An insight into the architecture of the Encoder-Decoder Network with Guided Transmission Map (EDN-GTM), a novel and effective single image dehazing scheme, is presented in this paper. The EDN-GTM takes a conventional RGB hazy image in conjunction with the corresponding transmission map estimated by the dark channel prior (DCP) approach as inputs of the network. The EDN-GTM adopts an enhanced structure of U-Net developed for dehazing tasks and the resulting EDN-GDM has shown state-of-the-art performances on benchmark dehazing datasets in terms of PSNR and SSIM metrics. In order to give an in-depth understanding of the well-designed architecture which largely contributes to the success of the EDN-GTM, extensive experiments and analysis from selecting the core structure of the scheme to investigating advanced network designs are presented in this paper.


This paper is an extension of Buddhist phenomenology, Barendregt 1988], hereafter called part I. That paper is a personal account of part of the mental training towards the puriication of consciousness. For the reading of the present paper, however, no acquaintance with part I is required. This paper continues the description of experiences obtained during the practice of intensive vipassana meditation. Moreover, based on these experiences a model is presented for one particular aspect of the human mind: the mechanism of desire, suuering, mysticism and mental purica-tion. The model makes very clear the goal of the meditation training and explains well the phenomena described in the Buddhist literature. Besides that the model is claimed to be useful for the understanding of several psychosomatic phenomena. I dare say that the observed phenomena are valid in general and are of essential value for the eventual theory of the human mind. Acknowledgments. This paper has been written on the basis of several in


The area of catalysis has advanced to the point where the subtle relationships between structure and activity are being investigated in ever increasing detail. As this new age of "Designer Catalysts" advances to higher levels, the need for well defined foundations on which to build catalysts becomes stronger. Clay minerals possess great potential as "Molecular Building Blocks" in the design and synthesis of new catalytic systems. Covered here are various aspects of clay structure, interlayer space, ion exchange, surface modification and delamination that have already found use in the design of catalysts or material that can be used in the area of catalysis. Based on this overview of clay minerals, it is clear that they will play an increasingly important role in the design of new catalysts in the future.


Based on a unique nonlinear extended state observer (ESO), a new nonlinear control solution to the problems of the antenna tracking-pointing control for User-satellite was proposed. The antenna control system has two operating loops: the inner loop of program track (PT) and the outer loop of autotrack (AT). The inner-loop controller is composed of a third-order ESO, a linear proportional-derivative control law and a static decoupling law. The controller in the outer loop is a simple integrator. ESO can estimate the states of the antenna system and the total disturbance (called as the extended state) in a model-independent way. The dynamic compensation with the extended state reduces the system to approximately a decoupled integrator system. The antenna tracking-pointing control system based on ESO was designed without an explicit mathematical model of the antenna. The simulation results show that the proposed antenna control system has the high tracking-pointing performance and the strong robustness against the disturbances and the uncertainties.


2 Abstract: These motor are extensively used in aerospace, automotive and other home appliances. These motors have winding in the stator which is excited from a separate source. The control of these motor drives is obtained using converter circuits that control the excitation of the phase by switching converter switches. The conventional converter circuit suffers from low power factor and high harmonic content which in turns affects the performance of the motor drive. The aim of the work is to develop a suitable converter circuit that would give and improved power factor and low torque ripples. Three phase asymmetrical power converter using IGBT is used in the feedback of motor to control the power factor of motor. Further for minimization of ripples in torque and optimization technique named bacterial foraging optimization is used. It takes torque in the objective function and calculate ripples; assign new values to turn on and off angle of motor. So that an optimum position to the stator and rotor of motor can be assigned. Where ripple are minimum.


Eradication of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in mice depends on two events: derepressing the differentiation pathway and ridding the APL cell of the fusion oncoprotein that sustains it.


The focus is on an examination of rotordynamic systems which are simultaneously susceptible to limit cycle instability and subharmonic response. Characteristics of each phenomenon are determined as well as their interrelationship. A normalized, single mass rotor model is examined as well as a complex model of the high pressure fuel turbopump and the Space Shuttle Main Engine. Entrainment of limit cycle instability by subharmonic response is demonstrated for both models. The nonuniqueness of the solution is also demonstrated.


The article is devoted to analyzing theoretical and empirical cuts in the modeling coalition governments' management on the example of European representative democracies. This was done due to the fact that representative democracies in Europe still face fundamental challenges, i.e. delegation and combination of powers, but are characterized by a permanent formation of government coalitions. It was revealed that European democracies are synthesized with a peculiar affirmative influence on the parameters of implementation, efficiency and quality of governance. Although they are always determined by the institutional, rational and contextual attributes of the formation and functioning of governmental coalitions, which can be described as a coherent structure that is a subject to comparative analysis.


Patterns of classes, grades, and test scores were studied in 3 successive graduating classes of a midwestern suburban high school. Descriptive statistics indicate that the prestigious college group had the highest mean scores on 23 variables. Descriptive discriminant analysis revealed the most in uential variables were cumulative grade point average and the total number of advanced courses taken. These data can be collected on a local template and used for future decisions among parents, students, and counselors. The roles of the school counselor, building principal, and superintendent all need to be aligned so that the appropriate authority and responsibility can be used to service parents and students in making educational decisions. In order for this role alignment to occur, leadership initiative must ow from the superintendent through the building principal to the guidance counselor. Administrators must be catalysts in ideation while working with the counselors to serve families in their community. note: This module has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and sanctioned by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a scholarly contribution to the knowledge base in educational administration. The school counselor's ninth grade parent orientation presentation was interrupted by an abrupt question from an anxious parent in the audience. Although a bit perplexed, the counselor thought for a moment and ∗Version 1.2: Aug 18, 2008 1:19 pm -0500 †http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ http://cnx.org/content/m17346/1.2/ OpenStax-CNX module: m17346 2 replied, Yes. If your daughter wants to get into a top university, she needs to take the most di cult classes and YES she needs to earn all A's. The process of linking a child to a college is a metamorphosis which takes place over several years, requires complicated decision-making, and occurs between family and school. While college choice is of vital importance to the individual family, the family unit only does it occasionally. School counselors, on the other hand, quickly acquire hundreds of such pairings through their yearly workloads. In short, they have the expertise and experience to o er families salient assistance. The combination of parental need and counselor resources presents a great opportunity for partnership and the development of a family-centric school climate. It is a high visibility environment which a ords the school counselor clear accountability possibilities through results-based documentation. As every counselor knows, however, there is risk with this reward picture. College/career counseling is very individualistic and time consuming. It is only part of the counselor's set of responsibilities. Navigating the swirling waters of parents, adolescents, teachers, university personal and regulations is a heroic task. It seems unreasonable to expect that school counselors can initiate a new way of doing things by themselves. Administrators need to seize the initiative and became catalysts between the school and the home by marshalling the unique data stored within the school and revealing it to the parents and students as they make decisions about college attendance (Buckingham and Co man, 1999). Armed with a conceptual framework, administrators working with the school counselors can lay out a procedure of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating salient information of a localized nature which can be very useful for their constituents. What follows is a study of one high school's pattern of courses o ered, courses selected, grades earned, test scores attained, and choice of higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to develop a template of local school district data that could be used by families and school sta to assist student course selection and goal setting. The template would contain local data from the school district's past graduates and would pro le the classes taken, grades earned, and test scores attained en route to various levels of colleges chosen by these graduates. Parents of elementary or middle school students could then use the template as a footpath to follow when presented with decisions about their youngster's future. They would also have bench marks of performance to apply to report cards and standardized test scores. The template would be e ective if it could help answer parents' questions such as, If I want my child to go to the local university, what classes did past graduates that went to that university take in ninth grade, what grades did they earn in those classes, and what test scores did they get on state standardized tests and college entrance exams? The study has several limitations. It should be noted that the study assumes that families have contemplated a range of possible colleges for their youngster's eventual matriculation. The study, therefore, is not about college choice per se but rather about parents studying the college choices of previous families whose children have already graduated. The study is not about career choice or selection of major elds of study both of which may in uence choice of campus to attend. The family educational background and ability to a ord higher education were also beyond the purview of this study. Finally, the study is not designed to reiterate the understood notion that high achievers in high school go on to college or that the best of the students go on to more prestigious schools. Rather, the statistical analyses are designed to question whether there are patterns of behavior that can be associated with decisions of past graduates that can be informative for future students in a localized community setting. Review of Related Literature Matriculation into the academic life at a university may appear to be a rite of passage for adolescents each fall but the origins of this process begin to take shape many years earlier. The choice of which school to attend pivots on such complicated variables as educational and occupational aspirations, academic attainment, institutional reputation, personal nances, and geographical considerations. The possibilities are in nite and the consequences are life-shaping so these decisions carry a great deal of weight for students and their families. Public school sta members serve in key positional roles and can o er vital contributions to the decision-making process. The review of literature which follows is shaped by the decision making and selection processes surrounding high school program development leading to college choice. Researchers have studied a variety of aspects surrounding the process including the steps involved, the context within http://cnx.org/content/m17346/1.2/ OpenStax-CNX module: m17346 3 which the decisions are made, the secondary academic record, the impact of the educational sta , and the interaction of principals and school counselors. Wahl and Blackhurst (2000) traced the changing role of counselors in response to studies indicating early formation of career goals and occupational aspirations by elementary students and pre-adolescents. They advocate guidance programs that are developmentally appropriate, that actively dispel stereotypes and broaden possibilities, that are sensitive to cultural values, and that give pragmatic information about future options. Henderson (1999) proclaimed that a career guidance program should provide students with the tools to integrate awareness about themselves, potential careers, and post secondary education. Wahl and Blackhurst (2000) advocate alignment in planning among interests, abilities, achievement, and the educational preparation required for speci c occupations. Comprehensive high schools present many options for students in terms of available classes. Peterson, Long, and Billups (1999) reviewed studies concerning the process of students making course selection decisions. They found the process awed in that students lacked the appropriate materials needed to make decisions. Students lacked accurate estimates of their own interests, abilities, values, and talents and had only vague understandings of their high school curriculum. Parents, too, sensed little knowledge and little control over the process. School counselors and the methods they employ can have a positive in uence on the process. Teasing out some patterns in this wide array of possibilities has been studied. For example, McCla erty and McDonald (2000) found that college plans do not simply happen by chance but must be fostered and encouraged. Previously, Alexander, Pallas, and Holupka (1987) observed a sequential series of pipeline steps to be included beginning with an ideation of a bachelor's degree, taking the right courses, taking the entrance exams, applying, and then enrolling in an institution of higher education. Berkner and Chavez (1997) discovered the successful completion of each additional step greatly increased the probability of the total process being successful. Hugo (2004) cited the conceptual importance of McCla erty and McDonough's (2002) principles of developing a college culture where students, educators, and families can work together in a structured way to improve decisions. Their nine principals included college talk, clear expectations, information and resources, comprehensive counseling model, testing and curriculum, faculty involvement, family involvement, college partnership, and overall articulation. The relationship between the content of a student's high school transcript and eventual completion of a college degree has received attention by researchers. Adelson (1999) stressed the importance of coursework rigor and its role in preparing students for higher education. In his study of what increases one's chances of earning a bachelor's degree, he found that the academic intensity of the high school curriculum is the strongest factor in providing momentum towards earning a degree in precollegiate history. Speci cally, the highest level o


This paper analyzed characteristics of learners in sports adult education. It was held that the process of sports adult education should be student-oriented. The teaching contents should be applied in reality. The teaching methods should be flexible. "Credit system" should be used in the teaching administration.


Objective: To observe the effect of FeiJi Fang combined with chemotherepy on the quality of life of the patients with non-small lung cancer,and the regulation of immune function for providing the clinical proof for the above model.Methods: It is a prospective,randomized,parallel-control study.70 patients with a clear diagnosis of the non-small lung cancer patients were randomly divided into intervention group(Fei Ji Fang treatment combined with chemotherepy,n=35) and control group(chemotherepy treatment,n = 35).Recording and evaluating the variation of quality of life,between the two groups at the beginning and after the the treatment,at the same time contrasting the variation of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets of T 、IL-2 and NK activity between two groups.Results: Improved points on quality of life of the intervention group were better than the control group.Compared with the control group,the level of CD+8 in the intervention group was lower than the control group after the treatment.The level of CD+3,CD+4,CD+4 /CD+8 ratio and the level of NK cell activity was higher than the control group.Conclusions: FeiJi Fang combined with chemotherepy can improve the immune function and the quality of life of the non-small lung cancer patients.


This theoretical essay aims to analyze the theoretical-methodological proximity of post-qualitative research and environmental education research. Eighteen articles based on post-qualitative research were analyzed, selected from three sources: 1) The ERIC database Education Resources Information Center, 2) a special edition of the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education and 3-) references to texts found in those articles. Based on the analysis of those studies, seven aspects, considered parallel to the reflections and concerns in the environmental education research field, were identified: materialization of the discourse, the ontological turn, overcoming of the subject-object dichotomy, ideological postures in research, flat ontology, representation of collected and analyzed data, and theoretical-methodological reflections and innovations. The article concludes that, depending on the research question, there are possibilities for the appropriation of post-qualitative research in the field of environmental education.


Aperture array (AA) technology is at the forefront of new developments and discoveries in radio astronomy. Currently LOFAR is successfully demonstrating the capabilities of dense and sparse AA's at low frequencies. For the mid-frequencies, from 450 to 1450MHz, AA's still have to prove their scientific value with respect to the existing dish technology. Their large field-of-view and high flexibility puts them in an excellent position to do so. The Aperture Array Verification Program is dedicated to demonstrate the feasibility of AA's for science in general and SKA in particular. For the mid-frequency range this has lead to the development of EMBRACE, which has already demonstrated the enormous flexibility of AA systems by observing HI and a pulsar simultaneously. It also serves as a testbed to demonstrate the technological reliability and stability of AA's. The next step will put AA technology at a level where it can be used for cutting-edge science. In this paper we discuss the developments to move AA technology from an engineering activity to a fully science capable instrument. We present current results from EMBRACE, ongoing tests of the system, and plans for EMMA, the next step in mid-frequency AA technology.


We consider an electricity market with two consumer segments subject to different price regimes. We formulate the problem of operations and investment in this market as a spatial equilibrium model where generators can develop new capacities subject to different regional constraints; transmission is organized on a flowgate basis and CO2 emissions are ruled by an overall cap and trade system where tradable allowances are auctioned. The consumer market in each region is decomposed in two segments: Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) that participate in the cap and trade system and the rest of the market (N-EIIs). EIIs purchase electricity from dedicated base-load power plants at average cost prices, while N-EIIs are supplied at marginal cost. This organization, currently foreseen in some national laws in Europe, reflects a demand of European EIIs to partially mitigate the burden of emission charges and higher electricity prices due to CO2 regulation. We study two different types of long term average cost based contracts that differ by the organization of transmission. We present the models and discuss their policy implications through a case study applied to the Central Western European electricity market. We provide their mathematical properties in the e-companion of this paper.


In 2012, two large-scale models of a Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic decelerator were tested in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex at NASA Ames Research Center. One of the objectives of this test was to measure model deflections under aerodynamic loading that approximated expected flight conditions. The measurements were acquired using stereo photogrammetry. Four pairs of stereo cameras were mounted inside the NFAC test section, each imaging a particular section of the HIAD. The views were then stitched together post-test to create a surface deformation profile. The data from the photogram- metry system will largely be used for comparisons to and refinement of Fluid Structure Interaction models. This paper describes how a commercial photogrammetry system was adapted to make the measurements and presents some preliminary results.


: This study enriches the corporate governance literature by examining the possible expropriation by the majority shareholders towards minority shareholders (principal-principal conflict) on firm value in the emerging market of Malaysia. Using panel data estimations, this study is based on a sample of 526 non-financial listed firms from 2006 to 2015.Our findings show that there is no significant relationship between principal-principal conflict and firm value. However, further investigations on the presence of different identity of block-holders reveal that individual (family) owned firms negatively influence firm value whereas foreign institutional owned firms positively affect firm value. We also found that the presence of independent directors help tomoderate the effect of the conflict on firm value. Finally the findings could serve as a basis for the regulatory entities and firm managers to promote better and effective corporate governance in Malaysia.


InGaP/GaAs double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) with composite collector has been proposed and fabricated to obtain the suitable heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) for power amplifiers in wireless communication. The composite collector combines both wide-bandgap (InGaP) and narrow-bandgap (GaAs) materials. In the composite collector, InGaP material provides high breakdown field and thus is able to be employed to reduce thickness of collector while keeping the same breakdown voltage. GaAs materials provides higher electron mobility and thus is used to reduce on-resistance and transit time. In this work, a DHBT with composite collector (DHBT/spl I.bar/C) is presented to demonstrate its improved power performance.


Hepcidin is a peptide that was discovered in 2000, it is synthesized in the liver and it goes into circulation. There are three forms of hepcidin, hepcidin-25, hepcidin-22 and hepcidin-20. The first form is the most studied and its role is the most significant. Hepcidin-25 is considered to be a major regulator of the absorption of dietary iron as well as its release from cells. It achieves its regulatory function by preventing the function of ferroportin, the major cellular iron exporter. Ferroportin is a protein whose function is to release iron from the cells on which it is located (macrophages, hepatocytes and enterocytes). Hepcidin-25 induces degradation of ferroportin, resulting in an increase in intracellular iron stores. It also reduces the absorption of iron from food and thus reduces the concentration of circulating iron. During physical activity, the concentration of hepcidin increases at an intensity of 65% VO2 max, and maximum values are reached at 90-95% VO2 max. Not only intensity, but also the volume of physical activity influence its concentration. Studies showed that hepcidin expression during physical activity is influenced by inflammation, iron status, erythropoiesis and hypoxia. It is considered one of the causes of anemia in athletes. There are potential methods for neutralizing hepcidin (monoclonal antibodies and antagonists) and reducing its expression (erythropoietin doping, which is forbidden in sport, anti-IL-6 antibodies, STAT and BMP modulators). Given its important role in iron metabolism, which is essential for the transport of oxygen in the body, it can affect sports performance. It is still the subject of many research.


This paper deals with school failure as a social fact in present day Brazil; which means that we must look for its social causes. Our conclusion is that, by increasing considerably the offer of public schooling at primary level and at the same time maintaining the standard of middle-class schooling, there can only be a predominance of the tendency to maintain and even increase school failure of lower class pupils, incapable to rise to the standard of teaching defined by the capitalist State apparatus. And it is difficult to imagine the reformulation of these standards, since the middle class, very influent in the educational field, needs the school failure of the other social classes in order to intensify its own economic and social value.


The object of G. F. Meier's Vernunftlehre and its abridgement for courses, the Auszug aus der Vernunftlehre, does not consist exclusively in the elaboration of the formal aspects of logic, but rather in the individuation of the elements of thought and language, which make human understanding possible. Instead of limiting himself to formal truth, Meier investigates the realms of epistemic, aesthetic, and historic truths, of horizons, and prejudices. Kant used both Meier's Vernunftlehre and its Auszug for about forty years in his logic-lectures. Kant's Logik, and also his Kritik der reinen Vernunft, were thus strongly influenced by Meier.


Nowadays, Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is one of the most limiting factors for tomato culture in Spain. Some breeding programs have been recently developed to obtain cultivars with resistance to TSWV. The evaluation of six lines of processing tomato obtained from one of these breeding programs and carrying the Sw-5 gene that confers resistance to TSWV, has shown that all these lines have both agronomic (yield, vigor, etc.) and quality characters better or similar to those of control cultivars. The lines tested here could be very useful in regions where TSWV is an endemic disease and to get hybrids that would express heterosis and more stability in different environmental conditions.


Abstract
The problems that will be discussed in this journal are regarding the relationship between Profitability Ratios, Liquidity Ratios and Company Growth on Audit Delay. The research method used in this study uses secondary data. The population in this study is all Real Estate companies and the Property sub-sector registered on the BEI which are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The sampling method in this study is purposive sampling. The criteria for companies that are sampled are companies that publish audited financial statements for four consecutive years and use the rupiah currency, so that the total number of samples in this study is 165 data. The independent variables in this study are Profitability Ratios, Liquidity Ratios and Company Growth. The dependent variable in this study is audit delay. The data analysis technique used is the Logistics Regression Test with the use of Software Eviews 10. The results of the analysis show that profitability has no significant effect on going concern audit opinion. Meanwhile, company growth and liquidity have no effect on going concern audit opinion.
Keywords: Going Concern Opinion, Profitability, Liquidity, and Company Growth


Nowadays, application of stem cells in treatment is increased incredibly. The stem cells are capable to self-reproduce. Molecular imaging is a novel procedure that is capable to evaluate cell function on molecular level directly with no interference and disorder for the cells. In other word, molecular imaging is able to trace specific molecules on the individual anatomical locations in the body. Feasibility of MRI cell tracking with SPION based agents as labels has been well demonstrated in animal experiments. Clinical trials of MRI cell tracking are also ongoing. Different to animal studies, some general requirements for clinical cell tracking should be met for the labeling agents. The labeling agents must be shown to be non-toxic to cells in culture and to animals. The labeled cells should be more widely categorized to control any effects of the labeling procedure on cell functionality.


The present study investigated English teachers' strategies in teaching grammar to seventh-grade students. The study attempted to answer the research question; "How do the English teachers teach grammar to seventh-grade students?" The participants of the study were two English teachers from different schools in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. The data of the study were collected by observing eight sessions of the two English teachers' classrooms, and audio-taping the interaction between the teachers and the students. The audio-recorded data were then transcribed. The results show that both teachers successfully engaged the students in the interactive grammar discussions by giving scaffolding and feedback. First, the teachers applied questioning techniques which served the six functions of scaffolding by Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976), and it revealed that the function of recruiting interest in the task was frequently done by the teachers (82%). Second, the teachers used five corrective feedback types by Lyster and Ranta (1997) to correct the students' errors, and it shows that explicit correction was frequently used by the teachers (17%). Third, the teachers used two different types of feedback; repetition of students' response & explaining as confirmation. Repetition of students' response was the highest feedback type used by the teachers (35%). The results show that one of the teachers also applied the deductive approach in teaching grammar occasionally.


Abutments are not only earth-retaining systems, but also contribute to the earthquake resisting system (ERS) of bridges. The backfill-abutment-bridge interaction has been extensively discussed in international literature with emphasis on the seismic response and performance of bridges. Along these lines, the need arises to study the effect on the design of bridges considering the abutment-backfill seismic participation. To meet this objective, an extended parametric study was conducted on three real bridges with seat-type abutments, in which the system of the abutment with the backfill soil either participates or not in the ERS of bridges. Non-linear dynamic time history analysis was performed and revealed that in most cases the backfill-abutment-bridge interaction is beneficial, as the seismic demand of bridges was reduced. However, this beneficial effect was attenuated in longer bridges with tall piers, whose seismic actions can be increased under certain conditions.


In the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, expression of several genes such as psbA, psbD, psaAB, rbcLS and trxA is known to be largely affected by the redox state of photosynthetic electron transport. Redox regulation of mRNA levels is well-established, however, information is limited to photosynthetic genes so far. In this study, by using DNA microarray technology, we identified the whole set of genes regulated by photosynthetic electron transport in the genome of Synechocystis. Glucose-tolerant wild type strain was incubated with or without 10 m M 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) for 1 h. Total RNA was isolated from both cultures, labeled with fluorescent dye Cy3 or Cy5, mixed and hybridized with CyanoCHIP version 0.8 (TaKaRa). Triplicate experiments were performed under each of low light (20 m Em-2s-1) and high light (300 m Em-2s-1) conditions. About 400 ORFs were identified as redox responsive genes. By addition of DCMU, genes involved in photosynthetic electron transport (psb, psa, apc, cpc, pet) and some motility related genes were up-regulated. On the other hand, genes related to CO2 concentration (ccm, ndhF3D3, etc), translation (rps, rpl, etc), biosynthesis of amino acids, ATP synthesis (atp) and some heat shock genes (groESL, htpG, etc) were down-regulated. Furthermore, we examined changes in mRNA levels upon addition of 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-benzoquinone (DBMIB) and by exposure to different light qualities (PSII and PSI light) using DNA microarray. Redox sensing mechanism of Synechocystis will be discussed based on these results.


A miniature, silicon sensor absolute pressure transducer designed for continuous high temperature operation up to 260°C is described. It is intended for engine test cells, wind tunnels and flight testing, as well as for other high temperature applications. It features small size (8.5 gms), excellent dynamic response, high signal output (300mV), and minimal thermal errors over its entire temperature range (-54°C to 260°C). This transducer utilizes a micro-machined silicon diaphragm with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) construction to eliminate sensor electrical leakage problems at high temperature. The small size and excellent dynamic response of this transducer allows high fidelity measurements to be made in difficult-to-access locations. It is also ruggedized to withstand high shock and vibration environments. Performance data, environmental capabilities, and design features of this pressure transducer will be discussed.


This is the fourth in a series of articles about case research, writing, teaching, and reviewing. In this article, the protagonist, Prof. Moore, consults experienced case teachers and learns many different approaches to use in the classroom. The article is written as if it were a case; it is fictitious.


This paper proposes a design method of steel fiber reinforced concrete structural elements which behave like beams. This method is based on the analysis of a cracked section. Three loading cases are considered: bending with or without axial load, shear and concentrated force. After a brief presentation of the modeling, the experimental characterization of the material is studied. A uniaxial tensile test is used to get an intrinsic postcracking relationship. A statistical analysis of the tests leads to the definition ofa characteristic stress vs. crack opening relationship, taking into account the scattering of test results, to be used in a design procedure. The design method is developed as closely as possible to the reinforced concrete design code, in order to allow an easy acceptance of these proposals. The procedure is based on the definition of material limit states : limit crack opening in tension, limit stress level, and limit strain in compression.


In this paper, we investigate the effect of suction/injection on the unsteady MHD oscillatory second grade fluid flow through a vertical channel with non-uniform wall temperature. The fluid is subjected to Hall effects and the velocity slip at the lower plate is taken into consideration. Exact solutions of the dimensionless equations governing the fluid flow are obtained and the effects of the flow parameters on temperature, velocity profiles, skin friction and rate of heat transfer are discussed and shown graphically. It is interesting to note that skin friction increases on both channel plates as injection increases on the heated plate.


We present a color magnitude diagram (CMD) in the V and I bands reaching ∼ 4 magnitudes below the turn off (TO) for the galactic globular (?) cluster Pal 1. A comparison with other well-observed clusters and theoretical models suggests that Pal 1 has an age of 8±2 Gyrs, which would make it the youngest globular cluster of our Galaxy.


CO2 utilization has the potential to support the deployment of CO2 capture technologies through the sale of CO2 based products. In this work, Aspen Plus software will be used to evaluate a novel process which combines CO2 utilization with the treatment of reject brines. This is accomplished with the use of a calcined layered double hydroxide (Mg-Al-O) to remove Cl from the brine giving an alkaline solution which is then bubbled with CO2 to produce sodium bicarbonate. The Mg-Al-O sorbent is re-generated via a calcination step, in which HCl is generated, permitting its re-use over several cycles. This process holds promise as it is able to address two environmental problems while generating valuable chemical products.


Corrosive products ingestions in children pose potentially devastating presentations and lifelong complications which remain one of the most challenging concerns encountered in medical practice. Prompt diagnosis and management are of outmost importance in decreasing mortality and achieving optimal long-term outcomes. Aim of the work: to investigate the predictability of the severity of corrosive poisoning outcome from some clinical findings and laboratory data at presentation. Patients and Methods: The study enrolled children with corrosive substances poisoning admitted to Poison Control Center-Ain Shams University during the period from January 2015 till September 2016. Demographic variables, on admission clinical findings, routine laboratory data and the outcome variables (length of hospital stay, development of stricture and mortality rate) were recorded. Patients were classified into two groups; the non-complicated group and the complicated group. Results: 106 patients, 56 males (52.8%) with median age (3.06±2.57 years) met inclusion criteria. Signs and symptoms as (vomiting, dysphagia, drooling, hematemesis and respiratory distress) were found to be significantly higher in the complicated group as compared to the non-complicated group, while oral lesions and stridor showed insignificant difference between the two groups. Initial vomiting, drooling, dysphagia and hematemesis, but not respiratory distress, exhibited significant correlation with poor outcome (longer hospital stay, developing stricture/stenosis and increased mortality rate) together with high sensitivity and specificity prediction of stricture/stenosis formation 21 days post-ingestion (95.65%-70%, 91.49%-55.56%, 95.35%-45.5%, 92.86%- 42.86% respectively). Lower pH and Hb levels were more evident in the complicated group and were correlated with poor outcome. While, higher WBCs were only correlated with longer hospital stay time. Acidosis and anemia had significant sensitivity (91.30%- 90.91% respectively) and specificity (44.43%- 41.67% respectively) prediction of stricture/stenosis formation.Conclusion: In children corrosive ingestion, some clinical manifestations as vomiting, drooling, dysphagia and hematemesis together with laboratory data as decreased pH and Hb levels and increased WBCs count on admission, were more obvious in the complicated cases and were found to be reliable predictors of outcome severity. Recommendations: It is recommended to carefully monitor initial signs and symptoms together with laboratory data to predict the outcome severity and avoid complications early enough.


Changes of leaf pigments, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco), nitrate reductase and photosynthetic efficiency were determined in leaves of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir plants grown at full sunlight (2000 µmol m -2 s -1 ) and 40 % of sunlight (800 µmol m -2 s -1 ). The contents of chlorophyll and carotenoids per fresh mass were higher in 40 % sunlight than in full sunlight-grown leaves. In contrast, Rubisco activity, in vivo nitrate reductase activity (indicator of nitrate utilisation) and soluble proteins were significantly reduced in 40 % sunlight-grown leaves. In isolated thylakoids, a marked inhibition of whole chain (PSI+PSII) and PSII activity were observed in 40 % sunlight-grown leaves. Smaller inhibition of NI activity was also observed in 40 % sunlight-grown leaves. The artificial exogenous electron donors, DPC and NH 2 OH, significantly restored the loss of PSII activity in 40 % sunlight-grown leaves. The same results were obtained when Fv/Fm was evaluated by chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. The marked loss of PSII activity in 40 % sunlight-grown leaves was due to the loss of 47, 33, 28-25 and 23 kDa polypeptides. This conclusion was confirmed by immunological studies showing that the content of the 33 kDa protein of the water-splitting complex was diminished significantly in 40 % sunlight-grown leaves.


This study aims to deepen the knowledge of innovative entrepreneurs and what motivated them to establish their businesses in an environment full of rapidly changing technology and economic globalization. Particular attention has been paid to the creation and development of innovative enterprises with high knowledge content. In this study about the creators of innovative enterprises, it is necessary to consult the literature on innovative entrepreneurship. To reach this goal, we begin by questioning the concept of innovative enterprises and showcase their particularities. Then, we turn our attention to the specific qualities of the innovative entrepreneur. Finally, we will try to identify the decisive environmental determinants advanced by the work carried out on innovative entrepreneurship and determine their influence on the creation of innovative enterprises.


The effect of nutrients on plant growth and development has been studied since the mid-sixteenth century. Since that time, evidence has mounted to support a model in which nitrate acts as a positive signal necessary for the induction of nitrate uptake and its reduction. Molecular-genetic studies in plants have also lent support for nitrate and its downstream metabolites to act as signaling molecules in higher plants.


BACKGROUND
Postoperative pain management in thoracotomy patients often is difficult. Furthermore, pediatric patients present more challenges because of their inability to effectively communicate their pain intensity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of continuous field block through intercostal muscles as postoperative pain management in pediatric thoracotomy.

METHODS
Between 2014 and 2018, 11 patients underwent an ASD closure using a cardiopulmonary bypass via a mini-right thoracotomy through the fourth intercostal space. At the time of chest closure, a single-shot field block via the fourth intercostal muscles was performed with levobupivacaine (0.6 mg/kg). The first five patients were only given the single-shot field block (Single group). The remaining six patients were given levobupivacaine continuously (0.1 mg/kg/hr) through an indwelling catheter until the chest tube removal (Continuous group). The groups' vital signs, total amounts of acetaminophen used, postoperative courses were compared.

RESULTS
Although the heart rate did not differ between the groups, the respiratory rate was significantly higher in the Single group versus the Continuous group at 16 and 32 hr post-surgery (35.6±9.7/min vs. 18.5±4.7/min; p=0.007, 43.0±10.4 vs. 25.3±3.1; p=0.042, respectively). The accumulated dosage of acetaminophen given by postoperative day 2 was significantly higher in the Single group versus the Continuous group (55.3±22.1 mg/kg vs. 7.8±17.4 mg/kg; p=0.012).

CONCLUSIONS
Continuous field block via intercostal muscles after ASD closure via a mini-right thoracotomy in children was effective to stabilize the vital signs and reduce the analgesic medication use.


Tooth decay is the most common dental disease in children, so the problem of prevention remains one of the most relevant in pediatric dentistry. Goal: development and implementation of health education and individual treatment and prevention activities for school-age children. Materials and methods. School-based SOUTH of the city of Moscow, teachers and students of the third year was held a programme for the prevention of dental diseases among pupils in primary classes, attended by 2300 people. Results. Employees of the Department of therapeutic Stomatology RNIMU them. N.i. Pirogov was established private dental diseases prevention programme, which already operates within 6 years the intensity of caries in permanent teeth CPU index teeth fell in children age 6 with 2.40 ± 0.06 to 0.97 ± 0.06 (p < 0.05), 12-year-olds with 3.74 ± 0.17 to 1.95 ± 0.16 (p < 0.05), 15 year olds with 4.86 ± 0.16 to 2.95 ± 0.13 (p < 0.05); reduction of intensity of caries increment amounted to 59.6%, respectively, 47.9% and 39.3%, with an increase in the number of children with healthy teeth that says showing clear positive impact on the level of oral hygiene Program Prevention of dental diseases.


Common thermal processes, such as fluid heaters, heat-treatment plant, boilers, dryers, vats, etc., can conveniently be modeled by first-order transit-delayed equations. These processes are widely used in industry where they are usually discontinuously controlled by on-off or on-half-off controllers. Often the heating rates and cooling rates of such processes differ significantly. This hinders the evaluation of their performance indices, yet the accurate evaluation or prediction of these performance indices is an important step in the design (or selection) of controllers for such processes. This paper presents a new, yet simple, analysis of the mode-dependent performance indices of these controlled processes. New phaseplane displays are presented that provide useful conceptual insights into their startup, shutdown, and limit-cycling performance. This paper is intended for the professional engineer engaged in the design and control of these processes, and the presentation is practical rather than mathematical.


Urban open space system planning not only is a important aspect in the urban planning. but closely linked with urbanimage. This text gives a case study of sub-center's open space planning system in Yong kang urban to study the content andmethods of the agglomeration area open space system planning, proposing three main contents, including pollution overall elimi-nating planning, open space general planning and city's landscape planning.


A wideband cup dielectric resonator antenna (CDRA) with a monopole-like mode is presented. A new coil feeding structure is used, creating an equivalent magnetic current loop above the ground plane, exciting the CDRA <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\textrm {TM}_{01 \delta } $ </tex-math></inline-formula> mode and an equivalent electric dipole at the adjacent frequency band. Thus, a broad bandwidth is achieved from two adjacent resonances. A CDRA with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.25\lambda _{0} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> diameter and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.23\lambda _{0} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> height (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda _{0} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the center frequency free-space wavelength) is fabricated and measured. About 29% of −10 dB matching bandwidth (2.98–4.00 GHz) is achieved. The structure has a low cross-polarization level and stable radiation patterns within the entire operating bandwidth.


Introduction Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer incidence and death in the United States. Although most firefighters are fit and do not smoke, they are exposed to many known carcinogens during and in the aftermath of firefighting activities. Comprehensive epidemiologic investigations on lung cancer survival for both career and volunteer firefighters have not been undertaken. Methods Data from the Florida Cancer Data System (1981–2014) were linked with firefighter certification records from the Florida State Fire Marshal's Office to identify all patients of this occupational group; lung cancer cause-specific survival data were compared with other occupational groups using Cox regression models with occupation as the main effect. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Results Out of 210,541 male lung cancer cases diagnosed in Florida (1981–2014), 761 were firefighters (604 career, 157 volunteer). Lung cancer death was similar between volunteer (75.2%) and career firefighters (74.0%) but lower than non-firefighters (80.0%). Survival at 5 years was higher among firefighters (29.7%; career: 30.3%; volunteer: 27.4%) than non-firefighters (23.8%). In a multivariable model, compared with non-firefighters, firefighters have significantly higher cause-specific survival (aHR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.77–0.91; p < 0.001). However, there were no significant survival differences between career and volunteer firefighters (1.14; 0.93–1.39; p = 0.213). In a separate multivariable model with firefighters as the comparator, other broad occupational groups had significantly lower cause-specific survival [white collar: 1.11 (1.02–1.21); blue collar: 1.15 (1.05–1.25); service: 1.13 (1.03–1.25); others/unknown: 1.21 (1.12–1.32); all p-values < 0.02]. Conclusion Lung cancer survival is significantly higher among firefighters compared with non-firefighters, but there is no significant difference between career and volunteer firefighters. Improved survival for firefighters might be due to a healthy worker effect, lower smoking prevalence relative to other worker groups, and possibly superior treatment adherence and compliance. Many firefighters are cross-trained as EMTs/paramedics and possess a level of medical knowledge that may favorably impact treatment engagement and better navigation of complex cancer care.


Ion wake fields are excited and investigated in quasineutral two component plasmas in a standard double plasma machine. The period of the oscillating wake field decreases as the plasma density increases. The wake field amplitude depended upon the resonance between the perturbation duration and the wake field period rather than the perturbation amplitude. The experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical model that we have recently proposed.


Abstract Continued increases in life expectancy mean than an unprecedented number of individuals are reaching centenarian status, often with complex health concerns. Little research has addressed acute care experiences of centenarians. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed 10 years of hospital admissions data from a total of 52618 centenarians (aged 100 to 115 years) in the nationally representative National Inpatient Study (NIS) with the aim of characterizing centenarian (mean age 101.4 years, 80% women, 24.2% non-White, 91.3% Medicare, 72.2% emergencies, 18.6% urgent) hospitalizations. Mean length of stay (LOS) decreased from 6.1 to 5.1 days (2000-2009). Over the same period, mean total charges rose from $13373 to $25026; they were $4478 lower for women than men and $4032 more for centenarians age 105 years and older than ages 100 to 104, despite comparable LOSs. Mean LOS was approximately 0.7 days longer for non-Whites than Whites, and mean total charges were approximately $6531 higher for non-Whites than Whites. The 10 most common admission diagnoses were consistent with frailty and end stage cognitive impairment including pneumonia, congestive heart failure, urinary tract infections, fracture of neck of femur, septicemia, fluid and electrolyte disorders, aspiration pneumonitis, acute cerebrovascular disease, acute myocardial infarction, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and 10.0% of centenarians died in hospital. We link individual-level data with hospital and state characteristics over the same time period in order to provide a more detailed analysis of individual and system-level characteristics that contribute toward health disparities in hospitalizations and health outcomes among centenarians.


New solutions and innovative technologies are stirring up much interest among governments, non-governmental organizations, and ing concept of "Power-to-X." This concept converts surplus electrical energy from wind turbines or solar panels into energy that can be stored and reused later. The "X" represents the type of energy into which the surplus is converted, such as hydrogen fuel. Consequently, Power-to-X could assist in the global battle against climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels. But what is the relationship between Power-to-X and district heating? Let's explain: The process of producing hydrogen requires a lot of electricity, but it also generates large amounts of heat. This heat can be used in a district heating network, provided the network exists in close proximity to the Power-to-X plant. Otherwise, this heat will be lost in a local cooling process, im-


For short interconnection line in logic circuits, in this paper, we propose a new test generation method for delay faults considering crosstalk-induced delay effects, based on a conventional delay ATPG technique in order to reduce the complexity of previous ATPG algorithm for crosstalk delay faults and to consider multiple aggressor crosstalk faults to maximize the noise of the victim line. In current trends in integrated circuit design, it is inevitable to eliminate errors caused by crosstalk because of stringent area and performance requirements in recent designs. These noises due to the crosstalk could be eliminated by resizing drivers, shielding interconnect techniques, rerouting signals and repeater insertion techniques. However, these redesign techniques using the analysis of the crosstalk-induced noise may be very expensive in terms of time and design efforts. In addition, since the process variation cannot be expected for all cases, these redesign techniques cannot guarantee the high noise immunity of the circuits. Therefore, automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) for crosstalk faults is an important method to verify and test that a chip can meet performance requirements [1-9]. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new test generation method for delay faults considering crosstalk-induced delay effects, based on a conventional delay ATPG technique in order to reduce the complexity of previous ATPG algorithm for crosstalk delay faults and to consider multiple aggressor crosstalk faults to maximize the noise of the victim line. Since the proposed ATPG for crosstalk-induced delay faults uses the test patterns obtained from the conventional path delay ATPG, the proposed ATPG can reduce the search space of the backward implication of the aggressor's constraints and it is helpful for reducing the time cost of the ATPG than previous works. In addition, since the proposed technique targets on the critical path for the original delay test as the victim lines, it can improve test effectiveness of delay testing. For a sensitizable victim path, a new algorithm is proposed which appropriately activate its associated aggressor-victim pairs for maximization of crosstalk. The proposed algorithm uses the parasitic information such as coupling capacitance between a node of the victim and an aggressor and the timing information such as static timing window and the crosstalk-induced noise delay model. Using the parasitic and timing information, the proposed algorithm handles multiple aggressors coupled to a victim lying along a path and activates the aggressors in the best possible way to induce maximum crosstalk slowdown …


With the rapid development of Shanxi economy,the disposable personal income of urban residents of Shanxi has continuously increased.Although reasonable income gap is an ordinary phenomenon in the economy development,the,overlarge income gap not only threats social stability,but also blocks the process of expanding domestic demand,and then it impedes economy development finally On the basis of analyzing the reasons for income gap of urban residents of Shanxi province,with the expectation of providing possible support for decision-making,the related countermeasures.are proposed.


Background: Prevalence of adverse drug reactions had been studied extensively in the past to find out the drug pattern distribution of ADR. In this study, authors tried to find out the prevalence pattern and its correlation with the WHO causality assessment over the 6 months.Methods: This study was done in Govt Medical College Palakkad Kerala as an observational study. Without revealing the identity of the patients as is done in ADR reporting in pharmacovigilance program, a retrospective data collection was done by collecting different types of ADR reported in this hospital for the previous six months. Only data of inpatients was collected and tabulated for different group of drugs. Then using the WHO scale of causality assessment, the ADR individually was classified to probable, possible, or certain and tabulated.Results: In this study, the prevalence pattern of drugs causing ADR was evaluated over six months in a tertiary care centre. Out of the 45 cases reported, major ADR were for antibiotics (55.5%) and anticancer agents (18.2%) and the least reported ADR were for vaccines and supplements (2.2%). In causality assessment WHO scale only one case was certain (2.2%). Here the majority Causality assessment was found to be probable (44.45%) and possible (51.2%).Conclusions: From this study it is concluded that the antibiotics has the major ADR pattern. It's also known that the probable and possible causalities are more common when ADR are reported.


Managing the mantainment of gait stability during dual walking task: effects of age and neurological disorders. BACKGROUND: Dual task paradigm is common mechanism of daily life, it is often used for investigating the effect on cognitive processing of motor behavior. AIM: In the present study we investigate the dual task interference during walking on upright gait stability. DESIGN: cross-sectional study. SETTING: Inpatient neurorehabilitation unit and children neurorehabilitation unit. POPULATION: Eighty-five subjects were enrolled, divided into five groups: healthy young, healthy elderly, children with typical development, children with cerebral palsy and adults with stroke in subacute phase. METHODS: All subjects had to walk through a pathway during which they had to hear a sound, turn the head to watch a number and verbalize it. Subjects wore an accelerometer on their lumbar spine to measure upright gait stability have been assessed by means of the Root Mean Square (RMS) of the trunk acceleration. RESULTS: All subjects showed a reduced speed when performing a dual task with respect to single task. This reduction was significantly different among groups (F(4,81)=12.253, p<0.001, ES=0.377). The RMS resulted increased along LL-axis, and reduced along AP-and CC-axes during the dual task walking. CONCLUSION: These accelerations were significantly related to the changes in speed that were managed in a different way in subjects affected by cerebral palsy and stroke. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: The information obtained in this study may be used to support specific rehabilitation techniques in subjects with poor balance ability. Please note: This research bulletin represents only the search results for cerebral palsy and related neurological research as provided by the PubCrawler service. The articles listed below do not represent the views of Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Perspectives on postural control dysfunction to inform future research: A Delphi study for children with cerebral palsy. OBJECTIVE: To identify if consensus can be achieved in how clinicians and researchers define, describe, assess and treat postural control dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN: Delphi study with 3 iterative rounds. SETTING: Electronic survey PARTICIPANTS: 43 researchers and/or clinicians from 7 countries with a mean(SD) of 20(11) years experience working with children with cerebral palsy (CP) participated. Participants included authors of published works on postural control in CP (identified from a recent systematic review), members of the Australasian CP and Developmental Medicine Academy and two major Australian rehabilitation providers. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Delphi study consisted of 3 …


In this paper we present the design of an application framework for context-aware Sharing Of Living Experience (SOLE) in mobile environments. With SOLE, users can share their experience of daily activities. They can specify where to store their information - on their mobile devices to have full access control over their data, or in the distributed SOLE application servers for ease of access by others. SOLE leverages on our service-oriented middleware (Coalition) to achieve context-awareness. To cater for resource constraints of mobile devices, the concept of "proxy" is introduced. As a proof of concept, we develop a prototype of SOLE for mobile Android phone users. Preliminary experiments have been carried out to test the performance of the framework.


Education is the most critical ingredient in a country's development process in the social, economic and political realms. Kenya in its Vision 2030 hopes to be transformed into a newly- industrialized, middle-income country with a high quality of life for all its citizens in a clean and secure environment by the year 2030. To realize this vision, Kenya needs to develop through its education system, manpower that is trained to think creatively. The role of Chemistry in the development of the scientific base of a country cannot be over emphasized. Kenya secondary school Chemistry, Physics and Biology syllabi recommend the acquisition of creative skills by students. However, few studies have been carried out with regard to scientific creativity in secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learner's self-concept and scientific creativity in chemistry education in Kenya. It also examined the influence of gender on scientific creativity. The study involved ex-post facto research with causal-comparative and correlational designs. The population of the study was all Form Three students in National Secondary Schools in Nairobi and Kiambu Counties and all Form Three students in District Secondary Schools in Muranga and Kajiado counties in Kenya. A sample of 16 schools (4 Boys' and 4 Girls' National schools and 4 Boys' and 4 Girls' District schools) was obtained for the study through stratified random sampling. Participating Form Three streams in the schools were selected through random sampling. A total of 640 students, (320 boys and 320 girls) were involved in the study. Data were collected using the Chemistry Scientific Creativity Test (CSCT) and the Students' Self-Concept Questionnaire (SSCG). The test items were piloted in two schools; a National and a County school in Nakuru County. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and t-test. Tests of significance were done at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of this study showed that scientific creativity is positively related to learners' chemistry self-concept. The findings further indicated that the level of scientific creativity in chemistry was not gender dependent. The results of the study are likely to be helpful to secondary school chemistry teachers as they seek to enhance creativity in students. In addition, the results may be useful to chemistry curriculum developers in Kenya as they seek to enhance scientific creativity in chemistry education in secondary schools. Keywords: Chemistry Self-Concept, Gender, Scientific Creativity.


In discussing Elster's views on the use of counterfactuals and on the nature of contradictions in society, it is contended that, in general, these will not seem especially controversial to those trained in neoclassical economics. Similarly, there is little disagreement in principle between the views of many 'new economic historians' and Elster on the use of counterfactuals in the study of historical problems. In evaluating Elster's critique of several applications of counterfactuals in the 'new economic history', it is argued that the concentration on broad philosophical questions may obscure the point that much recent controversy is based upon disagreements concerning factual issues and the nature of empirical relationships and magnitudes.


This study compared the pharmacokinetics of flurbiprofen (F) and three major metabolites in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) with the pharmacokinetics of F in normal subjects. A single 100‐mg dose of F was administered to each of nine normal subjects and eight ESRD subjects. Blood and urine samples were collected in both groups; serial and end of dwell dialysate samples were obtained from the ESRD subjects. Plasma was analyzed for both the R and S optical isomers of F and its major metabolite, 4′‐hydroxy‐flurbiprofen (HF). Urine and dialysate were analyzed for F and three known metabolites. Plasma concentrations of F in the ESRD subjects were approximately 50% of the values obtained from the normal subjects (P < .05). Flurbiprofen half‐life and Tmax were not different. Elimination of HF was reduced in ESRD subjects. Urinary data suggest that HF was the major metabolite excreted (36% of the dose) in normal subjects whereas 3′, 4′ ‐dihydroxy‐flurbiprofen was the major metabolite (9% of the dose) excreted in the ESRD group. Mean urinary recovery of the dose was 73% in the normal subjects, but only 16% in ESRD subjects. Neither F nor its metabolites were detected in dialysate. Small enantiomer differences were seen. This study suggests that ESRD subjects have lower plasma levels of F than normal subjects when administered equal size doses. Accumulation of metabolites may occur in ESRD subjects upon multiple dosing. Enantiomer differences are not clinically significant.


Most neurologists, vascular neuroradiologists and stroke physicians encounter carotid artery dissection regularly, yet its management remains challenging. The main goal is the prevention of ischaemic stroke in the territory of the affected artery. Such strokes usually result from thromboembolism, though they can also occur due to critically reduced flow in the dissected arterial segment, a so-called haemodynamic stroke. Unfortunately, we do not have randomised controlled trial evidence for the optimal medical treatment of extracranial arterial dissection: antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants are considered reasonable options.1

Why is carotid dissection still a treatment challenge? First, like stroke itself, carotid dissection is not one disease. The aetiology (traumatic versus spontaneous), site of dissection (intracranial versus extracranial), degree of luminal stenosis and extent of intracranial collateral circulation all vary from patient to patient, with profound effects on the risk, distribution and extent of any resultant cerebral infarction. Second, although carotid artery dissection accounts for about 20% of …


Organ doses were calculated for diagnostic thorax CT, using data for 573 male Bangladeshi children from 0-10 years old, accounting for age and BMI. We have computed organ doses for an average male adult (170 cm*70 kg) undergoing a thorax CT examination using the ImPACT dose calculator and constructed ratios of organ dose to CTDIvol as a function of location of organs in the thorax, using a tube voltage of 120 kV for Siemens 64 slice CT scanner. BMIs are modelled as specific diameter water cylinders to obtain the factors for organ doses relative to the organ doses received by a reference adult. Results show that age operates a reduction in absorbed dose by a factor ranging from 0.33-0.79, which are consistent with other reference studies. Conversely, an increase of 1 BMI unit implies an increase in absorbed dose of up to 13% to maintain the quality standards of diagnostic imaging.


Three peptide-based surfactants including palmitylglycine(A),stearatylglycine(B) and dehydroabietylglycine(C) were synthesised from biomass resources of palmitic acid, stearatic acid and dehydroabietic acid respectively through the reaction of carboxyl-protecting with glycine. Their structures were characterized by IR spectroscopy. The surface-activities of them were also investigated. It has been found that the synthesised surfactants have good foaming power and emulsifying capacity. Palmityl- glycine is the best of them, the height of foam can reach 112 mm and water-oil separation time can reach 15 min. Peptide-based surfactants are environment-friendly.


In Mexico, more and more people are opting for the informal market as a means of subsistence, a situation that has led to considerable losses in terms of tax collection by the national government, especially income tax and social security. This has motivated us to ask ourselves, how much is being left to collect annually for taxes in this situation? What macroeconomic impact would the Mexican economy have before an exogenous impact in said amount? What impact would such collection have on the well-being of the population and inequality? For this, the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (ENIGH) and a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) constructed for Mexico for 2012 are used as a database. For the analysis, the Leontief model extended to an SAM is followed which seeks to determine the impact on the welfare of the population from the equivalent variation and the impact on inequality measured through the Gini Index. This research yields interesting results, which allow to make sound public policy decisions, focused on improving the distribution of income and in turn improving the welfare of the population.


The problems of a harbor city is the high consumption of energy and large quantities of pollutants produced. The future challenges for an E-harbor, the harbor of the future, are more energy from renewable energy sources, improved energy efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions. From this perspective, the wind energy is an important source in a marina bay and wind potential can be improved using the wind direction effect on building surroundings. In the paper, five scenarios of wind dynamic behavior on different building geometries are considered applied in the Romanian Tomis harbor (part of Constantza Harbor). CFD numerical simulation are used to obtain the streamline field configuration, level of turbulence, velocity and pressure fields. The results are compared in each case. The aim is to choose the best scenario to planning a wind farm in the harbor which can respond to current electricity demand of the ships mooring at the berth.


Research purposes: 1-80 m prestressed concrete tied arch was used in yellow sand river bridge of guiyang-guangzhou railway,which is the largest prestressed concrete tied arch span(concrete arch)in china,with wide single box and three grid.There is no Clearly defined of The Effective width and thickness ratio of side and middle web,the same as Simplified model for horizontal ring box.According to 80m tied arch bridge's 3D finite element analysis by the midas FEA software was done for structural safty,and also for the disscusion of the structure's size and prestressing layout. Research conclusions:The concrete stress of the bridge is at a reasonable level,the structure is safe and reliable;The distribution of the beam normal stress is non-uniform,beam stress distribution in section away from the arch foot is more uniform;The vertical and horizontal diaphragm separator system,which was made by the multiple webs and multi-diaphragm plates,can make a strong overall performance of the bridge structure of the Department,the maximum Transverse displacement difference is only 0.51mm;It is necessary to set vertical prestressed tendons for the foot of the arch which can reduce the interface with the concrete beam principal tensile stress effectively,and enhance the interface shear strength.


The Business Sustainability Typology provides an answer to the difficult question of what business sustainability actually means and how to differentiate between beginning, intermediate and advanced levels in business practice. It offers a practical approach to evaluate different levels of integrating sustainability in business (Dyllick & Muff, 2013). While the Typology highlights three different shifts to move from business-as-usual to Business Sustainability 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, this article looks at organizational challenges and consequences. The article offers concrete strategic support for companies in their sustainability journey. Section 1 summarized the Business Sustainability Typology (Dyllick & Muff, 2013). Section 2 identifies the organizational development domains to be studied. Section 3 provides an in-depth analysis of existing studies in the relevant domains of business sustainability. Section 4 offers a comparative overview of attributes of organizations for each type of business sustainability, and concludes with open questions as well as suggested further research.


I am happy to welcome you to this session of the Annual Symposium of the RBRS devoted to « New Trends in Oncological Imaging ». There are two underlying statements in this title: first a specificity of oncologic imaging that goes beyond organ specificity and second a clear evolution in the expectations from the imaging techniques on part of the oncologists, which is following a paradigm change in cancer treatment.


. Parameter estimation in two-dimensional diffusion models with only one coordinate observed is highly relevant in many biological applications, but a statistically difficult problem. The membrane potential evolution in single neurons can be measured at high frequency, but bio-physical realistic models have to include the unobserved dynamics of ion channels. One such model is the stochastic Morris-Lecar model, where random fluctuations in conductance and synaptic input are specifically accounted for by the diffusion terms. It is defined through a non-linear two-dimensional stochastic differential equation with only one coordinate observed. We aim at estimating the parameters of this stochastic Morris-Lecar model. We propose a sequential Monte Carlo particle filter algorithm to impute the unobserved coordinate, and then estimate parameters maximizing a pseudo-likelihood through a stochastic version of the Expectation-Maximization algorithm. Performance on simulated data and real data are very encouraging.


The theoretical part explains the concepts of food self-sufficiency, bio - food together with the definition of organic food on the Czech market. The practical part describes the degree of self-sufficiency in organic food in the Czech Republic in selected commodities, such as meat and dairy products, eggs and baby food. For disclosure - ing potential risks have selected the method of risk analysis.


Delta radar cross section(ΔRCS) is an important parameter to describe performance of passive UHF RFID tag,which determines the bit error rate(BER) of backscattered link.However,ΔRCS can't be measured directly,and so,indirect method must be considered.Tag's reflective vector signal analysis program was developed based on RF module of National Instruments,and method for measurement of tag's ΔRCS was presented.Effects of different attachment materials and transmission powers on ΔRCS were analyzed and measured.


Abstract We characterized six filamentous, gram-negative bacterial isolates, each recovered from a naturally occurring salmonid bacterial gill disease (BGD) outbreak in Ontario. The morphological, physiological, biochemical, and antigenic traits of the Ontario isolates were similar to those of Flavobacterium branchiophilum (ATCC 35035, ATCC 35036) recovered from salmonid BGD in Japan and Oregon. We conclude that the Ontario BGD isolates are strains of F. branchiophilum


Discloses a method for displaying route information of a navigation system, a schematic view of the graphic (10) and digital display of the map is highlighted with lines (11) of the sections has elapsed in the diagram on the display in the process (14 ). Improved line information display, according to the invention, when passing through the link and detecting a traveling speed dependent on the detected running speed link through which highlighted (14).


In ocean optics, salinity is an important inherent optical parameter to be measured. In the field of optics, refractive index (RI) is closely related to salinity. Through the real-time detection of the refractive index, we achieved the purpose of underway monitoring the salinity of seawater. We designed a refractive index measurement system based on optical total internal reflection. In this system, the detecting precision of the refractive index of the sea water reached 10-4. Through the conversion of the refractive index, we achieved in-situ measurement of the salinity. In 2016 summer, we accomplished a successful underway measurement in China Yellow Sea. The trends of the results from refractive index are basically agreed with the salinity measurements from electrical conductivity.


The psychoactive effects of mephedrone are commonly compared with those of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine, but because of a shorter duration of action, users often employ repeated administration to maintain its psychoactive effects. This study examined the effects of repeated mephedrone administration on locomotor activity, body temperature and striatal dopamine and 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) levels and the role of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons in these responses. Adult male Lister hooded rats received three injections of vehicle (1 ml/kg, i.p.) or mephedrone HCl (10 mg/kg) at 2 h intervals for radiotelemetry (temperature and activity) or microdialysis (dopamine and 5‐HT) measurements. Intracerebroventricular pre‐treatment (21 to 28 days earlier) with 5,7‐dihydroxytryptamine (150 µg) or 6‐hydroxydopamine (300 µg) was used to examine the impact of 5‐HT or dopamine depletion on mephedrone‐induced changes in temperature and activity. A final study examined the influence of i.p. pre‐treatment (−30 min) with the 5‐HT1A receptor antagonist WAY‐100635 (0.5 mg/kg), 5‐HT1B receptor antagonist GR 127935 (3 mg/kg) or the 5‐HT7 receptor antagonist SB‐258719 (10 mg/kg) on mephedrone‐induced changes in locomotor activity and rectal temperature. Mephedrone caused rapid‐onset hyperactivity, hypothermia (attenuated on repeat dosing) and increased striatal dopamine and 5‐HT release following each injection. Mephedrone‐induced hyperactivity was attenuated by 5‐HT depletion and 5‐HT1B receptor antagonism, whereas the hypothermia was completely abolished by 5‐HT depletion and lessened by 5‐HT1A receptor antagonism. These findings suggest that stimulation of central 5‐HT release and/or inhibition of 5‐HT reuptake play a pivotal role in both the hyperlocomotor and hypothermic effects of mephedrone, which are mediated in part via 5‐HT1B and 5‐HT1A receptors.


Most of the software applications are configured as client-server fashion in the network in order to enable communication among them. But sometimes these applications must be able to communicate or exchange data between clients and server that are not always up and active. One of the solutions to such issues is to enable applications to store information and communicate asynchronously with other. Thus in this regard Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) which support massage queue based communications are becoming more and more popular today. It is the task of developer to choose the suitable broker for his applications. Thus one has to compare different MOM based brokers to select suitable and efficient ones. This paper mainly compares two brokersRabbitMQ and RESTful API. By conducting survey on different experimental results it can be concluded, that when large number of users are involved in network communication, RabbitMQ is more stable and suitable to use. Keywords— RabbitMQ; RESTful API; Message Oriented Middleware (MOM)


We propose the mechanism of interlayer exchange coupling in Fe/Si structures, based on three principal ideas: (cid:1) i (cid:2) Contact induced ferromagnetic phase of body-centered-cubic iron silicide and spin-polarized interfacial states are formed at the Fe/Si boundaries; (cid:1) ii (cid:2) exchange coupling between Fe layers is effectuated by means of the superexchange of spin-polarized interfacial states through the nonmagnetic semiconductor spacer; (cid:1) iii (cid:2) the complex character of the dependence of interlayer exchange coupling on the spacer thickness and composition is due to the competition between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic components of superexchange. We calculate the bilinear and biquadratic components of an exchange coupling energy in the framework of a simple two-band scheme of electron spectrum inside the spacer at zero temperature. Our model qualitatively explains existing experimental results.


In this paper, the throughput of and mode selection between half-duplex and full-duplex modes are studied in two-way multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems operating under statistical queuing constraints. In particular, the effective capacity of these systems is determined in order to identify the throughput under constraints on the buffer overflow probability. In the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, the optimal input covariance matrices that achieve the minimum energy per bit of the system are investigated. Full-duplex mode is found to have better performance at low SNRs and short distances, while half-duplex mode outperforms full-duplex operation at high SNR levels and long distances. Additionally, in the numerical results, the influence of the self-interference cancelation parameter and QoS exponent on the throughput is analyzed.


The process optimal-design of wind turbine main shaft was designed by InteCAST soft.By adopting formulated Ester cured sodium silicate process parameters,the wind turbine main shaft was successfully produced.


The seismicity data from 1825 to the present for the Assam (northeastern India) region show that seismicity rates deviate from normal before and after major earthquakes. Along this 1000 km long section of a plate boundary, all shocks with M>6.6 were preceded by periods of seismic quiescence. Some of these periods of low seismicity rate were, preceded by peaks in seismic activity. No major earthquakes occurred one without an associated seismicity anomaly. The most remarkable periods of quiescence lasted 28 and 30 years approximately before the two great (M=8.7) Assam earthquakes of 1897 and 1950. Other periods of anomalously low seismicity preceded main shocks of magnitudes 6.7 (two), 7.8and 7.9, with durations of 6,8, 23 and 17 years, respectively. These durations of the anomalies fit approximately the precursor time-magnitude relation proposed by Scholz et al.
Since these change of seismicity rate were observed at the edges of and within the Assam gap, defined by the 1897 and 1950 great earthquakes, it is likely that a future major or great earthquake in this gap will be preceded by a seismicity anomaly. Whether or not a preparatory phase for an earthquake has begun in the Assam gap cannot be stated for certain because of the changing earthquake detection capability in the area and because of poor location accuracy. However, portions of the gap with dimensions of 100 to 200 km exhibit suspiciously low seismicity during the last 25 years.


Objective The test was to establish the deternination method of hesperidin in Renshenjianpi pill.Methods The HPLC was used to edterminate its content.Results For hesperidin,the linear range was 0.35~4.2μg,r=0.9995,the arerage recovery was 99.98% and RSD was 1.54%(n=5).Conclusion The method is simple,reliable,acurate and to suit for applying to quality control of the preparation.


The East Asian regional architecture has evolved rapidly for the past decade since the 1997 East Asian economic crisis, but forming any type of East Asian regional architecture was not fully successful. This article seeks to find the role of Korea regarding the East Asian regional architecture in the network society and raises three questions: Does East Asia need regional integration? What kind of regional integration should East Asia pursue? What can be the role of Korea? This article suggests the open regionalism as an answer and asserts that Korea as a middle power might take the role of a mediator and a vision provider. The whole and perfect integration of a region is not possible. Then pursuing openness and allowing the joining of new actors might be much profitable. Korea's strategic choice should be taking the role of a mediator and a vision provider emphasizing the power of openness and culture. Openness and culture are soft, but they can make the user punch beyond his/her weight.


Background: Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a key regulator of cell cycle progression and accurate spindle assembly, is an attractive target for cancer drug discovery. We have previously shown that volasertib (BI 6727), a potent and selective small-molecule inhibitor of Plk, induces a distinct mitotic arrest phenotype in prometaphase ("polo-arrest") with subsequent apoptosis in a variety of different cancer cell lines, irrespective of their mutational status. When used in vivo , volasertib administered intravenously shows potent anti-tumor activity in xenograft models of human epithelial cancers at well-tolerated doses. The present study was designed to extend the analysis of volasertib to additional preclinical models of human AML, including bone marrow samples from AML patients. Volasertib is the most advanced Plk inhibitor in clinical development and has demonstrated encouraging results in phase II clinical trials. It is currently being investigated in a phase III clinical trial in patients with previously untreated AML, who are ineligible for intensive remission induction therapy.

Methods: A panel of human AML cell lines was used to evaluate pharmacodynamic biomarker modulation and anti-tumor effects of volasertib in vitro using FACS analysis, Western blot analysis and proliferation assays. This in vitro analysis of established AML cell lines was extended to proliferation assays using bone marrow samples from AML patients. In vivo anti-tumor activity of volasertib was tested in subcutaneous xenograft models as well as in multiple disseminated xenograft models of AML. Single-agent efficacy of volasertib and combination therapies were evaluated with existing and emerging AML drugs, including an approved cytotoxic drug (cytarabine), hypomethylating agents (decitabine, azacitidine) and a signal transduction inhibitor targeting FLT3 (quizartinib).

Results: Volasertib potently inhibited proliferation of established AML cell lines in vitro with EC50 values of 16-169 nM. Proliferation assays with 15 ex vivo bone marrow samples from AML patients showed EC50 values of 8-8800 nM with a median EC50 of 37 nM. Volasertib showed potent anti-tumor activity at well tolerated doses in 3 subcutaneous xenograft models of AML (MV4-11, Molm-13 and a patient-derived AML model AML-6252). While single-agent volasertib at medium dose level (20 mg/kg q7d i.v. for 2 cycles) and single-agent cytarabine (100 mg/kg q3-4d i.p. for 2 cycles) showed moderate efficacy in the AML-6252 AML model, the combination showed improved efficacy. Moreover, efficacy of single-agent volasertib at high dose level (40 mg/kg q7d i.v. for 2 cycles) could be further improved by adding cytarabine to the treatment regime ([Figure 1][1]). A combination of volasertib with decitabine or azacitidine was tested in the MV4-11 subcutaneous AML xenograft model. Either combination therapy showed improved efficacy compared to the respective single-agent treatment groups. Volasertib showed also improved anti-tumor activity when tested in combination with the Flt-3 inhibitor quizartinib (5 or 10 mg/kg qd po for 2 cycles) in the MV4-11 AML model. While tumors in the quizartinib single agent treatment groups started to regrow around day 60 post treatment start, a combination with volasertib could control tumor growth long term until the study was terminated (day 87 post treatment start). Efficacy of volasertib was also tested in 3 disseminated xenograft models of AML (MV4-11, Molm-13 and THP-1). Efficacy read out in these disseminated models was based on tumor load measurements as detected by bioluminescence imaging and increased lifespan. Volasertib prolonged survival compared to vehicle treated animals in all three disseminated models of AML.

Conclusions: These results indicate that volasertib is highly efficacious as a single agent in preclinical models of AML and shows potential for improved efficacy and good tolerability in combination with existing and emerging AML drugs.

![Figure 1:][2]

Figure 1:
Efficacy of volasertib in combination with cytarabine in a patient-derived AML model (AML-6252)

Disclosures Rudolph: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV: Employment. Off Label Use: Volasertib is an investigational agent. Albrecht: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG: Employment. Geiselmann: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG: Employment. Impagnatiello: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG: Employment. Garin-Chesa: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV: Employment. Wernitznig: Boehringer-Ingelheim: Employment. Moll: Boehringer-Ingelheim: Employment. Kraut: Boehringer Ingelheim RCV: Employment.

 [1]: #F1
 [2]: pending:yes


Software techniques in data structure and special binary properties in computer words have been used for the development of a new computer program called SNAPEST for generating network functions in symbolic form. This new approach is found to save computer memory and time by considerable amounts, when compared to programs wellknown at present. Some examples are given at the end of this paper to illustrate the advantages and efficiency achieved by the program.


Purpose: To analyze practice of the actual use by judges of Russia of judicial precedent, as source of the right and introduction to a scientific turn of its more precise name as judicial and legal, or judicial and normative precedent. Methodology: Historical and legal and formally legal methods were used. Results: In article the right sources applied in the Romano-German legal family are allocated, legal positions of the modern lawyers-theorists concerning recognition, or refusaling of the actual application of judicial and legal (judicial and normative) precedent in jurisprudence of the Russian legal system are analyzed. Some resolutions of Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in which the unique position about obligation of implementation of resolutions of Plenums of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for uniform interpretation and application of rules of law is looked through are analyzed. It is offered to recognize (to fix) judicial and legal (judicial and normative) precedent as an official source of Russian law that will allow legally courts to refer to recommendations and interpretation of rules of law by the highest judicial authority and to provide their uniform application in jurisprudence over all country, irrespective of jurisdiction of courts. Novelty/originality/value: Article possesses the high scientific value as in it the term judicial and legal (judicial and normative) precedent is introduced into scientific circulation and it is offered to fix it in daily practice of courts of Russia an official source of the right.


Mobile IPv6 is an IP layer mobility protocol which allows mobile nodes to remain reachable while moving around in the Internet. In the current IETF Mobile IPv6 specifications (D. Johnson et al., 2004), when a mobile node roams, its location movement can be tracked by simply monitoring the IP addresses in IP packets. Recently, the issue of protecting location information in mobile IPv6 has received increasing attention, especially within the IETF and the 3GPP standard bodies. In this paper we propose a technique for hiding a mobile node's location movement information from eavesdroppers during route optimization and as well as from its correspondent node during reverse tunneling. The proposed technique is highly efficient and fully compatible with the base mobile IPv6 operation.


The main objective of the present article was to present a brief history of the subjectivity in Linguistics, mainly in the area of Speech Analysis. In this study we approached the varied concepts of subject adopted by different authors in history, from Enunciation Linguistics to Speech Analysis, through the dialogical conception of language as a space of interaction. A lot has been said about the subject, but no conclusion has been reached. Therefore, we do not intend to propose a defi native analysis either, but rather to suggest a refl ection on the idea of subjectivity as presented in each theory we researched, and the consequent language conception adopted by the theorists that endorse each one of them


Cardiomyopathy is associated with altered expression of genes encoding contractile proteins. Here we show that Trbp (Tarbp2), an RNA binding protein, is required for normal heart function. Cardiac-specific inactivation of Trbp ( Trbp cKO ) caused progressive cardiomyopathy and lethal heart failure. Trbp loss of function resulted in upregulation of Sox6 , repression of genes encoding normal cardiac slow-twitch myofiber proteins, and pathologically increased expression of skeletal fast-twitch myofiber genes. Remarkably, knockdown of Sox6 fully rescued the Trbp mutant phenotype, whereas Sox6 overexpression phenocopied the Trbp cKO phenotype. Trbp inactivation was mechanistically linked to Sox6 upregulation through altered processing of miR-208a, which is a direct inhibitor of Sox6 . Transgenic overexpression of miR-208a sufficiently repressed Sox6 ,


"And God said...let them have dominion" "In the name of all my coloured brethren and sisters" "In accordance with the custom" "The great principle" "White man's laws" "The making of the Aborigines".


Group A streptococci may cause a variety of infections, some of which are severe and may be lifethreatening. Patients affected by severe invasive group A streptococcal infection may develop a syndrome characterized by circulatory insufficiency with multiple organ failure, namely, streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (TSLS). Here, we report a case of streptococcal TSLS originating from the left neck. A 70-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of deep neck and mediastinal infection. Debridement of his left neck and drainage of anterior and posterior parts of the mediastinum were immediately performed. As Group A streptococci were detected from the effusion and blood, he was diagnosed as having streptococcal TSLS. Intensive systemic care involving long-term administration of penicillin G in addition to drainage of the infection helped him recover from TSLS. He underwent further debridement twice to control local infection. Early diagnosis of and surgical intervention for TSLS are mandatory. Subsequently, appropriate supportive treatment of vital organ dysfunction and administration of penicillin as the antibiotic of choice represent the cornerstones of the management of this syndrome.


We analyze the situation in which the decomposition of a time series into orthogonal balanced components as performed by the AR IMA-model-based (AMB) method is nonadmissible. We show that considering top-heavy models for the components can solve the problem. The top-heavy decomposition is derived and the improvement achieved is illustrated by an application to a class of models often encountered in practice. Two empirical applications allow us to draw a comparison with the results yielded by the AMB decomposition of an approximated model by using an ad hoc filter such as X11-ARIMA and by direct specification of the structural time series models.


Several solar analogs have been identified in the library of high resolution stellar spectra taken with the echelle spectrograph ELODIE. A purely differential method has been used, based on the $\chi^2$ comparison of a large number of G dwarf spectra to 8 spectra of the Sun, taken on the Moon and Ceres. HD 146233 keeps its status of closest ever solar twin (Porto de Mello & da Silva [CITE]). Some other spectroscopic analogs have never been studied before, while the two planet-host stars HD 095128 and HD 186427 are also part of the selection. The fundamental parameters found in the literature for these stars show a surprising dispersion, partly due to the uncertainties which affect them. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of photometric and spectroscopic methods to search for solar analogs and conclude that they have to be used jointly to find real solar twins.