ρ0, and c0 have similar meanings as those terms found in Lighthill's equation. Theoretical justification and experimental confirmation of this method are...


Despite that it is more than 100 years since the atomic nucleus was first dis- covered by Ernest Rutherford and coworkers, many of its features still elude our understanding. The fact that the fund ...


Events are taking place in both Wales and Argentina this year to celebrate the establishment of a Welsh-speaking colony 150 years ago in the Chubut region of Patagonia, the southern part of Argentina.


This paper is concerned with the prediction of the conditional mean which involves the fixed and random effects based on the natural exponential family with a quadratic variance function. The best predictor is interpreted as the Bayes estimator in the Bayesian context, and the empirical Bayes estimator (EB) is useful for small area estimation in the sense of increasing precision of prediction for small area means. When data of the small area of interest are observed and one wants to know the prediction error of the EB based on the data, the conditional mean squared error (cMSE) given the data is used instead of the conventional unconditional MSE. The difference between the two kinds of MSEs is small and appears in the second-order terms in the classical normal theory mixed model. However, it is shown that the difference appears in the first-order or leading terms for distributions far from normality. Especially, the leading term in the cMSE is a quadratic concave function of the direct estimate in the small area for the binomial-beta mixed model, and an increasing function for the the Poisson-gamma mixed model, while the leading terms in the unconditional MSEs are constants for the two mixed models. Second-order unbiased estimators of the cMSE are provided in two ways based on the analytical and parametric bootstrap methods. Finally, the performances of the EB and the estimator of cMSE are examined through simulation and empirical studies.


This study illustrates the importance of performing a convergence check when using the finite element (FE) method. A simple 2-D tooth model was utilized. The model was analyzed using four different element meshes(coarse to fine). Results show that the FE solution does not begin to converge until the second mesh is utilized, indicating the inadequacy of the initial mesh. Comparisons between the third and finest meshes show little difference in their solutions, emphasizing there is a point beyond which further mesh refinement adds little to solution accuracy.


Introduction: Placenta Accreta Spectrum
(PAS) is associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and
mortality. The ideal conservative management still does not exist. We aimed to
compare the outcome of cesarean section for PAS by a gynecologic oncologist-led
team using the modified triple P approach and by a non-gynecologic
oncologist-led team. Material and Methods: This is non-randomized controlled trial. Group A had
Cesarean Section by gynecologic oncologist. Gynecologic oncologist-led team did
all Cesarean Section following a modified triple P approach. The first P is for
"Plan" the uterine incision. The second P for "Pelvic" devascularization by
internal iliac artery ligation. The third P is for Placenta non-separation with resection of the myometrium. Group B had
Cesarean Section by non-gynecologic oncologist-led team. The main
outcome measures were the need for hysterectomy, amount of blood loss, and the
management-related complications. Results: Group A had significantly less estimated blood loss, and received less number of backed RBCs
units, and less operative time than group B. The uterus is preserved in all
cases of group A and in 50% of cases of group B. The overall maternal morbidity
rate was 17.5% in group A and 72.2% in group B. Conclusion: This
study provides evidence that the modified triple P approach for PAS by
gynecologic oncologist-led team presents lower maternal morbidity in comparison
to surgery by non-gynecologic oncologist-led team.


Personal approach toward learning process and interest for learning during university education are underlined as one of the key factors for success during university studies. The aim of this paper is to determine the motivation of students – future physical education teachers for academic work. The study was conducted on a sample of 69 participants, students in the first year at Faculty of physical education, sport and health at University in Skopje, North Macedonia. Questioner comprised from 11 items, designed as 4 – point Likert scale was applied. Three groups of indicators for academic work were determined: active involvement in teaching process; inner self – discipline for learning; strive to supplement and extend personal knowledge. Study results suggest on positive attitude toward academic work and respectively high level of motivation, different approaches in achieving results in academic work. Achieving long – lasting knowledge is underlined as priority in academic work of students included in this study. Obtained results are valuable for university professors indicating the key points that should be consider in order to achieve highly motivated students and maximal learning result.
Keywords:  motivation, university students, learning, teaching process;


Abstract Tertiary, allyl, and benzyl halides were selectively reduced without reduction of primary alkyl, secondary alkyl, and aryl halides by sodium cyanoborohydride and stannous chloride in diethyl ether.


P174 Seismic Depth Migration Using Non-Uniform Gabor Frames Y. Ma* (University of Calgary) & G. Margrave (Univeristy of Calgary) SUMMARY We present a seismic depth migration algorithm which uses a discrete Gabor transform over the lateral spatial coordinates and a discrete Fourier transform over time. These transforms enable a wavefield depth extrapolation by laterally variable frequency and wavenumber dependent phase shift. The discrete Gabor transform is implemented as a windowed discrete Fourier transform where the windows are constrained to form a partition of unity (POU) meaning that they sum to one. For efficiency an adaptive partitioning scheme that relates window


In this paper, a hydrostatic bearing with novel single-acting spool-type pressure feedback restrictor for large single column vertical lathe is developed. Due to the increasing demands of larger dimension, heavier load and higher precision for current and future machine tools, the development of hydrostatic bearing has become a more and more important issue over the past decades. Nowadays, the most commonly used pressure feedback restrictor for hydrostatic bearings installed in a large single column vertical lathe is membrane type, in which a thin and flexible metal sheet serves as the key component to meter the hydraulic oil flow precisely. However, the membrane-type restrictor is not quite suitable for extremely heavy load. Therefore, an alternative to design the hydrostatic bearing using spool-type restrictor is presented in this paper. Generally speaking, spool-type restrictor is easier to manufacture and has the advantage of lower cost than the membrane-type restrictor. It is thus expected that the developed spool-type restrictor can support much heavier load in machine tools than the membrane type. There are two significant features regarding this novel design. The first one is the introduced orifice restrictor which avoids effectively the influence of possible oil temperature variation. The second feature is the design of two adjustable hand wheels that are built into the valve body to widen the application range. Finally, a prototype of a single-unit hydrostatic bearing is successfully implemented and the experimental results prove the validity of the hydrostatic bearing with the proposed spooltype restrictor.


Thesis: In the following text I advance the thesis that the doctors of aesthetic medicine,through appearances in the media (on the pages of tabloid press, in TV programs)and through the services off ered, create Giddens's expert systems that aff ectthe formation, consolidation and dissemination of a new canon of beauty.Discussed concepts: The starting point of my text is the work of Anthony GiddensModernity and identity. "I" and society in the age of late modernity, in which the concept ofexpert systems is presented. I refer also to arguments of Georges Vigarello, concerningchanges in the canons of beauty over the centuries and the modern cult of artifi ciality.In the following text, I cite the concept of "professional beauty" coined by NaomiWolf.Results and conclusions: The analysis of discourse (advice in the popular press,television programs about fashion and beauty, as well as the services of aesthetic surgeries)pertaining to the beautifying of the body shows that the expert systems forthe transformation of the body contribute to medicalization. Natural expressions ofhuman physiognomy (the natural shape of the lips, facial features, skin) are treatedas a "disease" that should be treated. Individuals socialized in this way more oft enundergo treatments in aesthetic medicine, in order to achieve the desired look.
Originality / value Cognitive approach: The text draws att ention to the consequencesof the functioning of expert systems in the fi eld of the beautifi cation of thebody. The consequences of these include: the unifi cation of appearance (individualswho undergo aesthetic medicine treatments become similar to each other), ostracismagainst those that do not meet the ideal, and the medicalization of beauty (the distinctiveand unique features of the human physiognomy are considered a defect).


AFRICA 207 Acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) is a rare clinical condition characterised by prolonged bleeding time and decreased levels of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor. It has been reported to occur in patients with severe aortic stenosis and other cardiac conditions associated with high shear stress, such as para-valvar leaks after prosthetic valve replacement surgery. First reported decades ago, the mechanism was initially unclear but it has now become known. In this issue, Binnetoğlu and colleagues (page 222) report on a prospective series of children with aortic and pulmonary stenosis, and describe the frequency of occurrence and underlying pathophysiology. There is general agreement on the considerable variation in the prevalence of various cardiac diseases among the different ethnic groups in Africa and there may also be differences in the manner in which the diseases express themselves. There is less clarity about the contributions of intrinsic 'genetic' differences to that variability compared to acquired or environmental factors. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) has been identified as a candidate molecule affecting the epigenetic mechanisms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous studies have shown that some SIRT1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with body mass index, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol metabolism and coronary artery calcification. An investigation conducted by Ramkaran and co-workers (page 213) in young South African Indians with coronary disease concluded that SNP variant alleles occurred more frequently in South African Indians than in black South Africans. The study is not large enough to definitively assess whether these variants may serve as risk factors that contribute to Indians developing early-onset CVD but the results are intriguing and warrant further investigation. Technological advances in many aspects of the management of CVD continue to amaze those of us who have been privileged to witness their evolution and development. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and two-and three-dimensional echocardiography were the stuff of dreams when many of us were training but now are part of routine care in some parts of the world. Demirozu and co-workers (page 208) elegantly demonstrate how the use of advanced imaging techniques of echocardiography can be used to fine-tune the functioning of LVADs. Intravascular stenting was equally unthinkable only a few decades ago but has now revolutionised much of the management of CVD. The way in which a new generation of biodegradable stents promises to advance this area even further is described by Tiryakioglu et al. (page 238). Cardiologists and physicians …


Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) is a widely used statistical numerical simulation method based on molecular motion. But in terms of the DSMC method. When we are simulating the gas flow at low speed, he molecular thermal motion speed is bigger than the macroscopic movement speed. If we want to get meaningful statistics, we need a great deal of sampling number. So the DSMC method is not suitable for simulation of gas flow at low speed. Jing Fan and Qing Shen come up with Information Preservation (IP) method. In this paper, on the basis of theoretical analysis, we improved Matlab codes for the DSMC calculation of Couette flow. We compared DSMC method with IP method in numerical simulation of micro scale one-component gas flow at low speed to validate feasibility and accuracy of IP in gas flaw at low speed.


A field experiment was conducted at the Crops Research Institute (CRI) at Fumesua – Kumasi from August to December, 2017. The research was to investigate the growth and yield characteristics of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) to the application of organic manure (poultry manure and cow dung) and inorganic fertilizer (NPK, 15-15-15, 300kg/ha) and their combinations. The experiment was a 2x3 factorial with treatments arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. The treatments were: sole poultry manure (6t/ha); sole cow dung (8t/ha); sole NPK45-45-45kg/ha; NPK, 22.5-22.5-22.5kg/ha + Poultry manure (PM) (3t/ha); NPK, 22.5-22.5-22.5kg/ha + Cow dung(CD) (4t/ha); NPK, 33.75-33.75-33.75kg/ha + PM (1.5t/ha); NPK, 33.75-33.75-33.75kg/ha + CD (2t/ha); NPK, 7.5-7.5-7.5kg/ha +PM (4.5t/ha); NPK, 7.5-7.5-7.5kg/ha + CD (6t/ha); and no fertilizer amendment (control). Two sweet potato varieties, 'Apomuden' and 'Santom Pona' were used. The results indicated that on the average, the organic manure and the inorganic fertilizer combinations promoted greater growth than the sole applications and the control.  The greatest marketable root yield (14.8 t/ha) obtained from 7.5-7.5-7.5 NPK + 4.5 t/ha PM. For root dry matter, NPK 22.5-22.5-22.5 + CD (4t/ha); NPK 22.5-22.5-22.5 + PM (3t/ha); and NPK 7.5-7.5-7.5 + CD (6t/ha) produced the greatest responses (32.6%, 31.1%, and 30.9%) respectively. Integrated application of organic manure and inorganic fertilizers is thus recommended for improved sweet potato production.


On 12 February 2006, the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi erupted for the first time since 1985, its 6th (at least!) known eruption. This event triggered an intensive multi-wavelength observational campaign, from the radio to gamma-rays, and theoreticians have been presented with a wealth of high-quality data. A workshop was held at Keele University, UK, from 12-14 June 2007 to discuss the observations, their interpretation, and where RS Ophiuchi sits in the wider astrophysical picture.The workshop brought together observers, from gamma-ray to radio wavelengths, theoreticians, and workers in closely related areas. The workshop considered not only the 2006 eruption of RS Oph but also the implications that this has had for our understanding of other much broader areas of astrophysics. It was wide ranging, taking in the environments of red giants; supernova progenitors; accretion, thermonuclear processes and evolution of close binary systems; and shocks of jets, as well as recurrent novae and related objects.The proceedings contain 15 invited reviews, 38 contributed talks and posters, and 3 specially commissioned papers which we hope will enhance the value of the workshop for the wider astrophysical community.


The influence of photoacclimation on the effects of excessive photosynthetically active (PAR; 400‐700 nm) and ultraviolet (UVR; 280‐400 nm) radiation was assessed for the marine diatoms Thalassiosira weissflogii (Grunow) Fryxell and Hasle and Thalassiosira antarctica (Comber). Low and high PAR acclimated cultures were subjected to simulated surface irradiance (SSI) that mimicked irradiance around noon, including UVR. PSII efficiency, xanthophyll conversion, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, carbohydrate buildup, and lipid peroxidation were investigated after 30 min SSI and during 120 min recovery in low irradiance. Furthermore, viability loss was measured during 4 h SSI. Prior to SSI, the diadino‐diatoxanthin pool was increased in high irradiance acclimated cells, compared with cells grown under low irradiance. Thirty‐minutes SSI caused a pronounced decline in PSII efficiency. This coincided with de‐epoxidation of diadinoxanthin in high irradiance acclimated cells, which was completely reversed during recovery in low irradiance. De‐epoxidation was lower for low irradiance acclimated cells, whereas PSII efficiency and carbohydrate buildup were lower during the recovery phase. Furthermore, clear UVR effects on PSII efficiency were observed in low irradiance but not in high irradiance acclimated cells. Although 30 min SSI did not increase cellular SOD activity and lipid peroxidation, prolonged (4 h) SSI caused viability loss in low irradiance acclimated cells, which was enhanced by UVR. Therefore, PAR and UVR‐induced PSII inactivation and viability loss were reduced by high irradiance‐mediated changes in light harvesting and the xanthophyll pigments. In addition to photoacclimation‐modulated differences, minor sensitivity differences were found between species.


logical clocks. distributed computation consists of a set of processes that cooperate and compete to achieve a common goal. These processes do not share a common global memory and communicate solely by passing messages over a communication network. The communication delay is finite but unpredictable. A process's actions are modeled as three types of events: internal, message send, and message receive. An internal event affects only the process at which it occurs, and the events at a process are linearly ordered by their order of occurrence. Send and receive events signify the flow of information between processes and establish causal dependency from the sender process to the receiver process. Consequently, the execution of a distributed application results in a set of distributed events produced by the process. The causal precedence relation induces a partial order on the events of a distributed computation. Causality among events, more formally the causal precedence relation, is a powerful concept for reasoning, analyzing, and drawing inferences about a distributed computation. The knowledege of the causal precedence relation between processes helps programmers, designers, and the system itself solve a variety of problems in distributed computing. In distributed algorithms design, such knowledge helps ensure liveness and fairness in mutual exclusion algorithms, maintains consistency in replicated databases, and helps design deadlock-detection algorithms that avoid phantom and undetected deadlocks. It also helps construct a consistent state for resuming reexecution in distributed debugging, build a checkpoint in failure recovery, and detect file inconsistencies in replicated databases. Such knowledge lets a process measure the progress of other processes, which is useful when discarding obsolete information, collecting garbage, and detecting termination. Finally, knowing the number of causally dependent events helps measure the amount of concurrency in a computation, since all events not causally related can be executed concurrently. Human beings use the concept of causality to plan, schedule, and execute an enterprise, or to determine a plan's feasibility. In daily life, we use global time to deduce causality from loosely synchronized clocks such as wrist watches and wall clocks. But in distributed computing systems, the rate of event occurrence is several magnitudes higher, and the event-execution time several magnitudes smaller. If the physical clocks in these systems are not synchronized precisely, the causality relation between events cannot be captured accurately. The notion of time is basic to capturing the causality between events. However, distributed systems have no built-in physical time and can only approximate it. Even the Internet's Network Time which maintain a time accurate to a few tens of milliseconds, are not adequate for capturing causality in distributed systems. However, in a distributed computation, both the progress and the interaction between processes occurs in spurts. Consequently, we can use logical clocks to accurately capture the causality relation between events. This article presents a general framework of a system of logical clocks in distributed systems and discusses three methods-scalar, vector, and


This case study of Dodoma Municipal Council focuses on the application of statistical tools to establish Population Variables (PVs) affected by alcohol and suggested control measures. The establishment relied on primary data involving a sample size of 156 respondents selected through purposive sampling and analyzed by cross-tabs and Chi-square. The analysis found alcohol policy affects mostly the lower-educated population, small householders and youths, and these were significant at 0.029, 0.002, and 0.006 levels, respectively. The inferences drawn shows within PVs, alcohol reduces students' performances, influences separation of families, and increases poverty in the households, and all were significant at 0.003, 0.028, and 0.003, respectively. The findings conclude that alcohol affects all PVs, which consequently ends up deteriorating welfare. Therefore, to combat alcohol, the chapter recommends usage policy legal measures and educating the masses on the effect of alcohol.


The producing strain 109GGC020 was isolated using a modified Bennett's agar plate from the marine sediment sample collected from Gageocho, Republic of Korea by serial dilution technique. This strain was identified as B. subtilis based on 16S rRNA sequencing. Microorganisms from marine origin continue to be a potential producers of bioactive secondary metabolites.1 Infact, they are ubiquitous in the marine environment and can tolerate adverse conditions such as high temperature, pressure, salinity and pH, and possess unique metabolic pathways that are different from their terrestrial counterparts.2 As a consequence, a large number of natural product research on marine-derived Bacillus sp. resulted in the discovery of a diverse class of secondary metabolites including lipopeptides, polypeptides, macrolactones, fatty acids, polyketides, lipoamides, and isocoumarins.3 As part of our ongoing research presenting new antimicrobials to meet increasing demands against rising multidrug resistant pathogens, we discovered five new linear lipopeptides, kiostostatins 1-5 from a marine-derived bacterium B. subtilis.


The result of this study demonstrated that all agent showed TGF- expression in rat dental pulp tissue, and this expression was increase with the longer of observation time. There significant difference (P<0.005) of TGF-Expression between group I and another groups in each time period.


A new integral equation for describing multicomponent classical molecular fluids at equilibrium is presented; the derivation of this theory makes use of the functional Taylor expansion technique of Percus and the Fourier-Wigner expansion. A diagrammatic analysis of the equation is developed and the theory is discussed.


With a few exceptions the papers and case reports dealing with epidermolysis bullosa have appeared solely in the dermatologic literature of Europe and America. Little has been written about the condition in the pediatric journals, particularly in this country. For this reason it seems worth while to report a case recently under observation in which the condition was present at birth, progressed rapidly and resulted in death after twenty-nine days. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Beatty, 1 in 1897, published a resume of all the cases of epidermolysis bullosa reported up to that date and added 3 cases of his own. He ascribed the first typical description of the disease to Goldscheider, 2 in 1882, but cited 2 cases recorded by Fox 3 in 1879 under the caption "Notes on Unusual or Rare Forms of Skin Disease: IV. Congenital Ulceration of the Skin (Two Cases) with Pemphigus Eruption and Arrest of


After the Cold War, the defense industries found themselves at a crossroads. However, it seems that they are gaining new momentum, as new technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence are enabling the development of autonomous, highly innovative and disruptive intelligent systems. Despite this new impetus, there are still doubts about where to invest limited financial resources to boost high-tech defense industries. In order to shed some light on the topic, we decided to conduct a systematic literature review by using the PRISMA protocol and content analysis. The results indicate that autonomous intelligent systems are being developed by the defense industry and categorized into three different modes—fully autonomous operations, partially autonomous operations, and smart autonomous decision-making. In addition, it is also important to note that, at a strategic level of war, there is limited room for automation given the need for human intervention. However, at the tactical level of war, there is a high probability of growth in industrial defense, since, at this level, structured decisions and complex analytical-cognitive tasks are carried out. In the light of carrying out those decisions and tasks, robotics and artificial intelligence can make a contribution far superior to that of human beings.