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Design and Vibration Isolation Performance of Truss‐Type CFRP Raft Frame
Shock and Vibration, 2019
Traditional raft frame is single in the form of materials and structures. To give full play to its vibration isolation performance, a truss-type CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plastics) raft frame was designed and prepared. Based on the composite material mechanics and damping strain energy model, a method combining the finite element simulation and experiment was used to calculate the damping of the designed CFRP truss structure. The modal harmonic response analysis of CFRP truss structure was carried out by virtue of the ABAQUS finite element software to explore the influence of structure parameters on the vibration transmission characteristics of CFRP truss structure and provide reference for the design of a truss-type CFRP raft frame. The truss-type CFRP ...
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Exercise hemodynamics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy identify risk of incident heart failure but not ventricular arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death
International Journal of Cardiology, 2019
To determine whether abnormal blood pressure response (ABPR), with or without left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), is associated with adverse heart failure and arrhythmia outcomes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).A retrospective, single-center analysis was performed for adult HCM patients who underwent exercise stress testing.Of 589 patients included in the study, 192 (33%) demonstrated ABPR. A similar proportion of patients with ABPR had LVOTO compared to those without ABPR (56% vs 63%, p = 0.11). Patients with ABPR demonstrated lower percent predicted VO2 and METs achieved than those with LVOTO (16.9 ± 6.8 vs 21.6 ± 7.9, p = 0.002 and 5.3 ± 2.4 vs 7.4 ± 3.1, p < 0.001). In a subgroup of 17 patients with LVOTO and ABPR who subsequentl...
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Hoteliers and hotels: Case studies in the growth and development of UK hotel companies 1945–1989
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 1997
For years, traditional finance has always presumed that investors are rational in their decision making process in the stock market about risk return trade-offs and maximizing utility. However, behavioral finance studies revealed that human beings do not behave as rationally as economists suppose as their decisions at times are affected by their psychological feelings. Numerous studies from ASEAN, Middle East and Western countries have in fact established that psychological factors do have relationships and impacts on the decision making of investors in their stock markets. In light of this, this research attempts to bridge the gap of the differences in terms of geographical location and demographic profile between Malaysia and other countries by examining t...
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Infectious complications after kidney transplantation: current epidemiology and associated risk factors
Clinical Transplantation, 2006
Abstract: Background: The impact of newer immunosuppressive and antimicrobial prophylactic agents on the pattern of infectious complications following kidney transplantation has not been well studied. Methods: This is an observational study in 127 adult recipients transplanted from 2001 to 2004. Patients received thymoglobulin (ATG) (50%) or basiliximab (50%) for induction and were maintained on mycophenolate mofetil, either tacrolimus (73%) or sirolimus (SRL) (27%), and prednisone (79%). Antimicrobial prophylaxis included perioperative cefazolin, trimethoprim/sulfamethaxazole for six months, valganciclovir for three months and nystatin for two months. Regression models were used to examine the association of various factors with infections. Results: We obse...
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Harnessing Prefrontal Cognitive Signals for Brain–Machine Interfaces
Trends in Biotechnology, 2017
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) enable humans to interact with devices by modulating their brain signals. Despite impressive technological advancements, several obstacles remain. The most commonly used BMI control signals are derived from the brain areas involved in primary sensory- or motor-related processing. However, these signals only reflect a limited range of human intentions. Therefore, additional sources of brain activity for controlling BMIs need to be explored. In particular, higher-order cognitive brain signals, specifically those encoding goal-directed intentions, are natural candidates for enlarging the repertoire of BMI control signals and making them more efficient and intuitive. Thus, here, we identify the prefrontal brain area as a key targe...
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Citizens of the world: Recognition of international connections
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2010
This article examines teachers’ participation in a global collaboration, an educational partnership connecting educators and students online. A challenge that emerged involved how to engage in and facilitate online interactions that made manifest participants’ conflicting beliefs and opinions, what I refer to as challenging conversations. To mediate challenging conversations, teachers experimented with new digital tools and practices, especially creating and remixing videos, to foster mutual understanding. I discuss findings about how teachers created contexts and conditions for cosmopolitan practice by ethically navigating these challenging conversations, suggesting that a framework of cosmopolitan activity highlights important ethical dimensions in edu...
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On the Optimal Progressivity of Higher Education Subsidies: The Role of Endogenous Fertility
SSRN Journal, 2018
I develop a simple dynastic model in the style of Barro and Becker, with endogenous fertility and human capital accumulation, to quantify the optimal progressivity of higher education subsidies. I find that the optimal policy is characterised by a higher degree of progressivity than current U.S. education subsidies. Additionally, the relation between progressivity of education policy and welfare/population growth is hump-/U-shaped respectively. While an assumption of endogenous fertility is quantitatively important, heterogeneity in fertilities is sufficient to generate these results. This is because welfare gains from more progressive subsidies are driven not only by decreases in fertility rates of low income individuals, but also by the fact that their chi...
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Oscillator strengths for the intersubband transitions in GaAs/InGa1–As quantum wells and its strain dependence
Optik, 2016
Abstract The band structure, interband and oscillator strengths for valence intersubband transitions have been theoretically calculated for highly strained InxGa1–xAs/GaAs quantum wells with different indium concentrations xIn within the k.p method where matrix Hamiltonian is solved by iteration with the Bir – Pikus strain Hamiltonian. It is shown that the oscillator strengths for valence intersubband transitions between all confined hole states decreases monotonically at increasing xIn values in the case of large strain. We did found that the transition rate is reduced by the strain effect and the calculated intersubband transition energies are shifted by approximately 40 – 80 meV. Moreover, we can predict that the optical performance of the low-dime...
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The prostate-specific antigen test
Expert Opinion on Medical Diagnostics, 2013
Before the 1980s, prostate cancer (PC) was considered a deadly disease. The mortality–incidence ratio showed that 1 out of each 2 – 3 PC patients died of this disease. On the other hand, autopsy studies have shown that latent PC is common in middle-aged men. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a glycoprotein produced by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland, received FDA's approval in 1986 for monitoring treatment response, and in 1994 as a screening aid for the diagnosis of PC. After the publication of two randomized trials on PC screening using the PSA test, it is generally accepted that systematic PSA-based screening, as compared to a clinical situation with virtually no screening, can reduce suffering from metastatic disease and PC mortality. H...
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Effects of noncondensable gas and ultrasonic vibration on vapor bubble condensing and collapsing
Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 2015
Under the condition of high liquid subcooling, boiling is sometimes accompanied by the emission of microbubbles and the collapse of vapor film. This is termed as Microbubble Emission Boiling (MEB) by some researchers and realizes a better heat transfer performance with its heat flux even higher than CHF. In order to simulate the interaction between vapor bubble and cold bulk in a complex boiling, vapor bubbles were issued into a water tank from a circular injection tube with inner diameter of 2 mm. In this work, the process of bubble condensing and collapsing in water with high liquid subcooling is focused and the effects of noncondensable gas and ultrasonic vibration on MEB are researched. Experimental results show that the condensation of vapor/noncondensa...
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A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of phenytoin for the prevention of early posttraumatic seizures in children with moderate to severe blunt head injury
Annals of Emergency Medicine, 2004
Study objective We determine the efficacy of prophylactic phenytoin in preventing early posttraumatic seizures in children with moderate to severe blunt head injury. Methods Children younger than 16 years and experiencing moderate to severe blunt head injury were randomized to receive phenytoin or placebo within 60 minutes of presentation at 3 pediatric trauma centers. The primary endpoint was posttraumatic seizures within 48 hours; secondary endpoints were survival and neurologic outcome 30 days after injury. A Bayesian decision-theoretic clinical trial design was used to determine the probability of remaining posttraumatic seizure free for each treatment group. Results One hundred two patients were enrolled, with a median age of 6.1 years. Sixty-eight perc...
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Diagnostic applications of microarrays
Transfusion Medicine, 2006
summary Microarrays were designed to monitor the expression of many genes in parallel, providing substantially more information than Northern blots or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysing one or few genes at a time. The large sequencing projects provided the content for detailed expression studies under a variety of stimuli and conditions. The human genome project identified around 30 000 human genes. Estimated number of protein products is, however, 10–30 times higher, mainly due to the alternative splicing and post-translational modifications. The identification of gene functions requires both genomic and proteomic approaches, including protein microarrays, and numerous current microarray projects focus on deciphering gene expression...
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An Examination of Water Vapor Sorption by Multicomponent Crystalline and Amorphous Solids and Its Effects on Their Solid-State Properties
Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2019
This commentary critically evaluated the unique effects of water vapor sorption by multicomponent solid forms of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and its effects on their physical and chemical properties. Such multicomponent forms include the following: (1) crystalline salts and cocrystals, and (2) amorphous salts, coamorphous mixtures, and amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs). These solid forms are commonly used to increase the solubility, dissolution, and bioavailability of poorly soluble APIs. To achieve this increase, selected counterions or coformers exhibit much greater polarity, and have a tendency to enhance water vapor sorption, leading to possible instabilities. Such instabilities include salt disproportionation, cocrystal dissociation, and ...
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Analyzing spatiotemporal trends in social media data via smoothing spline analysis of variance
Spatial Statistics, 2015
Abstract Social media have become an integral part of life for many individuals, and social media websites generate incredible amounts of data on a variety of societal topics. Furthermore, some social media posts contain geolocation information, so social media data can be viewed as a spatiotemporal phenomenon. To understand spatiotemporal trends in ultra-large sample social media data, we propose a novel application of the Smoothing Spline Analysis of Variance (SSANOVA) framework, which is a nonparametric approach capable of discovering latent functional relationships in noisy data. Unlike currently available approaches, our proposed SSANOVA framework (a) makes few assumptions about the nature of the spatiotemporal trend, (b) provides a mean of assessing th...
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A molluscan extracellular signal-regulated kinase is involved in host response to immune challenges in vivo and in vitro
Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 2017
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) are a group of highly conserved serine/threonine-specific protein kinases that function as important signaling intermediates in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, which are involved in a wide variety of cellular activities, including proliferation, inflammation and cytokine production. However, little is known about the roles of this kinase in mollusk immunity. In this study, we identified a molluscan ERK homolog (ChERK) in the Hong Kong oyster (Crassostrea hongkongensis) and investigated its biological functions. The open reading frame (ORF) of ChERK encoded a polypeptide of 365 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight of 41.96 kDa and pI of 6.43. The predicted ChERK protein contained typica...
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Negative creep of soils
Can. Geotech. J., 2020
After unloading, the deformation of soils cannot be stable immediately, but continues to expand over time even under constant pressure. In this paper, the expansive deformation over time when effective stress is kept constant is defined as the negative creep, while the compressive creep is described as the positive creep. The division between positive creep and negative creep is named the stable normal compression line (SNCL), on which the stress–strain behaviour of the soil is time-independent. Based on the concept of the SNCL and test results, a new formula for creep is proposed. This formula is simple in form and has less parameters, and both negative creep and positive creep can be well predicted. By incorporating this formula into the current yield fu...
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Barriers to Emergency Contraception for Adolescents
The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 2011
Unintended teenage pregnancies are a critical public health issue, and reducing teenage pregnancy is an important health care goal. Even though health care providers want to encourage sexually active adolescents to use routine contraception correctly, emergency contraception (EC) provides an appropriate emergency option for patients whose first line of defense has failed. Recent cross-sectional, various non-experimental, and qualitative research has found significant barriers to adolescents having access to or obtaining EC. Decreasing barriers to teen access is an important issue because research has shown that a young person's increased access to EC increases its use. The purpose of this article is to review relevant literature focused on the barriers to EC...
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Bound pesticide residues in soils: a review
Environmental Pollution, 2000
This article is a review of the current state of knowledge regarding the formation and biological/environmental significance of bound pesticide residues in soils. We begin by defining various terms used in our discussions and identifying the types/classes of pesticides which may be added to soil and interact with it. We then consider various soil properties and aspects of land management which will influence the nature and degree of the soil-pesticide association and discuss the possible physical and chemical binding mechanisms. We then move on to consider the role of microorganisms and other forms of soil biota in bound residue formation and the bioavailability of soil-borne pesticide residues. The review ends with a consideration of the significance of bou...
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Thrombolysis and bridging therapy in patients with acute ischaemic stroke and Covid‐19
Euro J of Neurology, 2020
Background and purpose Comorbidity of acute ischaemic stroke with Covid-19 is a challenging condition, potentially influencing the decision of whether to administer intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). We aimed to assess the 1-month outcome in ischaemic stroke patients with Covid-19 infection who received IVT alone or before thrombectomy (bridging therapy). Methods As a collaboration initiative promoted by the Italian Stroke Organization, all Italian stroke units (n = 190) were contacted and invited to participate in data collection on stroke patients with Covid-19 who received IVT. Results Seventy-five invited centers agreed to participate. Thirty patients received IVT alone and 17 received bridging therapy between 21 February 2020 and 30 April 2020 in 20 center...
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Rheumatic diseases: a general practitioner's view
Baillière's Clinical Rheumatology, 1987
Patients with rheumatic complaints are the subject of some 10% of the general practitioner's work. Approximately half of this work is related to the hitherto relatively neglected group of varied soft-tissue conditions, most of which are self-limiting and of a minor nature. Against a background of such diagnostic ‘noise’, the general practitioner has to remain alert for the fainter ‘signal’ of serious disease—rheumatic and non-rheumatic—at an early stage. Continuity of care calls on special qualities, behaviours and abilities in the doctor to boost and maintain morale, to coordinate management and to participate in team care. In addition to more traditional therapeutic measures, including analgesics, NSAIDs, disease-modifying drugs and physiothera...
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The Management Practice of Servant Leadership: A Levinasian Enrichment
Philosophy of Management, 2022
AbstractThis paper applies Emmanuel Levinas’ philosophy to the management practice of leadership. Specifically, it focuses on servant leadership, which is considered the most dyadic other-oriented style. While often viewed altruistically, servant leadership can still be egological if it totalizes followers to a leader’s interests and to organizational ends. This paper conceptualises an enriched version of servant leadership using key ideas taken from Levinas’ understanding of the infinite Other and then describes this style using relevant examples. This novel approach, Servant-Leadership-for-the-Other, offers a theoretical lens by which to enrich existing leadership practices as well as providing a style of leadersh...
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The systemic inflammatory response in heart failure
Progress in Pediatric Cardiology, 2000
The physiologic diagnosis of heart failure has changed very little over the past several decades: heart failure is the inability of the cardiac output to meet the metabolic demands of the organism. The clinical definition of heart failure (also relatively unchanged) describes it as ventricular dysfunction that is accompanied by reduced exercise tolerance. Our understanding of the true pathophysiologic processes involved in heart failure have, however, changed. We have moved from thinking of heart failure as primarily a circulatory phenomenon to seeing it as a pathophysiologic state under the control of multiple complex systems. Over the past several years the dramatic explosion of research in the fields of immunology and immunopathology have added an additio...
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Stakeholder Theory and Strategic Management in Third Sector: An Analysis on Italian Cooperative Associations
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2014
After an analysis the role of cooperatives association in the Italian system, the paper aims at identifying how this associations implement their strategic objectives of cooperative associations in Italian cooperative sector. It is specifically, addresses the issues of strategy definition, performance monitoring and stakeholders openness. The cooperative sector is very important in the socio-economic system in Italy. Terms diffusion, numbers and strategic relevance. Third sector literature on cooperative system is sparse in that there are few studies that thoroughly investigate the management and accounting objectives of these cooperative associations. The analysis is explicitly addressed on the degree of coherence and openness of the planning and control sy...
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Role of virtual break-up of projectile in astrophysical fusion reactions
Phys. Rev. C, 2003
We study the effect of virtual Coulomb break-up, commonly known as the dipole polarizability, of the deuteron projectile on the astrophysical fusion reaction 3He(d,p)4He. We use the adiabatic approximation to estimate the potential shift due to the E1 transition to the continuum states in the deuteron, and compute the barrier penetrability in the WKB approximation. We find that the enhancement of the penetrability due to the deuteron break-up is too small to resolve the longstanding puzzle observed in laboratory measurements that the electron screening effect is surprisingly larger than theoretical prediction based on an atomic physics model. The effect of the 3He break-up in the 3He(d,p)4He reaction, as well as the 7Li break-up in the 7Li(p,alpha)4He reacti...
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Staff Development to University Faculty: Reflections of a Nurse Educator
Nursing Forum, 2006
TOPIC. Transition of a staff development instructor to faculty in a baccalaureate nursing program. PURPOSE. This article is a reflection of the transition of a staff development educator in a large medical center to that of a faculty member in a small school of nursing. The seriousness of the faculty shortage and the factors that have led to it serve as a background for this discussion as the need for educators in nursing programs is of high priority. To qualify for an academic position, the educator should have teaching experience, educational preparedness, and clinical expertise. SOURCES OF INFORMATION. This paper is based on a review of the literature, newsletters from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National League for Nurses, and...
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Guanosine 3′:5′-Monophosphate-Dependent Protein Kinases in Mammalian Tissues
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 1974
The mammalian protein kinase activity stimulated preferentially by low concentrations of guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate (cyclic GMP), but not by adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP), was readily assayed in a modified incubation system that contained a neutral phosphate buffer, protein kinase modulator, and arginine-rich histone. Cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase activity assayed under these conditions was about two to three orders of magnitude higher than that previously detected. The enzyme activity occurred in all guinea pig and rat tissues (lung, heart, aorta, brain, liver, ileum, adipose, and pancreatic islets) examined. The activity can be separated from the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity, also present in the same tissues, b...
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Evaluation of Ecotourism: A Comparative Assessment in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Nepal
Journal of Ecotourism, 2004
Ecotourism has become an alternative approach for overcoming the problems of traditional tourism with the assumption that there will be minimum negative impacts and maximum benefits for the local people and their environment. This study offers a comparative evaluation of the perceptions of environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts between residents of a traditional tourism area and a recently created ecotourism area, both located within the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Nepal. Data were collected on-site among local residents in both areas. Overall, this study concluded that residents of the ecotourism area perceived fewer negative and positive impacts (environmental, economic, socio-cultural) as a result of tourism than the residents of the ...
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Blood pressure variability is independent of systolic pressure in adolescent and young adult patients undergoing hemodialysis
Pediatr Res, 2018
Pre-dialysis blood pressure variability (BPV) in adolescent and young-adult maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients remains unknown. This study aimed to show the degree of 44-h BPV and to explore its related risk factors in adolescent and young-adult MHD patients. One hundred and fifty-three hemodialysis patients aged from 14 to 29 were selected from 11 medical facilities in Guizhou, China. Variability independent of the mean BP (VIM) obtained by 44-h ambulatory BP monitoring was used to calculate BPV. Baseline characteristics, physical measurement, and laboratory parameters were compared between different groups categorized by quartiles of VIM of systolic BP (VIMSBP). VIMSBP levels were found to be positively related to interdialytic weigh growth rate (IDWG...
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Synovial fluid analysis
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2006
AsA prompt and accurate diagnosis of a painful, swollen joint is imperative, primarily in the case of a septic joint, as delayed therapy may result in progression of disease or permanent loss of function. Procurement and analysis of synovial fluid (SF) are paramount in helping the clinician to determine a patient's clinical condition and further course of treatment. Measurement of white blood cell (WBC) counts, crystal analysis by polarized microscopy, and microbiologic studies including Gram stain and culture are the SF parameters that are collectively most important in the ultimate determination by a clinician of the presence or absence of an infectious or inflammatory joint. It is important for the clinician to understand and recognize the limitations of ...
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Lg-Coda Methods Applied to Nevada Test Site Events: Spectral Peaking and Yield Estimation
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2009
Abstract We have applied the regional S -wave coda calibration technique of Mayeda et al. (2003) to earthquake data in and around the Nevada Test Site (NTS) using four regional broadband stations from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) seismic network. We applied the same path and site corrections to tamped nuclear explosion data and averaged the source spectra over the four stations. Narrowband coda amplitudes from the spectra were then regressed against inferred yield based on the regional m b ( Pn ) magnitude of Denny et al. (1987), along with the yield formulation of Vergino and Mensing (1990). We find the following: (1) the coda-derived spectra show a peak that is dependent upon emplacement depth, not event size; (2) source size estim...
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An Ethical and Societal Analysis for Biotechnological Methods in Plant Breeding
Agronomy, 2021
Technological developments in plant breeding, notably cisgenesis and gene editing, require a rethinking of biotechnology policies. In addition to legal debates about the definition of genetic modification in the Cartagena Protocol and at national and supra-national levels, and debates about the safety of the resulting products for mankind and environment, discussions are ongoing in society concerning ethical and societal questions. In this paper, we analyse the main ethical issues that need to be taken into account when evaluating contemporary plant breeding techniques. After a brief description of the state of the art in plant breeding, we discuss these main ethical issues. We take Consequentialist, Deontological and Virtue ethics as bases of our analysis. ...
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Expression of CD40 and CD40 Ligand among Cell Populations within Rheumatoid Synovial Compartment
Autoimmunity, 2001
Augmented and prolonged expression of CD40 ligand (CD40L) was recently reported in lymphoid cells from human lupus patients, suggesting that CD40/CD40L pathway was involved in the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases. This study was thus designed to study the expression of CD40 and CD40L among cell populations within inflammatory joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The result showed that most B cells and monocytes in synovial fluids (SF) expressed CD40. Cultured synovial fibroblasts also stained positive for CD40. Regarding CD40L, we found that T cells as well as B cells could express CD40L. Compared with normal controls, RA patients had higher levels of CD40L+ T cells (8.71 +/- 17.69% vs 1.74 +/- 2.30%, P > 0.05) and CD40L+ B cells (7...
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The shear modulus of wet granular matter
Europhys. Lett., 2007
The strength of different wet granular materials is investigated as a function of the liquid volume fraction by measuring the elastic shear modulus, G'. We show that the optimum strength is achieved at a very low liquid volume fraction of 1–3%. Surprisingly we find that the macroscopic strength of different wet granular materials depends with a power of 2/3 on the microscopic elastic modulus of the individual grains, with a power of - 1/3 on the radius, and with a power of 1/3 on the surface tension. This can be explained by assuming that the attractive capillary force between two grains deforms the grains elastically, yielding a "spring constant" for further deformation. Averaging over many grain-grain orientations allows us to predict the macroscopic she...
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On the Discrete Spectrum of a Family of Differential Operators
Functional Analysis and Its Applications, 2004
We consider a family A α of differential operators in L 2(ℝ2) depending on a parameter α≥0. The operator A α formally corresponds to the quadratic form $$a_\alpha [U] = \int_{\mathbb{R}^2 } {(|U_x |^2 + \frac{1}{2}(|U_y |^2 + y^2 |U|^2 ))dx{\text{ }}dy + \alpha \int_\mathbb{R} {y|U(0,y)|^2 dy.} }$$ The perturbation determined by the second term in this sum is only relatively bounded but not relatively compact with respect to the unperturbed quadratic form a 0. The spectral properties of A α strongly depend on α. In particular, σ(A 0)=[1/2,∞); for 0 $$\sqrt 2 $$ (where the quadratic form approach does not apply), the spectrum is purely continuous and coin...
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Protective Reactivity and Alteration of the Brain Tissue in Alcoholics Evidenced by SOD1, MMP9 Immunohistochemistry, and Electron Microscopy
Ultrastructural Pathology, 2013
Alcohol and its associated oxidative stress is one of the widespread contributors to the brain damage. Matrix metalloproteinases, which are extensively analyzed in brain pathology studies, are not sufficiently investigated in chronic alcohol consumption. This study evaluated regional brain damage caused by oxidative stress. Contribution of metalloproteinase-9 to this affection was evidenced in alcoholic subjects and correlated with ultrastructural changes. The authors found correlation between neuronal expression patterns of superoxide dismutase-1 and metalloproteinase-9 in nigral (r = 0.532, p < 0.001), striatal (r = 0.327, p < 0.001), and cortical (r = 0.306, p < 0.001) regions, and a significant decrease of nigral superoxide dismutase-1 median values acco...
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Robust ANN-Based Control of Modified PUC-5 Inverter for Solar PV Applications
IEEE Trans. on Ind. Applicat., 2021
Conventional PI controllers are vulnerable to changes in parameters and are difficult to tune. In this work, an artificial neural network (ANN) based controller is developed for the robust operation of a single-phase modified packed U-cell five-level inverter (MPUC-5) for solar PV application under variable insolation conditions. An MPUC-5 is a converter with a main and an auxiliary dc link of equal magnitude; although five-level operation is also still feasible with different voltages also. The maximum power point (MPP) of a PV array changes with the variation in the solar insolation. This results in a variable voltage at the output of the boost converter while maintaining the load line at the MPP. Consequently, the fundamental value of the output of the MP...
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Impact of Climate Change on Flood Frequency of the Trian Reservoir in Vietnam Using RCMS
J. Hydrol. Eng., 2018
Vietnam is one of the countries severely impacted by climate change. The Saigon-Dongnai River basin is one of the largest river basins and the economic center in the south of Vietnam. Trian watershed is located in the upper Saigon-Dongnai River basin and is one of the largest subbasins of this river. However, no study has been conducted to assess the impact of climate change on this region. It is, hence, necessary to evaluate the potential future impact of climate change on this watershed, particularly on flood frequency, because flood events negatively impact economic and social aspects. The downscaled atmospheric data, from the simulations of five Regional Climate Models (RCMs), are used as input data for a physically-based hydrological model to simulate f...
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Experimental investigation of an unmodified diesel engine operated with ternary fuel
Biofuels, 2019
The present work focuses on improving the emission and performance parameters of diesel–jatropha biodiesel–pentanol blends. Conventional diesel fuel (D80J20: 80% diesel, 20% jatropha biodiesel) and two blends, D70J20P10 (70% diesel, 20% jatropha biodiesel, 10% pentanol) and D60J20P20 (60% diesel, 20% jatropha biodiesel, 20% pentanol), were used in an unmodified diesel engine in order to study the influence of the various fuel blends on the performance characteristics (brake specific fuel consumption, brake power, and torque) and emissions characteristics (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and smoke opacity). The experimental values showed that while pentanol inclusion triggered a small reduction in brake power and torque, the exhaust emission parameters ...
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A Facile Electrochemical Method for Graphene Nanoplatelets Preparation Using Multi‐walled Carbon Nanotubes
Fuel Cells, 2019
We report on facile method of graphene nanoplatelets synthesis by electrochemical method using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). For the synthesis procedure we utilize standard redox potential of the carbon atom belonging to carboxyl groups. The graphene oxide was obtained by anodic oxidation of MWCNTs in 80% sulfuric acid at optimum oxidation potential +3.0 V for 4 h. The subsequent electrochemical reduction of the obtained material was carried out in an alkaline medium. The successful electrochemical production of the graphene nanoplatelets from MWCNTs was confirmed by different experimental techniques, in particular TEM, XRD, XPS, XES, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The current-voltage characteristics of the oxygen electrodes produced from the electro...
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Movement of Amazon surface water from time‐variable satellite gravity measurements and implications for water cycle parameters in land surface models
Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 2010
[1] The large-scale observations of terrestrial water storage from GRACE satellites over the Amazon are analyzed with land surface model (LSM) outputs of runoff and soil moisture. A simple yet effective runoff routing method based on a continuity equation is implemented to model horizontal transport of surface water within the Amazon basin. The GRACE observations are analyzed separately for soil moisture and surface water storages (generated from runoff), relying on their distinct spatial patterns, being disperse for soil moisture and localized for surface water. Various effective velocities for storage transport are tested against the GRACE observations. When the model runoff is routed with an uniform velocity of 30 cm/s, the annual variation of the result...
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Optimal energy supply network determination and life cycle analysis for hybrid coal, biomass, and natural gas to liquid (CBGTL) plants using carbon-based hydrogen production
Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2011
A mixed-integer linear optimization formulation is developed to analyze the United States energy supply chain network for the hybrid coal, biomass, and natural gas to liquids (CBGTL) facilities. Each state is discretized into octants and each octant centroid serves as a potential location of one facility. The model selects the optimal locations of CBGTL facilities, the feedstock combination, and size of each facility that gives the minimum overall production cost. Two case studies are presented to investigate the effects of various technologies and hydrogen prices. The CBGTL network is capable to supply transportation fuel demands for the country at a cost between $15.68 and $22.06/GJ LHV ($76.55–$112.91/bbl crude oil) of produced liquid fuels for both cas...
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Measurement of Aerosol Parameters with Altitude by Using Two Wavelength Rotational Raman Signals
Journal of the Optical Society of Korea, 2010
Aerosol size distribution provides good information for predicting weather changes and understanding cloud formation. Aerosol extinction coefficient and backscattering coefficient are measured by many scientists, but these parameters depend not only on aerosol size but on aerosol concentrations. An algorithm has been developed to measure aerosol parameters such as ${\AA}$ngstr$\ddot{o}$m exponent, color ratio, and LIDAR ratio without any assumptions by using two wavelength rotational Raman LIDAR signals. These parameters are good indicators for the aerosol size. And we can find ${\AA}$ngstr$\ddot{o}$m exponent, color ratio, and LIDAR ratio under various weather conditions. Finally, it can be seen that the ${\A...
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Heterogeneity of functional activation during memory encoding across hippocampal subfields in temporal lobe epilepsy
NeuroImage, 2011
Pathology studies have shown that the anatomical subregions of the hippocampal formation are differentially affected in various neurological disorders, including temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Analysis of structure and function within these subregions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to generate insights on disease associations as well as normative brain function. In this study, an atlas-based normalization method (Yushkevich, P.A., Avants, B.B., Pluta, J., Das, S., Minkoff, D., Mechanic-Hamilton, D., Glynn, S., Pickup, S., Liu, W., Gee, J.C., Grossman, M., Detre, J.A., 2009. A high-resolution computational atlas of the human hippocampus from postmortem magnetic resonance imaging at 9.4 T. NeuroImage 44 (2), 385–398) was used to labe...
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Comparing the Roles of Regulatory Oversight Bodies in Central and Eastern European Countries
Eur. j. risk regul., 2017
Abstract Currently, there is ongoing discussion about the role of regulatory oversight bodies in relation to the implementation of regulatory impact assessments (RIAs). In fact, one can witness a diffusion of regulatory oversight systems, including in CEE countries, where introduction of an RIA oversight body became part of the modernisation of the overall RIA process to become more effective. In fact, the regulatory oversight mechanism is seen as a tool for the instrumental role of regulation governance. However, this approach does not adequately explain the rationale behind setting up such a body; strategic and symbolic roles may be significant as well. This article first compares the manner in which oversight mechanisms have been institutionalised in five...
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Computational investigations of the band structure and thermodynamic properties of calcium-doped BaS using the FP-LAPW approach
Chinese Journal of Physics, 2017
In this work, the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method was used to calculate the structural, electronic, thermal and thermodynamic properties of BaS and CaS compounds and their ternary mixtures, Ba1−xCaxS. The local-density approximation (LDA), the Wu-Cohen generalized gradient approximation (WC-GGA) and the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) were used as the exchange-correlation potential. Moreover, the modified Becke–Johnson approximation was also used for the band structure calculations. We examined the composition effect on the lattice constants, bulk modulus and band gap. The microscopic origins of the band gap bowing were characterized in detail using the approach of Zunger and colleagues....
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Strategies to promote infection prevention and control in acute care hospitals with the help of infection control link nurses: A systematic literature review
American Journal of Infection Control, 2018
Infection control link nurses (ICLNs) are important backup personnel for the prevention and control of infections in hospitals. To identify facilitators and barriers for the implementation of and long-term collaboration with ICLNs.We conducted a systematic literature review, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were defined as description of de novo implementation of an ICLN system, strengthening of an existing ICLN system, or analysis of an ICLN system.In 10 publications, facilitators and barriers were identified for mode of selection of ICLN candidates, characteristics and responsibilities of ICLNs, composition of a training curriculum, educational strategies, and external influenci...
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ROTARY TRUING OF VITREOUS BOND DIAMOND GRINDING WHEELS USING METAL BOND DIAMOND DISKS
Machining Science and Technology, 1998
Abstract Experiments on rotary truing of vitreous bond diamond grinding wheels were conducted to investigate the effects of truing speed ratio, type of diamond in the metal bond truing disks (synthetic versus natural), and diamond grit size in the grinding wheel on the wear of truing disk and on the cylindrical grinding of zirconia. Similar to G-ratio, a new parameter called D-ratio is defined to quantify the wear rate of the diamond truing disks. Experimental results show that, under the same truing condition, the truing disk with blocky, low friability synthetic diamond has a higher D-ratio than the truing disk with natural diamond. Diamond wheels trued by the disk with synthetic diamond also generate lower grinding force and rougher surface finish. High t...
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Optical activity originated by ring of coupled oscillators
Optik, 2016
Abstract This paper presents the theory of the optical activity of ring of coupled based on the generalized Rosenberg relations for the complex rotatory power. The rotational strengths of the quantum-mechanical transitions of normal modes of vibrations for the arbitrary propagation direction of the electromagnetic wave are calculated by relatively simple way. In real materials, the valence electrons can be represented by the harmonic oscillators. Therefore, this theory can be used for the solution of the optical activity of molecules when the optical activity is based on the dipole–dipole interactions between the valence electrons. One of such molecules can be the molecules of the SUA crystal, the optical activity of which follows from the optical activity...
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Theological education, considered from South Africa: Current issues for cross-contextual comparison
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2016
Taking into review the newly published series of substantial multi-authored volumes on ecumenical theological education internationally, this article identifies, from the author’s own experience in ecumenical theological education and from his publications in this field, the central issue of specificity, locality and context in theological education. This takes place within two broadly developing new and relevant trends: post-secularism and inclusive liberalism, briefly described and then related to theological education. In the light of these trends, some questions are asked on theological education, and a plea for greater interdisciplinarity is made. The article thus contains a considerable part of self-reflective material, based on substantial professio...
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Carbohydrate Composition of the Membrane Glycoprotein of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Grown in Four Mammalian Cell Lines
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 1974
The carbohydrate composition of the membrane glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus has been determined for virus grown in four different mammalian cell lines. The glycoprotein contains mannose, galactose, N -acetylglucosamine, and neuraminic acid as the major carbohydrate components, whereas N -acetyl-galactosamine and fucose are present in lesser amounts. The glycoprotein contains approximately 9-10% carbohydrate regardless of the host cell in which it is synthesized. Small quantitative differences are evident in the composition of the component sugars of the glycoprotein when the virus is grown in different host cells, and the glycoprotein of virus grown in a mouse fibroblast line (L cells) lacks fucose. The major oligosaccharide moieties of the virus...
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Novel Aryl‐Modified Benzoylamino‐N‐(5,6‐dimethoxy‐1H‐benzoimidazol‐2‐yl)‐heteroamides as Potent Inhibitors of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptors 1 and 2
Journal of Heterocyclic Chem, 2016
Tumor angiogenesis has become an important target for antitumor therapy, with most current therapies aimed at blocking the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. The VEGF and its receptors have been implicated as key factors in tumor angiogenesis and are major targets in cancer therapy. A series of aryl-modified benzoylamino-N-(5,6-dimethoxy-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-heteroamides were synthesized from 2-amino-5,6-dimethoxy benzimidazole and aryl-substituted benzoylamino hetero acids. The new compounds were tested for inhibition of VEGF receptors I and II (VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2). Compound 6e displayed VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity with a 50% inhibition concentration value as low as 0.020 μM in a homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence enzymatic assay. ...
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Screening for fetal growth restriction and placental insufficiency
Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, 2018
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) continues to be a leading cause of preventable stillbirth and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring, and furthermore is strongly associated with the obstetrical complications of iatrogenic preterm birth and pre-eclampsia. The terms small for gestational age (SGA) and FGR have, for too long, been considered equivalent and therefore used interchangeably. However, the delivery of improved clinical outcomes requires that clinicians effectively distinguish fetuses that are pathologically growth-restricted from those that are constitutively small. A greater understanding of the multifactorial pathogenesis of both early- and late-onset FGR, especially the role of underlying placental pathologies, may offer insight into targete...
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Assessing the Performance of Systems Designed to Process Criminal Forensic Evidence
Forensic Science Policy & Management: An International Journal, 2009
Abstract This paper examines methods that can be used to assess the performance of public organizations and systems designed to process criminal forensic evidence. There is considerable literature devoted to applying scientific and technical knowledge to criminal forensics techniques, such as DNA, AFIS fingerprint systems, and IBIS ballistics systems. However, the forensic science literature tends to overlook the nature and dynamics of organizations and systems responsible for finding, gathering, transporting, and processing physical evidence. How should the performance of these organizations and systems be measured, and what benchmarks exist for comparing their performance relative to their peers? We present a framework for establishing performance measures...
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Global English capital and the domestic economy: the case of Japan from the 1970s to early 2012
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2013
Abstract The present study explores how scholars working in the field of applied linguistics, language policy and language education might best contest and negotiate the increasingly economics-driven language polices enacted at the institutional levels of schools and workplaces. The study focuses on Japan as an interesting case of incongruence between world-class economic success and sub-standard English education from the 1970s to the early 2000s, followed by the current disjunction between the media discourse on Japan's search for global talent and the reality of many entities still favouring home-educated monolingual male elites. The study, based on primary data resources (e.g. economic statistics, industrialists' narratives, national ‘globalisation’ ...
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Determination of free amino acids in larval insect and gall tissues of the goldenrod, Solidago canadensis L.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry, 1982
Abstract 1. 1. Free amino acid occurrence in Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis Riley (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and Eurosta solidaginis (Fitch) (Diptera: Tephritidae) larval body tissue; gall-free goldenrod, Solidago canadensis L., stem tissue; G. gallaesolidaginis caused elliptical galls; and E. solidaginis caused ball galls was assessed using two-dimensional paper chromatography. 2. 2. Eighteen free amino acids were identified in both larval insect body tissue and in normal stem tissue. 3. 3. Fifteen free amino acids were identified in both types of gall tissues. 4. 4. Free amino acids increased or remained constant in all tissues over time. 5. 5. Differences in free amino acids in the larval insect tissues could be due to differences in chronology of life c...
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Liver Transplantation Without Abdominal Drainage
Transplantation Proceedings, 2012
This observational cohort compared 70 consecutive liver transplantations (OLT) with no intra-abdominal drain and 70 control subjects C with an intra-abdominal drain who were operated immediately prior to them. We sought to assess the impact of abdominal drainage on the diagnosis and prevention of early postoperative complications of hemoperitoneum, reinterventions, biliary leaks or percutaneous drainage. We assessed variables related to the recipient (age, indication, pretransplant ascites, body mass index, Model for End-stage Liver Disease score, and rejection episodes, to the donor (age, steatosis and, ischemia time) as well as intra- and postoperative factors (surgery time, blood product use, and coagulopathy). The endpoint was defined as the need for a r...
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Pediatric organ dose measurements in axial and helical multislice CT
Medical Physics, 2009
An anthropomorphic pediatric phantom (5-yr-old equivalent) was used to determine organ doses at specific surface and internal locations resulting from computed tomography (CT) scans. This phantom contains four different tissue-equivalent materials: Soft tissue, bone, brain, and lung. It was imaged on a 64-channel CT scanner with three head protocols (one contiguous axial scan and two helical scans [ and 0.984]) and four chest protocols (one contiguous axial scan and three helical scans [, 0.984, and 1.375]). Effective was kept nearly constant at 200 effective for head and 290 effective for chest protocols. Dose measurements were acquired using thermoluminescent dosimeter powder in capsules placed at locations internal to the phantom and on the phantom surfac...
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Mitotic Kinesin Eg5 Overcomes Inhibition to the Phase I/II Clinical Candidate SB743921 by an Allosteric Resistance Mechanism
J. Med. Chem., 2013
Development of drug resistance during cancer chemotherapy is one of the major causes of chemotherapeutic failure for the majority of clinical agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of resistance developed by the mitotic kinesin Eg5 against the potent second-generation ispinesib analogue SB743921 (1), a phase I/II clinical candidate. Biochemical and biophysical data demonstrate that point mutations in the inhibitor-binding pocket decrease the efficacy of 1 by several 1000-fold. Surprisingly, the structures of wild-type and mutant Eg5 in complex with 1 display no apparent structural changes in the binding configuration of the drug candidate. Furthermore, ITC and modeling approaches reveal that resistance to 1 is not...
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Amantadine treatment is an independent predictor of improved survival in Parkinson's disease
Neurology, 1996
Amantadine has been used for more than 20 years in the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD).Several recent discoveries suggest that amantadine could also have a neuroprotective effect in PD. We studied survival in all parkinsonism (including PD and other parkinsonian syndromes) patients attending a single clinic, employing standard survival curves and a Cox regression model, to identify independent predictive variables for survival (while taking into account factors potentially associated with both outcome and treatment selection). Amantadine-treated patients (n = 250) were similar to the patients not treated with amantadine (n = 586) in terms of age, gender, type of parkinsonism, Hoehn and Yahr stage and dementia status at initial neurological ...
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Canine Sacroiliac Luxation: Anatomic Study of Dorsoventral Articular Surface Angulation and Safe Corridor for Placement of Screws Used for Lag Fixation
Veterinary Surgery, 2005
Objective— To define a safe corridor in the dorsoventral plane to facilitate placement of screws inserted in lag fashion within the sacral body for fixation of sacroiliac fracture–luxation injuries in dogs. Study Design— Anatomic study. Sample Population— Cadaveric canine sacra. Methods— Canine sacra (n=45) were used for a radiographic study to define a safe corridor in the dorsoventral plane for placement of screws inserted in lag fashion for fixation of sacroiliac luxation in the dog. The defined safe corridor allowed drilling to a depth of 65% of the sacral width to ensure screw purchase of ≥60%. Effects of positioning and measurement techniques were evaluated. Results— Eighty-seven safe corridors were measured. The mean articular surface wa...
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Arginine/Tryptophan‐Rich Cyclic α/β‐Antimicrobial Peptides: The Roles of Hydrogen Bonding and Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Solvent‐Accessible Surface Areas upon Activity and Membrane Selectivity
Chemistry A European J, 2018
The bacterial selectivity of an amphiphilic library of small cyclic α/β-tetra-, α/β-penta-, and α/β-hexapeptides rich in arginine/tryptophan (Arg/Trp) residues, which contains asymmetric backbone configurations and differ in hydrophobicity and alternating d,l-amino acids, was investigated against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The structural analyses showed that the peptides tend to form assemblies of different shapes. All-l-peptides, especially the most hydrophobic pentamers, were more strongly anti-B. subtilis. With the exception to cyclo(Phe-d-Trp-β3 hArg-Arg-d-Trp) (Phe=phenylalanine), the peptides had no effects on inner membrane of E. coli, but lyzed the lipopolysaccharide layer according to their activity pattern. The activities advers...
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p53 expression in multicentric squamous cell carcinoma and surrounding squamous epithelium of the upper aerodigestive tract. Immunohistochemical analysis of 95 lesions
Cancer, 1995
Background. It is now well documented that patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract frequently develop additional squamous cell carcinoma in the same field. Methods. p53 expression in 95 patients with multicentric squamous cell carcinoma and in squamous epithelia surrounding multicentric squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract in 20 patients was examined by immunohistochemistry. In addition, p53 expression in 129 patients with supposedly unicentric squamous cell carcinoma and in squamous epithelia surrounding unicentric squamous cell carcinoma in 22 patients was also examined by immunohistochemistry. Results. Among the 95 patients with multicentric squamous cell carcinoma, 62 (65%) had a clearly positive reacti...
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Laccase immobilization in redox active layered double hydroxides: A reagentless amperometric biosensor
Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2007
This paper describes a new system for amperometric determination of dissolved oxygen and its application for the detection of anionic toxic substances, which are known as enzyme inhibitors. This biosensor is based on the co-immobilization of laccase from Trametes versicolor and a redox active layered double hydroxide [Zn–Cr–ABTS] on a glassy carbon electrode. The electrochemical transduction step corresponds to the electrocatalytic reduction of O2 at 0.2 V by laccase as catalyst and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) as mediator. Such device provides a fast and a sensitive response for dissolved oxygen determination between 6 × 10−8 and 4 × 10−6 M and very low detection limits for azide (5.5 nM), fluoride (6.9 nM) and c...
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Adapting Animal‐Assisted Therapy Trials to Prison‐Based Animal Programs
Public Health Nursing, 2016
Prison-based animal programs have shown promise when it comes to increased sociability, responsibility, and levels of patience for inmates who participate in these programs. Yet there remains a dearth of scientific research that demonstrates the impact of prison-based animal programs on inmates' physical and mental health. Trials of animal-assisted therapy interventions, a form of human-animal interaction therapy most often used with populations affected by depression/anxiety, mental illness, and trauma, may provide models of how prison-based animal program research can have widespread implementation in jail and prison settings, whose populations have high rates of mental health problems. This paper reviews the components of prison-based animal programs most...
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Oxidative Dissolution of Biogenic Uraninite in Groundwater at Old Rifle, CO
Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011
Reductive bioremediation is currently being explored as a possible strategy for uranium-contaminated aquifers such as the Old Rifle site (Colorado). The stability of U(IV) phases under oxidizing conditions is key to the performance of this procedure. An in situ method was developed to study oxidative dissolution of biogenic uraninite (UO₂), a desirable U(VI) bioreduction product, in the Old Rifle, CO, aquifer under different variable oxygen conditions. Overall uranium loss rates were 50-100 times slower than laboratory rates. After accounting for molecular diffusion through the sample holders, a reactive transport model using laboratory dissolution rates was able to predict overall uranium loss. The presence of biomass further retarded diffusion and oxidat...
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The availability of daylight from tropical skies—a case study of Malaysia
Renewable Energy, 2002
In Malaysia, no long-term daylight data are measured. It was only recently that the need to measure the availability of daylight became urgent when the importance of daylighting in buildings was rediscovered. The hourly daylight availability has been simulated for the Malaysian sky using daylight modelling techniques based on empirical and measured solar irradiation and cloud cover data. This paper presents the techniques involved in producing exterior illuminance data. These data were then compared with measured illuminance at Shah Alam and Bangi, Malaysia. The global illuminance levels are generally high, with values exceeding 80,000 lux at noon during the months when solar irradiation is highest. Even during the months when the ground receives less solar ...
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Minimal residual disease-based effect and long-term outcome of first-line dasatinib combined with chemotherapy for adult Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Annals of Oncology, 2016
BackgroundThe use of imatinib combined with chemotherapy has demonstrated improved outcome in adults with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-positive ALL). However, a substantial proportion of patients continue to die as a result of disease progression.Patients and methodsWe assessed the minimal residual disease (MRD)-based effect and long-term outcome of first-line incorporation of dasatinib (100 mg once daily) into chemotherapy alternatively for adults with Ph-positive ALL. The primary end point was the major molecular response (MMR) rate by the end of the second dasatinib cycle. Patients with a donor proceeded to allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) as early as possible. MRD monitoring was centrally evaluated by real-t...
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Enhancing biohydrogen production from disintegrated sewage sludge by combined sodium citrate-thermal pretreatment
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021
Biohydrogen production from sewage sludge through anaerobic fermentation is a cleaner production process. However, the complex sludge structure, especially the outer-layer extracellular polymeric substances, significantly restricts the utilization of available organics in the inner-layer sludge cells for hydrogen production. In view of this, this study firstly adopted a cation-binding agent, sodium citrate (SC), to strip the outer-layer extracellular polymeric substances from the sludge floc, followed by thermal disintegration of microbial cells, which aimed to promote the disintegration performance and biohydrogen productivity. The results showed that the sludge with the combined SC-Thermal pretreatment (0.3 g SC/g-SS + 121 °C for 30 min) achieved the maxi...
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Antinatriuretic and Kaliuretic Activities of the Reduced Derivatives of Aldosterone*
Endocrinology, 1983
The mineralocorticoid activities of the two dihydro- and the four tetrahydroisomers of the ring A-reduced derivatives of aldosterone were tested in adrenalectomized male rats. Potency was assessed by three criteria. Overall mineralocorticoid activity is expressed as the ability to reduce the urinary Na+/K+ ratio; antinatriuretic activity is represented by decreases in urinary Na+/creatinine; kaliuretic activity is shown by increases in K+/creatinine. All measurements were made on urine collected in the period 1–3 h postinjection. Measurements of overall activity indicate that the potency of aldosterone is greater than 5α-dihydroaldosterone (DHA) greater than 3α,5α-tetrahydroaldosterone (THA) greater than 3α,5β-THA greater than 3β,5α-THA greater than...
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Presentations to NSW emergency departments with self‐harm, suicidal ideation, or intentional poisoning, 2010–2014
Medical Journal of Australia, 2018
Objective: To evaluate population trends in presentations for mental health problems presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in New South Wales during 2010–2014, particularly patients presenting with suicidal ideation, self-harm, or intentional poisoning. Design, setting and participants: This was a retrospective, descriptive analysis of linked Emergency Department Data Collection registry data for presentations to NSW public hospital EDs over five calendar years, 2010–2014. Patients were included if they had presented to an ED and a mental health-related diagnosis was recorded as the principal diagnosis. Main outcome measures: Rates of mental health-related presentations to EDs by age group and calendar year, both overall and for the subgroups of self...
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Differences Between Laboratory Strains of Epstein-Barr Virus Based on Immortalization, Abortive Infection, and Interference
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 1974
Biological activities of extracellular Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) from two laboratory strains, namely P3J-HR-1 (P-H) from Burkitt's lymphoma and B95-8 (B95) from infectious mononucleosis, were compared. Virus stocks from both sources contained approximately the same number of virions. Virus from the P-H line induced early antigen in six non-producer EBV-genome carrier cell lines; virus from B95 did not induce early antigen. Extracellular virus from B95 regularly caused lymphocytes from human umbilical cords to form continuous lines (immortalization); P-H virus did not cause primary cultures of human lymphocytes to grow continuously. B95 virus stimulated DNA synthesis, as determined by the rate of incorporation of 3H-thymidine into acid-insoluble material; P-H ...
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A Model of Customer Loyalty: An Empirical Study of Indian Retail Banking Customer
Global Business Review, 2019
The present article proposes and tests an integrative model to examine the relationships among service quality (SQ), perceived value (PV), customer satisfaction (CS), corporate image (IMG) and customer loyalty (CL) in Indian retail banking context. The model is tested on the basis of data collected from 545 customers of Indian public sector banks (PSBs) using structural equation modeling (SEM) through path analysis. The finding exhibits that the present research model strongly predicts direct and/or indirect relationship of all constructs with CL phenomenon. However, the construct of PV was found to be insignificantly related to IMG in this integrative model. Moreover, the results also reveal that SQ exerts a strong influence on CS and CL; therefore, SQ is f...
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Dynamically variable step search motion estimation algorithm and a dynamically reconfigurable hardware for its implementation
IEEE Trans. Consumer Electron., 2009
Motion Estimation (ME) is the most computationally intensive part of video compression and video enhancement systems. For the recently available High Definition (HD) video formats, the computational complexity of full search (FS) ME algorithm is prohibitively high, whereas the PSNR obtained by fast search ME algorithms is low. Therefore, in this paper, we present Dynamically Variable Step Search (DVSS) ME algorithm for processing high definition video formats and a dynamically reconfigurable hardware architecture for efficiently implementing DVSS algorithm. The simulation results showed that DVSS algorithm performs very close to FS algorithm by searching much fewer search locations than FS algorithm and it outperforms successful fast search ME algorithms by ...
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Neural network and genetic algorithm-based hybrid approach to expanded job-shop scheduling
Computers & Industrial Engineering, 2001
The expanded job-shop scheduling problem (EJSSP) is a practical production scheduling problem with processing constraints that are more restrictive and a scheduling objective that is more general than those of the standard job-shop scheduling problem (JSSP). A hybrid approach involving neural networks and genetic algorithm (GA) is presented to solve the problem in this paper. The GA is used for optimization of sequence and a neural network (NN) is used for optimization of operation start times with a fixed sequence. After detailed analysis of an expanded job shop, new types of neurons are defined to construct a constraint neural network (CNN). The neurons can represent processing restrictions and resolve constraint conflicts. CNN with a gradient search algor...
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Recent progress and future prospects of oil-absorbing materials
Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2019
Abstract Oil and organic solvent contamination, derived from oil spills and organic solvent leakage, has been recognized as one of the major environmental issues imposing a serious threat to both human and ecosystem health. Among the various presented technologies applied for oil/water separation, oil absorption process has been explored widely and offers satisfactory results especially with surface modified oil-absorbing material and/or hybrid absorbents. In this review, we summarize the recent research activities involved in the designing strategies of oil-absorbing absorbents and their application in oil absorption. Then, an extensive list of various oil-absorbing materials from literature, including polymer materials, porous inorganic materials and bioma...
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Epidemiological and molecular analysis of human norovirus infections in Taiwan during 2011 and 2012
BMC Infect Dis, 2013
Abstract Background The human norovirus (NV) circulates worldwide and is a major cause of epidemics, which have increased in Taiwan since 2002. NV in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and non-acute gastroenteritis (asymptomatic) patients, including children and adults, have not been previously examined in Taiwan; therefore, we examined the epidemiology and phylogeny of NV in AGE and asymptomatic patients of all ages. Methods 253 stool samples were collected from August 2011 to July 2012 (including 155 AGE and 98 asymptomatic samples in Taiwan) and analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for NV. Primers targeting the RNA-polymerase gene were used for RT-PCR to allow DNA sequencing of Taiwan NV strains and phylogenetic analyses. Resul...
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Evaluation of Computer Simulated Baseline Statistics for Use in Item Bias Studies
Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1989
Though item bias statistics are widely recommended for use in test development and test analysis work, problems arise in their interpretation. The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the validity of logistic test models and computer simulation methods for providing a frame of reference for item bias statistic interpretations. Specifically, the intent was to produce simulated sampling distributions of item bias statistics under the hypothesis of no bias for use in determining cut-off points to provide guidelines for interpreting item bias statistics obtained with actual test data. The results provided support for the basic data simulation approach used in the study. Real and simulated distributions for three item bias statistics when bias was not ...
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Qualitative Concept Development: Implications for Nursing Research and Knowledge
Nursing Forum, 2006
TOPIC. Qualitative concept development. PURPOSE. The purpose of this article is to analyze existing and emerging qualitative concept development approaches and discuss implications for nursing research and knowledge. SOURCE. Literature. CONCLUSIONS. Concept development is necessary to insure the ongoing emergence of nursing theory and knowledge. Investigators are urged to use empirical data and advanced qualitative research methods to move concept development forward. Although an inductive process is inherent to qualitative investigations, it is apparent that iterative movement between inductive and deductive approaches is needed to carry out concept development studies. Concepts used in nursing are complex and challenging to define. For this reason, concept...
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Ultrastructure of cortical synapses after failure of presynaptic activity in ischemia,
Anat. Rec., 1970
The fine structure of cerebral cortical synapses was investigated during failure of synaptic transmission produced by ischemia. Presynaptic and postsynaptic potentials evoked in the anterior sigmoid gyrus of the cat by stimulation of the nucleus ventralis lateralis and the DC potential between cortical layer IV and the white matter were recorded with micropipettes during cerebral ischemia produced by arterial hemorrhage in paralyzed, artificially ventilated animals. After failure of the spontaneous electrocorticogram and postsynaptic responses, the presynaptic volley failed with development of depolarization of intracortical fiber terminals and loss of axon terminal excitability. The gyrus was then biopsied and fixed in collidine-buffered OsO4. An altered pa...
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Concentrations and radiocarbon signatures of dissolved organic matter in the Pacific Ocean
Geophysical Research Letters, 1989
We present evidence suggesting that only a portion of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the seawater analyzed previously by Williams and Druffel (1987) was oxidized by the UV-radiation method. High temperature catalytic (HTC) methods (Sugimura and Suzuki, 1988) used to reoxidize the central North Pacific gyre water samples reveal that the total DOC (DOCHTC) is about twice that of the UV-oxidizable DOC (DOCuv). Indications from the original study suggest that this additional DOC contains higher concentrations of radiocarbon than in the DOCuv(Williams and Druffel, 1987). This evidence implies that DOC is older and thus more refractory with respect to biological utilization, yet is more chemically reactive with respect to photooxidation, than the fraction r...
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Presidential Address: Go to the Principal's Office: Toward a Social History of the School Principal in North America
Hist. educ. q., 2007
Of the many organizational changes that took place in public education in North America at the turn of the last century, few had greater impact on the school than the development of the principal. The creation of the principal's office revolutionized the internal organization of the school from a group of students supervised by one teacher to a collection of teachers managed by one administrator. In its very conception, the appointment of a school-based administrator who was authorized to supervise other teachers significantly restructured power relations in schools, realigning the source of authority from the classroom to the principal's office. Just as significant was the role that the principal played as a school based representative of the central educat...
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Depletion of chondrocyte primary cilia reduces the compressive modulus of articular cartilage
Journal of Biomechanics, 2014
Primary cilia are slender, microtubule based structures found in the majority of cell types with one cilium per cell. In articular cartilage, primary cilia are required for chondrocyte mechanotransduction and the development of healthy tissue. Loss of primary cilia in Col2aCre;ift88(fl/fl) transgenic mice results in up-regulation of osteoarthritic (OA) markers and development of OA like cartilage with greater thickness and reduced mechanical stiffness. However no previous studies have examined whether loss of primary cilia influences the intrinsic mechanical properties of articular cartilage matrix in the form of the modulus or just the structural properties of the tissue. The present study describes a modified analytical model to derive the viscoelastic mod...
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Examining the effects of nutrients on the composition and size of phytoplankton using unaltered deep-sea waters
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2007
Abstract Effects of nutrients on the size and composition of phytoplankton and the resulting changes in ecosystem structure were investigated using incubations of unaltered deep-sea waters from 400 m and 700 m depths of Suruga Bay Japan. This new approach allowed us to observe the succession of phytoplankton communities from conditions of high to low nitrogen availability and explore the effects of N source and availability on the composition and size of diatoms under low grazing pressure. Diatoms dominated the phytoplankton biomass throughout the duration of experiments in both incubations. However, among diatoms, the genus Thalassiosira dominated the abundance and biomass when nutrients were replete, and the genus Chaetoceros dominated the abundance and ...
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Male Infertility: Current Concepts
Annals of Medicine, 1992
The purpose of the article is to review the current concepts regarding the etiology and treatment of male-factor infertility. The following general conclusions can be drawn: (a) conventional parameters for sperm quality and male fertility are inadequate and any assessment should involve several different tests of sperm cell function to increase the fertility prognosis; (b) the causes of disturbed sperm quality are still poorly understood; (c) the role of the varicocele is still controversial but some of the discrepancies reported in the literature may be explained by the negative influence of other factors such as smoking, epididymal pathology or glandular infections operating either in conjunction or independent of the varicocele; (d) the role of chronic in...
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General Science for Schools
Nature, 1929
(1) FOR years past, teachers have been saying that in the early stages science should be taught in a general way; that historical treatment is desirable; and that the lessons should be of the object-study sort. It is to be hoped that they will like Dr. Holmyard's book, for here they have it all presented in an ideal manner. The author has excelled himself as historian and philologist, and the wine of his science teaching requires no bush. His volume is intended as a second course, between an introduction and more formal study; but it is to be feared that it may prove rather difficult at that stage. For the sixth-form boy who wishes to link up his science with history and with classical lore, and vice versa for the history and the classical specialist, it sho...
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The Influence of Industry Mix on Regional New Firm Formation in the United States
Regional Studies, 2012
Renski H. The influence of industry mix on regional new firm formation in the United States, Regional Studies. Per capita rates of entry are commonly used to measure the regional entrepreneurial climate. Yet entry rates vary widely by industry and tend to mirror existing regional specializations. Without controlling for industry mix, factors associated with regional differences in entry may describe the industry base rather than explain variations in entrepreneurial climate. This study finds that although most of the factors commonly associated with the regional entrepreneurial climate remain significant after purging the data of industry-mix effects, others – namely educational attainment, homeownership, university research and development, and unemployme...
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Presencia de microorganismos oportunistas en el endocérvix y su influencia en la tasa de gestación en un programa de FIV-ICSI
Progresos de Obstetricia y Ginecología, 2003
Estudiar la asociación entre cultivos endocervicales positivos para microorganismos distintos de Lactobacillus spp. y las tasas de gestación obtenidas, en las técnicas de FIV-ICSI. Se recogieron muestras endocervicales para estudio microbiológico de 109 mujeres sometidas a técnicas de FIV-ICSI, en el momento de la transferencia embrionaria. Un total de 18 cultivos (16,5%) fueron positivos. El total de embarazos fue de 32 (un 29,35% por transferencia). Cinco correspondieron a mujeres con cultivo positivo (un 27,8% por transferencia) y 13 a mujeres con cultivo negativo (un 29,7% por transferencia). Las causas de esterilidad, el número de FIV e ICSI, el número de ovocitos por punción y el número de embriones transferidos fue similar en ambos grupos, si...