The integration of wind turbine, solar photovoltaic based distributed generation in low voltage distribution network has many advantages. However, the output power from wind turbine and solar PVs are intermittent in nature. The production of these intermittent power generations may introduce many challenges in distribution network such as increase in power losses, voltage deviation and instability. Therefore, this paper proposes optimal integration of these intermittent renewable DGs along with biomass and capacitor banks to optimize distribution network parameters. The real time wind speed and solar irradiance data are processed in time series mathematical model along with relevant probability distribution function (PDF) for calculating the accurate power o...

In this study, the leaching kinetics of malachite in ammonia solutions was investigated in a magnetically stirred reactor, taking particle size, ammonia concentration, solid/liquid ratio and reaction temperature as parameters. It was observed that the leaching rate increases with increasing ammonia concentration, reaction temperature, decreasing solid/liquid ratio and particle size. The reaction order to the solid concentration is determined to be 1.0. It was also determined that the leaching process was controlled by the diffussion through the ash layer, which is the insoluble inert gangue material consisted of mainly SiO2, around the shrinking unreacted core. The activation energy for the leaching process was found to be 22.338 kJ mol−1, and the Arrheniu...

BACKGROUND:Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a promising biomarker of cardiac remodeling. The purpose of this study was to explore the diagnostic value of plasma GDF-15 levels in different stages of heart failure (HF) and to assess the relationship with ventricular remodeling. MATERIAL AND METHODS:We enrolled 219 HF patients from the Department of Cardiology in Tianjin Union Medical Center as the HF group and 32 healthy subjects as the control group. Circulating GDF-15, NT-proBNP, procollagen I C-terminal propeptide (PICP), and N-terminal procollagen III propeptide (PIIINP) levels were measured using ELISA. Associations between GDF-15 and clinical indicators in cardiac remodeling were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves a...

Abstract This article reinterprets the Indonesian invasion of East Timor as a ‘diplomatic counter-revolution’. Using the central archival records of the Suharto regime for the first time in English-language scholarship, it unearths a diplomatic campaign undertaken by agents of the New Order to secure international support for an Indonesian invasion of East Timor. This diplomatic offensive spanned Southeast Asia, non-aligned and Afro-Asian networks, Western capitals, international institutions and media circuits, and global capital markets. Its success tipped the balance of power in Jakarta away from advocates of restraint like Adam Malik and towards advocates of annexation like Ali Murtopo. The diplomacy behind Indonesia's invasion of East Timor reveals ...

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a common benign liver tumor that is often confused with hepatic adenoma. Despite the benign course of both lesions, hepatic adenomas are associated with rupture and bleeding, and suggested management often includes prophylactic surgical resection. FNH lesions are thought to not rupture or bleed, and traditional management does not include resection. We report the case of a woman with FNH who presented with intraperitoneal hemorrhage after the rupture of a FNH lesion. Only six previous documented cases of hemoperitoneum associated with FNH have ever been reported. This report reviews all previously recorded cases of FNH lesions that have resulted in intraperitoneal hemorrhage. We suggest that although FNH is a benign lesion ...

Fatigue in haemodialysis (HD) patients can be captured in quality of life questionnaires and by the dialysis recovery time (DRT) question. The associations between fatigue and measured physical activity has not been explored until the present. We tested our hypothesis that the patient perception of chronic and post dialysis fatigue would be associated with lower physical activity.This study was a cross sectional evaluation of baseline data from HD patients recruited in the HDFIT trial. Vitality scores from the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL-36) and the dialysis recovery time (DRT) question were used as indicators of chronic and post dialysis fatigue, respectively. Granular physical activity was measured by accelerometers as part of the study protocol....

Background: Patient-reported outcomes in cleft lip and palate treatment are critical for patient care. Traditional surgical outcomes focused on objective measures, such as photographs, anatomic measurements, morbidity, and mortality. Although these remain important, they leave many questions unanswered. Surveys that include aesthetics, speech, functionality, self-image, and quality of life provide more thorough outcomes assessment. It is vital that reliable, valid, and comprehensive questionnaires are available to craniofacial surgeons. Methods: The authors performed a literature review to identify questionnaires validated in cleft lip and palate patients. Qualifying instruments were assessed for adherence to guidelines for development and validation by the ...

Let [Formula: see text] be a simple connected graph and [Formula: see text] a coloring of the vertices in [Formula: see text] For any [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be the sum of colors of the vertices adjacent to [Formula: see text]. Then [Formula: see text] is called a sigma coloring of [Formula: see text] if for any two adjacent vertices [Formula: see text]. The minimum number of colors needed in a sigma coloring of [Formula: see text] is the sigma chromatic number of [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text] In this paper, we prescribe a sigma coloring of the join of paths and cycles. As a consequence, we determine the sigma chromatic number of the join of a finite number of paths and cycles. In particular, let [Formula: see text]...

Abstract Objective To investigate the pathologic features and differential diagnosis of a pediatric dendritic fibromyxolipoma (DFML). Methods We collected one case of dendritic fibromyxolipoma in the back of a pediatric patient (6 years old, female) diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University. The case of DFML was studied by H&E and MaxVision immunohistochemical staining. The clinical and pathological features were analyzed with review of the literatures Results The tumor was round or ovoid in shape and appeared in the surface of back. Microscopically, the tumor was mainly consisted of stellate to spindle cells, rope-like collagen fibers and varying amount of mature lipocytes embedded in myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemical stai...

The welding procedure for reinforcing bars used in reinforced concrete takes place at fixed industrial installations. The welders must ensure that the reinforcing bar positions are maintained throughout all stages leading up to concreting. Fusion welding offers an alternative procedure that entails fewer risks for the workers’ health. In this study, we aimed to determine the minimum parameters for the intensity, pressure, and time necessary to ensure the level of performance required by this assembly welding. A total of 2160 joints were manufactured, comprising the different thicknesses. For each thickness measurement, 45 different combinations of parameters were applied. The joints were evaluated based on the resulting dimensions and on the failure force ...

Uterine fibroids are the most common uterine tumours in females of reproductive age. During pregnancy, uterine fibroids may be complicated by aseptic necrobiosis. We herein report an ambiguous clinical presentation of uterine fibroids in pregnancy and discuss the diagnostic challenges encountered in our resource-constraint setting.A term pregnant Cameroonian woman was admitted to our maternity unit with clinical findings suggestive of a strangulated umbilical hernia. She underwent an emergency caesarean section which fortuitously revealed aseptic necrobiosis of a uterine fibroid, managed within the same surgical intervention by myomectomy. Her post-operative course was uneventful.The authors highlight the need for a high index of suspicion by healthcare prov...

Low birthweight is one of the main causes of poor health outcomes among newborns, with Black women having a disproportionately high prevalence. A digital intervention targeted Black women in Orange County, Florida with information on positive pregnancy-related knowledge and attitudes related to low birthweight. This paper reports on campaign methods for the first 2.5 years of implementation.Campaign content was tailored toward Black women, around a reproductive empowerment lens. Content focused on emphasizing healthy pregnancy-related behaviors and creating positive representations of Black women throughout the various stages of pregnancy through both static images and a web series. Digital metrics gauged campaign engagement. Three cross-sectional online sur...

The increasing industrial demand to reduce structural weight, optimize structural strength, and high performance has led to the increasing use of tailors welded blanks. However, the joining of tailors welded blanks is an issue of concern to researchers owing to the difference in thickness between the materials in addition to the difference in physical and chemical properties in the case of dissimilar materials. These challenges in joining of tailors welded blanks are conquered by a recent solid phase joining process known as friction stir welding. This review work covers different methods of joining unequal thickness similar/dissimilar (or tailors welded blanks) aircraft materials in different joint configurations along with the challenges and failure modes ...

This article is a conceptual research on the applications of constructivist learning theory and social learning theory, along with the impact of technological development, globalization, and demographic change, on continuous development of adult learners. In constructivist learning theory practice, learners are self-directed and construct knowledge via personal experiences while instructor should act as a mentor. However, to social learning theory, instructor is a role model to learners, and the learners learn through vicarious experiences in a social context. Social interaction and human relation are two major components in applying these two adult learning theories in adult learning and vocational training settings. Hereby, an application matrix of constru...

Abstract Background Heart rhythm complexity, a measure of heart rate dynamics and a risk predictor in various clinical diseases, has not been systematically studied in patients with end-stage renal disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the heart rhythm complexity and its prognostic value for mortality in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods To assess heart rhythm complexity and conventional heart rate variability measures, 4-h continuous electrocardiography for a retrospective cohort of 202 ostensibly healthy control subjects and 51 hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease were analyzed. Heart rhythm complexity was quantified by the complexity index from the measurement of the multiscale entropy profile. Resu...

Uniform magnetic fields are widely used in atomic magnetometers, MRI and other fields. The traditional method of solving closed-form equations is usually used to design highly uniform magnetic field coils. In this paper, a new intelligent algorithm, wolf pack algorithm (WPA), is proposed to design the coil structure of a highly uniform magnetic field. This method can replace the traditional method to obtain the coil parameters. We additionally use a discrete optimization method to solve the rounding error. According to the investigation, compared with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, WPA has stronger global optimization ability, faster convergence speed and multiple optimization strategies. We set appropriate coil constraints (structural and proc...

Two artefacts in royal custody, an étagère (inventory number HGK401) and a writing desk (inventory number HGK1249), that display specific aspects of Swedish Rococo furniture in an exciting combination, are re-examined through scientific means. Microscopy of cross sections, wood species identification, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence microscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses reveal some of their physical and chemical characteristics. The results show that the original wood includes hinoki, and the actual urushi ware originates from at least two different artefacts, of which one was made in Japan. A specific mixture of saps hitherto only confirmed on historical Ryukyu Is...

The oxide barrier layer at the bottom of the pores has been successfully thinned by applying an exponential voltage decrease process followed by a wet chemical etching. The impact of the potential drop on the porous anodic alumina (PAA) structure has been deeply investigated, as well as the electrolyte temperature, the number of potential steps and the exponential decay rate. The results presented herein evidence that straight pores can be obtained and simultaneously remove the dielectric layer in spite of applying the exponential voltage decay during the PAA synthesis, through a smart adjustment between the anodization conditions and exponential voltage decay parameters. Additionally, the PAA structure can be tuned to fabricate hierarchically nanoporous tem...

Research and Development Research aims to describe (1) the development of Android-based mathematical learning matters on sine rules material and cosine rules for high school students, (2) measure the effectiveness of students' mathematical understanding through learning of mobile mathematics based on Android, and (3) mobile eligibility learning mathematics based on Android developed. Based on the results obtained: (1) The development of mobile learning is adapted from the development model of ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). (2) The students' understanding of mathematical comprehension is improved (3) Mobile learning is effective in three trials with appropriate criteria in every aspect. (4) Mobile learning research resu...

This paper aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of financial development on CO2 emissions, using a global sample of 100 countries from 1990 - 2012. Our main contribution to the literature lies in the identification and explanation of possible transmission channels that allow financial development to affect environmental quality. The paper employs 2SLS and 3SLS estimators to investigate these channels. Empirical results confirm the positive direct effect of financial development on environmental degradation. Development of the financial system also gives rise to more energy demand and consequently leads to more pollutant emissions. Besides, there is evidence about a trade-off between income inequality and environmental quality. Financial develo...

Background To report a case of advanced ovarian carcinoma diagnosed during gestation, which was managed with conservative surgery and chemotherapy until delivery. Case The patient underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and appendectomy at 15 weeks of gestation. Six courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin were administered. Cesarean section followed by total hysterectomy were performed at 36 weeks of gestation. The male infant was 3000 g, Apgar score 9/9. Twenty-four months after delivery, the patient experienced pelvic recurrence and underwent surgery and six cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel. The patient is alive with no evidence of disease. After 42 months of follow-up, the baby boy showed no evidence of sequelae. Conclusion Medical and ...

This research chooses the method of narrative literature review to analyze the barriers in implementing tobacco regulatory policies in China and explore the strategies that can overcome these challenges. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tobacco products. Although the prevalence of cigarette smoking declined from 34.5% to 27.7% between 1984 and 2015, the reduction over the 30 years has been slow. Therefore, effective tobacco regulatory policies are necessary. However, as the tobacco industry is one of the major sources of government revenue and an indispensable part of the national economy, the implementation of tobacco regulatory policies faces many challenges. In terms of the institutional dimension, the ambiguous attitude of national...

Inflammation of the colon can be caused by a variety of diseases. While the clinical presentation may suggest colitis, further evaluation by radiology, endoscopy and surgical pathology is usually necessary to make a specific diagnosis. BACKGROUND: For the past nine years, the authors have participated in a weekly multidisciplinary digestive disease conference. To preserve the teaching value from these cases and to increase the number of people who benefit from these efforts, we have begun to compile this information into educational videotapes. METHODS: Clinical cases of colitis from 1990 to 1999 were reviewed. Characteristic features of the clinical presentation, radiology, colonoscopy and surgical pathology from various cases were selected. A detailed scri...

Previous micropuncture studies in rats have demonstrated that fractional phosphate delivery (FDP%) from superficial distal nephrons is higher than in urine. To determine whether this apparent reabsorption could be accounted for by a lower FDP% from the deep nephrons, FDP% was determined in free-low micropuncture from deep nephrons (DN) (ascending limb of the loop of Henle in the papilla), superficial nephrons (SN) (distal tubules in the cortex), and urine (duct of Bellini). In six acute thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX) rats, FDP% in DN was significantly less than SN. The urinary fractional phosphate excretion (FEP%) was significantly less than in the SN, but not significantly different from the DN. In six chronic TPTX rats, FDP% in DN was significantly less ...

The aim of this preliminary study was to determine the relative expression of phosphatonin pathway-related genes in normal dog, sheep and horse kidneys and to explore the relationships between the different genes. Kidneys were collected post-mortem from 10 sheep, 10 horses and 8 dogs. RNA was extracted, followed by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction for fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 IIIc (FGFR1IIIC), sodium-phosphate co-transporter (NPT) 1 (SLC17A1), NPT2a (SLC34A1), NPT2c (SLC34A3), parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R), klotho (KL), vitamin D receptor (VDR), 1a-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) and 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1). NPT2a was highly expressed in the dog kidneys, compared with those of the horses and sheep. NPT1 had greatest exp...

Abstract The loss of muscle mass and function with age, termed sarcopenia, is an inevitable process, which has a significant impact on quality of life. During ageing we observe a progressive loss of total muscle fibres and a reduction in cross-sectional area of the remaining fibres, resulting in a significant reduction in force output. The mechanisms which underpin sarcopenia are complex and poorly understood, ranging from inflammation, dysregulation of protein metabolism and denervation. However, there is significant evidence to demonstrate that modified ROS generation, redox dis-homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction may have an important role to play. Based on this, significant interest and research has interrogated potential ROS-targeted therapies, ra...

Abstract The article is devoted to the issue of improving the environmental safety of the construction industry by improving dust collectors of dust removal systems using additive-complex dispersive analysis of variance of dust emissions by aspiration systems. The article proposes the improvement of complex analysis of variance using hydrodynamic criteria in output functions. Modified output data and additive-simplex approach to the evaluation of characteristics - equivalent sizes and speeds of sedimentation-soiling of dust particles make it possible to determine the ranges of their changes with a higher degree of accuracy of the results. The distributions of the hydrodynamics criteria values allow us to obtain reliable meanings for sedimentation velocities ...

Soils are a complex mixture with a variety of mineralogical, chemical, biological and physical properties, which can be explored within forensic case work. This study aimed to apply energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques to discriminate soil samples collected in southern Brazil in a forensic context. Four replicates of soil were collected at four sites: two sites from the same parent material (claystone) and two other sites from limestone and granite/gneiss respectively. The physical and chemical (organic and mineral composition) and spectroscopic techniques (EDXRF and FTIR) produced 16 quantitative variables from only 2 g of sample. The main results from a forensic context were the separat...

Purpose To update the ASCO guideline for antiemetics in oncology. Methods ASCO convened an Expert Panel and conducted a systematic review of the medical literature for the period of November 2009 to June 2016. Results Forty-one publications were included in this systematic review. A phase III randomized controlled trial demonstrated that adding olanzapine to antiemetic prophylaxis reduces the likelihood of nausea among adult patients who are treated with high emetic risk antineoplastic agents. Randomized controlled trials also support an expanded role for neurokinin 1 receptor antagonists in patients who are treated with chemotherapy. Recommendation Key updates include the addition of olanzapine to antiemetic regimens for adults who receive high-emetic-risk ...

A jurisdição do Tribunal Penal Internacional pode exercer-se não somente contra nacionais de Estados Partes ao Estatuto de Roma, mas também sobre nacionais de Estados não Partes, caso eles sejam acusados de ter cometido um dos crimes de competência do Tribunal dentro do território de um Estado Parte. O temor dos Estados Unidos, Estado não Parte no Estatuto, de ter seus nacionais processados pelo Tribunal nesta hipótese motivou ações americanas visando a evitar que isso ocorra. A busca da imunidade para os cidadãos americanos começou pela solicitação ao Conselho de Segurança de Resoluções evitando que o Tribunal pudesse iniciar inquérito ou procedimento criminal contra indivíduos atuando em forças de manutenção da paz da ONU sob o coman...

This article proposes a complementary distributed power amplifier (DPA) using stacked gain cells with multiple input driving signals. The stack multi-drive compensates for the increasing input transmission line (TL) and stack losses as frequency increases and results in bandwidth (BW) extension with a flat gain response. The technique simultaneously increases the gain-BW (GBW) product and the output power at high frequencies while maintaining a smaller chip area compared with the conventional DPA design. A broadband active splitter is introduced before the output stage to create two complementary distributed paths which are exploited for AM-AM and AM-PM non-linearity compensation. The CMOS DPA is implemented in 45-nm RFSOI with a core area of 0.31 mm

Background Improvement in clinical outcomes of patients with platinum-resistant disease is an unmet medical need and trials in this population are urgently needed. Checkpoint-inhibitors have already shown activity in multiple other tumor entities and ovarian cancer, especially in the combination with anti-angiogenic treatment. Primary objective To test if the activity of non-platinum-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab could be improved by the addition of atezolizumab. Study hypothesis The addition of atezolizumab to standard non-platinum combination of chemotherapy and bevacizumab improves median overall survival from 15 to 20 months. Trial design Patients are randomized to chemotherapy (paclitaxel weekly or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) + bevacizumab + p...

Abstract This meta-analysis examines the conditions under which structural and contextual approaches help balance exploration and exploitation. Drawing on heterogeneous samples of prior ambidexterity studies, we apply moderated meta-analytic regression methods to 33,492 organizations sampled in 114 primary studies from 1991 to 2017 to test a contingency model. Our findings suggest that structural separation helps firms of all sizes to balance exploration and exploitation, and that structural separation is more conducive for balancing exploration and exploitation in high technology environments. Also, avoiding a structural separation approach benefits service firms. As research on ambidexterity enters the maturity stage we discuss the implications for future ...

Filler are widely used for rejuvenation. The technique is safe as long as some precautions are respected. In this review we will focus on anatomy in the upper, middle and lower face. We performed a PUBMED research on facial danger and injections and and vascular with a focus on the last decade. This is of particular importance since compromise is one of the most severe adverse events possibly leading to tissue necrosis and in rare cases to loss of vision. We describe the danger zones in these esthetic units and provide recommendations how to avoid severe adverse events. We report on temporal region, glabella and nose, infraorbital region, nasolabial folds and nasal triangle, lips, and chin. Although we focus on hyaluronic acid fillers, our recommendations wi...

Background: Pregnancy lasting beyond 40 weeks is a known complication of normal delivery. Studies have found incidence between 2-14%. Post-dated pregnancy carries specific hazards to both mother and fetus. While mothers are faced with problems like increased incidences of induced labour, instrumental delivery and LSCS with associated morbidities, fetuses are faced with morbidities ranging from IUGR to macrosomia. We here tried to study maternal outcome in post-dated pregnancy. The objective is to study maternal outcome in post-dated pregnancy and to compare maternal outcome in spontaneous versus induced labour in post-dated pregnancy.Methods: This study was done at a tertiary care hospital in obstetrics and gynecology department for duration of 18 months. Af...

We report the structural parameters, electronic and chemical bonding properties of zinc-blende GeC(0 0 1) surfaces investigated using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential technique based on density-functional theory (DFT). Both Ge- and C-terminated relaxed structures of two slabs have been analyzed and it can be concluded that the C atoms relax inward while Ge atoms relax outward. The electronic band structures and density of states of two slabs have been discussed, showing a metallic surface properties accompanied with overlaps of valence and conduction bands for Ge-terminated surface and a P-type semiconductor property with a direct band gap of 0.6 eV for C-terminated surface. The surface energy and stability have been calculated, which indicates Ge-te...

Today’s genetic composition is the result of continual refinement processes on primordial heterocycles present in prebiotic Earth and at least partially regulated by ultraviolet radiation. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and state-of-the-art ab initio calculations are combined to unravel the electronic relaxation mechanism of pyrimidine, the common chromophore of the nucleobases. The excitation of pyrimidine at 268 nm populates the S1(nπ*) state directly. A fraction of the population intersystem crosses to the triplet manifold within 7.8 ps, partially decaying within 1.5 ns, while another fraction recovers the ground state in >3 ns. The pyrimidine chromophore is not responsible for the photostability of the nucleobases. Instead, C2 and C4 am...

An approach to the decomposition of a signal into orthogonal components at different resolution levels is presented in this paper. It is shown that a signal generated by the standard state-space stochastic model can be decomposed into innovations at the different sampling frequencies associated to different levels of resolution. The main result is that these innovations are all uncorrelated with each other. A multiresolution multirate (MRMR) Kalman filter is then introduced which allows multiple MRMR observations to be combined in an optimal fashion. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Verfahren zur Zerlegung eines Signals in orthogonale Komponenten verschiedener Auflösungsgrade vorgestellt. Es wird gezeigt, daß ein vom stochastischen Zustandsraum-Standardmodell erz...

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most ubiquitous phthalate esters found in everyday products, and is receiving increased attention as an immunologic adjuvant. However, information regarding DBP-aggravated allergic asthma is still limited. This study used a mouse model sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) to determine any adverse effects of DBP on allergic asthma. Our results reveal that allergic asthmatic mice exposed to DBP for an extended period had a significant increase in inflammatory cell infiltration; a significant increase in levels of serum immunoglobulin and T helper 2 cell (Th2) and T helper 17 cell (Th17) cytokines in lung tissue; and significant changes in lung histology and AHR, all of which are typical asthmatic symptoms. The levels of oxidati...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the indirect effect of smartphone-brand tribalism on the need for achievement. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 272 South Korean respondents, path analysis is used to evaluate the hypotheses. Findings Only the sense of community dimension of brand tribalism affects brand pride (P RIDE ), which in turn leads to a sequential process of brand attitude, purchase intention, and need for achievement (N ACHIEVE ). Research limitations/implications South Korean data may confine generalizability. As effect sizes in this context are understood, researchers have an additional benchmark for future brand tribalism and P RIDE research. Practical implications The psychological underpinning and, the presence ...

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRs) is associated with cancer development and progression and aberrant expression of miR-874 have been found in some types of cancer. However, the expression and function of miR-874 in osteosarcoma remain unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of miR-874 in osteosarcoma tumorigenesis and development. The expression level of miR-874 was quantified by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in human osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues. Using a miR-874 mimic, cell proliferation and migration assays were performed in an osteosarcoma cell line and tumorigenicity was observed in vivo in order to determine the effects of miR-874 in osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues. MiR-874 was significan...

Abstract We report a mechanistic study of the photo-oxidative degradation of N,N-hexamethylene bishexamide, a Nylon 6,6 model compound. Resonant Raman intensities of the amide and its previously identified enal degradation product are recorded as a function of the duration of the irradiation of the amide with 266 nm laser pulses. The time dependences of the Raman intensities are consistent with those predicted by a kinetic mechanism for photo-oxidation. In particular, the rate of formation of the enal, probed by monitoring the Raman intensity of its CO stretch peak at 1680 cm−1, agrees well with the rate of cleavage of the C–N bond in the amide, revealed by the time dependence of the intensity of the Am II (C–N stretch) vibration at 1537 cm−1. ...

Indonesia, as the largest palm oil production country, currently facing various criticisms from European countries related to environmental issues from Crude Palm Oil industries. One way to reduce the criticism impacts, is to obtain a certificate related to the sustainability of Crude Palm Oil industries, which issued by a national or even an international body. Based on the sustainability standards, POM (Palm Oil Mill) should prevent the gas emission/methane gas generated from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) which emitted to the atmosphere. By captured methane gas and utilize as fuel for the boiler (biogas co-firing) or fuel for the gas engine for captive power, the emission gas amount emitted to the atmosphere can be reduced. All selected technologies in thi...

Construction research and development (R&D) process has a number of issues that affect its success. These issues imply that Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of construction R&D process are not properly addressed. Not knowing CSFs could lead to not implementing them and not paying proper attention for them. The study investigates CSFs of construction R&D process and their implementation/consideration during the R&D process. A comprehensive literature review was used first to develop construction R&D process. CSFs and their implementation/consideration were evaluated by a questionnaire survey. Construction R&D process was derived with four phases namely Initiation, Conceptualizing, Development and Launch and Management activities that support coordination and r...

To assess terrestrial ecosystems damages from acidification, life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) can be applied using characterisation factors, which integrate the quantification of adverse effects via effect factors (EFs), linking decreasing soil pH to declines in species richness. With a species coverage of 0.6%, the currently-existing EFs defined for 14 biomes carry important uncertainties and lack the appropriate spatial resolution to capture the effects of terrestrial acidification. In our study, we thus used georeferenced observational data with 113 million data points to develop a comprehensive, global inventory covering 189,185 vascular plant species, which is nearly 100 times more species than existing inventories used in LCIA (raising the species c...

Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs, [F(CF2)nCH2CH2OH]) are concerned environmental pollutants with perfluorinated carbon chains. FTOHs can be biotransformed; however, the extent, the pace of the defluorination, and types of metabolites produced vary depending on degradative microorganisms under different environment. In this study, we examined ways to increase the effectiveness of the FTOH defluorination process to less persistent major metabolites. Defined mixed cultures and bioaugmented microbial cultures were engineered to study their ability to biotransform 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol [F(CF2)6CH2CH2OH]. The effects of carbon sources and the concentration of carbon sources were also examined. All experiments resulted in 5:2 sFTOH [F(CF2)5CH(OH)CH3] as the primar...

Abstract The objective of this study was to analyze the local financial capacity of Pematangsiantar in the course of duty governance, development and community development, the contribution and growth of local taxes, the effectiveness of financial management, the projections and trends of the Local Revenue sources, Admission Local Revenue, and the prospect of Regional Income of Pematangsiantar during Fiscal Year 2015-2017 and the contribution of regional revenue to regional development in Pematangsiantar. The result of this research shows that the Realization of Regional Revenue of Pematangsiantar contributed an average of 93.81 percent, according to the assessment criteria, and the subject included in the category of effective is above 90%. This means that ...

This work reports the use of a ternary composite that integrates p-Toluene sulfonic acid doped polyaniline (PANI), chitosan, and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as the active sensing layer of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. The SPR sensor is intended for application in the non-invasive monitoring and screening of diabetes through the detection of low concentrations of acetone vapour of less than or equal to 5 ppm, which falls within the range of breath acetone concentration in diabetic patients. The ternary composite film was spin-coated on a 50-nm-thick gold layer at 6000 rpm for 30 s. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of the ternary composite samples were characterized by FTIR, UV-VIS, FESEM, EDX, AFM, XPS, and TGA and the response ...

The origin of the extragalactic γ-ray background (EGB) has been debated for some time. The EGB comprises the γ-ray emission from resolved and unresolved extragalactic sources, such as blazars, star-forming galaxies, and radio galaxies, as well as radiation from truly diffuse processes. This Letter focuses on the blazar source class, the most numerous detected population, and presents an updated luminosity function and spectral energy distribution model consistent with the blazar observations performed by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT). We show that blazars account for 50% of the EGB photons (>0.1 GeV), and that Fermi-LAT has already resolved ∼70% of this contribution. Blazars, and in particular hard-spectrum sources such as BL Lacs, are responsible...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate tax evasion and its impact on progressivity, redistribution and the measurement of inequality, using microdata from the Spanish income tax for 2001-2004. Design/methodology/approach The approach follows Feldman and Slemrod (2007) by exploiting the relation of charitable donations with the composition of income but introduces two methodological innovations, which could be useful for further studies: correction for sample selection with a Heckman two-step setting and the calculation of different evasion rates for top incomes with an interaction term. Findings Evasion in capital incomes was significant throughout these years. Financial incomes were reported at around 50-70 per cent of their real value, with the l...

This paper considers secrecy of a three node cooperative wireless system in the presence of a passive eavesdropper. The threshold-selection decode-and-forward relay is considered, which can decode the source message correctly only if a predefined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is achieved. The effects of channel state information (CSI) availability on secrecy outage probability (SOP) and ergodic secrecy rate (ESR) are investigated, and closed-form expressions are derived. Diversity is achieved from the direct and relaying paths both at the destination and at the eavesdropper by combinations of maximal-ratio combining and selection combining schemes. An asymptotic analysis is provided when each hop SNR is the same in the balanced case and when it is different in...

In Uganda fish is a great source of animal dietary protein, however, natural stocks continue to decline. Therefore, aquaculture provides a viable option to bridge the increasing fish supply-demand gap. Accordingly, a study was conducted from March to August 2016 to investigate the effect of stocking density on the growth performance, and survival of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in floating net-cages to contribute to aquaculture production in Uganda. Nile tilapia fingerlings, with an average weight of 4.07 g were stocked in 8 m3 cages at three different stocking densities; 200, 250, and 300 fish/m3, and fed on a locally formulated commercial feed for 180 days. At the end of the experimental period, results showed that fish stocked at lower densities w...

Research-based dietary guidelines suggest that consumers "make half their grains whole." Yet some advocate ingesting only whole-grain foods (WGFs) and avoiding all refined-grain foods (RGFs). Some even recommend avoiding all grain-based foods (GBFs). This article will provide arguments to counter negative deductions about GBFs and RGFs, especially staple ones, and to support dietary guidance recommending a balance of GBFs-achieved through the right mix, type, and quantity of WGFs and RGFs. Studies looking at early mortality, body weight, and glucose tolerance and diabetes will be used as examples to characterize the literature about GBFs. The following issues are highlighted: 1) inconsistent findings between epidemiological and interventional studies and imp...

Random testing (RT) is widely applied in the area of software testing due to its advantages such as simplicity, unbiasedness, and easy implementation. Adaptive random testing (ART) enhances RT. It improves the effectiveness of RT by distributing test cases as evenly as possible. Fixed Size Candidate Set (FSCS) is one of the most well-known ART algorithms. Its high failure-detection effectiveness only shows at low failure rates in low-dimensional spaces. In order to solve this problem, the boundary effect of the test case distribution is analyzed, and the FSCS algorithm of a limited candidate set (LCS-FSCS) is proposed. By utilizing the information gathered from success test cases (no failure-causing test inputs), a tabu generation domain of candidate test ca...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between seven important H . pylori virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in patients with gastritis. H . pylori strains isolated from 33 patients with gastritis were examined. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested by GenoType® HelicoDR (Hain Life Science, Germany) test kit and RT-PCR. The virulence-factors were determined using conventional PCR. 39% of patients were resistant for clarithromycin and 27% of patients were resistant for fluoroquinolone. 15% of patients were resistant to both clarithromycin and fluoroquinolone. The H . pylori vacA m1/s2 genotype was the most frequent allelic combination. Patients were possessed the vacA s1 , m1 (6.1%); s1 , m2 (6.1%); s2 , m1 (15.1%); and s2 , m2 (3...

In the frequency domain semi-airborne electromagnetic detection method, the receiving signal from the coil sensor contains a quantity of noise. In order to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a novel data processing method based on orthogonal phase-locked amplification is proposed in this paper. By using GPS second-pulse technology, the proposed method has good real-time performance and high SNR. The amplitude and phase of the receiving signals can be easily resolved by simple arithmetical operation and stored in real time, which avoids the large error in the short-term window signal. The proposed method can provide higher resolution in subsurface anomaly and better noise suppression capability. The measured results show that the proposed method amplitude e...

Abstract An array of sensors, including an HD camera mounted on a Fixed Underwater Observatory (FUO) were used to monitor a cold-water coral ( Lophelia pertusa ) reef in the Lofoten-Vesterålen area from April to November 2015. Image processing and deep learning enabled extraction of time series describing changes in coral colour and polyp activity (feeding). The image data was analysed together with data from the other sensors from the same period, to provide new insights into the short- and long-term dynamics in polyp features. The results indicate that diurnal variations and tidal current influenced polyp activity, by controlling the food supply. On a longer time-scale, the coral’s tissue colour changed from white in the spring to slightly red during th...

Abstract Background Although sex hormones play critical roles in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation, it remains inconclusive whether circulating sex hormones can serve as non-invasive biomarkers to improve the assessment of sperm quality. Methods We systematically evaluated the association of various sex hormones in serum with sperm quality among 338 men in subfertile couples. Concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone (TT), total estradiol (E2), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were detected by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Free testosterone and estradiol were calculated using a validated algorithm. A generalized liner regression model controlling for lifestyle factors was used to evaluate the...

This study was conducted to examine the effect of formulated resuscitation-promoting broths on the revival of viable but nonculturable Vibrio parahaemolyticus induced by cold and starvation stresses. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was incubated in artificial sea water at 4 °C for more than 8 months until this bacterium became undetectable, while retaining its intact cell count of more than 105 CFU/field over time. On day 250, V. parahaemolyticus was collected and enriched in tryptic soy broth supplemented with 3% NaCl, 10,000 U/mg catalase, 2% sodium pyruvate, 20 mM MgSO4, 5 mM EDTA, and a cell-free supernatant taken from V. parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802 in the stationary phase (pH 8). V. parahaemolyticus returned partially to a culturable state with a maximal cell ...

Venous invasion is a poor prognostic factor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, our understanding of various features of venous invasion is limited. Our aim is to comprehensively evaluate various histopathologic features of venous invasion, including status, type (lymphatic or venous), number of invasion foci, and histologic pattern (pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia [PanIN]-like, conventional) in PDACs. Various features of venous invasion, including status, number of invasion foci, histologic patterns [pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN)–like, conventional], and size of involved vessels in 471 surgically resected PDACs were evaluated with all available hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)–stained slides. Venous invasion was observed...

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been considered as a promising semiconductor to construct transistors and integrated circuits in the future owing to their ultrathin channel thickness and ultrahigh injection velocity. Although a 5 nm gate-length CNT field-effect transistor (FET) has already been experimentally fabricated and demonstrates excellent device performance, the potential or constraint factors on performance have not been explored or revealed. Based on the benchmark of the device performance between the experimental and simulated 5 nm gate-length CNT FETs, we use the first-principles quantum transport approach to explore the performance limit of CNT FETs based on the gate-all-around (GAA) device geometry for the first time. It is found tha...

In order to understand the variation of surface morphology and optical properties due to modification, an attempt has been made to synthesize iodine-doped n-butyl methacrylate thin films through plasma polymerization technique. Field emission scanning electron microscope images displayed that the surface of the modified plasma polymerized n-butyl methacrylate (PPnBMA) thin films became smooth after iodine doping. Atomic force microscopic analysis reveals that with increasing doping time from 0[Formula: see text]min to 60[Formula: see text]min the surface root-mean-square roughness value is decreased from 0.68[Formula: see text]nm to 0.51[Formula: see text]nm, which suggests that roughness of the PPnBMA thin film surface quite improved due to iodine doping. U...

We present an Active Learning (AL) strategy for re-using a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based object detector on a new dataset. This is of particular interest for wildlife conservation: given a set of images acquired with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and manually labeled gound truth, our goal is to train an animal detector that can be re-used for repeated acquisitions, e.g. in follow-up years. Domain shifts between datasets typically prevent such a direct model application. We thus propose to bridge this gap using AL and introduce a new criterion called Transfer Sampling (TS). TS uses Optimal Transport to find corresponding regions between the source and the target datasets in the space of CNN activations. The CNN scores in the source dataset ...

The surface chemistry of a calcium boroaluminosilicate gel was studied and compared with the corresponding behavior of a pure silica gel. The experiments were performed, in situ, by transmission FTIR utilizing high surface area, free-standing, monolithic xerogel foils. The foils could be vacuum-evacuated, heated, and/or exposed to water and organic vapors within the FTIR cell. The spectra of the dehydrated calcium boroaluminosilicate showed only isolated surface silanols (Si-OH) and boranols (B-OH). They were found to be inactive upon subsequent exposure to water vapor, but readily participated in H-bonding with basic organic adsorbates. The frequency shifts associated with the adsorption of organic vapors were lower on the multicomponent surface than on the...

Colorectal cancer continues to be a major cause of significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Approximately 140,000 American men and women will be newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and approximately 45,000 will die of this disease. 17 An asymptomatic, average-risk individual's lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 6%.Colorectal cancer develops from premalignant adenomatous polyps (adenomas). Colonoscopy offers a complete examination of the entire colon and rectum, during which benign adenomas can be identified and removed before they have the opportunity to progress to cancer. In addition, early-stage cancers can be detected prior to local progression or distant metastatic spread. The 5-year survival rates for ...

Rapid virologic response (RVR) is defined as undetectable hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in serum after 4 weeks of treatment for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir (PRO) and/or dasabuvir (D), with or without ribavirin [PRO (D) ± ribavirin], which are direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), is the currently approved treatment regimen for CHC genotype 1; this regimen can also be used in patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of pretreatment factors on RVR in patients treated with PRO (D) ± ribavirin. This study included 60 patients with CHC genotype 1 who were treated with PRO (D) ± ribavirin and achieved RVR. Patients’ demographic data; baseline HCV RNA levels; HCV genotype information...

During the Suez crisis the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord Mountbatten, twice appeared to offer his resignation, fearing Sir Anthony Eden favoured a military resolution of Britain's dispute with President Nasser over Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal. Mountbatten believed that an Anglo-French seizure of the Canal Zone would destabilize the Middle East, undermine the authority of the UN, divide the Commonwealth and diminish Britain's global standing. Within the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and in advice to cabinet, the First Sea Lord voiced his fears, querying what the exit strategy was. The parallels with the Iraq war are striking, except that in 1956 the White House opposed military intervention, compounding Mountbatten's unease by deploying the ...

Abstract This paper investigates the heterogeneous kinetics of Al nanoparticles (NPal) under the influence of atomic numbers, heating rates, temperature and different annealing times by simulations method Molecular dynamics (MD) combined with embedded interaction potential Sutton-Chen (SC) and free boundary conditions. The results heterogeneous kinetics of NPal have been examined through Radial Distribution Function (RDF), total energy of the system (Etot), size (D), Common Neighborhood Analysis (CNA) method. The results show, the crystallization process takes place at the crystallization temperature Tg = 600 K lead to structure unit number Face-Centred Cubic (FCC), Hexagonal Close-Packed (HCP), Amorphous (Amor) change. Our finding indicates that the D an...

The “Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale” (GPTS) has become a popular measure in paranoia research. The GPTS assesses paranoid ideation based on ideas of reference and persecution. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we examined the characteristics of the French-translated GPTS. More specifically, we investigated the psychometric and structural properties of the GPTS in its original, 32-item version and its revised, 18-item version. Second, we developed a briefer, 8-item version of the scale (GPTS-8). We relied on a nonclinical sample of 503 individuals. We relied on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) bifactor analysis, Mokken scaling, and the DETECT multidimensionality index. Two-factor CFA mod...

Concurrent advancements in imaging and genomic biomarkers have created opportunities to identify non-invasive imaging surrogates of molecular phenotypes. In order to develop such imaging surrogates radiomics and radiogenomics/imaging genomics will be necessary; there has been consistent progress in these fields for primary liver cancers. In this article we evaluate the current status of the field specifically with regards to hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, highlighting some of the up and coming results that were presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America Conference in 2017. There are an increasing number of studies in this area with a bias towards quantitative feature measurement, which is expected to benefit ...