. A single-layer broadband endfire antenna with high-gain and stable beams based on the spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) is proposed in this paper. The amplitude and phase of the surface wave are controlled by asymmetric protrusions on both sides. The anti-symmetric structure is added to balance the upper and lower electric fields while adjusting the impedance matching at the same time. Eventually, endfire radiation is generated with a stable beam to the free space within 5.25–7.94 GHz to form a relative bandwidth of 40.8%. The maximum achieved gain is 11.7 dBi at 7.1 GHz. The experimental results are basically consistent with the simulations. The antenna with high-gain, broadband and a stable beam can be effectively used in wireless communication systems.


While results from trials evaluating the efficacy of paclitaxel are contradictory, preliminary data from a BCIRG trial evaluating docetaxel seem to suggest that this drug might be useful in the adjuvant treatment when combined with anthracyclines. Nevertheless, the lack of mature data and the debate on the adequacy of the control arm in the BCIRG trial, recommend to wait for the results of other ongoing trials before moving docetaxel in the adjuvant setting. Future perspectives New compounds, new treatment strategies including gene therapy, and the identification of molecular markers predicting specifically the activity of the most active drugs, could allow in a next future to make an important progress in the treatment of early breast cancer.


The notion of edge computing has gained much attraction in recent years as an enabling technology for smart city and internet of things applications. In this paper we report the system challenges and solutions encountered when designing and deploying the Macao Polytechnic Institute Smart City sensing system. A small fleet that serves as proof-of-concept for a country wide urban sensing system in Macao, S.A.R. We focus our attention on how a careful system design can ensure smooth operations and mitigate the natural tension between fleet owners and smart city operators. The first are keen to maximize the fleet operations and reduce the downtime, the later are interested in using the fleets to harvest high-quality and fine granularity sensor data. In designing the Macao Polytechnic Institute vehicular cloud we approached the design constraints and proposed system solutions to minimize the impact of the sensing platform on the fleet operations.


Short cycles in the Tanner graph of a given LDPC code has negative effect on the performance of iterative decoding. To improve the performance, we presented an approach for constructing Quasi-Cyclic Low-Density Parity-Check (QC-LDPC) codes whose associated Tanner graph has large girth and a small amount of short cycles. Each column block of the parity check matrix was designed by adding circulant permutation sub-matrices one after another, provided the current parity check matrix has minimal number of short cycles. The condition for the proposed QC-LDPC codes to have girth at least 6 was also analyzed. Regular and irregular QC-LDPC codes with various lengths and rates can be constructed. Simulations show that the proposed QC-LDPC codes have less short cycles and better performance than existing progressive edge growth based QC-LDPC codes.


The oxidation products of unsaturated hydrocarbon α-farnesene that accumulate in cuticular lipids of stored apple fruits and are involved in the development of superficial scald showed UV fluorescence. The fluorescence emission band was localised at about 330 nm; the fluorescence excitation spectrum resembles the absorption spectrum of the products, but was more resolved. The corresponding fluorescence was recorded from the surfaces of intact apple fruits. It appears that the fluorescence analysis of farnesene oxidation products is a useful, specific, and sensitive tool to follow their concentrations both in extracts and intact fruits.


In order to meet the power needs of NASA's Galileo Probe, the Li/SO2 high rate D cells used in the battery modules have undergone some design changes, as upgrading of hardware quality requirements, and significant testing. A description of the design changes and the cell test data that are of a general nature is presented here. This data includes capacities, open circuit voltages, and internal resistance comparisons. A significant data base was built up over the years and continues to grow.


Different approaches concerning the solution of question of reasonability to establish responsibility for misdemeanor in the currently existing legislation of Ukraine are analyzed, as well as main conceptual positions of material and procedural law norms studying misdemeanors. Positions of legislative proposal of Law of Ukraine № 4712 from April 16, 2014 are criticized. The main idea of this law project concerning establishing responsibility for misdemeanor in terms of Criminal Code of Ukraine seems doubtful. In connection with this, propositions about substitution of concept 'criminality of act' for 'criminal wrongfulness' seem unjustified, as well as about category of 'criminal wrongful act' implementation including such of its types as crime, misdemeanor etc. Such innovations will inevitably lead to considerable expanding of boundaries of criminalization, as according to the approach suggested, those acts nowadays considered as administrative delinquencies will be considered as crimes. Another conceptual regulations of law project involving main statutory regulations of currently existing criminal legislation of Ukraine are criticized as well.
A more appropriate solution concerning introduction of 'misdemeanor' category into Ukrainian legislation by way of legal enacting of separate normative act, The Misdemeanor Law (Code) of Ukraine, is suggested. Main conceptual regulations of this normative act are presented.


The classical theory of household portfolio allocation finds that the share of household wealth invested in risky assets is independent of the level of household wealth. However, this prediction is at odds with empirical observations. This Economic Brief presents findings that reconcile the two. A model in which a household's portfolio allocation reflects the preferences of both spouses, adjusted for the bargaining power of each spouse, predicts that the wealthier a household becomes, the greater the share of its wealth will be invested in risky assets.


Since antiquity, the red pigment mercury sulfide (α-HgS), called cinnabar in its natural form or vermilion red when synthetic, was very often used in frescoes and paintings, even if it was known to suffer occasionally from degradation. The paint hereby acquires a black or silver-grey aspect. The chemical characterization of these alteration products is rather challenging mainly because of the micrometric size and heterogeneity of the surface layers that develop and that are responsible for the color change. Methods such as electron microscopy, synchrotron-based microscopic X-ray fluorescence, microscopic X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, Raman microscopy and secondary ion microscopy have been previously employed to identify the (Hg- and S-) compounds present and to study their co-localization. Next to these, also microscopic X-ray diffraction (XRD) (either by making use of laboratory X-ray sources or when used at a synchrotron facility) allows the identification of the crystal phases that are present in degraded HgS paint layers. In this paper we employ these various forms of micro-XRD to analyze degraded red paint in different paintings and compare the results with other X-ray based methods. Whereas the elemental analyses of the degradation products revealed, next to mercury and sulfur, the presence of chlorine, X-ray diffraction allowed the identification, next to α-HgS, of the Hg and S-containing compound calomel (Hg2Cl2) but also of the Hg, S and Cl-containing minerals corderoite (α-Hg3S2Cl2) and kenhsuite (γ-Hg3S2Cl2). These observations are consistent with X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements performed at the S- and Cl-edges.


A new measure for network performance evaluation
called topology lifetime was introduced in [4, 5].
This measure is based on the notion of unexpected
traffic growth and can be used for comparison of topologies. We
discuss some advantages and disadvantages of the approach of
[4] and suggest some modifications to this approach. In
particular we discuss how to evaluate the influence of a subgraph
to the lifetime measure and introduce the notion of the order of a
path. This notion is useful if we consider a possible extension
to the set of working paths in order to support the traffic for
the time that is needed for installation of new
facilities.


Interval-censored failure time data as a general type of survival data often arises in medicine and other applied fields. Survival tree is a flexible predictive method for survival data because no specific assumptions are required.

Generalized Log-Rank Test have good power with parameters for interval-censored failure time data. We construct a special test statistic of Generalized Log-Rank Tests, and propose a new survival tree with hyper-parameter by combining the test statistic with Conditional Inference Framework for interval-censored failure time data. The effect of tuning hyper-parameter are discussed and hyper-parameter tuning allows the tree method to be more general and flexible. Thus the tree method either improve upon or remain competitive with existing tree method for interval-censored failure time data-ICtree, which is a special case of ours. An extensive simulation is executed to assess the predictive performance of our tree methods. Finally, the tree methods are applied to a tooth emergence data.


Abstract:This essay probes and problematizes purported distinctions between religious pseudepigraphy and literary deceit. When we attend to what ancient religious pseudepigraphs say about lying, we may be more inclined to recognize the intention to deceive. Apologies for ancient religious pseudepigraphs sometimes resemble defenses for alleged modern forgeries, raising the possibility that academics may not be sufficiently alert to the extent of dishonesty lurking in our source material. In this respect, grappling with ancient lies may also help us recognize modern ones. In any event, the current moment—marked by crises of forgery and falsehood—call for a greater awareness, and increased suspicion.


Biodiversity is often attributed to a dynamic equilibrium between immigration of species and competition-driven extinction. This equilibrium forms a common basis for studying ecosystem assembly from a static reservoir of migrants–the mainland. Yet, natural ecosystems often consist of many coupled communities (i.e. metacommunities) and migration occurs between these communities. The pool of migrants then depends on what is sustained in the ecosystem, which in turn depends on the dynamic migrant pool. This chicken-and-egg problem of survival and migration is poorly understood in communities of many competing species, except for the neutral case - the "unified neutral theory of biodiversity". Employing spatio-temporal simulations and mean-field analyses, we show that self-consistent migration puts rather tight constraints on the dynamic migration-extinction equilibrium. When the number of species is large, even weak competitions push species to the edge of their global extinction, such that the overall diversity is highly sensitive to perturbations in demographic parameters, including growth and dispersal rates. When migration is short-range, the resulting spatiotemporal abundance patterns follow broad scale-free distributions that correspond to a directed percolation phase transition. The qualitative agreement of our results for short-range and long-range migration suggests that this self-organization process is a general property of species-rich metacommunities. Our study shows that self-sustaining metacommunities are highly sensitive to environmental change and provides insights into how biodiversity can be rescued and maintained.


Abstract Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on society and raised attention to the challenges related to infectious diseases. While a lot of research was initiated during the pandemic, the recruitment of participants in most instances started at the time point of infection. In contrast, the German National Cohort (NAKO Gesundheitsstudie) has the ability to study pre-existing risk factors. In order to obtain information about SARS-CoV-2 infections and the following sequelae a dedicated data collection was conducted. Methods An online survey was conducted in the NAKO between September 2022 and February 2023. Invitation via e-mail was followed by two reminders sent to all NAKO study participants who provided e-mail addresses. The questionnaire was implemented in LimeSurvey and included the following topics: current health status including mental health measurements, restrictions of health services during the pandemic, other collateral effects of the pandemic, reported infections with SARS-CoV-2 and symptoms of acute infection, 4-12 weeks, 12 or more weeks, and one year after infection as well as vaccination status. Results Of 150766 invited NAKO participants, 110362 responded to the second COVID-19 questionnaire. Respondents in 60% reported at least one SARS-CoV-2 infection, 59453 reported one, 6061 two, and 414 three or more infections. The time points of infections followed the general incidence in the German population and thus infections could be mapped to specific variants based on periods of dominance. Of those who reported an infection with SARS-CoV-2, 42% reported symptoms 4 to 12 weeks after infection (ongoing COVID-19), 35% reported symptoms 12 or more weeks after infection (Post-COVID-19), and 37% one year after infection. Conclusions Combined with existing biosamples and measurements prior to infection, NAKO offers an excellent opportunity to study risk factors for infection and post-infection syndromes.


The Ar+ laser-enhanced chemical etching of a modified PbTiO3 ceramics is studied. It is shown that 10 mol/lKOH water solution is the best etchant for the ceramics, giving excellent appearances and edge definitions for hole and slot machining. The depth etch rate is as high as 150 µm/s for the hole machining in the first one second irradiation at 1 W output at 514.5 nm wavelength. It is postulated the main etching mechanism is not direct melting, dissolving or vaporizing of the ceramics but removing of the ceramic grains one after another.


Abstract : The goal of this report is to define a factory model and a set of experiments that can be used to compare alternative scheduling methods. The model was originally created to provide a comparative analysis of the OPIS and ISIS constraint directed scheduling systems and the COVERT dispatch rule. The model is a simplification of the model used originally to test ISIS. This report defines a Job Shop in terms of: (1) Parts, including physical characteristics; (2) Process plans composed of operations, precedence relations, and resource requirements; (3) Resource descriptions, including labor machine ratios; and (4) Constraints covering due dates, work in process, machine restrictions, etc. Twenty-two experiments are defined each containing orders composed of release dates, due dates, parts, quantity, and priority. Orders were statistically generated based on the parameters described in the latter sections.


Organizations and individuals may express their capacity for innovation through patents for new products and services. This study examines one region's recent history of innovation. How do Indiana's metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) compare with other MSAs when measuring patent productivity? Some Indiana MSAs reflect a capacity for innovation, whereas others show less patent activity. Some Indiana MSAs look better nationally when measured in terms of patents per 10,000 employees. Indiana MSAs demonstrate strengths in pharmaceuticals and medical systems, electrical and electronic components, automobiles, and computers. The diffusion of patent volumes among Indiana MSAs varies with distance from Indianapolis. When compared with three MSAs with strengths in the life sciences (Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Diego, and San Francisco), the Indianapolis MSA lags in annual patent production. Life science patents from these three MSAs grew substantially in the late 1990s, whereas the Indianapolis MSA's life science patent output dropped each year.


In this study, we used both culture-dependent physiological profiling and culture-independent DNA-based approaches to characterize the bacterial communities of tobacco rhizospheric soils affected by different pre-crops (soybean, maize and tobacco). Using Biology-Eco plates, we found that the bacterial metabolic activity in soybean-tobacco and maize-tobacco rotation soils were higher than in tobacco monocropping soil. Across all soil samples, bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria at the phylum level. However, the diversity and composition of the bacterial communities varied significantly between tobacco rotations and monocropping soil. The estimated bacterial diversity (Shannon diversity index) was higher in the maize-tobacco and soybean-tobacco soils than in tobacco monocropping soil. The populations of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were found in variable proportions, depending on the different pre-crops. The highest percentages of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were found in soybean-tobacco soil, whereas Acidobacteria occurred at higher percentages in tobacco monocropping soil. Collectively, crop rotation influenced soil biodiversity by change of composition and abundance of individual species, and soils under cereal-tobacco rations had higher bacterial activity and diversity than soils under tobacco monocropping.


This paper studies reduced complexity target detection using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) radar with lower complexity. To reduce either hardware or software complexity, some parts of the test statistic are eliminated in the proposed method. For the general case where clutter-plus-noise and reflection coefficients are correlated, the test statistic requires the computation of a set of matched filters (MF-s). These MFs correlate the clutter-plus-noise-free signal received at one receiver due to the signal transmitted from some transmit antenna with the signal received at another receiver. For a special case of uncorrelated clutter-pIus-noise and reflection coefficients and orthogonal waveforms, the proposed method is equivalent to choosing a subset of transmitters to maximize detection probability. In this case we prove that selecting the transmitters at each receiver corresponding to the largest signal-to-clutter-plus-noise ratio (SCNRs) leads to the best detection performance. In the more general case our algorithm picks the best of these MFs to implement under the constraint that the total number of these MFs that one can implement at each receiver is limited.


Nowadays there are two main approaches to simulating traveler's behavior: equation-based modeling (EBM) and agent-based modeling (ABM). In equation-based modeling, the most commonly used model is Logit model, which uses a utility function to aggregate and evaluate variables of system and entities. While in agent-based modeling, a set of production rules are developed to relate a traveler's characteristics to the choice he will make. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, which are determined by its assumptions and implementation methods. This paper compares these two models thoroughly from the perspective of theory and assumptions. Then the authors conducted a joint revealed/stated-preference paper-based and web-based travel behavior data survey in Beijing. Based on the survey data, the authors built an agent-based model and an equation-based model to catch the travel behavior switch under different conditions. Then the authors compared the prediction accuracy, data dependence and model stability between the two models. The results indicate that prediction accuracy of both models is on similar level. Though ABM depends more on data size, it is more stable under noisy data. According to the characteristics of the two models, a set of criteria of modeling selecting is developed between ABM and EBM under various circumstances.


Schools and districts across the United States have adopted response to intervention (RTI) as a means for both identifying and intervening with students at risk for low achievement. The validity of RTI rests largely upon teachers making appropriate instructional decisions based on students' responses to a given practice. This study was designed to explore how teachers' instructional practices relate to progress monitoring data in math in Grades 6 and 7. A total of eight teachers participated (five in Grade 6, three in Grade 7). They administered an easyCBM Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Math measure to their students monthly and provided information on their instructional practices for each student at least three times (fall, winter, and spring). Analyses included: (a) textual analyses of teachers' self-reported instructional practices, (b) multilevel growth analyses of students' math data, and (c) ordinal regression analyses of students' intercept and slope predicting the number of interventions the student received. Results indicate that self-report methods may not be sufficient to adequately address the relation between teacher practices and students' growth. Nonetheless, in Grade 6, a relation was found between students' average growth in math performance and the likelihood that they would be administered multiple interventions.


This article investigates one of the ways in which loss of the mother is used in contemporary French/Francophone women's writing to represent loss of connection to a critical part of the self. It takes as its focus the colonized/colonizing mothers in the Tiffany trilogy and one other novel, La Fille du Gobernator, by Paule Constant to raise the question of responsibility for the constructed self, in this case of the mothers who model themselves on idealized religious images. The term Matropole, as a variant of Metropole, links the inter(intra)-personal question of the mother's colonizing presence (as the absence of [self-]nurturance) to parallel international/postcolonial experience.


We devised a new lacrimal groove director, designed for the atraumatic and easy retrieval of the Crawford metal probe. This instrument alleviates many of the problems encountered with the use of the Crawford hook.


The oxidation of surrogate mixtures for gasoline fuel was studied numerically in perfectly stirred reactor(PSR) to develope the needed detailed reaction mechanism. The reaction mechanism was assembled with the mechanisms for the oxidation of iso-octane or kerosene. It was shown that the reaction model predicted reasonably well the concentration profiles of fuel and major species reported in the literature. As the addition of kerosene into iso-octane as fuel was increased, the concentrations of C₂H₂ and benzene became high. Especially benzene known as a carcinogen appeared at a very high concentration in the flue gases.


During a revolution of discovery in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, geologists reconstructed the immensely long history of the earth - and the relatively recent arrival of human life. Bursting the Limits of Time is a herculean effort by one of the world's foremost experts on the history of geology and paleontology to illuminate this scientific breakthrough that radically altered existing perceptions of a human's place in the universe as much as the theories of Copernicus and Darwin did. Rudwick examines here the ideas and practices of earth scientists throughout the Western world to show how the story of what we now call "deep time" was pieced together. He explores who was responsible for the discovery of the earth's history, refutes the concept of a rift between science and religion in dating the earth, and details how the study of the history of the earth helped define a new branch of science called geology. "Bursting the Limits of Time" is the first detailed account of this monumental phase in the history of science.


A total of 1048 pasture grass plants representing four species was sampled from five different sites in Tasmania and tested for infection with viruses known to infect them in other temperate regions of the world. The species were cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), phalaris (Phalaris aquafica) and timothy (Phleum pratense). The only viruses isolated from the plants sampled were two luteovirus types which were recovered by aphids and caused symptoms of barley yellow dwarf (BYD) in oat indicator plants. A total of 140 plants (13%) were infected. One plant was infected with a vector specific RPV type [transmitted only by oat aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi) and serologically like the New York type RPV isolate], 138 were infected with PAV types (vector non-specific and serologically like the New York type PAV isolate) and one plant apparently contained a mixed PAV/RPV infection. The PAV isolates varied considerably in the intensity of symptoms which they induced in oat indicator plants. Viruses were isolated only from tall fescue and perennial ryegrass plants in this survey. The initial recovery of BYD isolates with oat aphids and with blackberry-cereal aphids (Sitobion fragariae) from the pasture samples was often not a good indication of their serological specificities, particularly in young pastures. These data provide the first information on the vector specificities of viruses which cause BYD in Australia and on their serological identity.


Although catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has recently been shown to improve the cardiac function and even mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), few studies have examined the outcomes of AF catheter ablation in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

 To verify the impact of AF catheter ablation on the cardiac function and HF status in patients with HFpEF.

 We studied 306 patients with HF who had a history of an HF hospitalization and/or preprocedural serum BNP levels >100pg/ml (age, 68.9±8.2 years old; male, 66.3%; non-paroxysmal AF, 63.1%, left atrial diameter [LAD], 42.5±6.3 mm; left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], 60.6±12.0%) out of 596 consecutive patients who underwent pulmonary vein isolation-based catheter ablation of AF. The patients with an LVEF ≥50% were defined as having HFpEF (n=262; age, 69.0±8.2 years old; male, 64.5%; non-paroxysmal AF, 61.8%, LAD, 42.1±5.9 mm; left LVEF, 64.0±8.2%) and the remaining patients with an LVEF <50% were defined as having HFrEF (n=44, age, 67.9±8.7 years old; male, 77.0%; non-paroxysmal AF, 70.5%, LAD, 44.9±8.2 mm; LVEF, 40.1±10.2%). The patients received periodic follow-ups for 12 months after the catheter ablation. The cardiac function parameters including the echocardiographic findings and HF functional status of the patients were compared between baseline and 12 months, stratified by the HF subgroup.

 AF recurred in 60 patients with HFpEF (22.9%) and in 14 with HFrEF (31.8%) during the 12 month follow-up (p=0.27), however, sinus rhythm was maintained at 12 months in most of the patients (253 patients with HFpEF [96.6%] and 42 patients with HFrEF [95.5%]) (p=0.71). Figure 1 compares the changes in the cardiac function parameters and NYHA functional class from baseline to the 12-month follow-up stratified by the HF subgroup. Both the patients with HFpEF and HFrEF had significant improvements in the serum BNP levels, chest thorax ratio, and LVEF determined by echocardiography. LA reverse remodeling as shown by a significant reduction in the LAD was observed in both HF subgroups, however, the E/E', an index of the LV diastolic function, did not significantly change in either of the subgroups. Similar to the patients with HFrEF, an improvement in the NYHA functional class was seen in those with HFpEF.

 Catheter ablation of AF may benefit patients with HFpEF as well as those with HFrEF. Sinus rhythm maintenance achieved by AF catheter ablation in patients with HFpEF may lead to LA reverse remodeling and a better LV systolic function, thereby improving the NYHA functional class. It is unclear whether changes in the LV diastolic function may contribute to this favorable process.

 Type of funding source: None


AbstractBibliography II is being prepared by Institute members to delineate a body of literature for those wishing to apply microwave power to plasma generation. It is hoped that eventually all the major references in the field will be included. The first part has been compiled as a result of a project in cavity design for plasma chemistry, and therefore does not encompass the entire field. Members with additional references or other interests are invited to submit additions, for inclusion in Part II.Additional literature is available in microwave heating for fusion reactions and is referenced in a continuing bibliography in Plasma Physics, vols. 1–9. Several hundred references to microwave plasma diagnostics are given in ref. 111 of this bibliography. Bibliographies in refs. 46, 68, and 75 cover more general aspects of Plasma chemistry.


The species of Geranium show a wide range of flavonoid pattern, from one in which ail the regular (primitive) constituents are present to one where only quercetin and kaempferol are present. The primitive pattern predominates in the central Eurasian area, radiating eastward and westward from which the flavonoid constituents become progressivley impoverished. A "flavonoid score" providing a numerical estimate of this impoverishment is proposed. The results are presented and discussed in relation to Knuth's arrangement of the genus.


Objective:To evaluate significance of PCT for the early diagnosis and clinical value of septic shock.Methods:The blood samples of 38 cases with shock were drawn out for blood culture and PCT.Results:There was significant difference between two methods,P0.01.The method of PCT was more sensitive and specific than the other.Conclusion:The method of PCT is more sensitive for the diagnosis of pathogens and the treatment on patients with shock.


The purpose of this study which seeks answers to the question "What is critical reading?" is to research critical reading based on the data collected via document analysis – one of the qualitative methods. Content analysis is applied to the data collected to study the concept within the limits of the literature. In this context, in this study, some definitions of critical reading are given, the importance and the purposes of and the necessity for critical reading is mentioned and the differences between critical and non-critical reading are listed. Furthermore, the differences between critical and non-critical reading, the benefits of critical reading for the reader, the skills that a critical reader needs to have are mentioned. In this study, the strategies in order for critical reading to be carried out, and the barriers to critical reading are given and thus making a conceptual assessment on critical reading is targeted.


The ground- and excited-state proton transfer reactions of 3-methyl-6-hydroxy-m-phthalic acid (HmPA) have been studied in different protic and aprotic solvents at room temperature and 77 K both in the presence and absence of a base. In the ground state, intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded closed conformer has been found to be the only component in nonpolar and weakly polar aprotic solvents, whereas anion is detected in highly polar aprotic solvents. The excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) is evidenced by a large Stokes shifted emission in nonpolar and weakly polar solvents due to the formation of enol tautomer of HmPA. Solute–solvent interaction appears to play a major role in determining the nature of the absorbing and fluorescing species. At 77 K, HmPA shows phosphorescence both in the presence and absence of a base. The observed fluorescence decay rates are relatively slow in polar solvents compared to those in nonpolar and weakly polar solvents. Semiempirical calculations with limited co...


[Objective]Magnetic antibody immnuno assay(MAIA) is the combination of ELISA and the magnetic particle separation technology for determination.To measure serum T3、T4、FT3、FT4、TSH levels of 1 020 patients By using SEROZYME-Ⅲ. [Methods]Fasting venous blood was collected and separated serum.T3,T4,FT3,FT4,TSH tests were performed according to the instructions with application of MAIA method.The results were divided into 3 groups according to T3,T4,FT3,FT4 increasing,reducing and normal,and comparatively analyzed with the changes of TSH. [Results]In the elevated group,T3,T4,FT3.FT4 increased simultaneously,samples with significantly reduced TSH occupied 55.94%(184/329);samples with T3,FT3 normal,T4,FT4 increased,TSH decreased occupied 11.85%(39/329);samples with T3 FT3 elevated,T4,FT4 normal,TSH decreased accounted for 4.56%(15/392).In decreased group,samples with T3,T4,FT3,FT4 simultaneously decreased,TSH increased significantly accounted for 42.67%(32/75);samples with FT3 reduced,T4,FT4 normal,TSH increased significantly accounted for 10.67%(8/75).In the normal group,TSH reduced occupied 3.25%(20/616);TSH increased accounted for 11.04%(68/616 cases);TSH normal occupied 85.71%(528/616 patients). [Conclusion]The T3,FT3,T4,FT4,TSH testing based on MAIA method has clinical significance in diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism,and identification of other thyroid dysfunction.


H. pylori Csd4 (HP1075), together with other peptidoglycan hydrolases, plays an important role in determining the helical cell shape. Its crystal structure has been determined in three different forms.


Simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation is the best therapeutic option for patients with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, stage five chronic kidney disease and other secondary diabetic complications. However, when a pancreas transplant is contraindicated or unavailable, pancreatic islet transplantation is an alternative minimal invasive procedure. It allows for improved and easier glucose control, prevents progression of secondary diabetic complications and improves quality of life. We would like to present two patients who received an islet transplant after a kidney transplantation which led to improved glucose control, lower A1c, improved quality of life with stable and good kidney graft function.


By analyzing the mechanism of fracture of two neighbour piles and adopting the proper mechanical model to simulate two neighbour piles constructing,the critical time interval between two neighbor piles is calculated with the combination of the actual engineering experience,and the influencing factor is analyzed in order to shorten the time of constructing the pile foundaˉtion and accelerate the progress of the whole engineering.


BIO Tova Milo received her Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, in 1992. After graduating she worked at the INRIA research institute in Paris and at University of Toronto and returned to Israel in 1995, joining the School of Computer Science at Tel Aviv university, where she is now a full Professor. She is the head of the Database research group and holds the Chair of Information Management. She served as the Head of the Computer Science Department from 2011-2014. Her research focuses on advanced database applications such as data integration, XML and semi-structured information, Data-centered Business Processes and Crowd-sourcing, studying both theoretical and practical aspects. Tova served as the Program Chair of several international conferences, including PODS, VLDB, ICDT, XSym, and WebDB, and as a member of the VLDB Endowment and the ICDT executive board. She serves as the chair of the PODS Executive Committee and an editor of TODS and the Logical Methods in Computer Science Journal. Tova has received grants from the Israel Science Foundation, the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, the Israeli and French Ministry of Science and the European Union. She is an ACM Fellow, a member of Academia Europaea, and a recipient of the 2010 ACM PODS Alberto O. Mendelzon Test-of-Time Award and of the prestigious EU ERC Advanced Investigators grant.


The distributing status and the main engineering properties of expansive soil are briefly introduced.On the analysis of foundation default of expansive soil,a lime-improved experiment is carried through.The experiment results show that: the expansive and contractive properties of expansive soil can be largely reduced and can be used on highway.Finally,the construction technology of improved expansive soil is discussed.


This article is concerned with the numerical modelling and analysis of the mechanical behaviour of composite pipes used for offshore oil and gas applications. Specifically, the bending of the reinforced thermoplastic pipes during the reeling process of reel-lay installation is modelled using non-linear finite-element procedures. In particular, the possible buckling of the reeled composite pipes has been investigated. Composite pipes reinforced with one angle-ply and two angle-ply layers are considered and the effects of different diameter-to-thickness ratios and different angle-ply combinations on the mechanical behaviour of these pipes have been studied.


Source control consists of strategies and programs to prevent the discharge of harmful substances, typically at the point or source of waste generation, into wastewater collection systems. Source control is not a new topic as some form of source control has been practiced well before it was mandated in the CleanWater Act (CWA) in 1972. Pretreatment programs for industrial discharges are mandated under sections 212 and 502(4) of the CWA for most, but not all, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) that discharge to waters of the U.S. (e.g., surface waters). The principal objectives of the national pretreatment program are to prevent the introduction of pollutants into a POTW that:


Motor vehicle deaths totaled 2,960, a decrease of 3 percent from the February 1987 total of 3,050. This article presents tabulations of traffic deaths from state records statistics. Deaths for the first 2 months showed a decrease of less than 0.5% from 1987 2-month total of 6,330. Deaths for the 12-month period ending February totaled 48,780. Statistics for disabling injuries, cost of motor vehicle accidents, and mileage death rate are briefly discussed.


Massive and massless Gaussian free fields can be described as generalized Gaussian processes indexed by an appropriate space of functions. In this article we study various approaches to approximate these fields and look at the fractal properties of the thick points of their cut-offs. Under some sufficient conditions for a centered Gaussian process with logarithmic variance we study the set of thick points and derive their Hausdorff dimension. We prove that various cut-offs for Gaussian free fields satisfy these assumptions. We also give sufficient conditions for comparing thick points of different cut-offs.


Pruritus is a common comorbidity in chronic liver disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the prevalence of pruritus and its characteristics in patients with chronic liver disease.


The utility model relates to a shock absorption device for a permanent magnetic wind power generator. The shock absorption device for the permanent magnetic wind power generator comprises a disk which is arranged in a motor stator shell and is used for limiting the longitudinal movement of a rotor; and a shock absorption structure capable of absorbing shock and protecting parts of the permanent magnetic wind power generator is arranged between an end cover of the shell and the disk. The utility model aims to overcome the defects in the prior art and provide a shock absorption device for a permanent magnetic wind power generator, which is simple in structure and remarkable in damping effect.


[Objective]To observe the curative effects of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in wound healing of anal fistula resection.[Methods]109 cases of anal fistula resection were collected from April 2006 to December 2009, 68 cases of the treatment group were treated with rhEGF locally, and 41 cases of the control group were treated by conventional dressing change method. The healing time of the wound and the pain degree of patients were observed.[Results]The healing time of the treatment group was (17.00±1.54) days, local pain was weaker, and the healing rate after three weeks was 97.1%. The healing time of the control group was (20.00±1.16) days, patients felt pain when changing dressing, and the healing rate after three weeks was 87.8%. There were significant difference in healing time and healing rate after three weeks between two groups(P0.01). The difference in the pain index of 4 and 7 days after operation between two groups were significant (P0.01). No adverse reactions were found in two groups.[Conclusion]Local application of rhEGF can accelerate the wound healing, and reduce the pain of patients.


Current materials used for in vitro 3D cell culture are often limited by their poor similarity to human tissue, batch-to-batch variability and complexity of composition and manufacture. Here, we present a "blank slate" culture environment based on a self-assembling peptide gel free from matrix motifs. The gel can be customised by incorporating matrix components selected to match the target tissue, with independent control of mechanical properties. Therefore the matrix components are restricted to those specifically added, or those synthesised by encapsulated cells. The flexible 3D culture platform provides full control over biochemical and physical properties, allowing the impact of biochemical composition and tissue mechanics to be separately evaluated in vitro. Here, we demonstrate that the peptide gels support the growth of a range of cells including human induced pluripotent stem cells and human cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we present proof-of-concept the peptide gels can be used to build


Empirical indicators of characteristic of formation and development processes of political analytics in Ukraine are offered on the basis of comparative analysis of "institutionalizing" and "institutionalization" concepts' contents made by the author, both with operationalization of "institutionalization" concept realized during research.


The aim the present research is to develop a new approach for the localisation of faults in wiring networks based on adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and time domain reflectometry (TDR). In this approach a forward model has been developed and validated with measurements in order to generate a TDR response of any wiring network then the inverse problem is solved using ANFIS. The developed approach has been tested using a complex configuration that is YY-shaped network. The results show the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach.


It appears that a genuine EU foreign policy is now finally emerging, but is it taking off in a direction
different from the one originally envisaged? European Commission President Juncker completed
an impressive schedule of international meetings in July, culminating in the unexpected agreement
reached with President Trump on July 26th. These accomplishments have far-reaching implications for
the European Union and its institutions, including the 'last chance Commission', the Spitzenkandidaten
process and the functioning of EU trade policy and the European External Action Service (EEAS). They
also raise the question of the single president, which Juncker mentioned prominently in his 2017 State
of the Union speech.


Energy efficiency in ships is a practice that purposes to reduce CO2 gas emissions and reduce worldwide environmental pollution by using less fossil oils, less greenhouse gas releases. This practice requires technical measures to be taken on new ships and new systems (machines, propellers, etc.) in order to make new ships more energy efficient. In this study, one of the newly built passenger ship that used in transportation in the Istanbul Strait was analyzed in terms of energy efficiency performance, the energy efficiency design index (EEDI) was calculated and the applicable measures to reduce CO2 exhaust gas emissions were presented. In the calculations, it was investigated whether the ship meets the energy efficiency criteria as planned. As a result of the analysis, it was seen that the ship is an energy efficient ship and complies with IMO standards. Measures were specified to increase the ship's energy efficiency.


The electrochemical synthesis of transition-metal acetylacetonates described here can form the basis of assisting in the transformation of an entry-level laboratory course into a research-like environment where all members of a class are working on the same problem, but where each member has a personal responsibility for the synthesis and characterization of a specific compound. General student-oriented protocols are described, and typical student results are presented.


Objective: To investigate the expression and significance of RECK gene and Metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) in the primary pleomorphic adenoma(PA),recurrent PA and malignant PA.Methods: Forty seven samples including 32 primary PA,6 recurrent PA,9 malignant PA and 11 normal parotid glands as control were examined immunohistochemically.Among the 47 PA samples,there were 27 samples originated from parotid gland,13 from submandibular gland and 5 from minor salivary gland.RECK gene and MMP-9 were detected immunohistochemically and semi-quantitively in these samples.Results: The expression of MMP-9 gradually increased in the normal parotid gland,primary PA,recurrent PA and malignant PA.The expression of MMP-9 in the normal parotid gland was less than that in recurrent PA and malignant PA respectively.And the expression of MMP-9 in the primary PA was less than that in malignant PA.The expression of RECK decreased gradually in normal parotid gland,primary PA,recurrent PA and malignant PA.The expression of RECK in the normal parotid gland was more than that in primary PA,in recurrent PA and in malignant PA respectively.Conclusion: The RECK gene might be negative correlated with MMP-9 in the primary PA and malignant PA.


The thermal‐oxidation kinetics of silicon are examined in detail. Based on a simple model of oxidation which takes into account the reactions occurring at the two boundaries of the oxide layer as well as the diffusion process, the general relationship x02+Ax0=B(t+τ) is derived. This relationship is shown to be in excellent agreement with oxidation data obtained over a wide range of temperature (700°–1300°C), partial pressure (0.1–1.0 atm) and oxide thickness (300–20 000 A) for both oxygen and water oxidants. The parameters A, B, and τ are shown to be related to the physico‐chemical constants of the oxidation reaction in the predicted manner. Such detailed analysis also leads to further information regarding the nature of the transported species as well as space‐charge effects on the initial phase of oxidation.


On May 5, 1994, after producing 9.5 million metric tons of iron, Dofasco`s No. 4 Blast Furnace experienced a hearth breakout 250 millimeters below the west taphole. The hot metal spill caused a fire resulting in severe damage and 33 days of lost production. During a 26-day period, electrical wiring, water drainage systems and both tapholes were repaired. Recovery from an unprepared furnace stop of this length, with the deadman depleted is difficult. To aid with the rescue Hoogovens-designed oxygen/fuel lances were commissioned. The furnace recovery began with a lance in each taphole and all tuyeres plugged. Six days after startup the furnace was casting into torpedo cars, and after nine days operation had returned to normal. This incident prompted Dofasco to expand the hearth monitoring system to detect and prevent similar occurrences. During the repair, 203 new thermocouples were installed in the hearth, concentrating on the tapholes and elephant foot areas. These thermocouples were installed at various depths and locations to allow heat flux calculations. This hearth monitoring system has already identified other problem areas and provided valuable information about hearth drainage patterns. This information has allowed them to develop control strategies to manage localized problem areas.


A transmission line comprising a multi-layer dielectric slab structure including: a dielectric substrate layer (30) having a thickness ds and permittivity epsilon s; a conductive ground plane (31) on the bottom surface of the dielectric substrate layer (30); a dielectric guiding layer (32) having a thickness h and permittivity epsilon g, where epsilon g> epsilon s, attached to the top surface of dielectric substrate layer (30); at least one elongated and relatively narrow dielectric loading strip layer (33) having a width W, thickness d1, and permittivity epsilon 1, where epsilon g> epsilon l, attached to the top surface of the dielectric guiding layer (32); and a conductive coating (34) on the top surface of the dielectric loading strip layer (32). Such a structure permits single mode propagation over a relatively wide frequency band. Radiation losses due to coupling of the desired mode to the substrate modes and the conductors are furthermore reduced and the polarization of the dominant mode is such as to render said structure relatively insensitive to small deviations from parallelism among the different interfaces. This invention concerns itself with a microslab structure comprised of optically controlled switches and phase shifters.


A method and an apparatus for intra-predicting an image are provided to reduce complexity and a computational load in intra-prediction by performing intra-prediction only for predetermined intra-prediction modes determined according to characteristic of an input block. An input block is transformed to a frequency domain(810). Directivity of pixels included in the input block is judged using coefficients of the input block transformed to the frequency domain(820). An intra-prediction mode candidate is selected from predetermined intra-prediction modes based on the directivity of the pixels(830). Intra-prediction is carried out on the input block according to the selected intra-prediction mode candidate(840).


and perfection of the Roman Church is frankly and insistently maintained. How then does The Christian Dilemma expect to promote reunion between Rome and the World Council? Not by suggesting for a moment that Rome might be willing to discuss her differences or admit even the possibility of r ece iv ing a n y t h i n g from o t h e r churches (any truth, that is) ; rather, and this is an old story, the Roman Catholic Church is eager to have her erring children return to the fold. Therefore, any striving of the Protestant Churches for the reunion of the church is most cordially welcomed by Rome for it means, in her language, a longing for home. Rome, sweet Rome. Our objections to this amiably arrogant thesis we need not state here. One criticism which we do mention applies specifically to this well-intentioned work. In the effort to clarify doctrinal misunderstandings, the author is not always accurate in his expositions of Reformation theology; and, of course, he blandly assumes that the Reformation churches began at the Reformation and that the Roman Catholic Church of today is a true continuation of the apostolic church.


This paper explores the impact of the frame in which people interpret global warming. In 1999, 637 respondents completed a mail survey in five counties in central Pennsylvania. Half of the sample received questionnaires that framed global warming in terms of the local impacts of mitigation policies, whereas the other half received questionnaires that framed global warming in terms of the national impacts of mitigation policies. The results show a statistically significant but small difference between the local and national frames in the respondents' willingness to support government policies, as well as to take voluntary actions to mitigate climate change.


Synthesis and characterization of alkyl-capped nanocrystalline silicon (R-n-Si) have been achieved from the reaction of silicontetrachloride with magnesiumsilicide. Surface of silicon nanocrystal has been derivatized with various alkyl groups (R=methyl, n-butyl, etc.). Silicon nanoparticles have been also obtained by the sonication of luminescent porous silicon. Former exhibits an emission band at 360 nm, but latter exhibits an emission band at 680 nm. In this study very sensitive detection of TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), DNT (2,4-dinitrotoluene), NB (nitrobenzene), and PA (picric acid) has been achieved in gas phase with porous silicon using photoluminescence quenching of the silicon crystallites as a transduction mode. Porous silicon are electrochemically etched from crystalline silicon wafers in an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid. We have characterized these silicon nanoparticles by Luminescence Spectrometer (LS 55).


In this paper we address the detection of Alzheimer's disease based solely on EEG recordings. We assume that the state of Alzheimer's disease can be described by a latent manifold, captured by the EEG sensors and apply alternating diffusion to reveal this common underlying manifold from multiple EEG sensors. We show that based on a small number of EEG electrodes, a new representation can be obtained, which allows a clear distinction between healthy subjects and Alzheimer patients in different disease stages.


Acoustic streaming is a stationary fluid motion induced by intense ultrasound. This paper describes the mechanism of generation of acoustic streaming, theoretically and experimentally. A qualitative explanation in relation to acoustic radiation pressure is followed by a detailed discussion based on the formulation of the phenomenon. The spatial non-uniformity of the sound field and energy dissipation due to viscosity are requisite for the generation of streaming. In the development of streaming, two kinds of nonlinearity are important: one is fluid-dynamic nonlinearity, which accounts for effects of inertial force compared to viscous force in fluid motion, and the other is acoustic nonlinearity, which determines the driving force of streaming. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 81(10): 1–8, 1998


Cognitive impairment is a common and devastating manifestation in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to identify modifiable risk factors for PD with cognitive impairment.


The article deals with Witt's monograph The Two Latin Cultures by providing a thorough analysis of the part devoted to the twelfth-century. In particular, the article focuses on the relationship between culture, politics and society as outlined by Witt, and it approaches critically the teleological structure of Witt's "searching for roots" of the Italian exceptionalism.


Background: Traditionally, 2-stage exchange arthroplasty is preferred to eradicate chronic periprosthetic joint infections after total knee arthroplasty. However, for cases with significant bone destruction and/or soft tissue damage, the risk of knee instability increases with this technique, leading to a number of complications such as tibiofemoral dislocation, wound healing complications, extensor mechanism rupture, or failure of extensor mechanism repair. Intramedullary fixator rods reinforcing static spacers have been utilized to provide improved stability, but persistent infections were still prevalent. Antibiotic static spacers with intramedullary fixator rods coated with antibiotic cement can lower these reinfection rates. Surgical Technique: The surgical sequence requires removal of the infected prosthesis and placement of a carbon fiber rod and nonarticulating antibiotic spacer. This remains in situ for ~6 to 12 weeks while the patient receives systemic antibiotic treatment. Following confirmation of successful treatment, the antibiotic spacer and carbon fiber rod are removed, and revision arthroplasty is performed in a standard manner. Results: After a minimum of 1-year follow-up, no recurrent infections were diagnosed, 1 patient suffered a complication requiring expedited antibiotic spacer removal, and 1 patient expired in this cohort. Conclusions: This technique represents an effective method of providing stability of the knee and delivering adequate antibiosis in patients with knee periprosthetic joint infections in the setting of extensor mechanism disruption and severe bone loss.


An asymmetrical parallel mechanism with a two-turning and one-moving three degree-of-freedom comprises a movable platform, a machine frame and three parallel branches, wherein the three parallel branches are used for connecting the movable platform and the machine frame. Universal hinges of a first branch are connected with the machine frame, a revolute pair of the first branch is connected with the movable platform, and the universal hinges are connected with the revolute pair through a revolute pair. Universal hinges of a second branch are connected with the machine frame, a sphere pair of the second branch is connected with the movable platform, and the universal hinges are connected with the sphere pair through a revolute pair. A revolute pair of a third branch is connected with the machine frame, universal hinges of the third branch are connected with the movable platform, and the revolute pair and the universal hinges are connected through a revolute pair. The axis of the revolute pair, connected with the movable platform, of the first branch is parallel to the axis of a second revolute pair of the universal hinges of the third branch. The axis of a first revolute pair of the universal hinges of the first branch is parallel to the axis of the revolute pair, connected with the machine frame, of the third branch. The asymmetrical parallel mechanism is simple in branch structure, capable of inputting and outputting to decouple, easy to machine and assemble and easy to control, and has good application prospects.


Aim: Posterolateral percutaneous endoscopic discectomy (PLPED) is commonly performed under local anesthesia, but patients and surgeons are concerned about intraoperative uncontrolled pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of the PLPED under general anesthesia with free-running electromyography (EMG) monitoring. Methods: The clinical outcomes of consecutive 48 cases of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) were evaluated by numeric rating scale (NRS) score and MacNab's criteria. Hospital stay and time to ambulation and return to work were also assessed. Results: NRS score for the affected leg significantly improved from 6.4 to 0.9 immediately after the operation. MacNab's criteria were 91.5% for a follow-up period of 13.5 months. Although no serious complication occurred, 3 patients (6.3%) had transient paresis that completely disappeared by 3 months. No recurrences were observed during the follow-up period. Conclusion: PLPED combined with EMG monitoring under general anesthesia is a safe and efficacious procedure for the treatment of LDH.


Abstract:Uno argues that, rather than changing the course of Japan's cultural and social trajectory, the March 11, 2011, earthquake and nuclear disaster have instead served to throw the underlying structures of Japanese society into sharp relief. The resultant blending together of the everyday and the extraordinary in the nation's capital has in turn has left an imprint on the imaginations of the Japanese populace. Particularly among members of Japan's otaku subculture, this has engendered a shift away from fiction as a means of escapism toward a means of coloring one's day-to-day life, imposing realms of fiction on the realities of the world in which Japan's pop culture consumers live. The result is an augmented reality in Japan, in which reality and fiction merge.


(51) Int. Cl. CI2P 7/62 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. .............................................................. 435/135 (57) ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a method to produce bio degradable polyester, which comprises the following steps: (a) mixing a carbon source, a nitrogen Source and water into a reactive material to perform pretreatment; (b) providing a halophilic bacterium, a starting broth and culture with the reactive material; (c) feeding the reactive material; and (d) extracting the polyester from the fermentation broth; wherein, the bacterium has a salt tolerance of 10-30%.


Transient ow analyses have numerous geophysical and geotechnical applications and they are necessary for the understanding and development of laboratory measurement techniques in rock and soil mechanics, particularly in the determination of the permeability of substances. In this paper, we formulate a Genetic Algorithm inversion technique for the retrieval of homogeneous or spacewise dependent material property coe cients. 1 PROBLEM DESCRIPTION The accurate determination of the hydraulic conductivity of rocks is a problem frequently encountered within petroleum, civil and mining engineering. In this paper we deal with low permeability rock testing and the `pump ow method' is employed. A cylindrical rock sample is placed in a sealed pressure cell and the permeability is measured by injecting uid at a constant rate into the in ow end of the rock sample, see Olsen et al. (1991). The transient pressure response can be used to obtain information about the permeability and storage properties of the sample. Here we make use of the numerical results of Lesnic et al. (1997) and the formulation models a heterogeneous single piece of material, as well as incorporating the presence of a fault within rocks. The Genetic Algorithm process optimises a tness evaluation function which measures the accuracy of predicted pressure and/or hydraulic ux values against some known (simulated or experimental) measurements. We employ k-Tournament Selection and TwoPoint Crossover. The governing equations of mass conservation equation and Darcy's law are combined with an equation of state for the pore uid and appropriate boundary conditions. The numerical method adopted for solving the initial boundary value direct problem is a time weighted average nite-di erence method. Both exact and simulated noisy data are incorporated at optimally selected instants in time through the test, the data measurements used being consistent with sensitivity analyses of each problem. 2 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The present research has established that GAs are a feasible technique for retrieving highly accurate estimates to unknown material parameters in hydraulic pump ow experiments based upon both exact and noisy data. When a composite sample is investigated, the hydraulic conductivities and fault location can be retrieved from the steady state analysis based upon pressure measurements at the upstream face and one port combined with an interchange of the sample ordering. With these quantities speci ed, the material speci c storages and the compressive storage of the upstream reservoir can be readily determined from transient pressure values at the upstream face combined with a reversal of the order of the samples.


Following the method of perfusion introduced by Clark 1 , the effect of pancreatic perfusates upon the carbohydrate metabolism of entire animals was studied. The respiratory metabolism, the blood sugar, and the D:N ratio were studied in cats and dogs after depancreatization. Perfusates were made by perfusing aseptically and at body temperature the pancreases of cats, dogs, pigs, and oxen with Locke's solution. The first perfusates were made with an alkaline medium, later perfusates were made with Locke's solution modified by the substitution of HCl varying in strength from 0.1 per cent. to 0.7 per cent. for sodium bicarbonate. Respiratory quotients were obtained by a modified Jaquet method, the animal being confined in a respiration chamber through which a continuous stream of air was drawn for ventilation and from which a continuous sample of air was removed for analysis. In a later modification the stream of air from the respiration chamber was directed into a large gasometer for a twenty-minute period and the samples for analysis withdrawn from this total volume. Analyses were made by the Henderson and Bailey modification of Haldane's apparatus. The respiration chamber was frequently checked by analyses of outside air and by burning alcohol in it. D :N ratios and respiratory quotients typical for cliahetes were obtained in the depancreatized animals. Following the administration of sugar in the form of destrose or sucrose by stomacll tube pancreatic perlusates were given subcutaneously, intravenously, and intraperitoneally. Significant increases were shown in the respiratory quotients and marked drops were observed in the blood sugar level (frequently to points below normal) and marked changes were demonstrated in the D:N ratio. These changes were demonstrated both for Alkaline and for acid perfusat'es, but were greater and more constant with acid perfusates given neutral.


In the given report the results of development of the simple collimator with an extended target zone on a basis of the dielectric lens with a rotational symmetry are presented. The increase of EM field uniformity in lens aperture is achieved because of a choice of the lens material with losses, and the decrease of total gain of the collimator is compensated by increasing of radiator gain. The experimental features of the collimator in the target zone also are shown.


In this paper catastrophic optical mirror damage(COMD) mechanism of the semiconductor laser is analyzed. COMD is one of major device damage mechanisms, which is drastically limited laser lifetime and output optical power. The theoretical model that based on heat source with injection current and optical power to describe the temperature distribution of laser is builded. Through analyzing the edge-emitting semiconductor lasers by using ANSYS, we can describe change of facet temperature distribution at COMD events. the results of simulation show that the main reason of COMD is oxidation of the semiconductor laser in facet which caused by optical absorption. Introduction Nowadays, high-power semiconductor lasers have been widely used in the broad field of science. It is important that the reliability of lasers. COMD process is one of the major mechanisms, which drastically limits laser lifetime and emits optical output power. So, its emphasis of study is how to avoiding the COMD of device-cavity surface. For the majority of high power laser, COMD phenomenon of the facet surface induces high optical power density which limits the maximum power of the device, and affects the reliability of the device lifetime [1]. So, in the beginning of the theoretical design of devices, it should analysis simulation of facet temperature to determine the COD threshold of the device. Especially, it is important that improves the reliability of high power lasers. It is necessary that simulation of facet temperature distribution. And it also provides a reference which can improve process of cavity surface and the COMD threshold. Semiconductor lasers are basically made of a gain section between two facets. When a laser is driven into higher output powers, the facet regions absorb light, hence making the facets hot, and provoking a "thermal runaway" system and eventually irreversible laser destruction [2]. It is so called catastrophic optical damage COMD, and it is characterized by a sudden drop in the output power at a certain maximum injection current.


First comment: "A question I still have is how can these results be extrapolated to natural conditions in which grain size distribution is obviously much more complex? Starting with the simplest situation seems to be an interesting idea but they could maybe discuss in more details the implications of this (over?-)simplification." The single-crystal approach does not intend to be directly applied to natural aggregates. It follows a classical methodology in determining the intrinsic mechanical properties (elastic moduli,


ABSTRACT Scholarship of the Middle English King Horn (c. 1250–1290) has grappled inconclusively with its obscure toponyms Westernesse and Suddene and with identification of its nebulous Saracen antagonists. Recent work on the literary impact of the historical crises of the Norman Conquest and the Crusades may offer fresh resolution, positing that thirteenth-century romances responded to contemporary realpolitik both by avoidance of taboo issues – here Edward's difficulties in Wales and Scotland, by apposite reference to Havelok the Dane, also in MS Laud Misc. 108 – as well as by fostering a national narrative of identity including the Normans, here evinced in the accentuation of difference between nascent Englishness and the foreign otherness of the Saracens. Thus, a more generative hypothesis is that the text's place names and antagonists may be strategically vague, and analysis of other analogues of the Horn story suggests that detail is ambiguated rather than lost. This interpretation may catalyse a new reading of the poem where imprecision serves political as well as stylistic exigencies.


In this work experimental measurements showing formation of dark periodic lattices in negative nonlinear liquid medium are reported. These lattices were formed by the propagation of periodic patterns through a nonlinear liquid media. These periodic patterns were induced by interference of three plane waves. Here three interesting cases showing the evolution of bright into dark periodic lattices are reported. In the first case periodic lattices formed by dark spots were observed. In the second case a periodic lattice formed by a set of stripes was observed. Finally in the third case a periodic lattice showing a combination of stripes and dark spots is reported.


The trench gate field effect transistor is formed as follows. The trench dielectric layer is formed next, covering extending above the sidewalls and bottom of the trench mesa (mesa) area adjacent to the trench formed in the semiconductor region. The conductive seed layer on the dielectric layer in the bottom portion of the trench is formed. The low resistance material over the conductive seed layer is grown, the low-resistance material has a selectivity for the conductive seed layer. A field effect transistor, the trench oxide layer, a low-resistance material, the directional deposition, the silicide.


where t,j is a matrix of ei rows and ej columns. If kc is the number of real characteristic roots of A and r the number of pairs of complex conjugate roots, exactly k of the et have the value one and exactly r the value two. Further t,j =0, when i > j. The above two results may be stated in a slightly different form. If H is a definite non-singular hermitian matrix, there exists a non-singular matrix P such that (4) PHP* =E,


This article considers the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) as a response to the general assessments of some critical scholarship on international law. It employs the concept of "oscillation of international law" to organize different views of the international human rights and environmental law (IHREL) scholarship, two legal regimes that speak loudest to the IAHRS' interests. These views are distributed within a spectrum that goes from utopian demands placed on IHREL, to apologist defenses of these legal regimes. I put forward a third strand of critical intervention by framing the IAHRS as a space of political and legal contention that promises to address some of the IHREL's shortcomings. I caution, however, that, although the IAHRS functions as an enabling platform for subaltern polities that redraw the boundaries of legal meanings, the system may fall short in tackling challenges that are contingent on global capitalist logics.


Objective To explore the clinical features and treatment methods of cytomegaloviral(CMV) pneumonia post renal transplantation.Methods The clinical symptoms,X-ray characters and treatment methods of 28 patients with CMV pneumonia post renal transplantation were retrospectively analyzed.Results The primary symptom of all patients was fever(continued fever) with the body temperature exceeding 38.5 ℃(67.9% of the patients exceeding 39.0 ℃).The symptoms of cough,polypnea,dyspnea,etc were occurred in the following 3 to 7 days.The cough was mainly dry cough and a few patients were accompanied with chest pain.With the progression of the disease,aggravated hypoxemia was emerged gradually.The blood oxygen saturation of 60.7% patients was lower than 85%;of 14.3% patients was lower than 70%.The X-ray showed gradually aggravated tendency.The majority showed frosted glass image(78.6%) accompanied with fragmentis image(53.6%) or nodus image(32.1%),and 8 patients(28.6%) suffered from pleural effusion.In the 28 patients,20 patients(71.4%) were healed,3 patients were improved and 5 patients(17.9%) were invalid or died.Conclusion The primary symptom of CMV pneumonia post renal transplantation is fever followed by dry cough,polypnea,dyspnea,etc.The X-ray shows gradually aggravated tendency and the majority shows frosted glass,fragmentisor nodus image.The prompt and combined treatment is necessary.


(75) Inventors: Masashi Hosonuma, Fujisawa-shi (JP); Publication Classification Masaharu Uno, Fujisawa-shi (JP). (51) Int. Cl. Tomoyasu Shibata, Fujisawa-shi (JP): C25C 7/02 (2006.01) Yoshinori Nishiki, Fujisawa-shi (JP). (52) U.S. Cl. .............................................................. 204/280 Tsuneto Furuta, Fujisawa-shi (JP) (57) ABSTRACT Correspondence Address: SUGHRUE MION, PLLC The present invention provides an electrode for electrolysis 2100 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W. including: a conductive Substrate; and a conductive diamond SUTE 8OO formed on a surface of the conductive substrate, the con WASHINGTON, DC 20037 (US) ductive Substrate having at least one surface shape selected from the group consisting of: (a) a Surface shape of a (73) Assignee: PERMELEC ELECTRODE LTD. combination of an Ra of 100-1,000-um and an RSm of 50-10,000 um; (b) a surface shape of a combination of an Ra (21) Appl. No.: 11/491,917 of 2.5-100 um and an RSm of 1.5-800 um, and (c) a surface shape of a combination of an Ra of 0.01-2 um and an RSm (22) Filed: Jul. 25, 2006 of 0.005-250 lum, and a process for producing the electrode.


Horseshoe kidney is the most common type of congenital renal fusion defect in children. The horseshoe kidney occurs in approximately 0.25% of the general population. Isolated horseshoe kidneys, which account for one-third of horseshoe kidneys, may be asymptomatic and go undiagnosed until adulthood. However, the presence of a horseshoe kidney in the pediatric population warrants further evaluation because the horseshoe kidney is frequently associated with other abnormalities: 78.9% including pyelourethral junction syndrome. In addition, the horseshoe kidney is associated with an increased rate of renal complications in adults, such as stones, ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, trauma, infection, and tumors. Ureteropelvic junction syndrome is a disease that causes a failure of urine flow from the pelvis to the ureter. It is the most common cause of hydronephrosis in children. The diagnosis was made on the basis of symptoms, mainly pain and urinary tract infection, and required surgical treatment.


An increased incidence of asthma has been reported among healthcare workers. The role of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), commonly used in cleaning/disinfection products, has not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to analyse associations between asthma and occupational exposure to disinfectants, especially QACs.


Wikipedia represents an open and collaborative encyclopedic environment, and is one of the main sources of information today. The information is encoded, among other formats, in graphics and data visualizations. The source of such pieces of information is various — some are taken from governmental sources, or reports published under Creative Commons licenses, others are created and uploaded by the platform users.
Given the current UI of the Wikipedia platform, however, most of these contents are relegated to small thumbnails, making them difficult to read.
In the research presented here we propose an open toolkit for the design of data visualizations in small spaces — such as thumbnails — conceived for the project's contributors.
By engaging with the design of visualizations for the platform and contributing to the project, it was possible to identify good practices that were then synthesized in a toolkit openly accessible to all contributors.


The utility model discloses a gas and liquid mixer which is characterized in that the inner cavity of the housing of a mixing chamber forms a cylindrical mixing chamber, and an inclined hole where high-pressure air enters is opened on the housing; the inclined hole is communicated and tangent with the mixing chamber and a liquid inlet hole is arranged on one end closure; the liquid inlet hole is communicated with the mixing chamber where gas and liquid are turbulized and refined in the mixing chamber to enable air bubbles and granules to be refined, to distribute harmoniously and to have a favorable mixing effect.


You work in a paediatric cardiac intensive care unit (ICU), the unit protocol is to start prophylactic milrinone intraoperatively to prevent low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS). You receive a patient for whom levosimendan was started intraoperatively instead of milrinone, and you wonder whether levosimendan is superior to milrinone.

In postoperative congenital heart disease children (population), is levosimendan (intervention) better than milrinone (comparison) in improving cardiac function and prevention of LCOS (outcome), shown by heart rate, cardiac output/stroke volume, lactate clearance, inotrope requirement, markers of cardiac damage (troponin) and myocardial oxygen consumption (pressure rate index)

A literature search was performed using The Cochrane Library, Pubmed and Medline using key words 'levosimendan and milrinone' 'pediatric cardiac surgery', which yielded 10 studies and further web search was done, which yielded 18 more relevant studies. After analysing the abstracts, there were nine studies comparing levosimendan and milrinone. The full articles were analysed and four studies were undertaken in paediatric population, which are reviewed (See table 1).

View this table:

Table 1
Summary

LCOS is a common complication in open heart surgery postcardiopulmonary bypass. Cardiopulmonary bypass causes myocardial injury, which may lead to LCOS. This is recognised by a constellation of signs such as elevated lactate, decreased mixed venous saturation, decreased urine output, increased heart rate and low blood pressure. In neonates and infants, cardiac output cannot be measured directly by invasive techniques, so surrogate markers of cardiac output are assessed.

LCOS is managed with various combination of catecholamine, vasodilators and vasopressors. An ideal agent to manage LCOS should improve cardiac output …


Through the binding of two unidirectional RSVP-TE tunnels established
between a pair of LSRs destined to each other, a bidirectional RSVP-
TE tunnel is formed. The bidirectional RSVP-TE tunnel can be used to
establish L3VPN with virtual router technology.


Immobilized cellulase on the magnetic chitosan microspheres was prepared with glutaraldehyde as cross linking agent. The effects of immobilization conditions,the stability and the recovery properties were determined.And then the immobilized cellulase was applied on anti-pilling finishing of the cotton fabric.The results showed that,as the pH value was 7.0,the temperature was 50℃,the mass fraction of EDC and glutaraldehyde was 0.25%and 2.5%respectively,weight ratio of enzyme to carrier was 80 mg/g,the ratio of immobilization and activity recovery of the immobilized cellulase reached 91%and 65%.Compared with free enzyme,the pH stability and storage stability of the immobilized cellulase were greatly improved.In addition,it remained about 75%of activity after being used for 12 times.The prepared immobilized cellulase was used on antipilling finishing of cotton fabric,which could raise the anti-pilling rate of the fabric by 1.5.


In order to sduty the natural gas mercury content characteristics and its origin in Shuangtuozi gas field, the author carried out natural gas mercury content and alkane carbon isotope analysis of 7 gas wells in the field. The result showed that natural gas mercury content is among 11-29200 ng/m3, and the average value is 17600 ng/m3, which makes it belong to medium and low mercury containing natural gas. The natural gas mercury content increases with the rise of the production depth, and the deep zone has a far greater mercury content than the shallow and middle zones obviously controlled by the basin's double layers structure. Our research showed that the natural gas mercury content is both relevant to the type of the natural gas and the maturity of the source rocks. The type of natural gas from the deep zone is coal type gas and those from the middle and shallow zones are a mixed gas of coal type gas and oil type gas. Different source rocks' thermal evolution levels are the major reason that makes the natural gas mercury content of Shuangtuozi gas field quite different from that of the neighbor Changshen gas field.


Most of the 14C measurements reported here were made between October 1979 and October 1980. Equipment, measurement, and treatment of samples are as reported previously (R, 1968, v 10, p 36-37; 1976, v 18, p 290; 1980, v 22, p 1045).


The paper presents a case study from the Ordos Basin, where the weak impedance contrast between the overlying shale and the gas layer in the Lower Permian formation makes it difficult to separate gas sands from the surrounding rocks using traditional AVO intercept and gradient analysis. Laboratory data show an enhanced sensitivity to pore fluid and lithology from Lame and density parameters λρ and μρ, which are then applied to real data to map the gas sands in the basin.


Purpose – A fundamental purpose of Massachusetts' General Law 209A is to prevent the use of physically assaultive behavior between family members and intimate partners to change or alter their behavior. This Massachusetts Law is similar to laws in all 50 states. Despite the fact that the vast majority of domestic violence laws contain no exceptions for age, the acceptance of physical assaults against children continues. This paper aims to investigate physical assaults on children.Design/methodology/approach – The paper compares and contrasts corporal punishment and domestic violence laws and explores what role cognitive dissonance plays in the acceptance of physical assaults against children by parents or guardians. It questions how or why public policy makers, domestic violence interveners and the majority of American adults continue to accept that the goal of preventing family physical assaults is possible in a family or a society that condones rather than condemns the use of physical assaults against c...


A method analogous to that developed by Jordan and Polak is used to determine the optimal pulse-amplitude pulse-width open-loop control of continuous systems. Some recent results by Nardizzi and Bekey are checked and an extension to the case of nonequally spaced sampling instants is shown.


This paper explores some aspects of the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education that offer a challenge to teachers in their practices. ICT can be adopted in education for many purposes, and at all levels of formal education. The most important is its application in the classroom where it can serve as an instrument to teach and interact with students, and this raises some key issues regarding the way that technology can intervene in the processes of teaching and learning. ICT can be helpful in enhancing learning and teaching, as they can act as a vehicle for a co-construction of knowledge (Selwyn, 2008), although, owing to their specific features, they present challenges in the way they are implemented in educational contexts. These challenges are addressed in this paper.


Celebrating 15 years of success and growth, the STS Conference Graz on May 9 and 10, 2016, gathered nearly 200 delegates from all over the world who had the opportunity to discuss and share research and experiences on 6 main themes: Policy and Technology; Gender and Queer STS; Mobility, Energy and Sustainability; Responsible Research and Innovation Studies; Nutrition, Health and Biomedicine; and Information and Communication Technologies, Surveillance and Society.


This paper proposes a four-star 12-pulse diode rectifier with a circulating current shaping circuit CCSC on the DC side to decrease the input current harmonics effectively. The type of circulating current that can eliminate the input current harmonics is analysed and its waveform parameters are derived. The effects of triangular circulating current on the harmonics of the input current are analysed, and the harmonic suppression mechanism of the triangular circulating current is revealed. This scheme has excellent harmonic suppression capability, and the capacity of CCSC is only 2.35% of output power of the 12-pulse rectifier. Thus, this scheme is cost effective for high power applications. The experimental results confirm the theoretical analysis and near sinusoidal input current is obtained.


Under the Bargmann constrained condition, the spatial part of a new Lax pair of the higher order MkdV equation is nonlinearized to be a completely integrable system (R2N,dp^dq, H0=1/2F0)(F0= (^q,p) + (^p,p) + (p,q)2). While the nonlinearization of the time part leads to its N-involutive system (Fm).


The invention provides an air-curtain bow sealing structure. Through the adoption of the air-curtain bow sealing structure, the peak surpassing performance of a partial air-cushion supported catamaran is improved. According to the structure, a row of fine small air inflation holes or a slender air seam is formed in the bow of a wet deck of a connection bridge; a high-pressure fan inflates the fine small holes or the air seam, so that a sealing membrane similar to an air curtain is formed; the air membrane can seal the air in an air cushion chamber, and can also eliminate water pushing resistance generated by the contact of a bow sealing device and water. Through the adoption of the air-curtain bow sealing structure disclosed by the invention, the resistance peak is generally reduced, so that the purpose of improving the peak surpassing performance of ships is realized.


Abstract Styles, WJ, Matthews, MJ, and Comfort, P. Effects of strength training on squat and sprint performance in soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 30(6): 1534–1539, 2016—Researchers have demonstrated that increases in strength result in increases in athletic performance, although the development of strength is still neglected in some sports. Our aim was to determine whether a simple in-season strength training program would result in increases in maximal squat strength and short sprint performance, in professional soccer players. Professional soccer players (n = 17, age = 18.3 ± 1.2 years, height = 1.79 ± 0.06 m, body mass [BM] = 75.5 ± 6.1 kg) completed 1 repetition maximum (1RM) back squat and sprint tests (5, 10, and 20 m) before and after a 6-week (×2 week) in-season strength training (85–90% 1RM) intervention. Strength training resulted in significant improvements in absolute and relative strength (before = 125.4 ± 13.8 kg, after = 149.3 ± 16.2 kg, p ⩽ 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.62; 1RM/BM before: 1.66 ± 0.24 kg·kg−1, after = 1.96 ± 0.29 kg·kg−1, p ⩽ 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.45; respectively). Similarly, there were small yet significant improvements in sprint performance over 5 m (before = 1.11 ± 0.04 seconds, after = 1.05 ± 0.05 seconds, p ⩽ 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.55), 10 m (before = 1.83 ± 0.05 seconds, after = 1.78 ± 0.05 seconds, p ⩽ 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.45), and 20 m (before = 3.09 ± 0.07 seconds, after = 3.05 ± 0.05 seconds, p ⩽ 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.31). Changes in maximal squat strength seem to be reflected in improvements in short sprint performance highlighting the importance of developing maximal strength to improve short sprint performance. Moreover, this demonstrates that these improvements can be achieved during the competitive season in professional soccer players.


Abstract : Variation of electrochemical oxidation-reduction (redox) potential was examined in surface salt marsh sediments under conditions of flooding and tidal simulation in mesocosms and field sites. Time series were generated of redox potential measured in sediment profiles at 2-10 cm depth using combination Pt-Ag/AgCl (ORP) electrodes. Redox potential data were acquired at rapid rates (1-55 samples/h) over extended periods (3-104 days) along with similar times series of temperature (water, air, soil) and pH. It was found that redox potential varied as a result of water level changes and was unrelated to diurnal changes in temperature or pH, the latter of which changed by 370 mV redox potential decrease in under 48 h). Attenuation of microbial activity by gamma-radiation and toxic chemicals eliminated this response. In tidal salt marsh mesocosms where the sediment-plant assemblages were exposed to a simulated diurnal tide, redox potential oscillations of 40-300 mV amplitude were recorded that had the same periodicity as the flood-drain cycle. Periodic redox potential time series were observed repeatedly in sediments receiving tidal pulsing but not in those sediments exposed to static hydrological conditions. Data collected over 12 days from a coastal marsh site experiencing diurnal tides showed similar fluctuations in redox potential. Data from these experiments indicated that: (a) redox potential can be a dynamic, nonlinear variable in coastal and estuarine wetland sediments over hourly and daily scales, and the designs of biogeochemical experiments should reflect this, and (b) redox potential can change rapidly and significantly in coastal wetland sediments in response to flooding and draining.


Spectrum sensing is a key technology for achieving cognitive radio,while cooperation could eliminate the multi-path and shadow effect.Here,a method for cooperative spectrum sensing based on threshold control and SNR selection is proposed,in which the location information is employed to estimate the SNR,each CR user transmits the local detection result and estimates SNR for the fusion center,the threshold is used to do algorithm selection for SNR,and the CR user with better SNR is selected,and combined with energy detection method for judgement.Computer simulation results show that this method could increases the probability of detection and reduces the node number in decision fusion.


A new concept of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank shape has been proposed based on the conventional Moss tank to improve the tank storage efficiency. In this research, a series of model tests are conducted for both new shape and conventional spherical shape tank with imposed regular and irregular sway motion. Corresponding numerical simulation based on smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is carried out and its prediction accuracy is discussed by comparing with the model test results and other numerical simulation based on finite volume method (FVM).


Objective To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of image -guided extended endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach(EEETA) for the removal of craniopharyngiomas in the suprasellar region and third ventricle. Method A pure EEETA with image -guided system was used. Three patients with a craniopharyngioma involving the suprasellar region and third ventricle were treated. Results Total craniopharyngioma removal was achieved in three cases. All the patients recovered uneventfully. The follow - up study was carried out for 10 to 14 months with good outcomes. Compensatory endocrine substitution therapy was needed in all of them. Conclusions The EEETA for removal of craniopharyngiomas in the suprasellar region and third ventricle is feasible and effective. It has the advantages of no needing for brain retraction,offering panoramic view of retrochiasmatic and infrachiasmatic regions,manipulating under direct vision and protecting hypothalamus,pituitary stalk and other vital structures. The EEETA is a novel and minimally invasive approach for selected cases of craniopharyngioma. Neuronavigation plays an important role in identifying anatomic landmarks,guiding surgical direction and increasing safety of the operations.

Key words:
Neuronavigation ;  Endoscopes ;  Extended endonasal transsphenoidal approach ;  Craniopharyngioma;  Suprasellar region ;  Third ventricle


This article explores the defining tendencies of urban expansion taking place in mega-cities of the Global South, as exemplified by recent trends in Metropolitan Manila and elsewhere. What I call the process of 'uber-urbanization' entails the construction of city emulants as platforms for the value-productive movements of globopolitical urban life, a fractal enterprise whose animating program involves the mediatization of human capacities in technologized forms of servitude. Such meditatized human capacities can be understood as comprising a kind of vital infrastructure exemplified in long-standing experimental, risk-taking, shifting, multi-tasking modes of living developed out of urban conditions in the Global South. I discuss the liquidity of such modes of living on the part of surplus populations and its temporal dynamics as the newly discovered resource undergirding the expansion of city everywhere.


Although it is commonly accepted that most macroeconomic variables are non-stationary, it is often difficult to identify the source of the non-stationarity. Integrated processes and short-memory models with trending components, possibly affected by structural breaks, imply similar features in the data and, accordingly, are hard to distinguish. The goal of this article is to extend the classical testing framework of I(1) versus I(0) + trends and/or breaks by considering a more general class of models under the null hypothesis: fractionally integrated (FI) processes. The asymptotic properties of the proposed tests are derived and it is shown that they are very well-behaved in finite samples. An illustration using US inflation data is also provided.


The aim of this paper is to present the classification problem in data mining using decision trees. Simply stated, data mining refers to extracting or "mining" knowledge from large amounts of data. Data mining known by different names as knowledge mining, knowledge extraction, data/pattern analysis, data archaeology, data dredging, knowledge discovery in databases (KDD). Data Mining, or Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) as it is also known, is the nontrivial extraction of implicit, previously unknown, and potentially useful information from data. Classification is an important problem in data mining. Given a database D= {t1,t2,.…, tn}and a set of classes C= {Cl,..…, Cm}, the Classification Problem is to define a mapping f: D → C where each it is assigned to one class. It means that given a database of records, each with a class label, a classifier generates a concise and meaningful description for each class that can be used to classify subsequent records. Actually classifier divides the database into equivalence classes that is each class contains same type of records.


Our goal is to apply the software engineering advantages of object-oriented programming to the raw power of massively parallel architectures. To do this we have constructed a hierarchy of C++ classes to support the data-parallel paradigm. Feasibility studies and initial coding can be supported by any serial machine that has a C++ compiler. Parallel execution requires an extended Cfront, which understands the data-parallel classes and generates C* code. (C* is a data-parallel superset of ANSI C developed by Thinking Machines Corporation). This approach provides potential portability across parallel architectures and leverages the existing compiler technology for translating data-parallel programs onto both SIMD and MIMD hardware.


RATIONALE
Traffic-related emissions have been associated with respiratory symptoms in some studies. However, there is limited information on how traffic-related emissions relate to lung function and airway inflammation.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the differential association of traffic-related exposures with exhaled nitric oxide (NO) and lung volumes and symptoms in children with and without asthma.

METHODS
We performed a longitudinal study of 200 children from ages 6 to 12 years of whom half had physician-diagnosed asthma. Two-week NO(2) and 48-hour average levels of elemental carbon and particulate matter of less than 2.5 microm (PM(2.5)) were measured at participating schools. Road and traffic densities were determined at schools and at each participant's house.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
In children with asthma, an interquartile increase in road density within the 50-, 100-, and 200-m home buffer areas was associated with increased exhaled NO (50 m: 28%; P = 0.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3-60; 100 m: 27%; P = 0.005; 95% CI, 8-49; 200 m: 17%, P = 0.09, 95% CI, -2 to 40), and reduced FEV(1) (50 m: -0.091 L; P = 0.038; 95% CI, -0.174 to -0.007; 100 m: -0.072 L, P = -0.028, 95% CI, -0.134 to -0.009; 200 m: -0.106 L, P = 0.002, 95% CI, -0.171 to -0.041]). Exposure to NO(2) at schools was marginally associated with reduced FEV(1) (-0.020; P = 0.060; 95% CI, -0.042 to 0.001). We did not observe significant associations with PM(2.5) or elemental carbon on exhaled NO. We did not observe significant reductions in lung volumes or changes in exhaled NO among healthy children.

CONCLUSIONS
Vehicular traffic exposures are associated with increased levels of exhaled NO and reduced lung volumes in children with asthma.