The necessity and purposefulness of the investments related to water retention are justified mostly due to the preservation of the environment equilibrium as well as due to its farming, anti-flood, landscape and recreation aspects. Reasonable water manage ment where various forms of retention are used gives large chances for the mitigation of the effects of unfavorable phenomena related to its insufficient amount. The creation of plans regarding the formation of reservoirs accumulating water is not necessarily synonymous with their realization. The reason of problems connected with the implementation of plans regarding the formation of new reservoirs lies mainly in financial measures and in problems with obtaining them. Water deficit in Poland is the reason for which the principles of its national usage need to be complied with. Realization of plans at both Voivodeship and municipality level that are focused on small retention will contribute to considerable increase in the retention capacity and will enable considerable increase in available resources in hydrographic catchments of both the characterized area and the entire country. The paper presents the characteristics of the present state and assumes the perspective development of small water retention in the Podlaskie Voivodeship using the example of the Podlaskie Voivodeship.


The socioeconomic understanding of education in South Korean society is unique. The general belief is that becoming better educated is a way of rising in social status, and a superior education is recognized as being a fundamental requirement for acquiring a stable job and a high income. Typically, acquiring a high school education, the last step before entering university, is regarded by many as enabling graduates to advance to the pinnacle of society, a status that is highly desired by Koreans. In this manner, although high schools in South Korea are highly prized, and various types exist, the impacts of school types on housing prices have not been well studied. This study compares the influence of high school types on housing resale prices focusing on four school types—special purpose, autonomous, general, and specialized—in the city of Seoul. The result shows if the nearest school is specialized, housing resale prices drop by 21.2%, compared to a special purpose schools. Autonomous and general schools are also found to have a negative influence compared to special purpose, by about -8.9% and -10.3% respectively. These different preferences are influencing the price of housing, and that specialized high schools have relatively negative influences on housing prices. Therefore, instead of considering residents' opinions objecting to the location of certain types of high schools, policy measures are needed that can resolve conflicts by improving the image of these schools.


This study attempts to answer two research questions; namely (1) What are the determinants that influence user\' acceptance of using MyKad as an e-commerce tool? and (2) How do the determinants that influence the users\' acceptance of MyKad as an e-commerce tool fits into the modified Technology Acceptance Model (ATM)?


With recent development of computer technology, the use of large eddy simulation method to solve industrial problems is gaining acceptance. From a theoretical and applied perspective, a local dynamic k-equation subgrid-scale model is applied to study the flow over a marine propeller. This local dynamic SGS model of LES have already been used in simple flows such as classical Taylor-Green vortex flow to investigate its robustness and superior than other dynamic SGS models. In this paper it will be applied to a more complex flows, i.e., simulation of a marine propeller wake, to further evaluate its ability range. 42 intentionally selected numerical experiments were conducted. The results of this local dynamic model of LES shows some superior than the dynamic Smagorinsky model, and well captures the wake evolution mechanism of a propeller, although which actually depends on its geometry.


approved: ______________________________________________________ Chong Fang In this thesis, I present a new method we developed to study low frequency (< 700 cm) vibrational dynamics: Time-resolved third-harmonic generation (TRTHG) spectroscopy. Among a variety of vibrational spectroscopy techniques, TRTHG differentiates itself with robustness, versatility, and simplicity. In TRTHG experiment, that involves only two ultrashort laser pulses, the first pulse is used to impulsively generate coherent Raman vibrations, and potentially electronic coherence which interacts with the time-delayed second pulse and emits a background-free thirdharmonic signal in between the two incident pulses. It has been applied to study lowfrequency vibrations in various condensed matter, which are intrinsically related to important physical and chemical properties, such as thermal conductivity and mode anharmonicity. We first achieved and characterized third-harmonic generation on BK7 glass-air interface with weak incident laser pulses, and acquired Raman spectrum of the amorphous medium. By increasing the intensity of the pump laser pulse, we characterized in-situ laser-induced crystallization process in glass. We also revealed dynamics of low-frequency optical phonons in CaF2 and calcite using TRTHG. Finally, by incorporating a flowing liquid sample jet to TRTGH setup, we successfully studied low-frequency vibration dynamics on the sub-picosecond timescale in pure water and electrolyte in an aqueous solution (i.e., 4 M ZnCl2 in water) and corroborated using femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy. ©Copyright by Liang Wang May 27, 2015 All Rights Reserved Investigating Low-Frequency Vibrations in Condensed Matter Using Time-Resolved Third-Harmonic Generation Spectroscopy by Liang Wang


Depression is a leading cause of disability that affects approximately 280 million people across the globe. This systematic review intends to report the latest cohort and cross-sectional studies, randomized control trials, and meta-analysis published in the past decade that investigates the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and risk of depression or perceived well-being. The inclusion of both observational and experimental designs from recent studies has allowed this review to synthesize the results reached from different experimental designs. This review identifies MD as a promising subject for investigation in future studies, which is necessary to determine whether components of MD work at reducing symptoms of depression singularly or in aggregate.


Electro-Hydraulic Valve Actuation (EHVA) is one of the most promising ways to improve the performance and reduce the emissions of the diesel engines. The EHVA gives fully variable lift and event duration of the gas exchange valves and thus the combustion process can be better controlled in different operation points such as idle and partial load situation. Also totally new kind of gas exchange processes are possible to achieve. This paper consists of alternative solutions of EHVA systems, the comparison of them by means of simulation and measurements, the empirical tests of EHVA system in a laboratory and finally conclusion and future research activities. The developed EHVA system fulfills the requirements very well. The lift of the gas exchange valve is fast enough, and the seating velocity is under control. The system is able to run with open and closed loop control.


Apart from the passive fault-tolerant control strategies, any active fault-tolerant strategy requires a timely fault diagnosis signal to trigger the control reconfiguration under asymmetric condition. This article proposes a fault diagnosis method where the inherent relationship between fundamental and third harmonic stationary reference currents is established by declaring two new groups of current-based variables. Then two distinct fault characteristics of current performance in the transient conversion from healthy to faulty operation are derived. Based on the fault characteristics, a fast, robust and easy-implemented diagnosis algorithm is proposed based on currents in stationary reference frame to address the multiple open-switch fault diagnosis in five-phase permanent magnet machines. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, a series of experiments have been conducted and the results indicate the strong robustness even under load variation and the valid diagnosis to each type of faults are performed. Moreover, the proposed method possesses favorable generality and can be extended to other multiphase machines.


In recent years,the United States gradually improves standards-based teacher certification system.The 'National Association of Teacher Education Certification'(NCATE)amended the former standards,and integrated the standards formulated by 'Interstate New Teacher Support and Evaluation Association'(INTSAC) and the 'National Professional Teaching Standards Board'(NBPTS)to establish a new Trinity system of qualification authentication,accessing licenses and training certificates of the teachers licenses.Teacher certification system makes the transition from the concern about the academic theory to that of practical wisdom and professional enthusiasm.


We introduce an additional structure on ribbon graphs, arrow structure. We extend the Bollob\'as-Riordan polynomial to ribbon graph with this structure. The extended polynomial satisfies the contraction-deletion relations and naturally behaves with respect to the partial duality of ribbon graphs. We construct an arrow ribbon graph from a virtual link whose extended Bollob\'as-Riordan polynomial specializes to the arrow polynomial of the virtual link recently introduced by H.Dye and L.Kauffman. This result generalizes the classical Thistlethwaite theorem to the arrow polynomial of virtual links.


Abstract : The strengthening mechanisms in TD Nichrome was examined at temperatures between 70F and 2000F. A contribution to strength at all temperatures comes from solid solution hardening, dispersion hardening and dislocation substructure hardening. Grain size hardening is operative only below 800F; at higher temperatures a fine grain size results in a loss of strength. The contribution of dispersion hardening is almost constant up to 1000F and then drops sharply. Dislocation substructure strengthening becomes increasingly important as the testing temperature is increased and is the major strengthening factor at 2000F. (Author)


This paper explores the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on Malaysian exports to the major traditional markets of the European Union (EU), Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), spanning the period 2000-2013. The empirical findings reveal the presence of a dual effect of NTMs on Malaysian exports; The NTMs can facilitate trade or restrict it. From the Malaysian experience in the trade of broad categories of products, NTMs appear to have a beneficial impact on industrial exports but not on agricultural exports. Similarly, positive effects of NTMs are noted in Malaysia's trade with ASEAN and Japan but not with the EU. A possible reason why NTMs act as a catalyst for trade is that its high export concentration in both products and markets results in an "offensive" approach that ensures sustained market access in major importing countries. The findings of the paper are therefore relevant to the current national policy debate on market access in traditional markets and for policy considerations in negotiating comprehensive bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), specifically the ongoing Malaysia-EU FTA.


China bond market is divided into two parts: the exchange market and intra bank market.Different participants are restricted in different markets.The Casual Relationship model is applied to analyses the prices and the volumes of the same bond in two different markets.The results show that the prices and the volumes in different markets follow the casual relationship.


The education of young people, formal and informal, was one of the principal objectives in the recatholicism of the urban life. The article presents the educative patterns from the propositions of moral preservation and pious youth until the «Juventudes Catolicas» and the specialized movements. Moreover, it is an espe cial mention to the young associations promotes by the religious institutes, espe cially of the congregations of Mary; and the pattern of the confessional scout move ment is propose like one of the most significant methods.


Abstract. This study evaluates the utility of Munoz's Mood Screener for detection of major depressive episodes in a nonclinical Spanish population. The Mood Screener was administered by face-to-face interview to 554 subjects (65.9% women; age 18-34 years) who were recruited by stratified random sampling from a population of 27,587 university students. Thereafter, two expert clinicians who were blind to the Mood Screener results independently administered a clinical interview (SCID-CV) as an aid in evaluating the subjects for the same disorder. κ for agreement between the clinicians' consensus diagnosis and the Mood Screener was 0.758, and with the clinicians' diagnosis as reference the Mood Screener had a sensitivity of 0.969, a specificity of 0.967, positive and negative predictive values of 0.646 and 0.998, respectively, and positive and negative likelihood ratios of 29.75 and 0.032, respectively. These results support the interviewer-administered Mood Screener as a valid instrument for screening for ma...


Small UAVs face challenges when navigating complex terrain such as urban or jungle environments. Wind gusts and cluttered surroundings work against the lower speeds, small power sources and limited sensing capabilities of these air vehicles. Developing efficient algorithms for trajectory planning will result in optimized navigation methods to enable small UAVs to operate in complex spaces. Adaptive Motion Planning can produce an agile, small UAV able to traverse close urban or jungle environments.


Remote sensing technology is a timely and cost-efficient method for leaf area index (LAI) estimation, especially for less accessible areas such as mangrove forests. Confounded by the poor penetrability of optical images, most previous studies focused on estimating the LAI of the main canopy, ignoring the understory. This study investigated the capability of multispectral Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery, airborne hyperspectral imagery (HSI), and airborne LiDAR data for overstory (OLe) and understory (ULe) LAI estimation of a multi-layered mangrove stand in Mai Po, Hong Kong, China. LiDAR data were employed to stratify the overstory and understory. Vegetation indices (VIs) and LiDAR metrics were generated as predictors to build regression models against the OLe and ULe with multiple parametric and non-parametric methods. The OLe model fitting results were typically better than ULe because of the dominant contribution of the overstory to the remotely sensed signal. A single red-edge VI derived from HSI data delivered the lowest RMSE of 0.12 and the highest R2adj of 0.79 for OLe model fitting. The synergetic use of LiDAR metrics and S2 VIs performed best for ULe model fitting with RMSE = 0.33, R2adj = 0.84. OLe estimation benefited from the high spatial and spectral resolution HSI that was found less confounded by the understory. In addition to their penetration attributes, LiDAR data could separately describe the upper and lower canopy, which reduced the noise from other components, thereby improving the ULe estimation.


Owing to its colonial tag, Christianity shares an uneasy relationship with literary historiographies of nineteenth-century Bengal: Christianity continues to be treated as a foreign import capable of destabilizing the societal matrix. The upper-caste Christian neophytes, often products of the new western education system, took to Christianity to register socio-political dissent. However, given his/her socio-political location, the Christian convert faced a crisis of entitlement: as a convert they faced immediate ostracization from Hindu conservative society and even as a devout western modernized could not partake in the colonizer's version of selective Christian brotherhood. I argue that Christian convert literature imaginatively uses Hindu mythology as a master-narrative to partake in both these constituencies. This paper turns to the reception aesthetics of an oft forgotten play by Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the father of modern Bengali poetry, to explore the contentious relationship between Christianity and colonial modernity in nineteenth-century Bengal. In particular, Dutt's deft use of the semantic excess as a result of the overlapping linguistic constituencies of English and Bengali is examined. Further, the paper argues that Dutt consciously situates his text at the crossroads of different receptive constituencies to create what I call layered homogeneities.


Shop building collapse in housing Cendrawasih    Permai,  Sungai Pinang, Jalan A Yani, Samarinda Kal-team to the attention of all parties. The loss and the impact it had very detrimental to all parties, especially the workers and the project is and how much more casualties. The failure which   led    to the collapse of the construction of this building   is   concerned      suwatu   and     tarnished the city samarinda. Seventeen three-storey tenement buildings that collapsed suddenly, leavingdebris crushed material. As a result   of this incident the need for building  design should consider several criteria, including criteria   for the power construction, efficient time and cost, power, wind  load, seismic   calculations, and also other aspects. Multistory building plan in terms of structure requires  careful   consideration,    particularly building up structural work very useable and implemented standards in the world, especially in the field of civil engineering building. In the implementation of this final project  with   Design     Review to be conducted projected Sick Building Office in the city of Samarinda. Up     Design Review for comparison of the structure calculations so that the     calculations are reviewed planner and will look different because planners 3 floors and converted into 5 floors. Adaiah calculation method of building structures  with   SAP   2000 program, Manual calculation using the standard  Takabeya. Calculation   SNI 03-2847-2002 until this calculation


Selection of specific rock property parameters is the basis for quantitatively determining blastability of rock mass. Based upon comprehensive analyses of the parameters that may affect blastability,linear correlation analyses are made based on the data obtained from tests of static and dynamic properties,specific gravity,and integrity coefficients of 14 types of rock,and the results are discussed. It is found that static tensile strength and specific gravity of rock,together with the integrity coefficient of rock mass,are lightly,or not,correlated. It is proposed that these three parameters can be used to serve as the basic indexes for quantitative description of blastability of rock mass.


Both hairy cell leukemia(HCL) and splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes(SLVL) were the seldom lymphocytic malignancies which were difficult to distinguish in clinical manifestation and light microscopic examination.In this paper,we observed the ultrastructural characteristics of tumor cells in 14 cases of HCL and 2 cases of SLVL by using electron microscopy,and analysed the differences of ultrastructural features between them.The results indicate that electron microscopic observation was useful for the diagnosis of lymphocytic malignancies.


The transmission of one-hundred-femtosecond-long pulses by following an ON-OFF keying modulation spread in time has been proposed as a way to enable Terahertz (THz)-band (0.1–10 THz) communications over short distances. Such modulation minimizes the probability of collisions due to the very small time that the channel is occupied by a user. However, given that many of the envisioned applications involve very large node densities, multi-user interference becomes unavoidable. In this paper, a stochastic model of multi-user interference is developed and experimentally validated. The model takes into account the fact that the interference power at the receiver is not a combination of the received powers from the individual nodes, but the power of the combination of the received signal amplitudes. For this, first, a mathematical framework is developed to compute the probability density function (PDF) of the interference generated by one interfering node at the receiver, starting from the PDFs of the pulse received energy and the PDF of the pulse shape. Then, the model is extended to account for multiple nodes which can constructively or destructively interfere. The developed model is experimentally validated by means of an innovative setup and the extensive numerical results are provided to analyze the trends of multi-user interference in pulse-based THz communications.


Use of dronedarone or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for the preparation of a medicament for use in regulating the potassium level in the blood.


The semiclassical Coupled-Channels calculations for the medium systems Li+Ni, 6 He+ 64 Zn and 16 O+ 62 Ni are discussed. The total fusion reaction cross section , and the fusion barrier distribution Dfus for these systems has been calculated using a semiclassical approach based on the method of Alder and Winther for Coulomb excitation. The results obtained from our semiclassical calculations are compared with the available experimental data and with a full quantum Coupled-Channels calculations. The (X 2 ) for the case of no coupling and coupling effects included shows clearly that the present semiclassical calculations are more consistent with the experimental data than the full quantum mechanical calculations.


Policy makers, scholars and executives have been devoting an increasing amount of attention to preferential trading arrangements (PTAs). The advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the ongoing process of economic integration in Europe, the demise of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the possible formation of a Pacific bloc have led to lively and widespread debates concerning the causes and effects of preferential trading arrangements. Many of these debates center on the economic implications of commercial blocs, a topic on which a large and rich literature exists. But whereas it is also clear that international political factors guide the formation of PTAs and that these blocs are likely to influence the tenor of international politics, relatively little attention has been devoted to the political economy of PTAs. This article addresses a number of topics that are central to the international political economy of PTAs. Although many scholars have focused on explaining patterns of international trade, neither economists nor political scientists have sufficiently appreciated the extent to which commerce has been organized along political-military lines. The tendency for alliances to guide trade was especially obvious during the Cold War, but there is ample reason to expect that this tendency was neither idiosyncratic nor coincidental. In this article, I shall analyze the political influences on the formation of commercial blocs, with particular emphasis on whether political incentives exist for states to engage in freer trade with allies than with adversaries and whether alliances influence when discriminatory commercial unions form and how states choose commercial partners. In addition to the political influences on PTAs, I will also examine the implications of trade blocs for the conduct of economic statecraft. Economic sanctions continue to be especially important and widely used instruments of foreign policy, and during the last decade a number of seminal studies were conducted on this topic. Much of this research has centered on the conditions that facilitate the effectiveness of multilateral sanctions. Yet the proliferation of PTAs is likely to have important implications for both those states considering the use of sanctions and those at which sanctions are directed. Since little account has been taken of this issue, I present a preliminary overview of it in this article. Before turning to the substantive issues addressed in this article, it is important to understand what is meant here by PTAs. PTAs refer to arrangements whereby signatories impose lower barriers to each others' imports than to the imports of third parties; they are a class of trade arrangements that include regional trading blocs, free-trade areas, customs unions and common markets.(2) Since my purpose here is to advance a set of general propositions that apply to most discriminatory trading agreements, I focus primarily on PTAs rather than on any of these more specific commercial unions. It is also important to note at the outset that the analysis in this article is cast largely at the systemic (or international) level of analysis. My primary focus is therefore on the constraints imposed and the opportunities fostered by the global system rather than on domestic political and economic factors or psychological features of policy makers.(3) Although any comprehensive analysis of international trade should consider both systemic and domestic factors, a systemic focus is adopted in this article for a number of reasons. First, many of the issues taken up here center on systemic factors. Second, systemic theories emphasize the global context in which states act; and, as Robert Keohane argues, "Systemic theory is important because we must understand the context of action before we can understand the action itself."(4) POLITICAL-MILITARY ALLIANCES AND TRADE Central to the effects of alliances on trade are the security externalities to which commerce gives rise. …


Abstract Carbonaceous extraterrestrial matter is observed in a wide variety of astrophysical environments. Spectroscopic signatures reveal a large variety of chemical structure illustrating the rich carbon chemistry that occurs in space. In order to produce laboratory analogues of the carbonaceous cosmic dust, a new chemical reactor has been built in the Laboratoire de Photophysique Moléculaire. It is a low pressure flat burner providing flames of premixed hydrocarbon/oxygen gas mixtures, closely following the model system used by the combustion community. In such a device the flame is a one-dimensional chemical reactor offering a broad range of combustion conditions and sampling which allows production of many and various by-products. In the present work, we have studied the effect of ion irradiation (200-400 keV), at the Laboratorio di Astrofisica Sperimentale in Catania, on several samples, ranging from strongly aromatic to strongly aliphatic materials. Infrared and Raman spectra were monitored to follow the evolution of the films under study, and characterize the irradiation process-induced modifications.


Based on the original meaning of the word "wan",and considering the law of derivation,then the author points out that "wan" has eight items:1.hard firewood 2.(man)foolish 3.atrocity 4.(object)roughness:(1)(surface) roughness;(2)(edge) roundness 5.not morality 6.(1)(man)strong;(2)(limbs)ankylosis(3)(object)hardness 7.insistent;(praise)adamancy;(derogate)adamancy8.hard,dark,deep,etc.The conclusion may correct the items of "wan" in An Unabridged Chinese Dictionary.


Summary Twenty-two female patients with anorexia nervosa were assessed by means of objective personality testing. The EPI, Leyton Obsessional Inventory, Cattell's 16 PF and Raven's Matrices were used for this purpose. The personality profile that emerged was of a highly neurotic and introverted person with moderately severe obsessional features and average intelligence.


The trophic composition of macrobenthic communities in intertidal and subtidal soft-bottoms of the Ensenada de San Simón (north-western Spain) was found to be related to a number of environmental variables. Distribution and abundance of trophic groups have been studied, to provide essential baseline information for monitoring the area, after its designation as a Natura 2000 Special Conservation Zone. Analyses of trophic data showed a numerical predominance of the herbivores in the inner part of the inlet, while sites at the oceanic-influenced area were numerically dominated by surface-deposit feeders. These dominances were mainly due to Hydrobia ulvae in the intertidal area and to polychaetes at the subtidal one. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses showed that the sediment composition (organic matter and silt–clay contents) and temperature of the bottom water influenced the benthic macrofauna and were correlated with their trophic composition, abundance and distribution.


M-09-1080 Numerical Simulation of Pressure Management Strategies for Lithium-ion Pouch Cells Reza Behrou, Dept. Civil, Environmental & Architectural Eng., University of Colorado Boulder, firstname.lastname@example.com Kurt Maute, Dept. Aerospace Eng., University of Colorado Boulder, email@example.com Kandler Smith, Center for Transportation Technologies and Systems, NREL, email@example.com Multi-scale modeling of lithium-ion batteries We study the influence of internally/externally induced mechanical stresses on the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. We focus on the dependence of the ion transport in the separator on the stress state. Internally induced stresses are caused by intercalation of Li ions into active particles in the electrodes which leads to swelling of the particles and expansion of the electrodes. In addition, application of external pressure on the battery also results in stresses. Peabody and Arnold [1] observed that compressive external pressure and/or intercalation-induced expansion of electrodes lead to a significant decrease of the ionic conductivity in separator. Experimental results suggest a nonlinear relationship between ionic conductivity and internally/externally induced stresses. To gain further insight into this relationship and it consequences on the overall performance of the battery, we present a numerical model that accounts for multi-physics coupling phenomena across multiple scales and captures the dependency of the ionic conductivity on the stress state via a simple model. In order to characterize the effect of internal/external pressure on the ionic conductivity of separator, we build upon a 3D finite element model which considers the fully coupled electrochemical-thermalmechanical response of battery at both cell and particle levels. To accurately capture the mechanical response of the individual layers, we introduce a state-of-the-art solid shell finite element formulation into our finite element model. To account for the interaction between different phenomena at different computational scales we distinguish three different length scales in our multi-scale modeling: at the macro− scale, the electrochemical and mechanical performance of the entire battery are characterized through the Li+ ion concentration, cl , the electric potential in solid phase, φ1, the electric potential in liquid phase, φ2, and the macroscopic displacement, u; at the micro− scale, the performance of single active particle is investigated through the lithium concentration in the particle, cs, the microscopic displacement, u, and the hydrostatic stress field, σh; and at the meso− scale, the interaction between macroand microscales are related through homogenization methods. The micro-scale phenomena are captured at the macro-scale through introducing an effective porewall flux, jeff, and electrochemical eigenstrains, ech [2]. Each length scale is characterized by specific governing and constitutive equations and the relationship with other length scales. The macroand micro-scales governing equations are summarized in Tables. 1, where ε is the liquid volume fraction of the electrode or porosity, F is Faraday's constant, t0 + is lithium ion transference number, b is the body force, BV is Butler-Volmer equation, and js is the micro-scale porewall flux. For further details, we refer the readers to the work by Golmon et al. [2, 3, 4]. The above model is augmented to account for the dependence of the ionic conductivity in the separator on the stress state. Following the work by Peabody and Arnold [1], we describe the ionic conductivity as a function of the hydrostatic stress through the following model: κ∞(σh) = κ∞0e −βσh , 0.01 ≤ β ≤ 0.1 (1) where κ∞0 is the initial ionic conductivity and β is the decay rate.


Age related macular degeneration presents with various forms of central visual loss. In Neovascular macular degeneration visual loss can be...


HIV-1 viral load assays require accuracy and sensitivity at low RNA levels with the capability to detect all subtypes. Furthermore, the assay should be easy to perform and fast to be useful for routine diagnostics. In order to meet these demands we have combined isothermal NASBA amplification with molecular beacon probes for real-time detection and quantitation of HIV-1 RNA. Quantitation is based on co-amplification of the HIV-1 RNA in the clinical sample and a synthetic calibrator RNA which is amplified by the same primer set but detected with a differently labeled molecular beacon. The entire procedure is simple and analysis of 48 samples requires less than 1½ hours with minimal hands-on time. A fluorescent plate reader is used for real-time detection and isothermal amplification. The linearity and precision of the assay was determined with the VQC HIV-1 type B standard of the Central Laboratory of the Dutch Red Cross Blood Banks, The Netherlands. Sensitivity was shown to be 50 copies per ml (cps/ml). The average assay precision was 0,19 log10 over a range of 100-300,000 cps/ml tested at nine concentrations. The linearity of dilution series of 15 cultured HIV-1 gag clades A-H was shown. The specificity was 100% on non HIV-1 samples HIV-2, HTLV-1 and HTLV-2. The assay robustness in terms of valid results was 99%. In conclusion, the new real-time NASBA assay meets state-of-the-art HIV-1 viral load performance requirements combined with a high level of user convenience.


This work describes a novel application of a recently developed statistical partial least-squares regression technique for the problem of establishing relationships between experimental variables in crystallization trials and the experimental results. To validate this method published sets of factorially designed crystallization trials were analyzed and it was discovered that these derived models show very good predictivity. These mathematical constructs cannot explain the detailed mechanism of crystallization, but are a pragmatic and powerful tool which enables the crystal growers to set up crystallization trials not only in a rational manner but also with confidence. This is a useful and a general methodological approach particularly when crystallizing proteins of limited supply.


Background: The sewer cockroach is one of the important pests in the health sector due to the microorganisms they carry in their bodies, contaminate food, and mainly affect the respiratory tract. Most chemical insecticides applied to control this pest affect people's health and in addition to the fact that cockroaches have already become resistant to many of these products. An environmentally friendly alternative in pest control is the use of aromatic plants. The repellency of residual oregano hydrosols from three municipalities of Durango was evaluated in this research. The control groups drank drinking water, and the test groups oregano hydrosols. Insect survival was monitored daily for four weeks. Results: The survival results were successful for the hydrosols of similar chemical composition from Mezquital and Nombre de Dios. These hydrosols additionally produced an insecticidal effect. The analysis of variance of the bioassays showed significant differences for a confidence interval of 95%. The results of the Kaplan-Miers survival analysis showed that oregano hydrosols with higher thymol content were more effective. Conclusions: Oregano hydrosols (Lippia graveolens HBK) contain mainly thymol, are effective in controlling Periplaneta americana, and could reduce insecticide contamination.


Effective and efficient services will be difficult to attain in an organisation where disharmony and grievances thrive ‐ be it between staff and management, or among the staff themselves. The paper examines the role of a library staff welfare committee in the running of a Nigerian university library, and the social services offered to its members. Discusses the history, issues that plagued the scheme, the reactivation process, and the election of a democratic welfare committee. Concludes that the study has provided answers to some management problems in the library, while it points out that members prefer to be directed by their elected leaders. Suggests that a close working relationship is needed between library management and the welfare committee.


I. Selected Papers of György Martin, with its 824 pages, is a considerable volume to impress the reader at first sight. It has been published as the first piece of the series Foundations of Hungarian Ethnochoreology by the Research Centre for the Humanities Institute for Musicology and the Hungarian Heritage House. Four decades after the premature death of György Martin, Hungarian ethnochoreologists took a symbolic step forward: publishing this volume counts as paying tribute to the emblematic figure of Hungarian traditional dance research, as well as it helps them position their own professional identity in the light of the predecessor's oeuvre. Presenting a representative selection of György Martin's papers in English was the main motivation behind the birth of this volume. The selection contains some papers of Martin which were already published in his lifetime in English and some additional pieces which are the first translated versions of Hungarian texts. This compilation intends to ensure an overview of the oeuvre as a whole; therefore, texts earlier published both in Hungarian and English are an organic part of this volume. The work of selection and proofreading was done by members of the Hungarian Association for Ethnochoreology: János Fügedi, Vivien Szőnyi and Sándor Varga, who are affiliated with the Institute for Musicology Research Centre for the Humanities, the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Szeged and the Department for Folk Dances at the Hungarian Dance Academy. Colin Quigley has joined the editorial team from the University of Limerick. Considering the range of the selected papers that have been collected and translated some forty years after their author's death, the reviewer believes the main task is to highlight the purpose of this volume. The following question may arise: what intentions can one find behind this ambitious enterprise, except that a synthesis of György Martin's oeuvre in English was a debt Hungarian ethnocoreology had from long ago. Who was this volume published for, and who are the expected readers? Martin was a leading figure of Hungarian dance folkloristics and a predecessor of Hungarian ethnochoreology, using the term after the recent self-identification of the discipline. Since he published a wide range of studies in the international sphere and he was one of the most recognized Hungarian dance researchers beyond the national scientific community, the question seems appropriate: what is the point of publishing papers again, a large percentage of which already exist in English.


The concept of distance rationalizability of social choice rules has been explored in recent years by several authors. We deal here with several foundational questions, and unify, correct, and generalize previous work. For example, we study a new question involving uniqueness of representation in the distance rationalizability framework, and present a counterexample.
For rules satisfying various axiomatic properties such as anonymity, neutrality and homogeneity, the standard profile representation of input can be compressed substantially. We explain in detail using quotient constructions and symmetry groups how distance rationalizability is interpreted in this situation. This enables us to connect the theory of distance rationalizability with geometric concepts such as Earth Mover distance and optimal transportation. We expect this connection to prove fruitful in future work.
We improve on the best-known sufficient conditions for rules rationalized via votewise distances to satisfy anonymity, neutrality, homogeneity, consistency and continuity. This leads to a class of well-behaved rules which deserve closer scrutiny in future.


In the present days, Images are widely used everywhere. The Image retrieval are classified into content based image retrieval that is using image contents such as color, texture, shape and spatial information and context based image retrieval that is using annotated text. Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) is a well-known technique for effective image retrieval. The fused features are used to retrieve more similar images from the database. Color histogram is the widely used method to extract color features which is liberates translation, rotation and scaling of image and avoid spatial feature. The color co-occurrence matrix of HSV of a pixel extracts spatial feature. The Proposed CBIR system have a fused feature of weighted 3*3 block color histogram and color co-occurrence matrix. The images in the database are indexed with Feature vectors which are used to increase the speed of retrieval. The Feature Matching process is carried out using Euclidean distance of color histogram and color co-occurrence matrix. Further the images are classified which reduce the number of images in the search space and required number of images is to be retrieved. KeywordsBlock Color histogram, Color co-occurrence Matrix, Content Based Image Retrieval, Euclidean distance, HSV Color space


Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to investigate opposing versions of entrepreneurship and to introduce a metaphor to stimulate a dialogue about the diversity and complexity ...


Let $(K,d)$ be a connected compact metric space and $p\in (1, \infty)$. Under the assumption of \cite[Assumption 2.15]{Ki2} and the conductive $p$-homogeneity, we show that $\mathcal{W}^p(K)\subset C(K)$ holds if and only if $p>\operatorname{dim}_{AR}(K,d)$, where $\mathcal{W}^p(K)$ is Kigami's $(1,p)$-Sobolev space and $\operatorname{dim}_{AR}(K,d)$ is the Ahlfors regular dimension.


Course description Traditionally, computer graphics practitioners have modeled virtual objects to be rendered on a 2D computer screen, but the latest 3D layered manufacturing technologies can quickly and easily transform a 3D computer model into a physical 3D model. In this course, participants learn about commercial layered manufacturing systems and promising new technologies, including stereolithography (SLA), 3-D printing, fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering (SLS), and laminated object manufacturing (LOM). In all these processes, a triangulated boundary representation (b-rep) of the CAD model of the part is sliced into horizontal, 2.5-D layers of uniform thickness. Each cross sectional layer is successively deposited, hardened, fused, or cut, depending on the particular process, and attached to the layer beneath it. (For technologies such as SLA and FDM, a sacrificial support structure must also be built to support overhanging geometry.) The stacked layers form the final part. The speakers will present case studies from a variety of application areas, including scientific visualization, medical applications, consumer electronics design prototypes, mathematical models, and geometric sculptures. They will explain the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies in the context of part geometry, post-processing requirements, and the intended use of the part. They will share their personal experiences about the real costs and typical failure modes of different systems (what the vendors don't tell you). Speakers will also discuss the uses of layered manufacturing in education. Prerequisites Basic familiarity with 3D modeling or 3D CAD and some familiarity with 3D geometric modeling concepts and terminology. Introduction to 3D layered manufacturing Commercial 3D layered manufacturing processes • Photopolymers –Photolithography • Thermoplastic deposition –Extrusion • Powder based –3D Printing, mono-and color –Sintering Applications experiences: functional mechanical parts • Lamination Applications experiences: scientific visualization-molecular modeling-medical modeling-terrain surfaces-isovolumes Summary, Questions and Answers (including discussion of parts/application areas suggested by audience)


The northern race of the square-lipped rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum cottoni is disappearing in Africa and is now believed extinct in Uganda. Commonly called the white rhinoceros because of its wide (weit) square mouth, it differs from the black rhino in size, habits and disposition. The white rhino occurred naturally in three countries: the West Nile Province of Uganda, north-east Zaire, and the Bahr el Ghazal and Equatorian provinces of Sudan. The Nile limited its eastern spread, although fossils show that it existed in Tanzania some 400,000 years ago. Its extreme southern limit was the river Ora which enters the Nile opposite Wadelai, from where it extended northwards along the western bank of the Nile through to Shambe, and then north-west through the Bahr el Ghazal drainage to the borders of Chad, where in the 1890s it was abundant. Harper reported the collection of many rhino horns yearly in Abecher. At the beginning of this century Sidney described the species as numerous in the upper waters of the Bahr Azoum and the Bahr Aoule, plentiful in the Birao area, fairly numerous north of the Uele river in what is today in Zaire's Garamba National Park, and abundant in Okolo, Aringa and West Madi in Uganda.18Rhinos were so common in all these areas that in 1919 Theodore Roosevelt's headquarters for the Smithsonian African Expedition collecting rhino products was named Rhino Camp. Here in 1932 Captain Pitman encountered 30–40 groups of at least seven individuals each within a day's walk, and he could approach to within 7–8ft because they were unharried by hunters and poachers.


Ceramic polycrystals are prone to slow crack growth (SCG) which is stress and environmentally assisted, similarly to observations reported for silica glasses. The kinetics of fracture are known to be dependent on the load level, the temperature and the relative humidity. In addition, evidence is available on the influence of the microstructure on the SCG rate with an increase in the crack velocity with decreasing the grain size. Crack propagation takes place beyond a load threshold, which is grain size dependent. We present a cohesive zone model for the intergranular failure process. The methodology accounts for an intrinsic opening that governs the length of the cohesive zone and allows the investigation of grain size effects. A rate and temperature-dependent cohesive model is proposed (Romero de la Osa M, Estevez R et al 2009 J. Mech. Adv. Mater. Struct. 16 623–31) to mimic the reaction–rupture mechanism. The formulation is inspired by Michalske and Freiman's picture (Michalske and Freiman 1983 J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 66 284–8) together with a recent study by Zhu et al (2005 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53 1597–623) of the reaction–rupture mechanism. The present investigation extends a previous work (Romero de la Osa et al 2009 Int. J. Fracture 158 157–67) in which the problem is formulated. Here, we explore the influence of the microstructure in terms of grain size, their elastic properties and residual thermal stresses originating from the cooling from the sintering temperature down to ambient conditions. Their influence on SCG for static loadings is reported and the predictions compared with experimental trends. We show that the initial stress state is responsible for the grain size dependence reported experimentally for SCG. Furthermore, the account for the initial stresses enables the prediction of a load threshold below which no crack growth is observed: a crack arrest takes place when the crack path meets a region in compression.


ABSTRACT:The author relates the story of how, beginning with the word tiddly-winks, he became interested in "antedating" the earliest uses of words and phrases documented by the Oxford English Dictionary and then pursued this passion for forty years. His thousands of antedatings included improving the historical record of many important terms relating to sports and games, popular entertainment, American slang, politics, law, linguistics, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and other subjects. These discoveries have received extensive coverage by The New York Times and other media. Along the way, he pioneered in the use of searchable online historical text collections for linguistic investigations. Antedatings found by the author and others can shed considerable light on etymology, on history and culture through a lexical lens, and on other linguistic matters with a historical dimension. In addition, the author has extended the methods of historical lexicography to quotations and proverbs, compiling the Yale Book of Quotations and coediting the Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Our knowledge of the origins of famous quotations has been revolutionized by the online searching and other research employed by the YBQ and DMP.


By analyzing different situations in design and development and by interpreting the processes resulting from these situations, requirements and specifications of process models are derived based on the five aspects planning, controlling, documentation, analysis and synthesis of processes. Subsequently, the most common methods being used in process modeling today, are analyzed and evaluated by showing their suitability for general modeling of design processes. This includes in particular the requirements introduced by the different purposes and goals of process modeling. Consolidating both development processes and methods for process modeling, a methodology is be defined which consists of criteria for the selection and combination of suitable methods for modeling a given situation in product development. Finally, possible use cases and modifications of existing methods are illustrated using actual case studies.


The fallibility of intervening in complex realities is widely recognized in planning theory. The prevailing planning approaches of the last two decades may be summarized as attempts to make planning more responsive, corrective, and resilient, and also more sociocratic vis à vis the traditional government-centric rationalization of planning. These adaptations make sense, yet keep planning within the pragmatic scope of purposive aspirations and pragmatic problem solving. The pivotal statement of the article is that purposive systems run down in complex societies when not adequately sustained by institutionalizing sets of public norms. Public norms fulfil a different function than goal orientation. They provide a normative compass in times of uncertainty and set conditions to social interaction rather than organizing the performance of objectives or solving problems. The article aims to highlight the interrelationships of public norms and pragmatic strategies of planning. Empirically, the article addresses the major turning points of Dutch climate policy concerning the transitions of the electricity market, the major municipal–entrepreneurial initiatives of city-heating, and the decentralization of climate policies. The method of analysis is based on policy analysis of legislation, policy documents, and published contributions to public debates. The results of the analysis highlight the differences between the high policy aspirations and the outcomes. The results give evidence of the wicked problems in the complex energy transition. The discussion questions the mischievousness of 'good' planning intentions in complex social figurations, and critically examines the institutionalization of the material norms and the norms of politico-ordinance. The conclusions suggest that the social normalization of public norms in Dutch climate policies is not yet adequately materialized to effectively cope with wicked problems.


The invention relates to a system for realizing remote monitoring of integrity of a train and a method, and relates to an onboard device and a ground control center. The system comprises a train tail device and a locomotive device, a GPRS wireless communication module, a microprocessor, a GPS satellite positioning module, a safety monitoring module, a microprocessor, a GPS satellite positioning module, an alarm device, a communication controller and a ground database server. The train tail device is used for monitoring the working state and train tail position information of a train tail wind pressure detection device; the microprocessor is connected with a wireless communication device by an interface; the safety monitoring module comprises the wireless communication device; the communication controller is used for acquiring the data transmitted by the onboard device by GPRS and forwarding instructions sent by a console to the onboard device; and the ground database server stores the data received by the communication controller so as to supply data to user software of the console for use. The system can realize remote monitoring of integrity of the train, and also can utilize the GPS information to assist the integrity inspection of the train, thus achieving the purpose of guaranteeing driving safety.


.4ryabhata was spin-stabilised, the spin being imparted after injection into orbit by gas jets. No control on the spin axis orientation was attempted. A nutation damper was used to damp out initial coning motions introduced at the time of imparting spin. Solar aspect sensors and a triaxial magnetometer were used onboard for attitude reconstruction of the spin axis. A spin angle clock was used for sectoring the scan field of the equatorially-mounted x-ray experiment package. A set of temperature sensors placed at various locations of the satellite provided information on the thermal behaviour of the satellite. Details of the different sensors follow.


User calls of the malloc function in the linux system is an indirect process of brk function, which the realization in the kernel is sys_brk function. We discusses the details of the memory management and allocation in the 2.6.11 version of linux kernel, focusing on an analysis of sys_brk function, and provides the two main flow chart of do_munmap and do_brk. Sys_brk function can be used to allocate space, that is, push up the border at the bottom of the dynamic allocation area , but also can be used to release memory, that is, return the space. As Code is also generally divided into two parts, this paper analyses the calls of related functions and processes in detail.


Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of subarachnoid transplantation of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell in the treatment of cerebral infarction.Methods 60 inpatients with cerebral infarction in the neurology department of our hospital from January 2011 to July 2012 were selected and randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group,30 cases in each group.The control group received the conventional treatment and conducted the rehabilitation training as early as possible.On the basis of the control group treatment,the treatment group was given the treatment of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells subarachnoid transplantation once a week,with 2weeks as 1course of treatment.The neurological deficit degree(NIHSS score)and the function assessment of activities of daily living(Barthel Index,BI)were evaluated before transplantation,in 3,6months after transplantation in the two groups,at the same time the adverse reactions were observed in the treatment group.Results The NIHSS score and BI before treatment in both groups had no statistical difference compared with the control group(P0.05);the NIHSS scores in 3,6months after transplantation in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P0.01),but BI was significantly higher than that in the control group,the differences had statistical significance(P0.01).3cases in the treatment group appeared low fever after transplantation and 4cases had headache,all symptoms disappeared without treatment.Conclusion Autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells subarachnoid transplantation in the treatment of cerebral infarction is safe and feasible,can significantly improve the neurological functional damage after cerebral ischemia,which opens up a new approach for treating cerebral infarction.


Cough is one of the most distinguishable symptoms for Influenza-like-illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI). Considering the recent worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, many types of research are ongoing all around the world for the accurate detection of cough events. But background speech events make it difficult for the algorithms to detect cough events and the performance of the models drops significantly. At the same time, speech privacy is not preserved in the traditional cough detection models. In this paper, we are proposing a pipeline, named SS+CEDNet, to overcome these problems. The pipeline consists of a Source Separation (SS) and a Cough Event Detection (CED) model. The SS model at first separates the cough and speech sources. Finally, the separated cough source is passed through the CED model to detect cough events. The pipeline not only preserves speech privacy by separating the sources but also shows a better cough detection accuracy.


Consider a supply chain for the production of refinery products. The supply chain for the assumed refinery model starts with the oil delivery in the port. The next steps are pipeline dispatch, refinery scheduling, blend planning and, finally, shipping of finished products. The following basic ideas will be emphasized in this paper. Use of single production model describing the status of the supply chain for the past and the future. Derivation of planning models from the production model. Use of the data object »planned order« for the information transfer from the planning into the production model. -Inclusion of strategic decisions into the production model via planned recipes. - Separation of the supply chain steps by virtual or real tank farms. - Collection of data in such a way that they describe production order information. -Access to the complete production model by each planner Simulation of decisions on a copy ofa partial production model before entering decision information into the complete model. - Use of the data object production orders for the desciption Of the material flows between tank farms and their transformations. - Use of the data object »production orders for the information transfer to commercial systems (e.g. SAP).


The transformation towards renewable energy sources is a global phenomenon. While industrialized regions are transitioning from large fossil-fueled power plants towards increasingly decentralized renewable energy sources, so far unelectrified regions in resource-constrained communities are replacing kerosene lamps and candles by household-based stand-alone solar home systems (SHSs). The latter can form a bottom-up power grid when interconnected. Both scenarios may lead to prosumer-based microgrids. Each grid node is a prosumer, hence it can sell and buy energy to and from the other prosumers. In this paper, we derive a Petri net model for the interconnection of an arbitrary number of prosumers forming a prosumer-based microgrid. The proposed control strategy addresses fair and efficient energy sharing. These control objectives are formalized as a local and a global control problem, respectively. A systematic method to implement them via supervisory control in a least restrictive way is presented, thereby enforcing fair and efficient microgrid operation.


The theory foundation and the unsolved problems of multi-tube furnace technical innovation in the process of wooden activated carbon production were introduced.The diameter of activation tubes was decreased. Some advices to improve the(multi-tube) furnace were given.


Paris - If sunscreen products are to be labeled "broad spectrum," the role of UVA protection needs to be addressed and clearly specified, according to Detroit dermatologist Henry W. Lim, M.D.


Existing supply chain location-inventory models optimize over inventory policies and distribution center locations, but use a deterministic approach that does not take into consideration the uncertainty of demand. We present an extension to the deterministic multi-echelon joint location-inventory model that adds uncertainty by including a new variable that reflects the probability of different scenarios. We test the model using three different demand scenarios. To compare the results for the stochastic case with those of the deterministic case, the model is solved as a deterministic model under one scenario, and the cost of assuming a scenario other than the true scenario is calculated.


Background: Myofibroblasts have heightened expression of contractile genes and drive extracellular matrix formation during pulmonary fibrosis. Results: Enhanced fibronectin assembly by myofibroblasts requires smooth muscle α-actin expression. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a linkage between contractile gene expression and increased assembly of fibronectin fibrils by myofibroblasts. Significance: Targeting contractile gene expression in myofibroblasts may attenuate fibronectin matrix formation during fibrosis. Myofibroblasts have increased expression of contractile proteins and display augmented contractility. It is not known if the augmented contractile gene expression characterizing the myofibroblast phenotype impacts its intrinsic ability to assemble fibronectin (FN) and extracellular matrix. In this study we investigated whether myofibroblasts displayed increased rates of FN fibril assembly when compared with their undifferentiated counterparts. Freshly plated myofibroblasts assemble exogenous FN (488-FN) into a fibrillar matrix more rapidly than fibroblasts that have not undergone myofibroblast differentiation. The augmented rate of FN matrix formation by myofibroblasts was dependent on intact Rho/Rho kinase (ROCK) and myosin signals inasmuch as treatment with Y27632 or blebbistatin attenuated 488-FN assembly. Inhibiting contractile gene expression by pharmacologic disruption of the transcription factors megakaryoblastic leukemia-1 (MKL1)/serum response factor (SRF) during myofibroblast differentiation resulted in decreased contractile force generation and attenuated 488-FN incorporation although not FN expression. Furthermore, disruption of the MKL1/SRF target gene, smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA) via siRNA knockdown resulted in attenuation of 488-FN assembly. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a linkage between increased contractile gene expression, most importantly α-SMA, and the intrinsic capacity of myofibroblasts to assemble exogenous FN into fibrillar extracellular matrix.


Conventional wisdom view Total Quality Management (TQM) and Japanese Management System (JMS) as two-sided coin. Both complement each other. The relationship between Total Quality Management and Japanese Management System have been so close that some have the understanding that TQM could only be successful in Japanese culture. Current socio-economic situation of Japan has created new ways of perceiving Japan competitiveness. JMS, which stand on the idea of long-term employment, is now seen as not relevant in todays fast pace business world. When JMS is collapsing, TQM has lost its half; thus, being labeled as outdated management system. The heart of TQM, continuous improvement is being accused as the mental block hindering innovative thinking for the Japanese and thus affecting Japan's competitiveness. The authors disagree! The authors believe that the relationship of JMS and TQM is moving to a new era where there are much more to learn from the Japanese experience. Field of Research: Total Quality Management


The parental educational practices have been the subject of several studies and are considered as important predictors of children's development. The present study has as main objective to understand and analyze the influence of parental educational practices in emotional adjustment and coping strategies of children aged 6-10 years. The sample involved 30 male children, for which demographic information was collected through a questionnaire built for this purpose, information about the parental educational practices using the Egma Minnem Bestraffend Upposfostran (EMBU)-C and on the strategies of coping and emotional adjustment, evaluated through Coping strategies questionnaire and Emotional adjustment. The results obtained revealed that the parental educational practices exert influence on coping strategies and emotional adjustment of children. Therefore, we can conclude that the emotional support of the mother and the father favoring use of coping strategies focused on acceptance. Additionally, the emotional support of parents induces children to use coping strategies and emotional adjustment based on positive thinking/positive revaluation. On the other hand, the attempt to control the mother allows you to predict a major facet of catastrophie on the part of children, the parent control attempt induces children to use coping strategies and emotional adjustment associated with the emotional expression and emotional suppression/positive/positive thinking to be reevaluated. The emotional support of the parent encourages the use of coping strategies and emotional adjustment relating to scapegoating.


In the age of massive competition in every area of human activity, universities are not making any exceptions since they constantly have to deal with competitors aiming for the same potential students or the same funding options. Given this perspective, using marketing as means of innovative approach to the educational market and consumer needs is proving to be a viable solution for alleviating the competitors' burden. One of the main aims of marketing instruments usage in the higher education institutions is to build a strong university brand with a range of emotional and rational characteristics that define the institution. The educational field with its special features is offering a specific way of building and capitalizing a university brand: the university shop. Testing the impact of this instrument among students for the university brand was possible through a quantitative research based on an online survey. Main findings of this research refer to students' readiness to visit a university shop and even their interest in buying products displaying the university logo. Additionally, this research revealed that most frequently students identify themselves with university logo, the element that carries most of the university brand values.


Co-existed inherited and neogenic structures might have some complicated spatial-time developing features. Based on anal-yses of typical cases from the Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins in East China and epicontinental sea basins of the Yangtze,Tarim and Ordos Cratons,five situations were distinguished respectively,and some time-spatial developing laws were discussed. The development of neogenic structure was mainly controlled by the neighboring orogen evolution,as well as constrained by boundary conditions creat-ed by the basement or pre-existed structures. So the approaches for the study on co-existed inherited and neogenic structures should be to 'get to the root' and 'trace to the source'. The significances of neogenic structures for oil-gas exploration might be that it has controlled the development of (source-) accumulation beds,migration systems and structural traps. Based on what mentioned-above,the targets for oil-gas exploration in the eastern continental basins and in the marine strata in near future were analyzed respectively.


Using the variational method, Chenciner and Montgomery (2000 Ann. Math. 152 881–901) proved the existence of an eight-shaped orbit of the planar three-body problem with equal masses. Since then a number of solutions to the N-body problem have been discovered. In particular, Ferrario and Terracini (2004 Invent. Math. 155 305–62) proved the existence of symmetric periodic solutions under a quite general setting. In this paper we consider the 2n-body problem with a certain symmetry and use the results of Ferrario and Terracini to prove the existence of multiple solutions for each n. Some of the solutions we find were already obtained by Chen (2003 Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 170 247–76) and Ferrario and Terracini (2004), but their argument does not allow us to distinguish the solutions obtained in this paper. By reducing the problem to the quotient space of the configuration space under the action of the group of symmetries and by observing boundary conditions of the solutions in the quotient space, we are able to distinguish these solutions and conclude that they are indeed distinct solutions. As a by-product, we can also determine the sign of the angular momentum of masses.


This paper deals with a new scheme of a noise canceller based on a Double Recursive Least Squares (DRLS) algorithm. This scheme is compared with an LMS adaptive algorithm based scheme which is applied to two microphone speech enhancement. Our approach is based on the blind separation of sources in a mobile car in the case of a convolutive mixture of speech signal and noise.


Interaction between people is a necessary process for the coexistence in society. The understanding of this
process is fundamental as a basis to describe, explain and reproduce interactions that involve people, such as the interaction
with machines. Models found in the literature about Human-Human Interaction, lack of characteristics of this process in
people, influencing in the processes interaction, like the affective states and the unconscious. In order to obtain a model
based on the communication characteristics of human-to-human to build models of Human-Robot Interaction, this paper
reviews the literature on the most relevant models of human-to-human communication, and also studies the particular
aspects of human communication. From there, it is proposed a Human-Human Interaction Model (MIHH), based on 14
premises that were extracted of the literature and tested experimentally.


Traditional software reliability modeling is usually thought to require a "large" number of failures for accurate predictions. In this paper, five time-betweenfailure models (Geometric, Jelinski-Moranda, LittlewoodVerrall, Musa-Basic, and Musa-Okumoto) are used to model data from the DACS software reliability dataset and the Computer Aided Software Reliability Estimation (CASRE) program, to determine the minimum number of failures required for accurate modeling. The results of this study show that the Geometric and Musa-Okumoto models were consistently better than the other models for predicting failures when subsets of data were used for modeling. On average, the Geometric model accurately ( 10%) predicted up to 96 failures using 54 failures for modeling. The Littlewood-Verrall model performed the poorest and failed to accurately predict failures for three of the datasets. Further empirical studies are recommended to assess the validity of these findings.


This paper describes how a software tool supports tutors in assessing collaborative activities by students, who work on an E-Learning platform and in presence. The methodological approach, and the current experience, performed in two Italian high schools, is presented.


The high competition among manufacturing companies in relations to the food and beverages industry has triggered the industry to evolve into a smart manufacturing system. The present reviewed literature reveals the relationship between industrial revolution 4.0 technologies (IR tech), six-sigma (SS) and sustainable performance. Studies have shown that six sigma practices have significantly impacted organizational performance in manufacturing industry. However, the integrated effects of six-sigma practices and IR 4.0 technologies on sustainable performance are yet to be empirically investigated in the context of food and beverage industry in Malaysia. Therefore, this research intends to address the gap by having a preliminary conceptual approach to the joint effect of SS and IR 4.0 technologies on sustainable performance by reviewing, analyzing and synthesizing previous studies. The study aims to confirm the future direction of food and beverages industry that is recently employing new technologies to its manufacturing system. The consequent study shall be based on data collection from middle management employees who are working and familiar with the production phases of the industry. This study is pivoted from the theories of practice-based view and contingency posing as the underpinning theories. The study reaffirms the importance of operations management practices for any strategic implementation to be successful and how sustainable performance is enhanced through performance variations.


Regional integration has a far-reaching impact on urban safety. The massive aggregation and reorganization of the resource elements has changed the old urban structure. Local interest,regional flow and interest integration,external interference and the fuzzy boundary of urban safety influence and guide urban safety from multi levels. The integration has changed the stable structure of the regions and cities,and has promoted the displacement of the urban safety factors. The city's economic security,social security,cultural security,information security and ecological security become the main content of the urban safety management. Strengthening urban safety management needs to innovate urban safety outlook and the safety management model,solve deep-seated contradictions in the process of integration,construct appropriate regional safety mode,attach importance to the prevention and treatment of urban governance and construct safety valve and firewall of urban management.


Certain peculiarities of inelastic nonlinearity of unconsolidated near surface stressed granular media contributed at micro- scale are investigated to ascertain anomalous time dependent strength behaviour macro-effects, with geotechnical/geo-environmental implications. Comparative examination of ultrasonic P- and S-wave pulse stimulated repeatable displacement response wave-forms of confined dry and fully saturated ceramic grains analogue, endorsable by pertinent theory, hint certain persistive time and frequency restricted occurrences vouching vital insights. Examination aimed at both understanding "louder" response of "quieter" seismic and aseismic events in granular sediments, and imparting enhanced conceptual substantiation of some previously published results, show that subtle acoustic emission and/or stick-slip type micro events do occur, and, when spread over time and/or space are collectively capable of altering granular material macro strength behaviour. It is clearly deducible from resonant type spectral results that material fragmentation or force chain formation type phenomenon occurs possibly due to macro-scale friction mobilization by grain scale events. It is further speculated that invisible high frequency events may irreversibly alter grain scale surface properties and/or intergranular friction as enhanced elasticity type effect, more elusive with saturation. Temporal morphology of stick-slip type events when stimulated by P- and S-wave modes is posited to be non-identical in characteristic sense.


Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of BEP regimen in the treatment of high-risk gestational trophoblastic tumor. Method:40 cases of patients with high-risk gestational trophoblastic tumor were treated with bleomycin+etoposide+cisplatin(BEP)from February 2005 to September 2012.Result:The course of treatment was(6.1±0.2)chemotherapy cycle.36 cases of patients achieved complete remission,accounted for 90%.4 cases of patients had drug resistance,accounted for 10%.The average time of drug resistance occured in(4.7±0.1)chemotherapy cycle,and then treated with cyclophosphamide+ vincristine(CO)/etoposide+methotrexate+put red of actinomycin D(EMA).On basis of chemotherapy,1 case of patients was treated with operation,2 cases of patients were treated with radiotherapy,and 1 case died,3 cases of patients achieved complete remission. The main adverse reaction included hair loss,gastrointestinal discomfort and bone marrow suppression,secondary adverse reaction included liver function damage and peripheral neuritis,the differences were statistically significant( P 0.05).Conclusion:BEP regimen have good clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of high-risk gestational trophoblastic tumor,and has very important application value.


Heerema Marine Contractors operates large crane vessels, which are exploited for installation works in the offshore oil and gas industry. The benchmark power system of these crane vessels is diesel electric meaning that the main engines are driving alternators for generating electric power. But due to spiky power demand and strict redundancy requirement in dynamic positioning mode of the crane vessel diesel engines on board are exposed to dynamic and extremely low load, which implies very high fuel consumption. Therefore, in order to solve the problem, it is envisaged to investigate the feasibility of hybridization of the benchmark power system, which leads to the research objective of this work: "Is it technical and economical feasible and advantageous of considering current electric energy storage (EES) technology for improving and optimizing the Thialf on board power generation and distribution system?" The objective is achieved by making concept design and deriving design criteria for the hybrid power system of the subject vessel by analyzing actual on board measurements. A model of the hybrid power system consists of a battery module, converter module, diesel engine module and control strategy module is created to verify and improve the design, which is used to answer the technical feasibility. An economic analysis is made to quantify fuel saving benefits and capital investment of hybrid system, which is used to answer the economic feasibility. EES serves three functions on board in the hybrid system: 1) Spinning reserve, replacing one running diesel engine in each engine room and secure power supply during diesel engine failure, 2) Typical peak shaving, absorbing load dynamics (spikes and valleys) so that operation of diesel engine is smoothed in typical dynamic positioning mode, 3) Demanding peak shaving, absorbing load dynamics in the most demanding crane operations. Results favor Lithium–Titanate battery, flywheel energy storage and supercapacitors in terms of technical feasibility. However, considering dimension and cost analysis as well, Lithium–Titanate battery is selected as the first priority of the hybrid system. The application of designed 446 kWh Lithium–Titanate battery in each engine room resulted in the following energy savings for the operation of subject vessel: 1) Fuel savings by eliminating diesel engine spinning reserve requirement is about 15% per year, which means an estimated yearly 900 k$ fuel saving, 2) Reduction of running hours of diesel engines is about 14,000 hours yearly, which means a saving on maintenance of approx. 300 k$ per year, 3) Furthermore, a fuel and maintenance saving potential by steadier diesel engine operation is showed, but this could not be verified in the model. Therefore, in terms of economic analysis, a yearly benefit of about 1.2 million $ is achieved and considering capital investment is roughly 6 million $ which means the payback period is about 5 years for the hybrid system. This project revealed some interesting topics for further research. In terms of diesel engine modelling, a model focus on modelling diesel engine dynamic transient operation instead of steady-state performance is of interest. And modelling the diesel engine performance in extremely low loads e.g., 10%-25% is also of interest, although diesel engine is not designed and built to run on such low loads. Recommendations on using a better battery model are also included.


With the increasing and deepening application of high-voltage nanosecond solid-state pulse generators in biological, industrial, and environmental fields, the development of existing pulse generators faces many challenges, such as fixed pulse shapes, the usage of isolated driver power supplies, lower power density, and limited output electrical performance. Hence, a novel high-frequency multilevel nanosecond modular solid-state Marx modulator (SSMM) based on discrete magnetic coupling gate drivers is proposed. The gate voltage of the two MOSFETs can be rapidly synchronized at a high repetition frequency to achieve an amplitude-controlled gate voltage within 100 ns. The feasibility of the driver was verified by PSpice simulation and prototype testing. Moreover, a stackable SSMM module (S2M3) structure is proposed to solve the problem of common-mode interference conducted through the driver, which improves the reusability, scalability, and redundancy of modulators. The characteristic parameters of the developed 14-stage S2M3 are as follows: an output voltage amplitude of 5.45 kV with a 100 ns–50 ms width, a minimum rise time of approximately 18 ns, and a continuous repetition frequency of 100 kHz. S2M3 has the ability to change the pulse shape, and the pulse frequency can reach 2.8 MHz within the burst.


Abstract: An enteric-coated tablet of aminosalicylic acid, 1 purchased on the open market in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was shown to pass all USP specifications in the FDA laboratories. In a four-way crossover study in eight normal adult volunteers, single oral doses of either 1 g. of aminosalicylic acid or the equivalent of 1 g. of the acid were administered as the enteric-coated tablet 1 , a compressed tablet of aminosalicylic acid, a suspension of aminosalicylic acid in water, and a solution of the sodium aminosalicylate in water.


Objective To observe the expression and significance of human stanniocalcin-1(hSTC-1) mRNA in peripheral blood,bone marrow of primary breast cancer patients.Methods The expression levels of hSTC-1 mRNA in the peripheral blood of 51 breast cancer patients(group A),in the bone marrow of 8 breast cancer patients(group B),and breast cancer tissues of 30 cases(group C) were detected using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Results The expression rate of hSTC-1 mRNA was 93.3% in group C,37.3% in group A,and 37.5% in group B.Conclusion The expression of hSTC-1 mRNA in the peripheral blood and bone marrow indicates the micrometastasis of breast cancer.hSTC-1 may be a novel specific molecular marker for detecting occult breast cancer cells in the peripheral blood and bone marrow.


Silicon‐hydrogen bonding structures at a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H)/silicon nitride (SiN) interface have been investigated using Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection (FTIR‐ATR). Depositing a SiN overlayer markedly decreased the higher hydrides, which consist of SiHn (n=2,3) bonds, on the a‐Si:H surface. The low density of higher hydrides at the resulting SiN‐on‐a‐Si:H interface may be due to plasma‐enhanced extraction or a transfer of the growing surface. By contrast, at an a‐Si:H‐on‐SiN interface, the higher hydrides density is about 8.1×1014 cm−2. We believe this large amount of hydrogen at the a‐Si:H‐on‐SiN interface relaxes strained bonds at the interface. In both the SiN‐on‐a‐Si:H interface and the a‐Si:H‐on‐SiN interface, hydrogen is implanted in the underlayer during the deposition of the overlayer. Our results indicate the structure of underlayer near the interface is strongly affected by the deposition of the overlayer.


Human Papilloma virus (HPV)-associated Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC-HPV(+)), HPV-associated Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC-HPV(+)), and Hepatitis Virus B/C (HBV/HCV)-associated Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC-HBV(+)/LIHC-HCV(+)) present metabolic changes during viral transformation to adjust energy demands of transformed cells. Glutamine is used as an important energy and carbon source by cancer cells through its degradation (glutaminolysis). This latter is regulated by Glutaminases 1 and 2 (GLS1/GLS2) that convert glutamine in glutamate. GLS1/2 expression is altered both in HNSCC and LIHC but it is undetermined in CESC. We aimed to indagate if the expression of GLS1/GLS2 genes and/or status of infection by HPV, HBV, and HCV, are associated to the overall survival (OS) in CESC, HNSCC and LIHC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was mined and both gene expression and copy number variation (CNV) of GLS1/GLS2 was analyzed across the CESC, HNSCC and LIHC cohorts. Changes in gene expression were determined by analyzing the Log2FC and by applying statistical analysis (Welch's T-test or One-Way ANOVA). To learn if the genomic profile was associated with phenotype, gene status was correlated with demographic and clinical data such as age group, ethnicity, race, gender, BMI, viral subtype, histologic grade, clinical stage, and tobacco/alcohol consumption. We applyed chi-squared, one-way ANOVA, and Welch's T-tests for those assays. Kaplan Meier (K-M) plots were obtained to figure out the association of genomic and phenotypic data with OS. Our results showed that GLS1/GLS2 had no CNVs across the analyzed cohorts. However, GLS1 was upregulated in cancerous tissues both in HNSCC and LIHC (p<0.05, Log2FC>2) whereas GLS2 was downregulated in cancerous tissues in LIHC (p<0.05, Log2FC=-2). Likewise, GLS1 was upregulated both in HNSCC-HPV(-) and LIHC-HBV/HCV(+) compared with HNSCC-HPV(+) and LIHC-HBV/HCV(-), respectively (p<0.05). Also, GLS2 was over-expressed in CESC-HPV(+) and HNSCC-HPV(+) patients, compared with CESC-HPV(-) and HNSCC-HPV(-) patients, respectively (p<0.05). In the other hand, GLS2 was under-expressed in LIHC-HBV/HCV(+) compared with LIHC-HBV/HCV(-) patients (p<0.05, Log2FC = -2.5). Finally, K-M plots showed that GLS2 expression is associated with OS in CESC patients whereas the HPV subtypes and HBV/HCV infection were associated with OS in HNSCC and LIHC patients, respectively (p<0.05). We concluded that the expression of glutaminases is abnormal in patients with CESC, HNSCC, and LIHC and it depends on the status of viral infection. Since the GLS2 expression and viral infection affects the OS in the analyzed tumors, our research provides with potential prognostic markers of CESC, HNSCC and LIHC that should be validated in future studies.
 Citation Format: Livisu Pajares Rojas, Claudia Machicado Rivero. Glutaminases expression and viral infection as potential prognostic factors in cervical, head and neck and liver cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 883.


In terms of archaeological findings relating to Manichaeism in China, Western academic literature has focused primarily on the sites of Turfan and Dunhung in northwestern China. Those materials documented, however, only original Manichaeism introducedby foreignManichaeanpriests before thePersecution on Buddhism in 843. However, the popular version of Manichaeism in China was actually a sinicized Manichaeism, as argued by E. Chavannes and P. Pelliot.1 Sinicized Manichaeism gained popularity in the name of "Mingjiao"明教 for worshipping the Sun and the Moon in southeast China during the SongYuan periods (960–1368). The most famous existing site is the Cao'an Temple 草庵 in present-day Jinjiang county of Quanzhou (Fig. 21.1), which was built around the 5th year of Zhiyuan Era (1339). We know the sinicized image of Mani from the stone statue preserved in Cao'an (Fig. 21.2) and the sixteencharacter inscription "清淨光明 大力智慧 無上至真 摩尼光佛 (Purity, Light, Great Power, Wisdom, Supreme Perfect Truth, the Light Buddha of Mani)", can still be seen on a rock near the temple (Fig. 21.3).2 Scholars have regarded the Cao'an Temple as the last sinicized Manichaean remains since its discovery.


Introduction: The posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is a vessel of the Circle of Willis. Variations are observed in the first segments of the PCA and its branches, especially in the thalamoperforating arteries (TPAs) and in the artery of Percheron (AP). Anatomical presentation of these arteries is of relevant clinical importance for safer neurosurgical approaches. Objective: To identify the most frequent PCA and TPA patterns and the morphometry of P1 and P2 branches in Northeast Brazil. Methods: This is an observational study. Nine Circle of Willis from human brains were isolated. PCA morphology, TPAs classification and prevalence of AP were evaluated. The length and diameter of the P1 and P2 segments of the PCA were measured. Values of p 0.05). Conclusions: Adult pattern of PCA was the most frequent and trifurcation of PCA, a rare anomaly, was found in 22,2% of specimens. TPAs were mostly bilateral multiple type. No differences between sides in the length and diameter of the segments P1 and P2 were found. These data can contribute to safer approaches to neurological pathologies in this population in Northeast Brazil.


A rapid repair and seismic upgrade solution for reinforced concrete (rc) bridges designed according to Chinese code (JTG D60-2004 [1], JTG D62-2004 [2] and JTG/T B02-01-2008 [3]) but with insufficient transversal steel reinforcement, damaged by a strong earthquake, is proposed and tested. This solution is an upgrade of the one tested with very good results during a previous research (Lavorato et al. [4]) on bridge designed according to old Italian code ('86) [5] without proper seismic details. In particular some improvements are given for damaged rebar substitution. Cyclic tests are carried out on pier specimens (in scale 1:6) of the most stressed pier of the Chinese rc bridge at Fuzhou University lab (China) to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed repair technique. These specimens have been built simulating the substitution of the damaged portions of the rebars using rebar turned at the pier base to have a smaller diameter. The turned rebar ensures the concentration of the plasticity at the base of the pier. A C-FRP wrapping is applied to increase the insufficient shear strength and guarantee the necessary ductility in the plastic hinge sections. Different turned rebar configurations are considered to optimize the intervention. 1 Researc fellow, Dept. of architecture, University of Roma Tre Italy, Roma, Largo Giovanni Battista Marzi, 10. 2 Full Professor, Dept. of architecture, University of Roma Tre Italy, Roma, Largo Giovanni Battista Marzi, 10. 3 Professor, Dept. of architecture, University of Roma Tre Italy, Roma, Largo Giovanni Battista Marzi, 10. 4 Full Professor, College of Civil Engineering of Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China. 5 Phd Student, Dept. of architecture, University of Roma Tre Italy, Roma, Largo Giovanni Battista Marzi, 10. 6 Phd Student, College of Civil Engineering of Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China. Rapid repair solution for Chinese rc bridges to improve plastic dissipation, ductility and shear strength according capacity design criteria D. LAVORATO 1 ,C. NUTI 2 , S. SANTINI 3 , B. BRISEGHELLA 4


RFID technology has been widely utilized throughout supply chains across a wide spectrum of industries. However, its potential in recycling/remanufacturing has not received much attention in the literature. We consider RFID tags and their applications from a recycling/remanufacturing perspective and propose a novel framework to assist such process based on item-level information visibility and instantaneous tracking/tracing ability enabled by RFID tags. We illustrate the proposed framework for utilizing RFID to improve the remanufacturing diagnosis process as well as to improve the remanufacturing assembly process.


We report a search for the rate decays B{sup +}{yields}D{sup +}K{sup 0} and B{sup +}{yields}D{sup +}K{sup asterisk}{sup 0} in an event sample of approximately 465 million BB pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider at SLAC. We find no significant evidence for either mode and we set 90% probability upper limits on the branching fractions of {ss} (B{sup +}{yields}D{sup +}K{sup 0}) <2.9 X 10{sup -6} and {ss}(B{sup +} {yields} D{sup +}K{sup asterisk}{sup 0}) <3.0 X 10{sup -6} .


Attributions of omnipresence, most familiar within the philosophy of religion, typically take the omnipresence of an entity to either consist in that entity's occupation of certain regions or be dependent upon other of that entity's attributes, such as omnipotence or omniscience. This paper defends an alternative conception of omnipresence that is independent of other purported divine attributes and dispenses with occupation. The resulting view repurposes the metaphysics of necessitism and permanentism, taking omnipresent entities to be those entities that exist at all regions. This view is then shown to best accommodate attributions of omnipresence to a diverse range of metaphysical posits, like abstract entities, and a more diverse class of religious posits.


tute, Halifax, during the 17-year period from 1932 to 1948. 2. Sarcoma of the breast was five times more common in women than men in our series of twelve cases. 3. A very prominent clinical feature has been the rapid growth of the tumour, especially in its local recurrence. 4. Local removal of the sarcoma or simple mastectoiny has been followed in many cases by a local recurrence. 5. The axillary lymph nodes were known to be involved in only two instances, the malignant lymphoblastoma and the chondrosarcoma, but since examinatioon of the axillary nodes was done in only two other cases, it cannot be stated definitely that they were not involved in the remaining 8 cases. 6. It would seem that an early wide resection, including removal of the pectoral muscles, but not necessarily of the axillary lymph nodes, offers the best chance of cure in the majority of breast sarcomata, which are either fibrosarcomata or adenofibrosarcomata in type. 7. So few of the reported cases have had radiation therapy that valid conclusions cannot be drawn.


The present paper reports the investigation of optoelectronic properties of doped γ-Si3N4. The rare earth element Ce is used as a dopant. Two structures are picked out from the four ones with different doping methods by comparing their formation and binding energies. The effects of doping methods and concentrations are explored based on the favourable structures. Four cases with different concentrations are considered for each doping method. Their electronic and optical properties are calculated on the basis of hybrid density functional theory with Hubbard U correction. The Ce dopant with the proper doping method and concentration results in decreased band gaps, improved low-energy electron transition and enhanced absorption of solar energy. The mechanism for the doping effect is elucidated by analyzing the electronic structure.


Background
Fat grafting is a procedure commonly used in breast reconstruction nowadays. Nevertheless, its oncological safety remains controversial. The potential risk that progenitor cells included in fat graft tissue may contribute to disease progression in patients with breast cancer is still debatable. We have designed a matching-cohort study with 250 patients with history of breast cancer trying to elucidate an answer for this question.

Methods
We selected 250 patients with a history of breast cancer in our hospital, between 2011 and 2019. A total of 125 patients (cases) had a history of breast cancer reconstructed with fat grafting. The additional 125 patients are matched controls. We analyzed the distribution of eight different variables within the cases and their matched controls: date of first oncological surgery, age, type of oncological surgery, histological subtype, Her-2 status, pN, smoking habit and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of fat grafting over breast cancer recurrence.

Results
There are not statistically significant differences in breast cancer locoregional recurrences (P=0.183), distant metastases (P=0.200) or total recurrences (P=0.065) amongst the two groups (cancer cases and matched controls).

Conclusions
Our study adds more information over the oncological safety of fat grafting. These findings should encourage long-term prospective trials to provide surgeons with accurate information regarding the role of lipofilling on breast neoplasms.


ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of the shooting structure in terms of the execution manner of the shots delivered during FIBA EuroBasket 2015 according to the footwork (one- or two-count stop, etc.), handwork (one-hand overhead, layup, floater, etc.). Additionally, the second purpose of the study was the performance comparison of the eight best teams (Places 1–8) and the eight worst teams (Places 17–24) taking part in the event. The analysis covered 9024 shots in all matches (n = 110) played by the teams from places 1–8 (n = 70) and the teams that were eliminated first (n = 40). The study used categorised observation. The results were analysed with the ANOVA (post hoc Tukey's test) and a multiple ridge regression. The regression analysis and reference values for the manner of performing a shot in relation to the points scored during EuroBasket 2015 revealed that the number of successful two-point shots (F = 35.51, p = 0.001) was the most important predictor of the points scored by the eight best teams. On the other hand, the most important predictor for the points scored by the weakest group of teams was the number of successful three-point shots (F = 21.82, p = 0.001).