[Preliminary study on the association of lanthanum and phosphorous loss from soil].

Abstract: Through laboratory lysimeter experiments and artificial rainfall experiments, characteristics of P and La transportation from both vertical and horizontal directions are investigated. The association between La and P loss from soil is preliminarily discussed. Results of lysimeter experiment show that both La and P are difficult to transport vertically. Downward depths are no deeper than 6-8 cm for all forms of La and P. With the increasement of exogenous La amount, the amount of Water soluble P, NaHCO3-extractable P and NaOH-extractable P decrease, while HCl-extractable P and residual form of P increase. Results of artificial rainfall experiment show that majority of La and P transport with fine soil particles in runoff, which is more than 95%. Loss of total P and La in runoff from the manure-applied soil are correlated significantly, both in loss rate and loss amount.


Midlife Fitness and the Development of Chronic Conditions in Later Life

Abstract: tile of fitness (quintile 5) was associated with a lower incidence of chronic conditions compared with the lowest quintile (quintile 1) in men (15.6 [95% CI, 15.0-16.2] vs 28.2 [27.4-29.0] per 100 person-years) and women (11.4 [10.5-12.3] vs 20.1 [18.7 vs 21.6] per 100 personyears). After multivariate adjustment, higher fitness (in METs) was associated with a lower risk of developing chronic conditions in men (hazard ratio, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.94-0.96] per MET) and women (0.94 [0.91-0.96] per MET). Among decedents (2406 [12.9%]), higher fitnesswasassociatedwithlowerriskofdevelopingchronic conditions relative to survival (compression hazard ratio, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.88-0.92] per MET), suggesting morbidity compression. Conclusions: In this cohort of healthy middle-aged adults, fitness was significantly associated with a lower risk of developing chronic disease outcomes during 26 years of follow-up. These findings suggest that higher midlife fitness may be associated with the compression of morbidity in older age.


On the effectiveness of the remanence decay side-channel to clone memory-based PUFs

Abstract: We present a side-channel attack based on remanence decay in volatile memory and show how it can be exploited effectively to launch a non-invasive cloning attack against SRAM PUFs -- an important class of PUFs typically proposed as lightweight security primitive with low overhead by using the existing memory of the underlying device. We validate our approach against two SRAM PUF implementations in 65 nm CMOS ASICs. We discuss countermeasures against our attack and propose the constructive use of remanence decay to improve the cloning-resistance of SRAM PUFs. ::: ::: Moreover, as a further contribution of independent interest, we show how to use our evaluation results to significantly improve the performance of the recently proposed TARDIS scheme, which is based on remanence decay in SRAM and used as a time-keeping mechanism for low-power clock-less devices.


Delayed hypersensitivity in xeroderma pigmentosum

Abstract: Two cases of typical Xeroderma pigmentosum are described in which the delayed hypersensitivity reaction was examined. In neither of them sensitization to DNCB in the standard way could be achieved. The possible significance of this observation is discussed.


SYMPOSIUM: ocular injuries.


Research on the resistance of pathogenic staphylococci to some antibiotics with special reference to penicillin


Switch from θ to σ replication of bacteriophage λ DNA: factors involved in the process and a model for its regulation

Abstract: Bacteriophage λ genome is one of the classical model replicons in studies on the regulation of DNA replication. Moreover, since genes coding for Shiga toxins are located in genomes of lambdoid phages, understanding of mechanisms controlling λ DNA replication may be of bio-medical importance. During lytic development of bacteriophage λ, its genome is replicated according to the θ (circle-to-circle) mode early after infection, and then it is switched to the σ (rolling circle) mode. Two mechanisms of regulation of this switch were proposed recently and both suggested a crucial role for directionality of λ DNA replication. Whereas one hypothesis assumed transient impairment of ClpP/ClpX-mediated proteolysis of the λO initiator protein, another suggested a crucial role for transcriptional activation of the oriλ region and factors involved in the control of the p R promoter activity. Here we demonstrate that mutations in clpP and clpX genes had little influence on both directionality of λ DNA replication and appearance of σ replication intermediates. On the other hand, regulators affecting activity of the p R promoter (responsible for initiation of transcription, which activates oriλ) directly or indirectly influenced directionality of λ DNA replication to various extents. Therefore, we conclude that regulation of the efficiency of transcriptional activation of oriλ, rather than transient impairment of the λO proteolysis, is responsible for the control of the switch from θ to σ replication, and propose a model for this control.


[Lipid metabolism in daunomycin induced nephrotic rats (Part II)].


The polymorphism of nucleosid effect in pyruvate kinase deficiency


A Constrained CA Model to Simulate Urban Growth of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area


Damage to some contractile and cytoskeleton proteins of the sarcomere in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes after exposure to pavetamine.

Abstract: Abstract Pavetamine, a cationic polyamine, is a cardiotoxin that affects ruminants. The animals die of heart failure after a period of four to eight weeks following ingestion of the plants that contain pavetamine. This immunofluorescent study was undertaken in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes (RNCM) to label some of the contractile and cytoskeleton proteins after exposure to pavetamine for 48 h. Myosin and titin were degraded in the RNCM treated with pavetamine and the morphology of alpha-actin was altered, when compared to the untreated cells, while those of β-tubulin seemed to be unaffected. F-actin was degraded, or even absent, in some of the treated cells. On an ultrastructural level, the sarcomeres were disorganized or disengaged from the Z-lines. Thus, all three contractile proteins of the rat heart were affected by pavetamine treatment, as well as the F-actin of the cytoskeleton. It is possible that these proteins are being degraded by proteases like the calpains and/or cathepsins. The consequence of pavetamine exposure is literally a “broken heart”.

Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology


Dynamic Parameters of Balance Which Correlate to Elderly Persons with a History of Falls

Abstract: Poor balance in older persons contributes to a rise in fall risk and serious injury, yet no consensus has developed on which measures of postural sway can identify those at greatest risk of falling. Postural sway was measured in 161 elderly individuals (81.8y±7.4), 24 of which had at least one self-reported fall in the prior six months, and compared to sway measured in 37 young adults (34.9y±7.1). Center of pressure (COP) was measured during 4 minutes of quiet stance with eyes opened. In the elderly with fall history, all measures but one were worse than those taken from young adults (e.g., maximal COP velocity was 2.7× greater in fallers than young adults; p<0.05), while three measures of balance were significantly worse in fallers as compared to older persons with no recent fall history (COP Displacement, Short Term Diffusion Coefficient, and Critical Displacement). Variance of elderly subjects' COP measures from the young adult cohort were weighted to establish a balance score ("B-score") algorithm designed to distinguish subjects with a fall history from those more sure on their feet. Relative to a young adult B-score of zero, elderly "non-fallers" had a B-score of 0.334, compared to 0.645 for those with a fall history (p<0.001). A weighted amalgam of postural sway elements may identify individuals at greatest risk of falling, allowing interventions to target those with greatest need of attention.


Robust network structure of the Sln1-Ypd1-Ssk1 three-component phospho-relay prevents unintended activation of the HOG MAPK pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract: BackgroundThe yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae relies on the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway to respond to increases in external osmolarity. The HOG pathway is rapidly activated under conditions of elevated osmolarity and regulates transcriptional and metabolic changes within the cell. Under normal growth conditions, however, a three-component phospho-relay consisting of the histidine kinase Sln1, the transfer protein Ypd1, and the response regulator Ssk1 represses HOG pathway activity by phosphorylation of Ssk1. This inhibition of the HOG pathway is essential for cellular fitness in normal osmolarity. Nevertheless, the extent to and mechanisms by which inhibition is robust to fluctuations in the concentrations of the phospho-relay components has received little attention.ResultsWe established that the Sln1-Ypd1-Ssk1 phospho-relay is robust—it is able to maintain inhibition of the HOG pathway even after significant changes in the levels of its three components. We then developed a biochemically realistic mathematical model of the phospho-relay, which suggested that robustness is due to buffering by a large excess pool of Ypd1. We confirmed experimentally that depletion of the Ypd1 pool results in inappropriate activation of the HOG pathway.ConclusionsWe identified buffering by an intermediate component in excess as a novel mechanism through which a phospho-relay can achieve robustness. This buffering requires multiple components and is therefore unavailable to two-component systems, suggesting one important advantage of multi-component relays.


User requirements and the development of products which are suitable for the broad spectrum of user capacities

Abstract: The identification of user characteristics and requirements is central to the task of the ergonomist since it provides a basis for testing the match between people and the processes, products and places they use. Established methods exist for measuring human physical and performance characteristics but the identification of requirements has received little attention as yet. It is anticipated that progress, which has largely been confined to the area of consumer ergonomics, will accelerate once the connection between poorly designed products and subsequent costly incapacity in the population is more widely recognized. User requirements can provide a clear, testable basis for product development and evaluation when expressed as performance specifications. Problems which may be encountered in the identification of user requirements may be avoided by establishing the patterns of activity prior to discussing the underlying requirements with the user.


A Practical Step-by-Step Guide to the Time-Varying Loudness Model of Moore, Glasberg, and Baer (1997; 2002)

Journal of The Audio Engineering Society


Acoustic Modeling and Training of a Bilingual ASR System when a Minority Language is Involved

Abstract: This paper describes our work in developing a bilingual speech recognition system using two SpeechDat databases. The bilingual aspect of this work is of particular importance in the Galician region of Spain where both languages Galician and Spanish coexist and one of the languages, the Galician one, is a minority language. Based on a global Spanish-Galician phoneme set we built a bilingual speech recognition system which can handle both languages: Spanish and Galician. The recognizer makes use of context dependent acoustic models based on continuous density hidden Markov models. The system has been evaluated on a isolated-word large-vocabulary task. The tests show that Spanish system exhibits a better performance than the Galician system due to its better training. The bilingual system provides an equivalent performance to that achieved by the language specific systems.


Scientific Workflow Systems for 21st Century e-Science, New Bottle or New Wine?

Abstract: With the advances in e-Sciences and the growing complexity of scientific analyses, more and more scientists and researchers are relying on workflow systems for process coordination, derivation automation, provenance tracking, and bookkeeping. While workflow systems have been in use for decades, it is unclear whether scientific workflows can or even should build on existing workflow technologies, or they require fundamentally new approaches. In this paper, we analyze the status and challenges of scientific workflows, investigate both existing technologies and emerging languages, platforms and systems, and identify the key challenges that must be addressed by workflow systems for e-science in the 21st century.


Community Identity: Peer Prestige and Academic Hiring in the iSchools

Abstract: Exploring indicators of prestige in hiring networks as they relate to measures of prestige presented in peer ratings provides a new perspective on hiring and identity in the iSchools. This study examines a hiring network for the iSchool community and finds that the perception of prestige among iSchools, as represented by the US News & World Report (USNWR) graduate school ratings, may be improved by hiring choices that strengthen connections within the iSchool community, balanced by increasing the diversity of sources for new faculty. We compare the academic hiring network for the more establish Computer Science discipline to the recently emergent iSchools to explore the relationship between peer prestige and community identity. We also discuss additional observations from the data relating to the interdisciplinary diversity of the iSchool community.


Smart Factories – Self-Organizing Production Units


A substitution in nsP1 combined with a double substitution in E2 glycoprotein renders Sindbis-like virus XJ-160 fully neurovirulent for adult mice.

Abstract: Abstract Sindbis virus (SV) can be rendered neurovirulent for adult mice by a double substitution within the E2 glycoprotein, including replacing Gln at position 55 of E2 with a His (E2-55: Gln–His) and E2-70: Glu to Lys. However, the mutant Sindbis-like virus XJ-160 with the double substitution (BR-E5570) does not show neurovirulence for adult mice, although the mutant apparently reduced the average survival time of neonatal mice. To produce an XJ-160 virus neurovirulent for adult mice, the BR-E5570 virus containing the double substitution was provided with another substitution in the nsP1 region (nsP1-173: Thr–Ile), which could enhance viral infectivity and neurovirulence for neonatal mice. The mutant containing these three substitutions was accordingly designated as BR-5570-ns173. Like the BR-XJ160 virus derived from the wild-type clone, BR-E5570 and BR-E5570-ns173 were both virulent for newborn mice, between which BR-E5570-ns173 virus showed the greatest neurovirulence. Furthermore, only BR-E5570-ns173 virus was fully neurovirulent for 14-day-old mice, and this fatal adult mouse-virulence was dependent on the E2 double substitutions at positions 55 and 70. Compared with BR-XJ160, both the mutants showed a higher capacity for propagation both in cultured cells and in the mouse brain. In particular, BR-E5570-ns173 virus showed a more persistent existence and higher titer in the brains of 7-day-old mice. These findings indicate that the substitution at nsP1-173 combination with a double substitution in the E2 region renders the XJ-160 virus fully neurovirulent for adult mice, and this neurovirulence may be related to the increased efficiency and persistence of propagation of this virus.


Mobile technologies and the spatiotemporal configurations of institutional practice

Abstract: One of the most significant contemporary technological trends is institutional adoption and use of mobile and location-based systems and services. We argue that the notion of “location” as it manifests itself in location-based systems is being produced as an object of exchange. Here we are specifically concerned with what happens to institutional roles, power relationships, and decision-making processes when a particular type of information—that of spatiotemporal location of people—is made into a technologically tradable object through the use of location-based systems. We examine the introduction of GPS (Global Positioning Systems) technologies by the California criminal justice system and the institution of parole for monitoring the movements of parolees, with consequences both for the everyday lives of these parolees and the work practices of their parole officers. We document the ways in which broad adoption of location-based and mobile technologies has the capacity to radically reconfigure the spatiotemporal arrangement of institutional processes. The presence of digital location traces creates new forms of institutional accountability, facilitates a shift in the understood relation between location and action, and necessitates new models of interpretation and sense making in practice.


Influence Propagation in Social Networks: A Data Mining Perspective

2011 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conferences on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology


A Study of Multi-target Visual Search by Eye Movement Behavior

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to probe the characteristics of search time and eye movement behavior to the multi-objective search. Ten subjects participated in the experiment and they were asked to search three target characters at the same similarity degree among the distraction characters which displayed on a 24i¾?in. computer display. The results of search time showed that the first target character was the longest and the second target character was the shortest when the similarity degree between target characters and distraction characters was smaller; The search time to the third target character was the longest and the second target character was the shortest while the similarity degree between target characters and distraction characters was larger; It could been seen from the eye movement data that the search time was longer of the group of the higher similarity degree. It also could be found from the video playback of eye movement data that there were three kinds of visual search patterns for the subjects that they were parallel search, serial search, and parallel-serial search. The subjects who used parallel-serial search pattern made shorter time in founding the target. Conclusions can be made from the results: the order that the targets presented can significantly affect the search time; the similarity degree between target characters and distraction characters also has significant effect to the search time; the parallel-serial search pattern has the best search efficiency among three search patterns.


High Resolution OFDM Channel Estimation with Low Speed ADC Using Compressive Sensing

Abstract: Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a technique that will prevail in the next generation wireless communication. Channel estimation is one of the key challenges in an OFDM system. In this paper, we formulate OFDM channel estimation as a compressive sensing problem, which takes advantage of the sparsity of the channel impulse response and reduces the number of probing measurements, which in turn reduces the ADC speed needed for channel estimation. Specifically, we propose sending out pilots with random phases in order to ``spread out" the sparse taps in the impulse response over the uniformly downsampled measurements at the low speed receiver ADC, so that the impulse response can still be recovered by sparse optimization. This contribution leads to high resolution channel estimation with low speed ADCs, distinguishing this paper from the existing attempts of OFDM channel estimation. We also propose a novel estimator that performs better than the commonly used $\ell_1$ minimization. Specifically, it significantly reduces estimation error by combing $\ell_1$ minimization with iterative support detection and limited-support least-squares. While letting the receiver ADC running at a speed as low as $1/16$ of the speed of the transmitter DAC, we simulated various numbers of multipaths and different measurement SNRs. The proposed system has channel estimation resolution as high as the system equipped with the high speed ADCs, and the proposed algorithm provides additional 6 dB gain for signal to noise ratio.

2011 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC)


Creation of a Tablet Database Containing Several Active Ingredients and Prediction of Their Pharmaceutical Characteristics Based on Ensemble Artificial Neural Networks

Abstract: ABSTRACT A tablet database containing several active ingredients for a standard tablet formulation was created. Tablet tensile strength (TS) and disintegration time (DT) were measured before and after storage for 30 days at 40 °C and 75% relative humidity. An ensemble artificial neural network (EANN) was used to predict responses to differences in quantities of excipients and physical-chemical properties of active ingredients in tablets. Most classical neural networks involve a tedious trial and error approach, but EANNs automatically determine basal key parameters, which ensure that an optimal structure is rapidly obtained. We compared the predictive abilities of EANNs in which the following kinds of training algorithms were used: linear, radial basis function, general regression (GR), and multilayer perceptron. The GR EANN predicted pharmaceutical responses such as TS and DT most accurately, as evidenced by high correlation coefficients in a leave-some-out cross-validation procedure. When used in conjunction with a tablet database, the GR EANN is capable of identifying acceptable candidate tablet formulations. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99:42014214, 2010


Portion Size Me: Downsizing Our Consumption Norms

Abstract: We are a nation of super-sized portions and supersized people. When faced with the family-sized box of breakfast cereal, five sizes of french fries, or a 14-in dinner plate, it is easy to forget our world history. In 75 years we have gone from shivering in Depression breadlines and hoarding food-ration stamps to being an overweight, super-sized country. Most of us are now surrounded with a portion-distorted embarrassment of food (1). We find portion distortions in supermarkets, where the number of larger sizes has increased 10-fold between 1970 and 2000 (2). We find portion distortions in restaurants, where the jumbo-sized portions are consistently 250% larger than the regular portion. We even find portion distortions in our homes (3), where the sizes of our bowls and glasses have steadily increased and where the surface area of the average dinner plate has increased 36% since 1960 (4). And if our bowls, glasses, and plates do not distort us, our recipes will. In the 2006 edition of the Joy of Cooking, the serving size of some entrees has increased by as much as 62% from some recipes in the first edition of 1920. This commentary addresses four questions: (a) Who is portion-size prone? (b) Why do portion sizes lead us to overeat? (c) What caused portion distortion? and (d) How can we downsize our consumption norms?

Journal of the American Dietetic Association


Occupational Radiation Exposure during Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography and Usefulness of Radiation Protective Curtains

Abstract: Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of radiation protective curtains in reducing the occupational radiation exposure of medical personnel. Methods. We studied medical staff members who had assisted in 80 consecutive therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures. Use of radiation protective curtains mounted to the X-ray tube was determined randomly for each procedure, and radiation doses were measured with electronic pocket dosimeters placed outside the protective apron. Results. When protective curtains were not used, the mean radiation doses to endoscopists, first assistants, second assistants, and nurses were 340.9, 27.5, 45.3, and 33.1 µSv, respectively; doses decreased to 42.6, 4.2, 13.1, and 10.6 µSv, respectively, when protective curtains were used (). When the patient had to be restrained during ERCP (), the radiation dose to second assistants without protective curtains increased by a factor of 9.95 () relative to cases in which restraint was not required. Conclusions. During ERCP, not only endoscopists, but also assistants and nurses were exposed to high doses of radiation. Radiation exposure to staff members during ERCP was reduced with the use of protective curtains.


Toward estimating the impact of changes in immigrants' insurance eligibility on hospital expenditures for uncompensated care

Abstract: Background ::: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 gave states the option to withdraw Medicaid coverage of nonemergency care from most legal immigrants. Our goal was to assess the effect of PRWORA on hospital uncompensated care in the United States.


Are We Spending Too Many Years in School? Causal Evidence of the Impact of Shortening Secondary School Duration

Abstract: This paper analyzes the impact of shortening the duration of secondary schooling on the accumulation of human capital. In 2003, an educational policy reform was enacted in Saxony-Anhalt, a German state, providing a natural experimental setting. The thirteenth year of schooling was eliminated for those students currently attending the ninth grade. Tenth grade students were unaffected. The academic curriculum remained almost unaltered. Using primary data from the double cohort of Abitur graduates in 2007, significant negative effects were discovered for both genders in mathematics and for females only in English. The effects on literature were not statistically significant.


Automatic word acquisition from continuous speech.


The erbstatin analogue methyl 2,5-dihydroxycinnamate cross-links proteins and is cytotoxic to normal and neoplastic epithelial cells by a mechanism independent of tyrosine kinase inhibition.

Abstract: Differentiation therapy is an attractive option for the treatment of superficial, localized neoplastic lesions of the skin. Topical application of agents that induce differentiation could selectively inhibit tumor cell growth, inducing a program of cell death with the production of cross-linked protein envelopes as the terminal event of this process at the skin surface, effectively eliminating the neoplastic phenotype. The nonspecific kinase inhibitor staurosporine induces cornified envelope assembly in neoplastic keratinocytes and causes tumor regression (A. A. Dlugosz and S. H. Yuspa, Cancer Res., 51: 4677-4684, 1991). In pursuit of less toxic agents, specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors were tested for the ability to induce differentiation in keratinocyte-derived cells. Of a range of inhibitors tested, only MC was able to induce cross-linked protein and consequent cell death in mouse and human primary normal keratinocytes, 308 neoplastic mouse keratinocytes, HPV-18-infected immortalized human keratinocytes, and human lines SQCC-Y1 (squamous carcinoma) and A431 (epidermoid carcinoma). MC increased cross-linked protein in a dose-dependent manner (0.05-1 mM). To confirm differentiation, MC-treated mouse primary normal keratinocytes were tested for activation of the endogenous cross-linking enzyme transglutaminase, but no association was found between transglutaminase activity and MC-induced protein cross-linking. MC also induced protein cross-linking in the fibroblast cell line NIH3T3 and in B16 melanoma cells, in which cornified envelope assembly is not part of the differentiation process. This cross-linking occurred at 4 degrees C, suggesting a nonphysiological process. Western blot analysis of an in vitro assay with purified EGF receptor showed that MC was able to cross-link the receptor. As in NIH3T3 cells, DTT inhibited cross-linking, suggesting that oxidation of MC or an acceptor group may be required for this effect. Thus, MC does not induce differentiation by a physiological mechanism in epithelial cells but causes chemical protein cross-linking into cornified envelope-like structures at high concentration.


Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB)


Glucocorticoid Receptor Activation Lowers the Threshold for NMDA-Receptor-Dependent Homosynaptic Long-Term Depression in the Hippocampus Through Activation of Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channels

Abstract: Coussens, Christine M., D. Steven Kerr, and Wickliffe C. Abraham. Glucocorticoid receptor activation lowers the threshold for NMDA-receptor-dependent homosynaptic long-term depression in the hippoc...


A new cyclization to fused pyrazoles tunable for pericyclic or pseudopericyclic route: an experimental and theoretical study.

Abstract: 2-Pyrazinyl (2) and 3-pyridazinylketone arylhydrazones (6) and their benzologues undergo a ring closure reaction to yield pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrazines (4) and pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridazines (7), respectively, in acceptable to good yields. The reaction was found to be accelerated by using acidic or basic conditions. Quantum chemical calculations suggest the key step of the mechanism to be a direct cyclization; analysis of aromaticity based on computed magnetic properties revealed its medium-dependent pericyclic or pseudopericyclic character. The cyclization reaction has also been extended for the synthesis of related ring systems (9, 12, 14).


Crashes involving motorised rickshaws in urban India: Characteristics and injury patterns

Abstract: Introduction ::: Motorised three-wheeled vehicles (motorised rickshaw) are popular in Asian countries including India. This study aims to describe the crash characteristics and injury patterns for motorised rickshaw occupants and the road users hit-by-motorised rickshaw in urban India.


Elsevier An improved least squares Laplacian pyramid for

Abstract: Abstract This paper describes two ways of improving Burt and Adelson's Laplacian pyramid, a technique developed for image compression. The Laplacian pyramid is a multi-resolution image representation that captures the loss of information occuring through repeated reduction of the spatial resolution. The generation of this data structure involves the use of two complementary functions: EXPAND, which increases the size of an image by a factor of 2, and REDUCE, which performs the reverse operation. The first modification is the adjunction of a pre-filter to the initial EXPAND function in order to guarantee an image extrapolation that is an exact interpolation of the coarser resolution level. The second refinement is a REDUCE operation modified to minimize information loss. The corresponding least squares Laplacian pyramid (LSLP) is generated by adding a post-filter to the initial REDUCE function. These new functions have an efficient implementation using recursive algorithms. Preliminary experiments indicate improved performance: for a Gaussian-like kernel ( a= 3 8 ), the new EXPAND function exhibits a 2 to 2.5 dB attenuation of the first level of the Laplacian pyramid, while the complete scheme (LSLP)_leads to a 4.7 to 8.5 dB improvement in the two images used to test the procedure. For comparable compression ratios, the subjective image quality for the LSLP appears to be significantly better. A theoretical relationship between the present approach and the family of quadrature mirror filter image pyramids is also derived.


Communication networks in geographically distributed software development

Abstract: In this paper, we seek to shed light on how communication networks in geographically distributed projects evolve in order to address the limits of the modular design strategy. We collected data from a geographically distributed software development project covering 39 months of activity. Our analysis showed that over time a group of developers emerge as the liaisons between formal teams and geographical locations. In addition to handling the communication and coordination load across teams and locations, those engineers contributed the most to the development effort.


Assessment of the rate of solid-phase gastric emptying in ponies by means of the 13C-octanoic acid breath test: a preliminary study

Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of applying the C-13-octanoic acid breath test for assessment of gastric emptying in ponies by investigating the pattern of C-13 enrichment in breath following the administration of a test meal +/- C-13-octanoic acid. After a 14 h fast, the ponies received either no meal (Test I) or a standardised test meal labelled with 0 mg (Test 11), 125 mg (Test III), 250 mg (Test IV) or 500 mg (Test V) C-13-octanoic acid. For each test (I-V), exhaled breath samples were collected in duplicate at 1 h and immediately before ingestion of the test meal and at frequent intervals thereafter for 12 ll, Breath samples were analysed by continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry, Three indices of breath C-13-enrichment were computed; half dose recovery time (t1/2), gastric emptying coefficient (GEC) and time to peak breath C-13-enrichment t(max), For Tests I and II, the ratio of (CO2)-C-13:(CO2)-C-12 remained stable for the duration of the sampling period. For Tests III, IV and V, an increase in the ratio of (CO2)-C-13:(CO2)-C-12 was detected. The test was reproducible within individuals, and intersubject variation was low, Further validation studies of this noninvasive technique are justified.


An Entropy-Based Methodology for Valuation of Demand Uncertainty Reduction


Bilateral optic neuritis in the course of ethambutol treatment


One-week Short-Term Life Review interview can improve spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients

Abstract: Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the Short-Term Life Review on the spiritual well-being, as well as anxiety, depression, suffering, and happiness of terminally ill cancer patients. ::: ::: Method: Thirty patients reviewed their lives in the first session and they confirmed the contents in the album based on the life review in the second session. Duration of the treatment was one week. Measurement instruments included Functional Assessment Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual (FACIT-Sp), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Numeric Rating Scales of Suffering (from 0 to 6) and Happiness (from 1 to 7). ::: ::: Results: After the therapy, the mean FACIT-Sp scores increased from 16±8.2 to 24±7.1, anxiety score significantly decreased from 6.8±4.7 to 3.0±2.2, depression score significantly decreased from 10.2±4.7 to 6.6±4.1, suffering score significantly decreased from 3.4±1.9 to 1.8±1.4, and happiness score significantly increased from 4.6±1.9 to 5.6±1.6. Total HADS scores significantly decreased from 17±8.6 to 9.5±5.4. ::: ::: Conclusion: The Short-Term Life Review is feasible and may be effective in improving the spiritual and psychosocial well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Implication of the proprotein convertases in iron homeostasis: Proprotein convertase 7 sheds human transferrin receptor 1 and furin activates hepcidin

Abstract: UNLABELLED ::: The first seven members of the proprotein convertase (PC) family activate protein precursors by cleavage after basic residues. While PC7 has no known specific substrates, it shows redundancy with other PCs. A genome-wide association study suggested that circulating levels of shed human transferrin receptor 1 (hTfR1) are regulated by PC7. We thus examined whether hTfR1 constitutes a specific substrate for PC7. Coexpression of hTfR1 with PCs in several cell lines indicated that PC7 is the only convertase that sheds this receptor into the medium. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that cleavage occurs at the unusual site KTECER100 ↓LA, in which the P1 Arg100 and P6 Lys95 are critical. Pharmacological treatments revealed that shedding of hTfR1 by PC7 requires endocytosis into acidic clathrin-coated vesicles. A PC7 chimera, in which the transmembrane domain and the cytosolic tail of PC7 were replaced by that of the convertase furin, lost its ability to cleave the receptor, demonstrating the importance of these domains in the regulation of PC7 function. Analysis of primary hepatocytes from mice lacking furin, PC5, PACE4, or PC7 revealed that hepcidin, which limits iron availability in the circulation, is specifically generated by furin and not by PC7. Finally, depletion of iron in the medium of hepatoma cell lines incubated with the iron chelator desferrioxamine resulted in PC7 down-regulation. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSION ::: Among the PC family members, only furin activates hepcidin in hepatocytes, and uniquely the full-length membrane-bound PC7 can directly shed hTfR1 by cleavage at Arg100 ↓. Our results support the notion that, when iron is limiting, hTfR1 levels increase at least in part by way of the down-regulation of PC7 expression. (HEPATOLOGY 2013;).


New views on the function and health effects of vitamins.


How holobionts get sick—toward a unifying scheme of disease

Abstract: All humans, animals, and plants are holobionts. Holobionts comprise the host and a myriad of interacting microorganisms-the microbiota. The hologenome encompasses the genome of the host plus the composite of all microbial genomes (the microbiome). In health, there is a fine-tuned and resilient equilibrium within the members of the microbiota and between them and the host. This relative stability is maintained by a high level of microbial diversity, a delicate bio-geographic distribution of microorganisms, and a sophisticated and intricate molecular crosstalk among the multiple components of the holobiont. Pathobionts are temporarily benign microbes with the potential, under modified ecosystem conditions, to become key players in disease. Pathobionts may be endogenous, living for prolonged periods of time inside or on the host, or exogenous, invading the host during opportunistic situations. In both cases, the end result is the transformation of the beneficial microbiome into a health-perturbing pathobiome. We hypothesize that probably all diseases of holobionts, acute or chronic, infectious or non-infectious, and regional or systemic, are characterized by a perturbation of the healthy microbiome into a diseased pathobiome.


Effect of hematopoietic growth factors on MR images of bone marrow in children undergoing chemotherapy.

Abstract: PURPOSE ::: To evaluate the effects of hematopoietic growth factors on magnetic resonance (MR) image signal intensity (SI) of bone marrow in children undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for musculoskeletal malignancies. ::: ::: ::: MATERIALS AND METHODS ::: Blinded evaluations were performed of T1-weighted and short inversion time inversion recovery images of the pelvis and/or lower extremities of 15 patients undergoing chemotherapy, with or without granulocyte or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. ::: ::: ::: RESULTS ::: Four of the 11 patients who received growth factors initially had hematopoietic marrow SI that did not change during therapy. All seven with initially fatty marrow had SI changes consistent with reconversion to hematopoietic marrow that coincided temporally with increases in absolute neutrophil counts from minimums of 0-2,580/mm3 to maximums of 10,858-45,880/mm3. The four patients who did not receive growth factors had no MR imaging changes in initially hematopoietic (n = 1) or fatty (n = 3) marrow. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSION ::: Hematopoietic activity induced by growth factors can produce changes in bone marrow SI that may simulate bone marrow involvement by musculoskeletal tumors.


Kidney surgery under hypothermia


Necessity of noise in physiology and medicine

Abstract: Noise is omnipresent in biomedical systems and signals. Conventional views assume that its presence is detrimental to systems' performance and accuracy. Hence, various analytic approaches and instrumentation have been designed to remove noise. On the contrary, recent contributions have shown that noise can play a beneficial role in biomedical systems. The results of this literature review indicate that noise is an essential part of biomedical systems and often plays a fundamental role in the performance of these systems. Furthermore, in preliminary work, noise has demonstrated therapeutic potential to alleviate the effects of various diseases. Further research into the role of noise and its applications in medicine is likely to lead to novel approaches to the treatment of diseases and prevention of disability.

Computer methods and programs in biomedicine


Swift: the missing link between peer-to-peer and information-centric networks

Abstract: A common pitfall of many proposals on new information-centric architectures for the Internet is the imbalance of up-front costs and immediate benefits. If properly designed and deployed, information-centric architectures can accommodate the current Internet usage which is at odds with the historical design of the Internet infrastructure. To address this concern, we focus on prospects of incremental adoption of this paradigm by introducing a peer-to-peer based transport protocol for content dissemination named Swift that exhibits properties required in an Information-Centric Network (ICN), yet can be deployed in the existing Internet infrastructure. Our design integrates components while highly prioritizing modularity and sketches a path for piece-meal adoption which we consider a critical enabler of any progress in the field.


Cone-beam CT angiography (Dyna CT) for intraoperative localization of cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

Abstract: BACKGROUND ::: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain are commonly treated in multimodality fashion, with endovascular embolization followed by surgical extirpation being one of the most effective strategies. Modern endovascular suites enable rotational angiography, also known as cone-beam CT angiography (CBCT-A), using the full capability of modern C-arm digital angiography systems. This imaging modality offers a superior image quality to current options such as digital subtraction angiography, MRI, or CT angiography. Preoperative planning can be greatly aided by the resolution of angioarchitecture seen in CBCT-A images. Furthermore, these images can be used for intraoperative neuronavigation when integrated with widely used frameless stereotactic systems. The utility and outcome of the use of CBCT-A for preoperative planning and intraoperative localization of AVMs was evaluated. ::: ::: ::: METHODS ::: A retrospective review was performed of 16 patients in which CBCT-A was performed, including radiological review and all clinical data. ::: ::: ::: RESULTS ::: CBCT-A was successfully employed in all cases including those with (n=9) and without (n=7) rupture. Complete resection confirmed by postoperative angiography was achieved in all cases. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSIONS ::: We present a novel application of CBCT-A in the treatment of AVMs, both for preoperative surgical planning and an intraoperative reference during neuronavigation.


Optimizing the stability of single-chain proteins by linker length and composition mutagenesis

Abstract: Linker length and composition were varied in libraries of single-chain Arc repressor, resulting in proteins with effective concentrations ranging over six orders of magnitude (10 microM-10 M). Linkers of 11 residues or more were required for biological activity. Equilibrium stability varied substantially with linker length, reaching a maximum for glycine-rich linkers containing 19 residues. The effects of linker length on equilibrium stability arise from significant and sometimes opposing changes in folding and unfolding kinetics. By fixing the linker length at 19 residues and varying the ratio of Ala/Gly or Ser/Gly in a 16-residue-randomized region, the effects of linker flexibility were examined. In these libraries, composition rather than sequence appears to determine stability. Maximum stability in the Ala/Gly library was observed for a protein containing 11 alanines and five glycines in the randomized region of the linker. In the Ser/Gly library, the most stable protein had seven serines and nine glycines in this region. Analysis of folding and unfolding rates suggests that alanine acts largely by accelerating folding, whereas serine acts predominantly to slow unfolding. These results demonstrate an important role for linker design in determining the stability and folding kinetics of single-chain proteins and suggest strategies for optimizing these parameters.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America


Maintenance of anaesthesia with propofol--a comparative study of a stepdown infusion of propofol and a low dose infusion supplemented by incremental doses.

Abstract: Forty-four patients, ASA Grade I or II, had anaesthesia induced with propofol at 100 mg min-1 followed by a maintenance rate of 6 mg kg-1 h-1 or a stepdown regimen of 10 mg kg-1 h-1 for 10 min, 8 mg kg-1 h-1 for the next 10 min and at 6 mg kg-1 h-1 thereafter. Anaesthesia was maintained with propofol infused using an Ohmeda 9000 pump supplemented by nitrous oxide and oxygen (2:1) in a Bain circuit with spontaneous ventilation. Incremental doses of 20 mg of propofol were given to both groups as clinically indicated to maintain anaesthesia. Both methods provided satisfactory maintenance of anaesthesia but significantly more incremental doses were required in the group receiving the steady rate infusion. However, a lower cumulative dose was required up to 30 min in this group but not by 40 min. A comparable fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate was seen in both groups. There was no difference in the recovery times between the groups and the total dose did not correlate with time to recovery.


Mother, May I? OWL-based Policy Management at NASA

Abstract: Among the challenges of managing NASA’s information systems is the management (that is, creation, coordination, verification, validation, and enforcement) of many different role-based access control policies and mechanisms. This paper describes an actual data federation use case that demonstrates the inefficiencies created by this challenge and presents an approach to reducing these inefficiencies using OWL. The focus is on the representation of XACML policies in DL, but the approach generalizes to other policy languages.


Head Modeling Using Multiple-views


Conditional Density Estimation with Dimensionality Reduction via Squared-Loss Conditional Entropy Minimization

Abstract: Regression aims at estimating the conditional mean of output given input. However, regression is not informative enough if the conditional density is multimodal, heteroskedastic, and asymmetric. In such a case, estimating the conditional density itself is preferable, but conditional density estimation (CDE) is challenging in high-dimensional space. A naive approach to coping with high dimensionality is to first perform dimensionality reduction (DR) and then execute CDE. However, a two-step process does not perform well in practice because the error incurred in the first DR step can be magnified in the second CDE step. In this letter, we propose a novel single-shot procedure that performs CDE and DR simultaneously in an integrated way. Our key idea is to formulate DR as the problem of minimizing a squared-loss variant of conditional entropy, and this is solved using CDE. Thus, an additional CDE step is not needed after DR. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method through extensive experiments on various data sets, including humanoid robot transition and computer art.


Assuring Quality


My Journey with and in Kidney Diseases

Saudi journal of kidney diseases and transplantation : an official publication of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, Saudi Arabia


Destruction of cytochrome P-450 by ethylene and other olefins.


Qualitative properties of adjoint Kronecker product boundary value problems

Abstract: This paper develops adjoint Kronecker product boundary value problem in parametric forms and studies the properties of Green's matrix relative to the adjoint boundary value problem. We develop the variation of parameter formula for Kronecker product system associated with Kronecker product control and study the controllability of the Kronecker product system.


Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Oral Diabetic Medications, Insulin Therapy, and Overall Breast Cancer Risk

Abstract: Breast cancer is among the most common cancers worldwide. Diabetes is an important chronic health problem associated with insulin resistance, increased insulin level, changes in growth hormones and factors, and activation of mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, leading to an increased breast cancer risk. This paper looked at the epidemiologic studies of the association between type 2 diabetes and risk of breast cancer and its effect on overall cancer-specific survival. The combined evidence overall supported a modest association between type 2 diabetes and the risk of breast cancer, which was found to be more prevalent among postmenopausal women. Effect of oral diabetics and insulin therapy on breast cancer risk was also evaluated. It was found that metformin and thiazolidinones tended to have a protective role. Metformin therapy trials for its use as an adjuvant for breast cancer treatment are still ongoing. Sulfonylurea and insulin therapy were found to be mildly associated with increased overall cancers. No evidence or studies evaluated the association of DPPIV inhibitors and GLP 1 agonists with breast cancer risk because of their recent introduction into the management of diabetes.


Extracting jamming signals to locate radio interferers and jammers


The repetition of certain experiments on which Molitor and Pick base their water‐centre hypothesis, and the effect of afferent nerve stimuli on water diuresis


The Pathogenesis and Differential Diagnosis of Edema


Time course of vasospasm in man.

Abstract: Measurements were made at eight predetermined positions on 627 sets of angiograms from 293 patients with aneurysms. A ratio between the sum of the vessel diameters in the subarachnoid space to the sum in the base of skull and neck was calculated and plotted against time. Vasospasm has its onset in man about Day 3 after subarachnoid hemorrhage, is maximal at Days 6 to 8, and is gone by Day 12. There is a tendency for patients in poor clinical grades to have more vasospasm. The patients with most vasospasm have a significantly higher mortality than those with the least.


Thermodynamic analysis of autonomous parallel beta-sheet formation in water.

Abstract: We report the first thermodynamic analysis of parallel beta-sheet formation in a model system that folds in aqueous solution. NMR chemical shifts were used to determine beta-sheet population, and van't Hoff anaysis provided thermodynamic parameters. Our approach relies upon the d-prolyl-1,1-dimethyl-1,2-diaminoethane unit to promote parallel beta-sheet formation between attached peptide strands. The development of a macrocyclic reference molecule to provide chemical shift data for the fully folded state was crucial to the quantitative anaylsis.

Journal of the American Chemical Society


Indications for conservative management of scoliosis (guidelines)

Abstract: This guideline has been discussed by the SOSORT guideline committee prior to the SOSORT consensus meeting in Milan, January 2005 and published in its first version on the SOSORT homepage: http://www.sosort.org/meetings.php. After the meeting it again has been discussed by the members of the SOSORT guideline committee to establish the final 2005 version submitted to Scoliosis, the official Journal of the society, in December 2005.


What do you do when the lights go out?

Abstract: Most facilities have good procedures for conducting routine switching and maintenance. However, what are the procedures for an unplanned breaker trip or equipment failure? Who do you call? How do you lockout? Where do you ground? How do you assess the damage? How do you restart? These are all items that need to be thought about ahead of time so as not to waste a lot of time and create potential safety issues when they happen.

2017 Annual Pulp, Paper And Forest Industries Technical Conference (PPFIC)


Creation of the Database for Preliminary Calibration System

Abstract: Calibration of models is a necessary and integral process in modeling of IC manufacturing techniques. In this work the selection, research and analysis of information which is to be considered during the performance of modeling have been carried out and the technique of preliminary calibration is developed

International Workshops and Tutorials on Electron Devices and Materials


Screening for colon cancer: controversies and recommendations.

Abstract: Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of overall cancer mortality in the United States. This article review pertinent clinical and policy issues, details current colorectal cancer screening concepts, summarizes American College of Radiology achievements to date, and outlines projects in the next phase of the effort.


Recycling of 3He from lung magnetic resonance imaging.

Abstract: We have developed the means to recycle (3) He exhaled by patients after imaging the lungs using magnetic resonance of hyperpolarized (3) He. The exhaled gas is collected in a helium leak proof bag and further compressed into a steel bottle. The collected gas contains about 1-2% of (3) He, depending on the amount administered and the number of breaths collected to wash out the (3) He gas from the lungs. (3) He is separated from the exhaled air using zeolite molecular sieve adsorbent at 77 K followed by a cold head at 8 K. Residual gaseous impurities are finally absorbed by a commercial nonevaporative getter. The recycled (3) He gas features high purity, which is required for repolarization by metastability exchange optical pumping. At present, we achieve a collection efficiency of 80-84% for exhaled gas from healthy volunteers and cryogenic separation efficiency of 95%.


Reverse Deduplication : Optimizing for Fast Restore


The Oncogenicity of Human Cytomegalovirus

Abstract: The potential role of Human cytomegalovirus (hCM) infection in promoting neoplasia is an active area of scientific research. [1] Although still controversial, there is a growing body of evidence that links hCMV infection to a variety of malignancies, including those of the breast, prostate, colon, lung and brain (gliomas). [2-7] hCMV induces alterations in regulatory proteins and non-coding RNA that are associated with a malignant phenotype. These changes promote tumour survival by effecting cellular proliferation, invasion, immune evasion, and production of angiogenic factors [8] Constant immune surveillance governs the destruction of the majority of cancer cells and precancerous conditions in the human body. However, the most pathogenic of malignant tumors acquire immune evasion strategies which render them less vulnerable to destruction by immune cells.

Manifestations of Cytomegalovirus Infection


Are educational computer micro-games engaging and effective for knowledge acquisition at high-schools? A quasi-experimental study

Abstract: Curricular schooling can benefit from the usage of educational computer games, but it is difficult to integrate them in the formal schooling system. Here, we investigate one possible approach to this integration, which capitalizes on using a micro-game that can be played with a teacher's guidance as a supplement after a traditional expository lecture followed by a debriefing. The game's purpose is to reinforce and integrate part of the knowledge learnt during the lecture. We investigated feasibility of this approach in a quasi-experimental study in 70 min long seminars on the topic of animal learning at 5 classes at 4 different high-schools in the Czech Republic. Each class was divided to two groups randomly. After an expository lecture, the game group played a game called Orbis Pictus Bestialis while the control group received an extra lecture that used media-rich materials. The time allotment was the same in both groups. We investigated the immediate and one month delayed effects of the game on students' knowledge reinforced and integrated by the game as well as on knowledge learnt during the expository lecture but not strengthened by the game. We also investigated students' overall appeal towards the seminar and its perceived educational value. Data from 100 students were analysed. The results showed that a) the game-playing is comparable to the traditional form of teaching concerning immediate knowledge gains and has a significant medium positive effect size regarding retention, b) the game-playing is not detrimental to information transmitted in the expository lecture but not strengthened by the game, c) perceived educational value and the overall appeal were high in the game group, nevertheless the perceived educational value was slightly lower in the game group comparing to the traditional group. Our results suggest that the proposed approach of harnessing educational computer games at high-schools is promising.


Approach in high precision topic-specific resource discovery on the web

Abstract: The Internet presents numerous sources of useful information nowadays. However, these resources are drowning under the dynamic Web, so accurate finding user-specific information is very difficult. In this paper we discuss a Semantic Graph Web Search (SGWS) algorithm in topic-specific resource discovery on the Web. This method combines the use of hyperlinks, characteristics of Web graph and semantic term weights. We implement the algorithm to find Chinese medical information from the Internet. Our study showed that it has better precision than traditional IR (Information Retrieval) methods and traditional search engines.

Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences


This information is current as Experimental Lung Inflammation Receptor Knockout Mice Prevents Invariant NKT Cell Defects in Vitamin D


A comparative study of the vascularization of the adrenal gland in the rabbit, rat and cat.


Hypotrichy in the Phytoseiidae: adaptation or phylogenetic constraint?

Abstract: (Accepted after revision 7 April 1994) INTRODUCTION In a recent paper (Sabelis and Bakker, 1992) we calculated the optimal number of dorsal setae required to minimize somal contact with sticky structures, such as silken threads forming the chaotically structured web spun by two-spotted spider mites. This calculation was based on two vital assumptions: (1) full avoidance of somal contact is achieved when the imaginary central axis is fully covered by the projections of the dorsal setae on this axis; and (2) investment per seta is proportional to setal length to the power 3 (which holds only when the seta is cone- shaped and the setal diameter-length ratio is constant). While the first assumption is a gross oversimplification, the second assumption lacks support by hard data. In this paper we will ( 1 ) extend the optimality model to include a more general class of diameter-length relations with respect to dorsal setae, (2) present measurements of diameter-length relations in various genera of the Phytoseiidae and (3) predict the optimal number of setae for comparison with the actual number of dorsal setae. This test of the model will then be used to determine wbether the number of dorsal setae in phytosciid mites can be considered as an adaptation or a phylo- genetic constraint. OPTIMAL INVESTMENT IN SETAE Suppose that ( I ) the central axis has length L, (2) each seta has !ength l and a hooked shape with e being the length of the part perpendicular to the soma and l - e being the length of the remaining part parallel to the soma, (3) the setae are standing in a longitudinal row, are equal in length and their projections on the central axis (l') do not overlap. Finally, suppose that (4) the per seta investment in terms of resources (r) is proportional to the volume of a cone with length I and diameter d and that (5) because d and l should pass through the origin, the functional relationship is of the © Science and Technology Letters. All rights reserved.


Determination of DPPH Radical Oxidation Caused by Methanolic Extracts of Some Microalgal Species by Linear Regression Analysis of Spectrophotometric Measurements

Abstract: The demonstrated modified spectrophotometric method makes use of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and its specific absorbance properties. Theabsorbance decreases when the radical is reduced by antioxidants. In contrast to otherinvestigations, the absorbance was measured at a wavelength of 550 nm. This wavelengthenabled the measurements of the stable free DPPH radical without interference frommicroalgal pigments. This approach was applied to methanolic microalgae extracts for twodifferent DPPH concentrations. The changes in absorbance measured vs. the concentrationof the methanolic extract resulted in curves with a linear decrease ending in a saturationregion. Linear regression analysis of the linear part of DPPH reduction versus extractconcentration enabled the determination of the microalgae's methanolic extractsantioxidative potentials which was independent to the employed DPPH concentrations. Theresulting slopes showed significant differences (6 - 34 μmol DPPH g-1 extractconcentration) between the single different species of microalgae (Anabaena sp.,Isochrysis galbana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Porphyridium purpureum, Synechocystissp. PCC6803) in their ability to reduce the DPPH radical. The independency of the signal on the DPPH concentration is a valuable advantage over the determination of the EC50 value.


Influence of galvanic vestibular stimulation on egocentric and object-based mental transformations

Abstract: The vestibular system analyses angular and linear accelerations of the head that are important information for perceiving the location of one’s own body in space. Vestibular stimulation and in particular galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) that allow a systematic modification of vestibular signals has so far mainly been used to investigate vestibular influence on sensori-motor integration in eye movements and postural control. Comparatively, only a few behavioural and imaging studies have investigated how cognition of space and body may depend on vestibular processing. This study was designed to differentiate the influence of left versus right anodal GVS compared to sham stimulation on object-based versus egocentric mental transformations. While GVS was applied, subjects made left-right judgments about pictures of a plant or a human body presented at different orientations in the roll plane. All subjects reported illusory sensations of body self-motion and/or visual field motion during GVS. Response times in the mental transformation task were increased during right but not left anodal GVS for the more difficult stimuli and the larger angles of rotation. Post-hoc analyses suggested that the interfering effect of right anodal GVS was only present in subjects who reported having imagined turning themselves to solve the mental transformation task (egocentric transformation) as compared to those subjects having imagined turning the picture in space (object-based mental transformation). We suggest that this effect relies on shared functional and cortical mechanisms in the posterior parietal cortex associated with both right anodal GVS and mental imagery.


Differences in response of glucuronide and glutathione conjugating enzymes to aflatoxin b, and n‐acetylaminofluorene in underfed rats

Abstract: Changes in the hepatic drug/xenobiotic‐metabolizing enzymes in underfed rats exposed to aflatoxin B1 and N‐acetylaminofluorene were investigated. Neither carcinogen, fed at the level of 10 μg and 0.667 mg per 100 g body weight, respectively, over a period of 3 wk, had any significant influence on cytochrome P‐450 and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in the undernourished rats. Significantly low activities of UDP‐glucuronyltransferase and glutathione S‐transferase were observed in food‐restricted animals fed on aflatoxin B1. N‐acetylaminofluorene, on the other hand stimulated both the enzyme activities in the underfed group, to as much observed in the respective well‐fed treated group. UDP‐Glucuronyltransferase and glutathione S‐transferase in undernutrition seem to respond differently to aflatoxin B1 and N‐acetylaminofluorene. Further studies are needed to assess the possible consequences of such alterations.

Journal of toxicology and environmental health


Biclique graphs of interval bigraphs

Abstract: Abstract The biclique graph K B ( G ) is the intersection graph of all the bicliques of a graph G . The aim of our work is to recognize graphs that are biclique graphs of interval bigraphs ( IBG ). In this paper we prove that K B ( IBG ) ⊂ K 1 , 4 -free co-comparability graphs. We also study the class of biclique graphs of proper interval bigraphs ( PIB ). Recall that PIB is equal to the class of bipartite permutation graphs ( BPG ). We present a characterization of the class K B ( PIB ) and of the biclique graphs of a subclass of PIB that leads to a polynomial time recognition algorithm. We also present characterizations of biclique graphs of some classes such as complete graphs, trees and graphs with girth at least 5.


Using : How Your Time with Media Can Be More Intentional


The effect of cooperative group investigation in student’s reading comprehension

Abstract: Abstrack This study is to find out whether the use of Group investigation (GI) method in studets’ reading comprehension is effective or not. This research was done on the student of the ten grade, Senior High School in SMK N 2 Kediri, which have three classes. The ten grade of SMK N 2 Kediri was divided into three classes. There were class X A, X B, and X C. the researcher used X C as an experimental class and X B as control class. Reading test was the data which is collect as an instrument. Kuder Richardson 21 formula was used to get reliability. The result was 0.81, so the test was reliable. ANCOVA was used to analysed the data. The result of the analysis indicate that the students’ reading comprehension ware significanly higher. The result 0.002 it is lower than 0.05 (0.000<0.05). it is conclude that using Cooperative Group Investigation is effective in students’ readingcomprehension. Keywords: reading comprehension, group Investigation (GI).


A review on plasma sprayed titanium and hydroxyapatite coatings on polyetheretherketone implants

Abstract: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a biocompatible polymer with good mechanical strength, thermal and chemical stability and is suitable for magnetic resonance and X-ray imaging. Moreover, density and elasticity of PEEK is closer to bones compared to metals. Nevertheless, the hydrophobicity of the PEEK surface causes a soft tissue formation at the bone/implant interface that prevents direct bone apposition. Although numerous methods have been developed for improving PEEK's bioactivity, the most widely used and accepted method have been coating the surface with a thin layer of osseointegrative material by thermal spraying. Most widely used coating materials in the manufacture of orthopaedic implants have been hydroxyapatite (HAp) and titanium. Thus, this review focuses on the recent progress on HAp and Ti coatings deposited by plasma spraying methods on PEEK implants.

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering


Validation of nitric oxide transfer factor predicted equations


Peran Pendiri Sekolah dalam Mengembangkan Kinerja Guru di KB Fun Islamic School Suronegaran Purworejo

Abstract: This research describes the role of school founders in developing teacher perpformance at KB Fun Islamic School Suronegaran Purworejo. The purpose of this article is to determine the role of the founder of the KB Fun Islamic School Suronegaran Purworejo in developing teacher assignments. This article was written using the quality method with a descriptive approach based on observations and interviews with school Suronegaran Purworejo. Based on research conducted developing teacher performance conducted by school founders through as a motivator, conducting evaluations, and providing training to tachers such as “GURAME” training or seminars and teachers are also given the oppurtunity to do internships at other PAUD institutions. Thus, adding to the experience of the teacher both in learning planning, implementation, and the success of learning achievement in KB Fun Islamic School.


THE PRECIPITATING FACTOR OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS FOR PATIENTS ADMITTED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AT PRINCE RASHID HOSPITAL IN JORDAN

Indian Research Journal of Pharmacy and Science


OspA mutant, PSAM-VLGDV1-form5, grafted short chameleon sequence from alpha-B crystallin


Taking the Floor: Models, Morals and Management in a Wall Street Trading Room


THE FORMATION OF THE NETWORK MODEL OF THE INNOVATION PROCESS IN UKRAINE


RESEARCH OF THE EFFECT OF EPOXY RESINS ON THE PROPERTIES OF BENZOXAZINE MONOMER BA-a AND THEIRS COPOLYMERS


Microplastics; occurrence, levels andimplications for environment and human health related to food. Opinion of the Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food andEnvironment

Abstract: Report from the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) 2019:16. Microplastics; occurrence, levels and ::: implications for environment and human health related to food. Opinion of the Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and ::: Environment. Source at https://www.vkm.no/.


Measuring circadian rhythms of telephone call activity in older adults with a persistence and synchronization analysis : Descriptive study (Preprint)


Inequivalent Representations of Canonical Commutation and Anti-Commutation Relations


Do Political Connection, Executive Character, and Audit Quality Affect the Tax Avoidance Practice? Evidence in Indonesia

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Applied Economics and Social Science (ICAESS 2019)


Down to the Minimum: An analysis of the family reunification rights under the Temporary Law

Abstract: In July 2016, the Law on temporary limitations to the possibility of being granted residence permit in Sweden (the Temporary Law) came into force. The Temporary Law implied a sharp turn in Swedish asylum legislation. The right to family reunification, which previously had been granted subsidiary protection beneficiaries and refugees on a similar basis, was suddenly heavily restricted for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. The government claimed that the changes corresponded to the minimum requirements of EU-law and international law. The Temporary Law did however become an object of major criticism, and the critique primarily concerned the restrictions’ potential conflict with rights under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the ECHR). ::: ::: This thesis examines if the Temporary Law restrictions on the right to family reunification for subsidiary protection beneficiaries were in compliance with the requirements under Articles 8 and 14 ECHR. The restrictions are hereby examined in relation to the right to respect for family life and the prohibition of discrimination. The analysis identifies a number of issues regarding the compatibility with Articles 8 and 14 ECHR. The particular vulnerability of subsidiary protection beneficiaries, which is linked to a presumed right to family reunification under Article 8 ECHR, was not recognised by the Temporary Law. Furthermore, the procedural obligations under Article 8 ECHR were arguably not fulfilled by the Temporary Law. The examination additionally concludes that the Temporary Law restrictions violated the prohibition of discrimination under Article 14 ECHR in conjunction with Article 8 ECHR. Considering that subsidiary protection beneficiaries and refugees are in a relevantly similar situation for the purpose of family reunification, the government failed to provide a reasonable and objective justification for the Temporary Law's differential treatment. ::: ::: In sum, this thesis suggests that the Temporary Law restrictions failed to meet the minimum level of protection under the ECHR. Accordingly, the Temporary Law not merely adjusted the right to family reunification down to the minimum of EU-law and international law, the Temporary Law fell below the minimum and hereby failed to comply with the obligations under Articles 8 and 14 ECHR. The failure to meet the minimum standards of the ECHR could be explained by the influential role of the immigration control prerogative in the context of human rights protection of immigrants.


The antecedents of student-university identification: an investigation into the Egyptian higher education sector


Board Independence and Firm Financial Performance: Context of Publicly Traded Manufacturing Companies in Bangladesh

Abstract: This study strives to investigate the effects of board independence on financial performance of publicly held manufacturing companies in Bangladesh using both accounting (ROA) and market-based (Tobin’s Q) performance measures. Initially, we select 150 manufacturing companies but only 85 companies remain in the study sample after fulfilling the data availability criteria over a period from 2006-2017. The OLS regression model reveals that board independence has positive effects on both ROA and Tobin’s Q, which supports some prior studies (Pearce& Zahra, 1991; Zahra & Pearce, 1989; EzzamelW Hossain, Prevost R Choi, Park Y Joh& Jung, 2012), but the relationship between board independence and Tobin’s Q are not statistically significant. Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has made it a mandatory requirement in the corporate governance guidelines to include1/5th of the total directors as independent directors into corporate boards for bringing transparency and accountability of its affairs without considering the underlying institutional differences. Though board independence is considered as an important mechanism of corporate board practices in most of the developed economies, it is still less appealing in emerging economies, especially in Bangladesh. Keywords: Independent directors; firm performance; effective function . DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-33-11 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

European Journal of Business and Management


Mercury's DEM and FAG fractal structure -- indicator for meteorite bombardment by different density space bodies


Nuanciers - ISCC-NBS - Dark Olive


Information acquisition and adoption of conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in South-West Nigeria: Recursive bivariate probit estimation

Abstract: The persistent use of traditional farming practices and cultivation of low yielding variety of crops on scattered small farmland holdings by agrarian farming households in Nigeria has put pressure ...

African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development


Variability of dairy productivity of cows depending on the breeding method by lines

Tehnologìâ virobnictva ì pererobki produktìv tvarinnictva


Revisiting the Dynamics of Forest Area Change: A Panel Data Assessment


Legacy Of Tamil society In Moovaloor Ramamirdham Ammaiyar

Abstract: Women’s movement in India emerged as a part of the social reform movement in the nineteenth century when individual reformers and organizations initiated efforts towards social reform. It was a period of Enlightenment marked by intense social reform activities. It is natural that one of the many subjects, the reformers and thinkers of this period touched was the women’s question. They focused on the condition of women as reflected the degenerate state of Indian Society as a whole and took conscious action to change the situation. It stimulated the movement for social reform. Raja Ram Mohan Ray’s efforts for the abolition of the custom of sati marked the beginning of this movement. It was followed by a galaxy of reformers who raised their voices against various restrictions imposed on women.


Growth, lipid profile and methane production by sheep fed diets containing yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae)

Abstract: A twelve-week study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on growth performance, lipid profile and methane production by West African dwarf sheep. Twenty four (24) lambs(12 males and 12 females) were randomly allotted to six treatment diets in a 3x2 factorial arrangement involving grass (Panicum maximum) hay, grass/ legume mixture (50:50) hay and legume (Centrosema pubescens) hay either without or with S. cerevisiae supplementation (1.5g/ kg diet). Result showed that the average daily feed intake, average daily weight gain and final body weight were significantly higher for sheep fed legume diet with S. cerevisieae supplementation than those fed other diets. Sheep fed grass diet without supplementary yeast had significantly higher methane emission than those fed other diets. Based on the results, the addition of S. cerevisiae to legume diet was recommended to improve feed intake, daily weight gain, feed efficiency and methane emission.


쇼핑몰 외피에 나타난 디지털미디어 표현특성 분석

Abstract: Building Skin not only has the function of protecting the internal space, but also brings many changes to the manifestation of the building Skin. As one of the essential elements of architectural development, digital media has been applied flexibly in various fields of modern society. As modern architecture use digital media, the urban environment also shows a dynamic and interactive concept that provides communication or information with humans. The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of media expression in the media facade of large-scale shopping center. The four characteristics were classyfied as Interaction, emotional, technical and time expression. According to this study understands there are two types of interactions in media facade of shopping center. Visual displays which attract people's attention show the direction of information, or an interactive urban landscape. It is expressed in a landmark characteristic that attracting people's attention with colorful color. And emotional expressions appear as simple visual and sympathetic responses from the Display screen.


Australians who view live streaming of child sexual abuse: an analysis of financial transactions


Atheroembolic renal disease: A case series

Abstract: Atheroembolic renal disease (AERD), a part of systemic cholesterol embolization syndrome, is caused by the occlusion of small arteries in the kidneys by cholesterol crystal emboli from ulcerated atherosclerotic plaques. Kidney is commonly involved because of its proximity to the abdominal aorta and its enormous blood supply. AERD is an under diagnosed condition. We report eight cases of AERD, highlighting the variability in its clinical presentation and the importance of a renal biopsy to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.


Analysis of p-Sylow subgroup as pilot for OFDM systems

Abstract: In an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) System, if Cyclic Difference Set (CDS) exists, then it will be optimal pilot for estimation of sparse channel. For many OFDM systems CDS may not exists. Hence in this paper, we investigate p-Sylow subgroup be able to be optimal pilot selection or not. We find conditions under which a p-Sylow subgroup as pilot selection for OFDM systems.In an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) System, if Cyclic Difference Set (CDS) exists, then it will be optimal pilot for estimation of sparse channel. For many OFDM systems CDS may not exists. Hence in this paper, we investigate p-Sylow subgroup be able to be optimal pilot selection or not. We find conditions under which a p-Sylow subgroup as pilot selection for OFDM systems.

RECENT TRENDS IN PURE AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS


O Método Pilates comparado com a Cinesioterapia no tratamento pós-operatório da Reconstrução do Ligamento Cruzado Anterior

Abstract: Introduction: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery is often performed. Physiotherapy acts in the postoperative treatment using techniques for rehabilitation. Objective: To compare the treatment of kinesiotherapy and the Pilates method in the postoperative period of ACL reconstruction. Methods: exploratory, experimental and quantitative study with two volunteers in two groups: Pilates (experimental group) and kinesiotherapy (control group). Assessment by Visual Analog Scale (VAS), goniometry, third finger ground test, perimeter and Lysholm scale. There were 12 consultations, twice a week, lasting 50 minutes. Results: Pilates pain was 3 at evaluation and 0 at reassessment, at kinesiotherapy it was 0 at both evaluation and reassessment. The knee flexion range of motion (ROM) in Pilates gained 12 degrees, in kinesiotherapy gained 17 degrees. Pilates flexibility was 13 cm in the evaluation and zeroed in the reevaluation, in kinesiotherapy it was 9 cm and 12 cm respectively. Pilates edema had no decrease in the operated limb perimeter, in kinesiotherapy there was a decrease. The knee function in Pilates has evolved from regular to good and in kinesiotherapy from good to excellent. Conclusion: The Pilates method was effective in reducing pain and flexibility, and kinesiotherapy was effective in increasing ROM and decreasing edema, and both were beneficial in improving function.


Charles Joseph Edmond de Bois-le-Comte's reports on the Principalities of Moldova and the Wallachia

Philobiblon. Transylvanian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in the Humanities


On subsurface initiated failures in marine bevel gears

Abstract: Abstract In this study, the microstructure of three large bevel gears with evident tooth flank fractures is investigated to define the effect of material inhomogeneities on the probability of subsurface initiated fatigue in case hardened structural steels. The observed micro-segregation structure in the core and case/core interface of the gear teeth features a bainitic and martensitic matrix with large variations in the local hardness. Applying an orthogonal shear stress based subsurface fatigue model, alongside a hardness map obtained through multiple hardness profile measurements, an improved method to predict tooth flank fracture is proposed.


Prospective validation of noninvasive prenatal testing on whole genome level (conference abstract - article in Slovak)


The symbolic effect of minority representation and perceptions of the majority: how majority citizens perceive marriage-based immigrant representation in the South Korean government

Abstract: This study investigates how minority representation affects the trust and perceived legitimacy of the government among the majority. To that end, this article examines the effect of marriage-based immigrant representation in the South Korean government in shaping native Koreansâ€™ perceptions of job performance, trustworthiness, and fairness of the government through the utilization of survey experiment data. The analyses show that a greater representation of the marriage-based immigrant population does not produce positive effects on the native Koreansâ€™ perceptions of the government. This finding indicates that the positive effects of minority representation may come at the expense of the majorityâ€™s trust and perceived legitimacy of the government. However, this article argues that representative bureaucracy may be able to reduce reputational damage among the majority by increasing and advertising their organizational competency.

International Review of Public Administration


F1000Prime recommendation of Massive cell death of immature hematopoietic cells and neurons in Bcl-x-deficient mice.

F1000 - Post-publication peer review of the biomedical literature


Aerodrome Warning Verification Using Quality Measurement of Contingency Table (Case Study in Jakarta and Tanjungpinang)

Proceedings of the Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Statistics and Analytics, ICSA 2019, 2-3 August 2019, Bogor, Indonesia


Contribution of Thermal-Hydraulics Simulation to Risk Assessment


Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits as a market for impulse delivered by lunar sourced propellant

Abstract: Abstract Every year around 100 metric tons of commercially addressable geostationary satellites are launched into geosynchronous transfer orbits (GTOs). The orbit raising from GTO to geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) is an existing market for impulse that could be addressed by a service using propellant sourced from the Moon. We reconstructed the economic model in the recently published Commercial lunar propellant architecture: a collaborative study of lunar propellant production (Kornuta et al., 2019) and used it to investigate the financial viability of providing propulsion as a service in GTOs. We used NASA’s General Mission Analysis Tool to design a GTO service delivery flight plan, which we extend to cover sub and super synchronous delivery. We used economic, astrodynamic, and engineering models to derive the sensitivity of the internal rate of return to GTO launch costs, sale prices, tug inert mass fractions, and delivery orbit. While falling launch prices erode the impulse service returns, they may create other markets for propellant, we explore some higher return products these markets would make available.


TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (ICC) IN BUSINESS ENGLISH TEACHING

Abstract: This case study was done at the College of Foreign Economic Relations (COFER) (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) with six Business English teachers as participants. The study aimed to explore the teachers’ perceptions of teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in Business English education. The data were collected through 1/ in- depth interviews; 2/ syllabus, textbook and lesson plan analyses; 3/classroom observations. Inductive analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that despite the teachers’ acknowledgement of the importance of ICC in Business English Education, their perceptions of ICC were inadequate and so were their ICC teaching practices. The study not only enabled Business English teachers to gain a deeper insight into all the aspects of ICC but also provided educators with empirical evidence of teaching ICC in Business English, serving as a good source of data for more efficient policies to develop ICC teaching and learning in the global integration.


Single- and Double-Electron Capture Processes in Low-Energy Collisions of N4+ Ions with He*


Synthesis of N-Heterocycles via Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Tandem Addition/Cyclization of a Nitrile

Abstract: The diverse methodologies to synthesize N-heterocycles through transition-metal-catalyzed cascade addition/cyclization of a nitrile are discussed in this review. Aspects relating to three types of transition-metal-catalyzed addition of a nitrile with subsequent cyclization include (1) a transition-metal acting as a Lewis acid to accelerate the nucleophilic addition of a nitrile, (2) the late-transition-metal-catalyzed 1,2-insertion of a nitrile, and (3) an in situ generated radical by transition-metal catalysis to implement a radical addition/cyclization tandem reaction. Applications for the synthesis of natural alkaloids, their derivatives, and some bioactive compounds are also summarized herein. 1 Introduction 2 Nucleophilic Addition of a Nitrile Accelerated by a Lewis Acid 2.1 Late-Transition-Metal Catalysis 2.2 Early-Transition-Metal Catalysis 2.3 Lanthanide-Metal Catalysis 2.4 Cyclization from N-Arylnitriliums 3 Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Insertion of a Nitrile 4 Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Radical Addition of a Nitrile 5 Conclusions


Natural Gas and the Clean Energy Transition

Abstract: In the clean energy transition, the value of natural gas infrastructure is very important for operating the energy system. Gas-fired power plants contribute to optimized energy systems when they are designed to operate flexibly, responding to demand patterns and the variable supply of renewable energy. Smart electricity grids, renewable energy, battery storage technology, and gas-fired power plants in combination will generally be the lowest cost, low-carbon solution to the growing energy requirements of emerging markets. Private investors and financiers are responding to these opportunities, but the full potential will only be reached with improvements in policy, regulation, and procurement in destination markets.


Electrons for Neutrinos: Lepton Energy Reconstruction in the Resonance Excitation Region


Sphegigaster hexomyzaeVikberg, 1983, (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae) new to the British Isles with notes on the parasitoids of gall-forming Agromyzidae (Diptera) in the genus Hexomyza


Towards cavity-enhanced photodetection in Al-doped BP integrated with 2D photonic crystal and waveguide for mid-IR wavelengths

Abstract: The design of an integrated Al-doped BP p-n homojunction with 2D Photonic crystal coupled with strip waveguide in SOI to enhance Photodetection for 3.7 μm is presented. Peak-Q of 1600 has been achieved by systematically optimizing the radius of the circularly shaped unit cell and period by performing 3D FDTD simulations. The thickness of the BP layer is calculated to be 17 nm for 3.7 μm absorption. The energy band structure and density-of-states for the monolayers are calculated using quantum expresso. The available 400 nm thick SOI lithography, in a standard multiproject wafer run, can be employed to ac hive the monolithic integration of our designed photodetector for mid-IR wavelengths. We believe this platform could help in realization of chip scale system for sensing application, optical wireless applications, interconnects (on-chip optical) and phased array for LIDAR applications.


Hair and nail disorders


The Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation: A System Thinking Approach (Case Study: East Java)

Abstract: Abstract The area of Indonesian rice fields in 2016 reached 8.19 million hectares (ha), an increase of 1.16% from the previous year, this number comprising 4.78 million ha of irrigated rice fields and 3.4 million ha of non-irrigated rice fields. In 2017, especially in East Java, the harvest area is 2,278,460 hectares, and rice production is 13,633,701 tons. On the other hand, increasing agricultural activities can also contribute to emissions that can trigger climate change through the greenhouse gases (GHG) produced. GHG is a gas contained in the atmosphere, which absorbs and re-emits infrared radiation. Side effects of greenhouse gas accumulation can cause extreme climate change that affects land productivity. This study aims to analyze rice field productivity and build a greenhouse gas emission model that produce from the rice field productivity system. Emissions to be discussed in this study are CO2, CH4, and N2O. The approach is carried out with a system dynamics because it has the characteristics of a complex, non-linear system dynamics, changes in system behavior over time and feedback that describes new information about the state of the rice productivity system, which will then produce further decisions. The results of this study are causal loop diagram of CH4, CO2 and N2O emissions resulting from the productivity of rice fields modeled using system dynamics. This model contains GHG information generated from the agricultural sector and its impact. This model can be used as a consideration for the government and stakeholders as a reference for making policies for GHG emission mitigation technology as part of smart agriculture.


Application of Resonance Enhanced Drilling to coring

Abstract: Abstract This paper aims to evaluate the applicability of Resonance Enhanced Drilling (RED) technology to coring operations. A series of coring experiments on sandstone and granite using diamond impregnated and polycrystalline diamond compact bits are carried out on a specially designed vertical laboratory drilling rig. We present a comparison between the efficiency and quality of cores obtained using RED technology against conventional coring. Based on this analysis, improvements in penetration rates of up to 180% compared to conventional coring for the same drilling conditions were achieved. All cores retrieved are in good condition showing consistent diameters, generally smooth core surfaces and no evidence of fracturing or other visible core damage. Our preliminary assessment suggests that the RED coring technology provides significant improvements in Rate Of Penetration (ROP), while maintaining consistent core quality compared to conventional coring.

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering


Quantum collapse-revival effect in a supersymmetric Jaynes-Cummings model and its possible application in supersymmetric qubits


Media Narratives of Women Impacted by ISIS' Terror: Passive Victims "And/Or" Active Agents of Terror


Social Media Mining: Analysis of Twitter Data to Find user Opinions about GST

Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences


THE ROLES AND MECHANISTIC FUNCTIONS OF NUCLEAR FACTOR Y TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS IN PLANTS


High school education: a challenge to reduce gap between livestock production and citizen concerns

Abstract: In France, as in many other countries, the gap between farmer’s reality and citizen’s expectations is increasing. ::: As citizens and consumers are more and more concerned with livestock farm evolutions, decreasing this gap is of importance, and this should start at school level. However, information on feelings and knowledge of young people and their teachers about livestock productions are scarce. Two surveys were conducted between March and July 2018 to collect such information’s. A closed-questionnaire was full-filled by French secondary school pupils (SSP). SSP were selected because they will soon become adult consumers and citizens. A total of 1,087 SSP from 15 different high school located almost everywhere in France were inquired. Knowledge on livestock originated from media (89%), family or neighbourhood (57%), school (40%), web (40%) or social network, but is anyway very poor. Only 48% know that an ewe need to have a lamb to produce milk. They underline the very important role of livestock farming in providing food (96%), but question the conditions of production, and in particular their negative impact in terms of animal welfare (82%) and on the environment (61%). Only 4% declared to be vegetarian and 0.4% to be vegan, mostly girls. Simultaneously, 28 teachers of life sciences and geography from the same high school answered a semi directive investigation. Many of them (11/28) expressed difficulties in addressing these topics especially for life sciences teachers (10/15). They are indeed poorly informed themselves about livestock and agriculture (8/28), and may have difficulty answering questions from their students. Moreover, this subject is perceived as anecdotic in the training programs (19/28). Finally, they assume to propose a caricatured vision a livestock production proposed by school. The study highlights the necessity to give more information about livestock production to the future citizens and for this purpose to strength the educational resources available for the teachers. This conclusion based on French population need to be enlarged at the European level.


DIFFUSIVE SPECTRA OF ANTISTOKES WING OF PHOTOLUMINESCENCE OF CARBON NANOSTRUCTURES


Lego Mindstorm Robotoics; Perfect Program for STEM and Disciplinary #Literacies

Abstract: I am helping to coach my son's East Haddam Lego Mindstorm Team. You can not help the students design, code, or solve the task...which is


Dementia : “Old Miners” or “Happy Clowns?”


"The Sky’s the Limit": On the Impossible Promise of E-learning in the Toronto District School Board


Patterns of distribution of hepatic nodules (single, satellites or multifocal) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: prognostic impact after surgery


Limits of targeted therapies and future developments


Abigail Adams: First Lady of the American Revolution


Neonatal death: A major contraint to successful pig production in Kaduna state, Nigeria


Síndrome de lisis tumoral


Moonrise over St. Paul's


Summary of the Discussions


Run for the Warriors – But at a Better Time!


Physicomechanical properties of styromal-based coatings


The Universityof Glasgow RPV system as a research and education tool


Retrieving Root-Zone Soil Moisture Profile From P-Band Radar via Hybrid Global and Local Optimization

IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing


Solvation Dynamics in the Cybotactic Region of Gas-Expanded Liquids: A decade later

Abstract: Although gas expanded liquids (GXLs) were introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was nearly a century later that they received renewed attention as a possible reactant medium offering not only a mechanism for subsequent controlled separation of products but also the tunability of the reaction itself. Early work showed that one could also control the cybotactic structure —that is, the relative average orientation of the solvent in a local environment around the reacting solutes— in GXLs with CO2 as a cosolvent, and thereby preferentially favor desired product pathways. Such properties have been demonstrated in more general solvent mixtures and in confined environments since then. Here, we further demonstrate that the dynamics and relaxation of solutes in cybotactic regions of GXLs can exhibit a range of properties that include those that would be expected from a glassy environment. This extends the range of controllable (or tunable) properties available to GXLs for reaction control.

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research


Is it super-spreading?

Abstract: If the covid-19 virus is transmitted largely by superspreaders, it might not go pandemic, reports Debora MacKenzie