In image processing, segmentation is the process of partitioning digital image into multiple sets of pixels, according to some homogeneity standard. The goal of segmentation is to simplify or change the representation of an image into something that is more meaningful and easier to analyze. Segmentation by computing a minimal cut in a graph is a new and quite general approach for segmenting images. This approach guarantees global solutions, which always find best solution. Graph cut has emerged as a preferred method to solve a class of energy minimization problems such as Image Segmentation. In this paper we used graph cut method to solve image segmentation problem and we got successful results in image segmentation. In this project we proposed a new approach by using optimized normalized cut with combination with K-means algorithm to do the segmentation of static image. In this method we used efficient computational technique based on eigen values and eigen vectors to get optimized segmented image.


The present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing method, and a program product. A communication system comprising a first information processing apparatus, a plurality of the processing unit, a storage unit, and a second information processing apparatus. The first information processing apparatus includes a non-contact communication by the processing command comprises a plurality of information items of identification information items transferred to the second processing command transmitting unit of the information processing apparatus. Each of the processing unit associated with a unique identification information item. The storage unit stores the corresponding information item, the item correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between identification information items and a processing unit. The second information processing apparatus includes processing unit selection unit based on the correspondence stored in the storage unit contains information items and the identification information items in the command processing, wherein the selecting section performs a process first processing command from the information processing apparatus received.


Aim at the poor fidelity in large-scale ocean wave scene real-time simulation, a simulation method based on adaptive fusion is proposed. Perlin noise is used to generate height map at distance and FFT method is adopted at near sight. The adaptive fusion of height map is realized during transition phase. Meanwhile, simulation software is designed and the ocean wave real-time simulation with a 100×100km2 range is realized. The method is compared with the ocean wave that only uses Perlin noise method or FFT method. Simulation results show that the method can effectively improve the fidelity of ocean wave simulation in real time.


The objectives of this article are twofold: to assess at which level the risk management of Brazilian listed companies is positioned; to identify what these companies have done to manage their business risks. This is an exploratory study and documental research. Content analysis was used in the 2011 Reference Forms, available at the CVM website, to examine the information related to risk management. A sample of 60 companies, extracted from the universe of 120 Novo Mercado companies at the BM&FBovespa, was chosen randomly. We can conclude that the majority of companies are positioned at the basic level. In two aspects – risk measurement and organizational structure – some companies are positioned at the medium level. As far as the second objective, we understand that they have been adopting a conservative approach towards risk mitigation, loss reduction and asset safety. However, we could expect that they would make better use of external information to promote the efficiency of their corporate governance, given the fact that these companies are in the Novo Mercado segment.


Preface Introduction System Structures Status Functions System Structures and Status Functions Modules of Systems Multistate Components and Systems Exercises Reliability of System Structures Probability Elements Reliability of System Structures Modules Reliability Importance Reliability Allocation Conclusion Exercises Reliability Over Time Reliability Measures Life Distributions System Level Models Exercises Failure Processes Mechanical Failure Models Electronic Failure Models Other Failure Models Exercises Age Acceleration Age Acceleration for Electronic Devices Age Acceleration for Mechanical Devices Step Stress Strategies Exercises Nonparametric Statistical Methods Data Set Notation and Censoring Estimates Based on Order Statistics Estimates and Confidence Intervals Tolerance Bounds TTT Transforms Exercises Parametric Statistical Methods Graphical Models Method of Moments Method of Maximum Likelihood Special Topics Exercises Repairable Systems I-Renewal and Instantaneous Repair Renewal Processes Classification of Distributions and Bounds on Renewal Measures Residual Life Distribution Conclusion Exercises Repairable Systems II-Non-Renewal and Instantaneous Repair Minimal Repair Models Imperfect Repair Models Equivalent Age Models Conclusion Exercises Availability Analysis Availability Measures Example Computations System-Level Availability The Nonrenewal Cases Markov Models Exercises Preventive Maintenance Replacement Policies Nonrenewal Models Conclusion Acknowledgement Exercises Predictive Maintenance System Deterioration Inspection Scheduling More Complete Policy Analysis Conclusion Exercises Special Topics Warranties Reliability Growth Dependent Components Bivariate Reliability Acknowledgement Exercises Appendix A: Numerical Approximations Normal Distribution Function Gamma Function Psi Function Appendix B: Numerical Evaluation of Weibull Renewal Functions Appendix C: Laplace Transform for the Key Renewal Theorem Bibliography Index


Borna disease virus is a non-cytolytic,neurotropic RNA virus.The virus has a wide range of infected hosts and its infection range is from birds,horses,primates to human,causing Borna disease.Borna disease is a fatal central nervous system disease,and its main performance is clinical,spiritual,behavioral abnormalities.Its epidemiological investigation,detection and treatment are particularly important.


This work presents an experiment suitable for intermediate laboratory instruction, which is based on the forced damped oscillations of a magnetic needle. This allows the observance of a resonance phenomenon, which occurs when the frequency of the time dependent magnetic field matches the frequency of free oscillations of the compass needle that depends on the magnetization and moment of inertia of the needle. The compass needle oscillations were monitored using a Hall sensor and a PC. Theory and experiment were compared using a Fourier analysis of the data. The results are in good agreement with the theoretical expectations.


The purpose of this paper is to review and evaluate published literature on mushroom cultivation and production and the range of benefits and therapeutic potential. A systematic method was used to gather the relavant literature. A total of twenty-six research papers published between the years 1970 to 2022 were selected and utilized in this review. Tables were used to present the results and relevant figures were used to place emphasis on contents discussed. In this paper five (5) benefits and nine (9) therapeutic potentials were evaluated and reported on. Some medicinal mushrooms and their uses and bioactive compounds were also discussed in this paper. Additionally, mushroom cultivation and production was addressed as well as challenges associated with mushroom farming and an assessment of their nutritional content compared to other food consumed by humans. The published papers established that mushrooms have been massed produced and harvested for a long time and their benefits are well documented in countries outside the neotropics. More studies to investigate the uses of mushrooms should be done, in Guyana and other neotropical countries as there is a paucity of information in this region with high natural biodiversity.


The mixture of Meloidogyne incognita race 1 and M. javanica populations causes significant damages on potato tubers in the field in the Federal District, Brazil. In the rainy season, when the soil temperature and humidity are very high, the interaction of the nematodes can cause up to 100% losses due to production of low quality tubers. The best potato growing season was determined based on the nematode reproduction factor (FR), percentage of potato tuber infection (PIT), and potato yield. In the dry season (from June to August), occurred the lowest FR (1.0 to 2.0), the lowest PIT (5.0 to 10.0%), and the highest potato yield, with a production of 95% of 'Bintje' commercial tubers without nematode galls, occurred. In the rainy seasons (from January to March and from December to February) the highest FR, the highest PIT and the lowest tuber (unsuitable consumption) yeld occurred. The rainy seasons which favored the highest nematode FR did not produce a commercial tuber harvest, whereas in the dry season, when the lowest nematode FR occurred, tubers of excellent marketable quality for consumption were produced, without needing to use chemical control. The reason for low tuber infection by nematodes in the dry and cold season, was because nematodes were unable to infect, being located in deeper layers of the soil.


Langlands recently constructed a map →|() that factorizes the partition function of a free boson on a cylinder with boundary condition given by two arbitrary functions B1 and B2 in the form (B1)|qL0 + 0|(B2). We rewrite |() in a compact form, getting rid of technical assumptions necessary in his construction. We show that this vector transforms properly under conformal transformations that preserve both the boundary and the reality conditions on the field . The vector |() turns out to be the boundary state introduced by string theorists to compute corrections to closed-string amplitudes in non-trivial backgrounds. Dirichlet and Neumann states are written as a superposition of these boundary states.


Environmental factors such as diet, intake of vitamin D supplements and exposure to sunlight are known to influence serum vitamin D concentrations. Genetic epidemiology of vitamin D is in its infancy and a better understanding on how genetic variation influences vitamin D concentration is needed. We aimed to analyse previously reported vitamin D-related polymorphisms in relation to serum 25(OH)D concentrations in 201 healthy Danish families with dependent children in late summer in Denmark. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations and a total of 25 SNPs in GC, VDR, CYP2R1, CYP24A1, CYP27B1, C10or88 and DHCR7/NADSYN1 genes were analysed in 758 participants. Genotype distributions were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium for the adult population for all the studied polymorphisms. Four SNPs in CYP2R1 (rs1562902, rs7116978, rs10741657 and rs10766197) and six SNPs in GC (rs4588, rs842999, rs2282679, rs12512631, rs16846876 and rs17467825) were statistically significantly associated with serum 25(OH)D concentrations in children, adults and all combined. Several of the SNPs were in strong linkage disequilibrium, and the associations were driven by CYP2R1-rs10741657 and rs10766197, and by GC-rs4588 and rs842999. Genetic risk score analysis showed that carriers with no risk alleles of CYP2R1-rs10741657 and rs10766197, and/or GC rs4588 and rs842999 had significantly higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations compared to carriers of all risk alleles. To conclude, our results provide supporting evidence that common polymorphisms in GC and CYP2R1 are associated with serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the Caucasian population and that certain haplotypes may predispose to lower 25(OH)D concentrations in late summer in Denmark. Citation: Nissen J, Rasmussen LB, Ravn-Haren G, Andersen EW, Hansen B, et al. (2014) Common Variants in CYP2R1 and GC Genes Predict Vitamin D Concentrations in Healthy Danish Children and Adults. PLoS ONE 9(2): e89907. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089907 Editor: Nathan A. Ellis, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America Received September 25, 2013; Accepted January 23, 2014; Published February 27, 2014 Copyright: ! 2014 Nissen et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: The work was supported by grants from the Danish Dairy Research Fund, Centre for Advanced Food Studies, and The European Region Development Fund. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


Rapid large volume injection using an Optic programmable injector has been widely used in recent years, when analyzing a large variety of trace compounds. This combines the advantages of the ability to inject greater than 100 times more sample [1,2], therefore reducing the amount of sample preparation, as well as its use as a method of hyphenation [3,4,5] and automation. There are, however a couple of disadvantages when using the RLVI packed liner. Decomposition of some analytes may occur due to the catalytic effects of the liner packing [7,8], whereas some analytes adsorb to the packing and are too strongly retained. The disadvantages with the conventional large volume on-column injection method, [9,10,11], is that a long pre-column is necessary and the auto-sampler injection speed must be strictly controlled [12,13]. The new large volume at-column concentrating technique has been devised to overcome these problems.


Abstract : In 1989, the first Recruiter Survey was administered to obtain baseline information regarding field recruiters' perceptions of issues related to recruiter quality of life. Since then the Recruiter Survey has been administered in 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. The survey results provided are based on returns from active-duty Service production recruiters-- those with at least one year of recruiting experience and assigned a goal/mission. The Weighting Report for the 2000 Military Recruiter Survey contains information on weighting procedures for the survey dataset.


The CrB+ cation molecular system has been investigated with the help of semi-quantitative basis sets [(7s6p4d3f )Cr/(4s3p2d1f )B] and highly correlated (valence) multi-reference wave functions. Out of a possible manifold of 70 states correlating to the Cr+(6S, 6D, 4D, 4G)+B(2P) atomic states, we have explored a total of 35 states spanning an energy range of about 3.4 eV. The ground state is of X 7Σ+ symmetry with a binding energy of 28.8 kcal/mol at an internuclear distance of 2.242 A. The next three excited states 1 5Σ+, 2 5Π, and 37Π with energy splittings 7.1, 12.9, and 24.3 kcal/mol from the X state, have binding energies of 21.8, 16.5, and 5.1 kcal/mol, respectively. For practically all states we report potential energy curves, total energies, the most common spectroscopic parameters, while we discuss the binding modes using simple chemical diagrams based on valence-bond concepts.


Nobel metal nanoparticles have drawn significant attention for a wide range of new applications in various fields including biology and medicine. Research work during the last two decades have clearly demonstrated that the properties of nanoparticles, in particular silver nanoparticles are strongly influenced by shape, size and size distribution, which is dictated by the synthetic method adopted. In this review, we enumerate various top-down and bottom up approaches to synthesize nanoparticles. Chemical reduction method is one of the simple and facile approaches for bottom-up synthesis of silver nanoparticles and the stability of the synthesized nanoparticles has been found to be influenced by the type and amount of reducing agent and type of stabilizer used. Some of the capping reagents discussed including citrate salts, oleic acid, amino silanes, and polyelectrolytes so as to stabilize the nanoparticles. Instead of using polyelectrolytes to conjugate nanoparticles, biomacromolecules have been used to stabilize nanoparticles so that it renders the nanoparticles bioactive and biocompatible as well as provides additional functionalities for further biological interactions. Surface modification of nanoparticles with proteins such as Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is an effective approach to providing electrosteric stability to silver nanoparticles. We highlight the various pathways by which stabilized nanoparticles promote antibacterial activity and describe the impact of stabilized nanoparticles on mammalian cells. More importantly, in this review we describe the possibility of a concentration window at which nanoparticles are toxic to bacteria and not to mammalian cells, so that the nanoparticles loaded matrix could be designed with the intent that nanoparticles when released in the physiological medium can maintain a sterile environment against microorganisms while not inhibiting the growth of mammalian cells in the site specific region of intended application. Additionally, methodologies used to characterize the composition, morphology and biological properties of synthesized nanoparticles by multiple techniques have been presented.


The theory of continuous Markov process enables us to develop a model of duel combat with the exponential dependency of the effective rate of fire of firing units on the time of the combat with one of the involved units launching a preemptive attack. We devise formulae for calculating the key combat indicators and examine the problem of choosing the optimal range for a portable well camouflage anti-tank missile system to open a fire. The findings of our research show that a fire opened by the system at maximum range does not always lead to the best result. Moreover, we illustrate that the developed model of the duel combat may be applied to solve more general military-technical and military-tactical tasks, and to create new models of the armament and military equipment as well


FNA is a well‐established method for the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules, but limitations still reside among non‐diagnostic and indeterminate samples. The objective of the present study was to assess the impact of repeat FNA in thyroid nodules primarily classified as non‐diagnostic and indeterminate, with the evaluation of the diagnostic resolution rate after the reassessment of the nodule.


Microcapsules using Polyvinyl Alcohol(PVA) or glutin as membrane,lubricating oil,benzotriazole inhibitor or hydrophobe as core are prepared by the method of separation in water phase.High corrosion resistance function composite coating by codeposition of these liquid microcapsules with copper and nickel ions is obained.Compared with the rusting time on 5% NaCl solution,the time of composite nickel coating containing rust preventive oil microcapsules is 40 times that of the nickel coating without microcapsule.Compared with the corrosion time on nitric acid and ammonia solution dropping test,the composite copper coating containing benzotriazole inhibitor microcapsules is 3 times that of the copper coating without microcapsule.Anode polarization curve and regularity of electrode potential changing with time on acid copper plating solution are studied and the results show that the composite coating containing hydrophobe microcapsules has higher corrosion-resistance function than copper coating.


Behavioral obse rva t ions of t h e Hawaiian monk s e a l on Laysan I s l a n d were made between 1977 and 1980. Primary o b j e c t i v e s included de termina t ion of popu la t ion s i z e , r ep roduc t ive p a t t e r n s and s u r v i v a l r a t e s . Ind iv idua l s e a l s were recognized by photographs of n a t u r a l markings ( p a r t i c u l a r l y s c a r p a t t e r n s ) o r by temporary b l each marks. . The 1977 mean count, 179 s e a l s , was r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e average During 1978 an unusual "die-off" of count from t h e previous 10 yea r s . seals occurred , r e s u l t i n g i n a 35X r educ t ion i n t h e mean count , t o 112 by 1980. Using nondis turbance popula t ion e s t i m a t i o n techniques developed i n 1979, t h e mean count of 100 nonpups ashore i n 1980 was shown t o be w e l l below t h e es t imated popu la t ion s i z e of 269 s e a l s . From t h e Laysan d a t a i t appears sexual ma tu r i ty ( a s measured by f i r s t Known-age b r i n g t h e 4 b i r t h ) may n o t occur u n t i l a f t e r f i v e y e a r s of age f o r females. males d i d n o t show c o u r t s h i p behavior u n t i l 8 o r 9 y e a r s old. y e a r s of t h e s tudy an es t imated 64% of t h e a d u l t females produced pups. The mean weaning age f o r pups was 36.2 days. Females outnumbered males a t b i r t h b u t f i r s t year s u r v i v a l w a s s i g n i f i c a n t l y g r e a t e r f o r males. males outnumbered a d u l t females by 3 t o 1. Yearly s u r v i v a l rates of s e a l s from b i r t h t o about age 4 was es t imated a t 75%, inc reas ing t o 85% f o r subadu l t s and a d u l t s . Adult


Benzimidazole and imidazopyridine heterocycles associated with Michaël acceptors have shown strong anticandidosic potential in our previous work. After a decade of research, we have designed, synthesized and evaluated the anticandidosic activities of several new compounds with the structure benzimidazolyl-arylpropenone or benzimidazolyl-arylacrylonitriles or benzimidazolyl-arylcyanopropenone and imidazopyridinyl-arylpropenone. The evaluation of their antifungal activities by the bioautography method showed that these molecules possessed anticandidosic properties with MIQs ranging from 10 to 0.16 µg. These results also highlighted that the anticandidosic performance of our compounds was related to the nature of the Michaël acceptor and structural variations undertaken on the benzene homocycle. In this paper, we discuss the pharmacochemical design, the chemical synthesis and especially the structure-activity relationship studies of diaza-heteroaryls functionalized by a Michaël acceptor of the arylpropenone or arylacrylonitrile or arylcyanopropenone type.


A field experiment was conducted during 1999–2000 to 2001–2002 at Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, to evaluate the effect of level of puddling along with integrated sources of nutrients and irrigation schedule to rice (Oryza sativa L.) and it residual effect on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori & Paol.) productivity in rice-wheat cropping system. Conventional (3 passes with cultivator + 2 plankings) and reduced (through rice puddler) puddling had not much significant difference in yields. However, grain yields obtained with 80 kg N/ha (50% through green manure + 50% through urea) were comparable to 80 kg N/ha (50% through FYM + 50% through urea), but both were significantly higher than 80 kg N through urea. Similarly, irrigation schedule had a significant effect and it was found that 1 day drainage period after disappearance of 7 ± 2 cm ponded water recorded higher yield but comparable to 3 days drying period. However, 5 days drainage period resulted in significantly lower yield than 1 and 3 days. Level of puddling and irrigation shedule followed during the rainy-season rice had no residual effect on wheat yield, but integrated sources of nutrients (organic + inorganic) had residual effect on succeeding wheat yield and nutrient uptake of rice-whet system.


5165 Background: CCRT is considered the standard of care in LACC since 1999. However there are few reports of results of this treatment in the common practice in developing countries were this dise...


9561 Background: The Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) is a widely-used prognostic tool in patients with advanced cancer. While single PPS measures are predictive of survival, the utility of serial PPS measurements warrants further study. We hypothesized that changes in PPS are associated with survival, and thus may be useful in forecasting health services utilization in Korea, where late referral to palliative care services is common. This study examines associations between change in PPS score and survival in patients with advanced cancer. Methods: We identified a cohort of 606 inpatients who died at a Korean university hospital's hospice/palliative care center, and abstracted relevant chart data. PPS scores were measured twice as part of standard care: (1) on admission, and (2) after three days in the hospital (D3). 'Change at D3' was defined as the difference between initial PPS and PPS at D3, divided by initial PPS. We used a Cox regression modeling approach to explore the association between this c...


In this second international permeability benchmark, the in-plane permeability values of a carbon fabric were determined by 12 participants worldwide. One other participant also investigated the deformation of this fabric. The aim of this work was to obtain comparable results in order to make a step towards standardization of permeability measurements of fibrous reinforcements. The procedures used by most participants were according to the guidelines defined for this exercise after the first benchmark. Unidirectional injections in three in-plane directions of the fabric were conducted to determine the unsaturated in-plane permeability tensor. Parameters such as fiber volume fraction, injection pressure and fluid viscosity have been fixed in order to minimize sources of scatter. The comparison of the results from each participant was encouraging. The scatter between data obtained while respecting the test guidelines was close to the scatter of the setups themselves. A slightly


The effects of intravenous injections of the radiomimetic agent 4-(p- dimethylaminostyryl)quinoline on the liver were studied in mice of the RF/Up and (101 x C3H) F/sub 1/ strains. The effects were assessed by use of the Bromsulphalcin (BSP) liver function test and histologic examimation of liver sections. Liver cell lipoid vacuolation was noted within 1 hour after injection of 4 mg of the drug and was very severe before 24 hours had elapsed. BSP testing on succeeding days indicated progressive liver damage that reached a peak on the sixth day in the RF/Up mice and on the third day in the (101 x C3H) F/sub 1/ mice. This was accompanied by extensive liver cell necrosis, especially in the central part of the lobule. Resolution of the lesions occurred gradually over the 17-day observation period, but residual cytologic changes were still present at the end of this time. (P.C.H.)


The objective of this randomized controlled study was to determine whether supplementing a spayed female dog's diet with tofu can raise levels of endogenous estrogen (EE), which could be beneficial for estrogen-responsive incontinence. A total of 23 client-owned spayed female dogs diagnosed with urinary incontinence but no other known health conditions participated in the study. Enrolled subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups: Control Group (n=10) who received normal diet with a placebo supplement or Test Group (n=13) who received tofu supplementation. Supplements were given twice daily for 14 days. Blood samples were collected on Day 0 and Day 14 to assess pre-treatment and post-treatment EE levels. Effects of tofu supplementation were assessed based on group comparison of EE level improvement. The EE level within the Control Group had a nonsignificant decrease from days 0 to 14 (56.9±22.8 → 54.6±25.3 pg/mL, p=0.54). Test Group EE level significantly increased after 14 days (37.1±17.2 → 58.5±28.9 pg/mL, p=0.013). For intergroup comparison, the change of EE levels in the Test Group was significantly greater than the Control Group (Control: -2.3±11.5 versus Test: 21.4±27.5 pg/mL, p=0.0002). The study also found that Test Group owner impression of urinary incontinence improvement (11/13) was significantly greater (p=0.0001) than that in the Control Group (0/10). The results of this study suggest the potential for developing a holistic, natural food therapy for urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs. Future prospective studies, with larger enrollment, that also consider factors such as treatment dose and duration are warranted.


Few would dispute that the facts behind the Supreme Court decision in Winnipeg Child and Family Services v. D.F.G. 1 are tragic. The welfare of a young woman, the health of that woman's unborn child, the role of the state in the realm of human reproduction, and the scope of the parens patriae jurisdiction, are all weighty concerns that made an unsatisfactory conclusion seem inevitable. As a result, the "leave it to the legislators" majority decision is hardly surprising. And, given that this remains a politically charged area of the law, there are reasons to be pleased with the immediate result of the case the apparent recognition that interference with the autonomy of pregnant women is a serious step with profound implications and which should only be taken, if at all, after due consideration of all of the conflicting interests involved. Nevertheless, we have concerns about the reasoning employed in both McLachlin J.'s majority decision and in Major J. 's dissent. In particular, we feel that a number of the arguments articulated by Major J. for example, his conclusion that science and medical technology have made the "born alive" rule irrelevant have an intuitive appeal. As a result, it seems probable that these arguments will be reiterated in future cases.


The temporal evolution of the solar wind from one steady state to another is explored when momentum deposition produces multiple critical points in the flow. We show that the wind always evolves in time to a new steady state compatible with the solution of the steady state equation of motion. However, for the same initial state and identical asymptotic momentum deposition rate the temporal evolution pattern of the wind depends on the detailed time history of momentum addition and is therefore not unique. This feature plays an important role in the particular case when multiple (three in this study) steady states exist for identical boundary conditions; each one of these solutions is thus shown to be physically accessible. The details of the temporal evolution pattern of the wind reveal the formation of a shock discontinuity whenever the flow becomes supersonic at a critical point upstream from the initial critical point. If the flow remains supersonic at that inner critical point, the shock can become a standing one, depending on the strength and the temporal history of momentum addition. The results of this study indicate that the time scale required for the solar wind to evolve between steady states is of the order of 30–60 hours. Furthermore, the results also reveal the interesting and novel phenomenon that a standing shock is likely to develop in the inner solar wind flow within this time frame, in particular, in coronal hole regions with rapidly diverging geometries.


We propose a simple protocol for Service Mesh management. The protocol specification consists of the formats of messages, and the actions taken by senders and recipients. The idea is that microservices of Cloud-Native Application should be also involved in configurations of their communication sessions. It does not interfere with the business logic of the microservices and requires only minor and generic modifications of the microservices codebase, limited only to network connections. Thus, sidecars are no longer needed, which is in line with the current trends, e.g. Cilium Service Mesh. This article presents the full formal specification of the proposed protocol.


Four new 6-methoxy-4-dialkylaminoethyl-aminoquinoline derivatives have been prepared as the chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of experimental infections of Schistosoma japonica in animals.


Background and objectives: Metformin improves manifestations of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by reducing insulin resistance. The objective of this study was to determine how metformin, in combination with lifestyle changes, affects the clinical manifestations of PCOS.
Materials and Methods: Patients with PCOS attending the outpatient of a tertiary care hospital were enrolled in the study. Revised Rotterdam Consensus 2003 criteria were used to diagnose cases of PCOS. Clinical information, anthropometric measurement, serum progesterone and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) of each subject were recorded in a prescribed data sheet at baseline and after a period of nine months. Randomized placebo controlled double blind design was used to assign participants in respective groups. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 9-month course of either metformin (1500 mg/day) or placebo. Both groups were advised regarding schedule of lifestyle modification. Outcome variables were clinical manifestations related to metabolic, reproductive and androgenic status of PCOS.
Results: Out of 80 enrolled PCOS cases, 49 completed the study (metformin=26, placebo=23). The mean age of the study participants of metformin and placebo groups was 23.52±5.18 and 22.09±3.58 years respectively (p=0.262). Menstrual cycle significantly improved in both the study groups (before vs. after - metformin: 19.2% vs. 76.9%, p=0.003; placebo: 19.2% vs. 47.8%, p=0.02) after 9 months, but compared to placebo group no such significant (p=0.12) improvement occurred in metformin group. Severity of hirsutism, presence of acne, serum progesterone level and ovulatory status improved significantly in both groups after completion of the study. Except acanthosis nigricans, other metabolic manifestations did not significantly improve in metformin compared to placebo group after the intervention. While comparing the percentage changes, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) reduced significantly in metformin than placebo group (BMI in kg/m2- metformin vs. placebo: -3.63±8.22 vs. +1.42±6.67, p= 0.024; WC in cm - 2.81±7.74 vs. +1.68±7.89, p= 0.05). No significant adverse event was observed in metformin group.
Conclusion: Metformin, in conjunction with lifestyle modifications, has favorable impacts on clinical manifestations of PCOS.
Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2021; 15(2): 1-12


Microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES) with nitrogen gas was employed for the determination of trace elements in petroleum fractions with a boiling point above 1000 °F, using direct dilution in an organic solvent. Nitrogen produces robust plasma for the analysis of fractions having an American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity range from −2° up to 9.7° and elemental composition as follows: S (1.0–5.5 wt %) and N (200–14 000 mg kg–1). A satisfactory limit of quantification and spike recoveries at low and high concentration levels were determined for Na, K, Ca, V, Fe, Ni, and Mo present in different residua samples. The recoveries obtained from the analysis of three QC test materials were within ±10% of the actual and or certified values. It was found that V, Fe, and Ni are the most predominant elements present in these samples and the effect of the source of sustained plasma gas as well as sample preparation method was focused on the quantification of these three elements. Using a d...


In this paper, the Exp-function method is used to find an exact solution of the equal-width wave (EW) equation. The method is straightforward and concise, and its applications are promising. It is shown that the Exp-function method, with the help of symbolic computation, provides a very effective and powerful mathematical tool for solving the EW equation.


In non-line-of-sight propagation (NLOS) environment, the location performance of Chan′s algorithm is significantly degraded because the time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurement is biased by a NLOS error . Based on the prior knowledge of the NLOS measurement error and taking advantage of the relation between mean excessive delay and rms delay spread, an improved algorithm based on Chan′s algorithm and reconstruction of TDOA measurements is proposed for Mobile Station (MS) based location scheme. After the reconstruction of TDOA measurements, the influence of the mean excessive delay is reduced. Our analysis and simulation results show that the location performance of the new algorithm is significantly improved compared with Chan′s algorithm.


Football is a good physical and mental health development of the sport, play a great role in physical education. Under the new curriculum, football training needs to be further thought and innovation. This paper deeply considers the value of innovative football training and the shortcomings of traditional football training, and puts forward some appropriate innovative ideas of football training, hoping to inject a force into the reform of football teaching.


Author(s): Hygnstrom, Scott E. | Abstract: Current limitations on pesticides for managing prairie dog populations underscore the need for additional research on candidate compounds. I conducted this study to determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of two registered burrow fumigants (aluminum phosphide and gas cartridges) and three unregistered burrow fumigants (methyl bromide, chloropicrin, and a methyl bromide/chloropicrin mixture) for managing black-tailed prairie dogs. All five fumigants reduced burrow activity 94% to 97%, as measured by a plugged burrow technique. Total costs for materials and labor for the registered products, excluding application equipment, were nearly twice ($30.00 to $38.50) the cost of the unregistered fumigants ($15.25 to $16.25).


The three kinds of applications of Internet of Things (IOT[) in intelligent transportation are firstly introduced on the whole. Then the highway ETC system and RFID parking management system are expounded. The basic principle, system composition and the system workflow of RFID parking management system in detail. The thorough analysis of the parking management system will provide reference for the future application of IOT in the intelligent transportation field.


ABSTRACT In the field of rehabilitation, the 3D scanning of body parts can be considered a crucial starting point for subsequent 3D model design of customised devices, especially when additive manufacturing techniques are involved in their production. This study experimentally evaluates and identifies appropriate procedures to acquire and process 3D anatomic images of the hand, including fingers, for the design of customised orthoses. Hand scanning is a complex activity and requires solutions capable of solving problematic aspects, such as the difficulty in maintaining the hand in a steady position and the presence of motion artefacts due to involuntary movements. We addressed such issues by considering the use of two different kinds of optical scanning device. The acquisition process has been initially defined based on healthy subjects and then extended to patients affected by pathologies that compromise upper limb functionality. Quality anatomical models were produced thanks to the application of advanced geometry processing technologies for the automated alignment of multiple scans and the removal of artefacts due to involuntary movements. As a result, with distinctive pros and cons, both the proposed combinations of scanning procedures and dedicated geometry processing evidenced their suitability in producing complete and accurate enough 3D models to be exploited for the subsequent design and production of customised hand orthoses in a typical reverse engineering pipeline.


Journeys with the Black Dog is a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission award-winning book from the Black Dog Institute in Australia, a centre dedicated to improving knowledge and treatment of mood disorders. Although aimed mainly at patients and carers, it is also relevant to healthcare


Linear primary permanent magnet vernier (LPPMV) motor incorporates the merits of high efficiency and low cost because its long stator can be designed as simple iron core only with salient poles. In this paper, a new double-sided linear primary permanent magnet vernier (LPPMV) motor is proposed, which artfully adopts appropriate halbach PM arrays. Compared with the existing single-sided LPPMV motor, the proposed motor has over twice thrust force. Also, the proposed motor exhibits relatively enhanced force performance with various optimized structure elements, which is more suitable for long stoke applications.


The four subclasses of human IgG were labelled either with 125I or 131I and injected into rabbit uteri (24 days pregnant) in pairs. Transmission to the foetal circulation was measured 1 day later. It was found that all four sub-classes are transmitted, though IgG1 enters most readily. Whole labelled human IgG fast and slow electrophoretic fractions prepared by DEAE chromatography were also injected and an isoelectrofocusing analysis carried out on the injected IgG and the foetal serum. There was considerable variation of transmission even between adjacent peaks of the IEF pattern.


Now facing my most challenging career to date as a full-time mum (I am an ex accountant and secondary school teacher) I have bought the last five issues of EYE on the first day of sale – a date that is now religiously recorded on my calendar each month.


With the existence of Tritonx-100,Fe in hair was determined by Triton X-100-5-Br-PADAP spectrometry.The results showed a fine linear relation and long stable reaction time.The recovery rate is 98 14%.


This study investigated the effects of innovative instructions on the acquisition of prediction and identification skills among senior secondary school 2 Chemistry students in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State. Three schools were selected purposively. A quasi experimental design was adopted comprising of two experimental and one control respectively. A total of 79 students constituted the study sample. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The instrument for data collection comprised of Organic Chemistry Achievement Test (OCAT) made up of 40 items to assess prediction and identification skills. 20 items each were constructed to assess students' skills. The instrument was validated, reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained using test retest method. The experimental groups were taught using problem-based and collaborative approaches respectively and local resources containing carbonyl compounds, while the control group was taught using Teacher-students demonstration approach (TSDA) with standard analytical grade reagents with validated lesson packages. The result shows that students taught using innovative instructions, problem-based approach (PBA) and collaborative approach (CA) performed better than those taught with teacher-students demonstration approach (STDA) in prediction and identification skills. The male students performed better than their female counterparts when taught with PBA and STDA and CA in prediction skill. The study recommended that chemistry teachers should adopt innovative instructions of teaching organic chemistry and utilize natural environmental resources that contain organic functional groups to teach organic chemistry. Introduction The shift from the traditional teaching approach which is teacher-centred to a more students-centred approach is the main concern of science educators in the teaching of science subjects particularly chemistry. The need to improve the teaching and learning of chemistry requires more of student's active participation in the learning of the concepts using step-by-step approach that will create awareness of scientific skills acquisition in the students. This will enable students to master scientific and chemistry principles and technology more deeply, using International Journal of Education and Evaluation ISSN 2489-0073 Vol. 2 No.6 2016 www.iiardpub.org IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development Page 2 chemistry knowledge to analyze and solving scientific related problems as well as to develop the ability of thinking independently (Dai, 2004). "Chalk and talk", approach of teaching is the predominant teaching style in the traditional approach of teaching and is a teacher-centred approach (Nna, 2012). The poverty level among the Nigerian youths especially among the graduates is high and can be as a result of shortage of entrepreneurial oriented individuals in the society (Efuk, 2003). Non-utilization of instructional resources by chemistry teachers has been noted globally as one of the challenges facing the teaching and learning of science according to Agusiobio (1994) in Dike and Ugbe (2011). However, one factor that contributes to poor state of achievement in science is traceable to the inadequate exposure of the students to laboratory work (Nna 2012). Arokoyu and Nna (2012) opined that the methods employed by Nigerian science teachers do not encourage appreciable significance in the sustenance and acquisition of scientific skills among science students. This is noticeable in Organic chemistry, which is the aspect of chemistry that deals with the reaction and behaviour of carbon and its compounds with exception of oxides of carbon. To acquire these scientific skills, the laboratory is an ideal environment for both active and cooperative learning becomes relevance (Hass, 2000). Student's active engagement in experimental exercises promotes understanding of the concepts described in lectures. A further enhancement of the laboratory experience can be gained by encouraging students to interact with each other during the discovery process. This will to a large extent help increasing the students' ability to resolve problems. The shift from the teacher-centred method of teaching science to child-centred activity based innovative instructions, encourage and develop in the students the spirit of inquiry. It is interesting to note that for science to be functional and relevant, it must adequately reflect the nature of science in terms of its process, products which gave birth to technology. The shift from teacher centred approach to a more students centred and active participatory approach is the basis of this study. Collaborative and problem-based approaches are examined in this study as the innovative instructions. Objectives of the Study The main objective of the study is to compare the effectiveness of teacher-students demonstrative approach and innovative instructional approaches on students' acquisition of scientific skills in organic chemistry through qualitative analysis in senior secondary schools in Rivers State. Specifically, the study seeks to: 1. Examine the prediction skills of students taught using teacher-students demonstration approach with those taught using innovative instructions. 2. Investigate the identification skills of students taught using teacher-students demonstrative approach with those taught using innovative instructional approaches. 3. Compare the prediction skills acquired by male and female students in organic chemistry when taught using teacher-students demonstration approach with those taught using innovative instructional approaches. Research Questions The study was guided by the following research questions: 1. What difference exist in the prediction skills of students taught using teacher-students demonstration approach and those taught with innovative instruction? International Journal of Education and Evaluation ISSN 2489-0073 Vol. 2 No.6 2016 www.iiardpub.org IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development Page 3 2. What is the difference in the identification skills acquired by students taught using teacher-students demonstration approach and those taught using innovative instruction? 3. To what extent do the prediction skills acquired by male and female students in organic chemistry when taught using TSDA, differ from those taught with innovative instructions? Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were generated to guide the study: 1. There is no significant difference between the prediction skills of students taught using TSDA and those taught using innovative instructional approaches. 2. There is no significant difference between the identification skills of students taught using TSDA and those taught using innovative instructional approaches. 3. There is no significant difference between the prediction skills acquired by male and female students when taught using TSDA and innovative instructions. Research Methodology A quasi-experimental, non-randomised pretest, post test design was adopted. The experimental and control groups were in their intact classes. All senior secondary school two (SSS 2) chemistry students in Eleme Local Government Area totaling 148 constitute the study population. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select 3 schools. 79 students constituted the sample size randomly assigned to three groups; two experimental and one groups respectively. The experimental groups were taught using innovative instructions (collaborative approach and problem-based approach respectively) while the control group was taught using Teacher-Students Demonstration Approach (STDA). Achievement test on qualitative analysis (ATQA) on carbonyl compound was used by the researchers. The instrument was validated with a reliability coefficient of 0.81. A pre-test tagged Achievement Test on Qualitative Analysis (ATQA) was administered as pretest before treatment. The samples were taught the concept of carbonyl compounds using local resources (experimental group) and standard laboratory reagents (control group) using a prepared and validated lesson packages respectively with the support of the research assistants in the three sample schools, for three (3) weeks. At the expiration of the three weeks, the three groups were post tested with a reshuffled (ATQA). This accessed the prediction and identification abilities of the students on the spot using a scoring grid of four (4) points; very proficient (4) proficient (3), fairly proficient (2) and not proficient (1) for prediction skills. For identification skills; absolute accurate (4), very accurate (3) fairly accurate (2), not accurate (1). Data collected were analysed using mean and standard deviation for research questions and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to test the significant difference (hypotheses). Results and Discussions The following results were obtained: Research Question 1 What difference exist in the prediction skills acquired by students taught using TSDA and those taught using innovative instructions? Table 1: Mean and standard deviation scores of students taught prediction skills acquisition using TSDA PBA and CA Treatment N Post-test SD Pre-test SD Gain International Journal of Education and Evaluation ISSN 2489-0073 Vol. 2 No.6 2016 www.iiardpub.org IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development Page 4 mean mean TSDA 26 19.00 5.71 10.92 3.95 8.08 PBA 25 47.04 3.02 17.76 4.82 29.28 CA 28 47.11 3.56 16.68 3.23 30.43 Source: Field Survey, 2015. Table 1 showed that the mean gain score in prediction skills of the students taught using TSDA was 8.08, the mean gain score of students taught with PBA was 29.28, while those taught with CA had mean gain score of 30.43. Research question 2: What is the difference in the identification skills acquired by students taught using TSDA and those taught using PBA and CA innovative instructions? Table 2: Mean and st


Aiming at the problem of poor gas extraction, long outburst time and low pre-drainage efficiency in the drilling zone of the floor tunnel through the drilling, the problem of mining excavation replacement is severely restricted. Dingji Coal Mine has carried out ultra-high pressure, medium pressure, and low pressure hydraulic cutting coal seam enhanced permeability gas extraction technology tests. Through continuous exploration and summary, it has achieved remarkable results, maximized extraction, and accumulated rich hydraulic coal Through experience. The results show that: the high-pressure hydraulic coal seam anti-reflection pre-draining unit has a maximum extraction pure volume of 3.1m3/min, the single-hole average extraction pure volume is 0.008m3/min; the medium-pressure hydraulic coal seam anti-reflection pre-extraction unit has a maximum extraction pure volume of 2.2 m3/min, single-hole average extraction pure volume is 0.005m3/min; low-pressure hydraulic coal seam permeability enhancement unit extraction pure volume is maximum 1.3m3/min, single-hole average extraction pure volume is 0.002m3/min. 1351(1)Yunshun's gas pre-drainage rate reached 65.2% after adopting high-pressure hydraulic coal seam penetration enhancement measures. Through statistical analysis of the anti-burst prediction index during coal tunnel footage, the sensitive index is relatively small, and the effect of pre-draining outburst is better. The lane enters 200m per month. The permeability enhancement technology of hydraulic coal seam has a significant effect on the pre-drainage of gas in high ground pressure outburst coal seam. It provides an effective method for improving the gas pre-drainage and outburst work, which is worthy of in-depth promotion and application.


There is growing optimism that 2005 may prove a watershed year in the drive to cancel much of Africa's foreign debt, a notion inconceivable two decades ago when the global anti-debt movement took off. "We are encouraged," civil society groups declared at an African Social Forum in Lusaka, Zambia, in December, "that after many years of half-measures, full cancellation is being discussed" at the level of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized countries, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.


Abstract. Six cases of pelvic endometriosis were treated with Danazol 400 mg daily for six months. In four of these cases, intestinal endometriosis of varying severity was also present. The initial results were very satisfactory except in one case with adenomyosis and continuous spotting. Follow‐up after cessation of treatment suggests that in some cases a further period of treatment will be necessary.


The invention discloses a MEMS device with multiple electrodes and a fabricating method thereof. The MEMS device with a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode is disclosed. These electrodes are disposed on a substrate in such a manner that (1) a pointing direction of the first electrode is in parallel with a normal direction of the substrate, (2) a pointing direction of the third electrode is perpendicular to the pointing direction of the first electrode, (3) the second electrode includes a sensing portion and a stationary portion, (4) the first electrode and the sensing portion are configured to define a sensing capacitor, and (5) the third electrode and the stationary portion are configured to define a reference capacitor. This arrangement facilitates the MEMS device such as a differential pressure sensor, differential barometer, differential microphone and decoupling capacitor to be miniaturized.


Good quality lead-free ceramics of (Na0.5Bi0.5)0.7Sr0.3TiO3(NBTS30) have been produced by a solid phase sintering process. The dependence of dielectric and ferroelectric properties on the unaxial pressure (0–1200 bar) were investigated. A shift and decrease of maximum value of ε, decrease of the thermal hysteresis and coercive field and increase of polarization with increasing pressure were observed. The results were discussed in terms of an elastic changes in inter-ionic distances in a crystal structure and switching nanoregions under the action of pressure. The NBTS30 ceramic is expected to be a new promising candidate for lead-free electronic material.


PAGE # CHAPTER I ! INTRODUCTION 1 TOKAMAK EDGE PHYSICS AND ITS IMPORTANCE 1-2 2 SCOPE OF THE THESIS 1-5 3 SUMMARY OF MAIN RESULTS 1-8 4 REFERENCES I-16 5 FIGURES 1-20 CHAPTER II : NON CORONAL EFFECTS AND THE TWO-ION-MODEL FOR RADIATIVE EDGE PHENOMENON


The number of known exoplanets has increased dramatically over the past 20 years [1]. Along with this increase has come a diversity of planetary arrangements. For stars with multiple exoplanets, the stability of these systems can seem precarious, particularly when they are tightly packed [1]. Yet, for these intractable many-body systems, it seems unlikely that so many would be on the precipice of collapse, especially when the ages of these systems suggest their stability has lasted for millions, or even billions, of years. With gravity as the only fundamental physics governing the dynamics of the system, the stable and persistent nature of these many-body systems calls for further understanding, especially the relationship between resonance and chaos.


For the improvement of the power of detection and the reliability of X-ray fluorimetric and atomic-absorption spectrometric determination procedures for very low levels of Hg, Ag, Cu, Bi, Pb, Cd, Sn, As, Se, Te, Zn, Co and Ni in aqueous solutions the applicability of a pre-concentration method by precipitate-exchange on thin sulphide layers which preceds the actual determination has been investigated systematically. The aqueous sample (0.161, pH 3 6) is filtered through a freshly prepared homogeneous metal sulphide layer (e.g. ZnS, MnS, CuS, PbS, thickness: 300400 nm) which is placed on a membrane filter (cellulose nitrate or PTFE, pore size _< 1 ~tm). In this way with the exception of As, the elements forming sparingly soluble sulphides with a lower solubility product than the corresponding sulphides of the layer are practically completely retained from the solution. The exchanged elements can be determined either simultaneously directly on the filter by RFA or sequentially after dissolution of the precipitate in a small volume of acid by AAS with electrothermal atomization. By a considerable pre-concentration detection limits in the ng/1 range can be obtained. Calibration, interferences by concomitant elements, and quality grades of the multi-stage procedure are described, which can be recommended for the simultanous and reliable determination of traces of Hg, Ag, Cu, Bi, Pb, Cd, and Te in potable, surface, and snowmelting water.


During the Battle of Siffin, the acceptance of Muaviye and Amr b. As's proposal to go to Tahkim by Caliph Hz. Ali led to a split in his army. As a result of this division, the first sectarian movement began, which maqalat-type sources called "Havâric" and Ibadis called "Muhakemetü'l-Ûlâ". The disintegration of Muhakkimetü'l-Ûla in Hijri 64/684 and all the sects that emerged after it were accepted as sub-branches of Kharijite with a general assessment by the Historians of Sects. In the definitions made, Ezârika, Necedât, Acâride, Sufriyya, Beyhesiyye and other Kharijite sects were characterized as hardliners and extremists. Ibadis, on the other hand, were accepted as the moderate sect of Kharijite that has survived to the present day. With this qualification, İbâdiyye was positioned as one of the Khâricî sects. It can be said that the main reason why the Ibadiyya has continued to exist until today is the moderation in their views, while none of the Hariji sects that support violence could survive. The authors who accuse İbâdiyye of being Kharijite show the similarity of their views on various issues as evidence. However, these claims are firmly rejected by the Ibadis. In this article, it will be tried to reach a conclusion by comparing the views claimed to be similar on the axis of Ibadi authors' own works directly with the basic ideas of the Kharijites


Designers optimize multicore processors for average-case execution time, often at the expense of worst-case, or longest, execution times. This trade-off presents significant challenges to developers of safetycritical software, who must design for worst-case behavior. Developers of safety-critical software can reap the performance benefits of multicore processors and still meet worst-case execution requirements by using modern RTOS (real-time-operating-system) techniques, such as cache partitioning and slack scheduling. Such techniques boost performance by enabling the system to more efficiently use memory and CPU without compromising safety.


The magnetic shielding of nuclei due to distant chemical groups may be calculated from the knowledge of the magnetic anisotropy of the bonds in these groups. The reverse procedure, namely, the calculation of the magnetic anisotropy of bonds from NMR relative chemical shifts has been employed here to estimate the magnetic anisotropy of −C≡C, −C≡N, and −N≡C triple bonds. The paramagnetic contribution to the shielding of the acetylenic proton was estimated from the calculated value of ΔχC≡C, and from the known geometry of the molecule. The value thus obtained is compared with that calculated by quantum mechanical methods.


Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are an impact of space weather that can occur during periods of enhanced geomagnetic activity. GICs can enter into electrical power grids through earthed conductors, potentially causing network collapse through voltage instability or damaging transformers. It would be beneficial for power grid operators to have a forecast of GICs that could inform decision making on mitigating action. Long lead‐time GIC forecasting requires magnetospheric models as drivers of geoelectric field models. However, estimation of the geoelectric field is sensitive to high‐frequency geomagnetic field variations, which operational global magneto‐hydrodynamic models do not fully capture. Furthermore, an assessment of GIC forecast uncertainty would require a large ensemble of magnetospheric runs, which is computationally expensive. One solution that is widely used in climate science is "downscaling," wherein sub‐grid variations are added to model outputs on a statistical basis. We present proof‐of‐concept results for a method that temporally downscales low‐resolution magnetic field data on a 1‐hr timescale to 1‐min resolution, with the hope of improving subsequent geoelectric field magnitude estimates. An analog ensemble (AnEn) approach is used to select similar hourly averages in a historical data set, from which we separate the high‐resolution perturbations to add to the hourly average values. We find that AnEn outperforms the benchmark linear‐interpolation approach in its ability to accurately drive an impacts model, suggesting GIC forecasting would be improved. We evaluated the ability of AnEn to predict extreme events using the FSS, HSS, cost/loss analysis and BSS, finding that AnEn outperforms the "do‐nothing" approach.


Over the last years, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) has launched a set of implied volatility indices based on new asset classes following the success of equity-based volatility indices. Using some of the newly created volatility indices, this study shows that evidence of implied volatility transmission across commodity, equity, foreign exchange and Treasury bond markets cannot be accounted for by news announcements on economic fundamentals, suggesting volatility contagion. The findings are robust over the recent financial crisis period and the post-crisis period.


step-slope excavation is suitable for the project of which the foundation has better soil properties,The excavation depth of 8m or enough site space for step-slope.Relying on an engineering,the applications of step-slope in a typical soft soil engineering is discussed.According to construction difficulties of a foundation pit excavation,principle that excavation the foundation pit in many layers,areas and covering fastly are proposed,construction methods and excavation order are also expounded in detail.At the same time,precipitation measures and supervising program are researched in order to insure the safty of foundation pit excavation.


The invention relates to alkynyl heterocyclic compounds represented by the formula (I), a preparation method thereof, and an application of the compounds in the preparation of antitumor drugs.


Athletes' perceptions of the development and salience of role responsibilities were explored through two projects. First, interviews were conducted with male (n = 8) and female (n = 7) athletes to understand the types of roles that they occupy, and how the expectations for these roles developed. Four general role types emerged: specialized-task roles (e.g., rebounder), auxiliary-task roles (e.g., encourager), leadership roles, and social roles. Specialized-task roles were typically prescribed by a coach, while auxiliary-task and social roles tended to evolve out of group interactions. In the second project, 237 athletes were asked to identify the roles that they perceived to hold. These roles were able to be categorized according to the four role types identified in the first project. Chi-square analyses were conducted to explore the distribution of roles across various sub-groups. Odds ratios indicated that starters were 5.57 times more likely to identify specialized task and leadership roles, while non-starters were 3.93 times more likely to identify auxiliary task roles, all ?2 (1, N = 237) > 15.54, p < .001. The predominance of non-starters who identified auxiliary-task roles suggests a greater reliance on the tacit transfer of role information and the tenets of interpersonal sensemaking explain the salience of various role types in relation to starting status. Implications pertaining to theories of organizational socialization and measurement are discussed.


This research brief estimates the impact of specific USDA child-nutrition programs on production, value added, and jobs on U.S. farms, looking at the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and a combined group of school programs (the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Special Milk, and Summer Food Service Programs).


In cardiac catheterization labs, x-ray angiography is used to visualize abnormal narrowings of the coronary arteries, i.e., stenoses. An often used technique to treat stenoses is stent implantation. This technique can only be performed successfully if the length of the stenotic lesion and the radius of the non-stenotic part of the narrowed vessel segment are known precisely. In clinical practice, the determination of these quantities is done directly based on angiographic images of the coronary arteries or based on a three dimensional reconstruction of the coronary arteries build up using (two) angiographic images. In this paper, a method is presented to build up a three dimensional reconstruction of the centerline of the coronary arteries using more than two angiographic images. This is a preparatory step to build a complete reconstruction of the arteries based on more than two images. The presented method is based on discrete dynamic curves. The validation is done using computer-generated phantom images. Key-Words: Image Processing, X-ray Angiography, Coronary Arteries, Discrete Dynamic Curves, 3-D Reconstruction


A method for managing the use of Netzwerkeindringerfassungssystemen in a dynamic data center is provided. A plurality of Netzwerkeindringerfassungssystemen is provided, each of which is crosslinked so that the use of each Netzwerkeindringerfassungssystems may be based on the demand for the Netzwerkeindringerfassungssystemen in the dynamic data center. An audit policy and a plurality of monitoring points to be monitored in a network with one of Netzwerkeindringerfassungssysteme are received. Furthermore, the monitoring of the monitoring points is placed automatically using the Netzwerkeindringerfassungssysteme and audit policy.


Background

A programmed cell death pathway, necroptosis may synergize with DNA damage response (DDR) in opposing tumor progression. While our basic mechanistic understanding of necroptotic cell death advances rapidly, its prognostic implications have not been thoroughly examined in cancer.
Methods

We measured expression level of nine proteins involved in necroptosis and DDR in primary stage I non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) samples from 394 patients using a tissue microarray.
Results

We find that low-level expression of the necroptosis markers RIPK3 and PELI1 is associated with increased risk of patient death and that high-level expression of the key DDR factor p53 enhances this risk. These effects appear to be specific to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) subtype of NSCLC patients but not observable in non-SCC patients.
Conclusions

Low-level expression of such necroptosis factors as RIPK3 and PELI1 in combination with high-level expression of the DDR factor p53 can serve as a critical indicator in predicting survival of patients with stage I SCC.


This paper describes a 5-phase Brushless DC motor designed for an electro-hydrostatic actuation system. The foundation of the design is a motor with compact structure, low weight, fault tolerance and high reliability. The motor power rating is 12 kW at 12,000 rpm and a "wet" form of construction is used where hydraulic oil is present in the motor in order to reduce the number of oil seals of the EHA for enhanced reliability and lifetime. The thermal behavior is evaluated for an optimized design. Fault tolerance for Brushless DC motors will be discussed. A 5-phase motor has been manufactured and test results are presented to validate the design.


PhSe-Na+ generated in situ by reduction of PhSeSePh, with sodium borohydride on reaction with N-(2-bromoethyl) phthalimide in N2 atmosphere results in the formation of N-[2-(phenylseleno)ethyl]phthalimide (L1). The title compound has been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR techniques. The crystal structure of L1 has been solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least squares. The ligand L1 crystallize in the monoclinic space group. Selenium forms two Se-C linkages, one is due to Se-Calkyl and the other one to Se-Caryl. Further, the ligation reaction of L1 with complex 1 is also explored whose identities are characterized by spectroscopic techniques.


The method of matrix rank analysis has been applied to a large body of experimental data to determine and identify the minimum number of independent spectral components that, were contained within it. The optical rotatory dispersion of TMV RNA was measured in the wavelength region 230–350 mμ, for a wide range of temperatures and ionic strengths. Over the whole range of conditions considered, the observed optical rotatory dispersion spectra were found to be a superposition of two basic spectra only. Evidence is put forward relating these spectra to the single‐strand and double‐strand helical forms of the molecule. A model is proposed to explain the observed spectral changes in terms of an equilibrium between these two conformations, which leads to a direct calculation of the percentage composition of the double strand at any of the conditions considered. This equilibrium, while simple in general description, appears multi‐state and complex in detail. This method of analysis is both powerful and of wide applicability, since it is independent of the source of the data.


ON THE MORNING OF 19 MARCH 1969, A CONTINGENT OF BRITISH paratroopers and police landed on the tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla and installed Mr Anthony Lee as Her Majesty's Commissioner. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, the reasons for taking this course of action were: there was a small group of disreputable characters from outside the state who not only possessed arms but were influencing those who purported to be the island's government. Further, this armed minority was frustrating the wishes of the great majority of Anguillans, and if, as a result of the absence of any lawful government or good order on the island, there was any damage done to the person or property of any foreign national, then Britain would be held responsible in virtue of her responsibility for the island's defence and external relations. It was therefore necessary to ensure that Britain would be in a position to discharge her responsibility fully.


It is extremely challenging, if not impossible, to measure distribution of root-water-uptake or root density directly, either in the laboratory or in the field. To estimate root-water-uptake distribution in soils, the authors of this paper developed an inverse method, whereby measured values of water content in soil profiles with root-water-uptake were used as input information, which can be acquired relatively easily and accurately. Then a soil water flow equation incorporating an unknown sink term was solved inversely for the sink term, which characterizes the root-water-uptake distribution in the root zone. The estimated distribution of root-water-uptake rate was used to calculate the normalized distribution of relative root density, from which the root-water-uptake model was established. Based on the model, soil water flow with root-water-uptake was simulated successfully. Examples of numerical experiments were designed to examine the accuracy and stability of the proposed approach for estimating the average root-water-uptake rate, considering different time intervals between successive measurements of the input distributions of soil water content, spatial intervals of the measurement points along the soil profile, simulating depth, different soils, variation of the saturated hydraulic conductivity, and the stochastic nature of the measured soil water content. Examples were also used to demonstrate applications of the method. The results showed that the inverse method is reliable for estimation of distribution of the root-water-uptake rate, compared with the theoretical values. The proposed method is useful for estimation of the normalized distribution of the relative root density, from which the root-water-uptake model can be determined and the soil water flow with root-water-uptake can be simulated continuously.


Stereo matching makes it possible to reproduce a three-dimensional stereo by getting the distance information through pixels.It is one of the fundamental and significant problems in the study of the computer vision.In this paper,choosing the edges as the primitives for matching,the grey values of the edges and the magnitude and direction of the edge gradient and the Laplace values were figured out as the properties of the edge feature points,according to the constraints for stereo matching,the energy function was built.During the process of stereo matching,ant colony optimization algorithm was applied to this problem for finding the route minimizing the energy function.Experiment results show that this algorithm is more stable and it can get the matching result with better accuracy.


Decision tree induction is one of the most employed methods to extract knowledge from data, since the representation of knowledge is very intuitive and easily understandable by humans. The most successful strategy for inducing decision trees, the greedy top-down approach, has been continuously improved by researchers over the years. This work, following recent breakthroughs in the automatic design of machine learning algorithms, proposes two different approaches for automatically generating generic decision tree induction algorithms. Both approaches are based on the evolutionary algorithms paradigm, which improves solutions based on metaphors of biological processes. We also propose guidelines to design interesting fitness functions for these evolutionary algorithms, which take into account the requirements and needs of the end-user.


Empirical research provides scant evidence that just‐in‐time (JIT) adopters outperform their non‐adopting industry peers. Using a sample of 201 JIT adopters and matched non‐adopters, we examine the relation between financial performance and JIT. Our sample‐wide results indicate that JIT adopters improve financial performance relative to non‐adopters, and that profit margin, rather than asset turnover, is the primary source of such improvement. However, results of additional analyses suggest that JIT adopters below a firm‐size threshold do not improve financial performance, a finding that reconciles our study to Balakrishnan et al. (1996), which examined a JIT adopter sample that included a greater proportion of small firms.


Abstract The paper examines the upbringing of five teenagers between 1671 and 1860. It is based on close reading of their diaries. It deals with the relationship between these teenagers and their parents, siblings, friends and tutors or governesses. Politeness, it is argued, was a framework of behaviour which, learnt and observed, made sense of social life. For boys it was rooted in a training in the classics; for girls it meant a training in manners and the social accomplishments which were believed to guarantee a good marriage. English politeness was inculcated across the board in the higher social ranks. The paper considers a few of the human stories that lay behind this inculcation.


Objective To establish a mechanism of remote services platform based on service market model for chronic disease management.Methods An unified application service market for chronic disease and health management was built in the cloud platform.Results All medical institution and medical application software manufacturer could share data and competitive service on the unified platform.Conclusion Mechanism of remote services platform for chronic disease management based on service market model provides personalized and convenient services for the chronic disease populations.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2012,33(6):23-24,38]


We study the asymptotics of the complex modified Korteweg-de Vries equation ∂tu+ ∂ 3 xu = ±|u| ∂xu In the real valued case, it is known that solutions with small, localized initial data exhibit modified scattering for |x| ≥ t1/3, and behave self-similarly for |x| ≤ t1/3. We prove that the same asymptotics hold for complex mKdV. The major difficulty in the complex case is that the nonlinearity cannot be expressed as a derivative, which makes the low-frequency dynamics harder to control. To overcome this difficulty, we introduce the decomposition u = S +w, where S is a self-similar solution with the same mean as u and w is a remainder that has better decay. By using the explicit expression for S, we are able to get better low-frequency behavior for u than we could from dispersive estimates alone.


Legal systems have defined various types and descriptions of companies where there are certain tools and methods to form this type of international companies, namely the holding company as a means of formation. It is a public shareholding company that controls financial and management of a company or other companies called subsidiary companies by 51% owning more than half of its capital and have control over the establishment of the board of directors. The holding company appoints its representatives in the Boards of Directors of the subsidiary company by its contribution, yet it is not entitled to participate in the election of the rest of the members of the Board or the Board of Directors. The recent legal studies in different countries have gone to the study of this legal phenomenon due to the significance of this type of companies at the present time. In addition, each subject has its limits and extent. Due to specificity of the subject since it deals with the legal system of the holding company, the research plan falls in two sections. The first section revolves around the definition of the holding company which is further divided into two subsections. Whereas the first one deals with what the holding company is, the second illustrates the rules governing the holding company. The second section includes the management of the holding company and its end. This section is also subdivided into two main subsections. The first one relates to the management of the establishment of the holding company and the second one is about end of the holding company and its dissolution. Finally, the study sums up the main findings and recommendations. Key words: companies, incorporation, investment


Around 3.4 billion years ago, when photosynthetic bacteria first evolved on earth, there was a gradual but gigantic increase in molecular oxygen concentration in the earth's atmosphere. This grand event marked the beginning of a shift from anaerobic to aerobic life forms on earth. These aerobic organisms evolved a method to metabolize molecular oxygen to water and carbon dioxide in the inner membrane of their mitochondria for generation of energy through a process called oxidative phosphorylation. In spite of being extremely beneficial for cellular energetics, the process of oxidative phosphorylation also results in generation of harmful Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in the cells due to partial reduction of oxygen in the mitochondrial compartments. Approximately 5% of the total oxygen taken in by the cells is converted to ROS.


The purpose of this study was to offer the basic data for conservation of wetland ecosystem by surveying and analysing the vascular plants distributed in Hwapocheon wetland, Gimhae, Gyeongnam, Korea. The numbers of vascular plants were summarized as 292 taxa including 72 families, 192 genera, 262 sp...


The presentation will discuss Saudi Aramco's proprietary pyrolytic technologies to quantitatively
assess the volumes of oil, tar and pyrobitumen in oil reservoirs in real time to avoid drilling within
unproductive/non-injective zones of tar mats and heavy oil. The technology uses temperature
programmed pyrolysis with a flame ionization detection to measure the amount of hydrocarbons in
powdered cuttings and core samples.


Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of the freshwater bryozoan Pectinatella magnifica was sequenced. The circular mitochondrial genome is 17,539 bp and consists of 13 protein-coding, two ribosomal RNA, and 22 transfer RNA genes (GenBank accession no. MG546680). The Bayesian comparative analysis of molecular evolution rates revealed no acceleration of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evolution of P. magnifica. Results of maximum likelihood analysis showed that this species clustered with other species of the phylum Bryozoa.


[Objective] The aim was to prepare active peptides by hydrolysis from skin of Rana chensinensis with papain.[Method] Solid-liquid ratio,enzyme dosage,pH value,extraction time and extraction temperature were selected as influence factors,and single factor experiment and orthogonal experiment adopted to optimize the preparation technology with the degree of hydrolysis as evaluation value.[Result] The results showed that the optimum conditions were as follows: solid-liquid ratio 1∶4,enzyme dosage 14 000 U/g,pH value 7.0,extraction temperature 55 ℃,extraction time 4 h.[Conclusion] The study provides a new way for the comprehensive utilization of resources of R.chensinensis.


Preliminary volcanological mapping has been carried out in the western part of the BakonyBalaton Highland Volcanic Field (BBHVF) around Szigliget (Hungary) village. Pyroclastic rocks form the three distinct hillsides in the area, and show similar north-westward dip direction and textural and compositional characteristics, uggestive of a complex but closely related volcanic system in the area. The pyroclastic deposits have been grouped into three units according to their textural, compositional nd stratigraphic characteristics. Unit 1, which represents the lowermost stratigraphic position, crops out in the southern side of the study area. lt consists of coarsegrained, matrix-supported massive to weakly bedded, accidental lithic clastrich, block-bearing lapilli tuffs / tuff breccias, extremely rich in deep-seated accidental lithic and peridotite lherzolite clasts. Unit 2, which represents an intermediate stratigraphic position, crops out in the southern and north-east hilltops. lt consists of coarse-grained accidental lithic clast-rich, normal graded, bedded, vitric lapilli tuffs I tutt beds. Deep-seated accidental lithic clasts are common, but large peridotite lherzolite fragments are relatively rare. Unit 3, which represents the highest stratigraphic position in the area, crops out in the northwestern side. lt consists of fine-to-coarse grained, bedded, accidental lithic clast-rich vitric lapilli tutf I tuff beds. Deep-seated lithic clasts as well as peridotite lherzolite fragments are rare. Accidental lithic clasts, derived from shallow pre-volcanic strata (Neogene sediments), have a dominant proportion of pyroclastic rocks in this unit. In each unit the volcanic glasses are angular, nonto highly vesiculated tephrite to phono-tephrite shards. The presence of sideromelane glass shards and the large amount of accidental lithic clasts in beds from each units indicate subsurface phreatomagmatic explosive processes during formation of pyroclastic rocks at Szigliget. The pyroclastic rocks are interpreted as part of a former crater rim deposit around a maar basin which subsequently subsided inward into a vent. Unit 1 is interpreted to be a lower diatreme deposit and Unit 2 and Unit 3 a series of near-vent pyroclastic density currents and fallout ephra. lntroduction/geological setti n g Szigliget consists of a predominantly pyroclastic-covered series of three hills located on a small peninsula on the northern shoreline of Lake Balaton (Fig. 1). The pyroclastic rocks belong to the Late Miocene alkaline basaltic Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (Hungary) (Jugovics 1969; Borsy et al. 1986). The basement has a general stratigraphy of Silurian schist (very low-grade metamorphised psammitic, pelitic beds: (Csdsz6r and Lelkesn6Felvdri 1999)) and Permian Red Sandstone (continental alluvial formations:


For zeotropic mixtures, the temperature varies during phase change, which is opposed to the isothermal phase change of pure fluids. The use of such mixtures as working fluids in organic Rankine cycle power plants enables a minimization of the mean temperature difference of the heat exchangers when the minimum pinch point temperature difference is kept fixed. A low mean temperature difference means low heat transfer irreversibilities, which is beneficial for cycle performance, but it also results in larger heat transfer surface areas. Moreover, the two-phase heat transfer coefficients for zeotropic mixtures are usually degraded compared to an ideal mixture heat transfer coefficient linearly interpolated between the pure fluid values. This entails a need for larger and more expensive heat exchangers. Previous studies primarily focus on the thermodynamic benefits of zeotropic mixtures by employing first and second law analyses. In order to assess the feasibility of using zeotropic mixtures, it is, however, important to consider the additional costs of the heat exchangers. In this study, we aim at evaluating the economic feasibility of zeotropic mixtures compared to pure fluids. We carry out a multi-objective optimization of the net power output and the component costs for organic Rankine cycle power plants using low-temperature heat at 90 ◦C to produce electrical power at around 500 kW. The primary outcomes of the study are Pareto fronts, illustrating the power/cost relations for R32, R134a and R32/R134a (0.65/0.35mole). The results indicate that R32/134a is the best of these fluids, with 3.4 % higher net power than R32 at the same total cost of 1200 k$.


ABSTRACT YouTube has grown into an unprecedented music industry where informal learning practices converge among young musicians now considered authentic internet (micro)celebrities. Due to the rise of music video trends on the platform and the educative demands to explore youth interaction on the internet, this study analyses the self-perception of youtubers in terms of multimedia, hypermedia, intertextual and transmedia competencies. For this purpose, we developed a questionnaire on musical competencies (TransMuQ), in which 603 young youtubers from Spanish and English-speaking countries participated. We found that YouTube's performers consider themselves proficient in the aesthetics, participation and interaction, multimodal languages, technology, content creation and risk and individual management dimensions. After an extensive theory on the experimental analysis of these competencies in citizenship, we propose a new approach towards interactive codes of young YouTube musicians. The research provides a clarifying positivism about what youtubers themselves believe they are learning in the era of ephemeral digital content.


The invention provides a miniature bill counter capable of checking counterfeit notes. The miniature bill counter comprises a left side plate, a right side plate, an upper separator assembly between the left side plate and the right side plate, a separator assembly between the left side plate and the right side plate and below the upper separator assembly, and a lower separator assembly between the left side plate and the right side plate and below the separator assembly. The separator assembly comprises a CIS (contact image sensor) image acquisition system adopting the RGB (red, green, blue), IR (infrared light) and RGB arrangement and combination manner, which can lower the cost, improve the operation speed of a processor and greatly improve the checking speed. The internal structure is simplified and the internal space is reduced by using a set of IR transmitting and receiving sensor system, thereby lowering the product cost. An open button mechanism on the rear side of the bill counter can rapidly open the upper separator assembly and the lower separator assembly at a large angle so as to facilitate the daily cleaning and maintenance.


(Continued) W E have now sufficiently clarified the basic terms of our analy~is, a~d indicated th~ difficulties and problems whiCh he ahead of us m our effort to demonstrate that the Democratic constitution is a thoroughly practicable ideal, "3-S well as perfectly just. But before . we begin the actual steps of that demonstration, it will be helpful to consider the similarities and differences between modern and ancient Republican governments, comparing them not only with respect to the principle of constitutionality which they embody, but also with respect to the problem of suffrage and the extension of the franchise. The Democratic constitution has come into actual existence only in the last century, and its emergence has occurred by the gradual amendment of already existing constitutions which were essentially Republican. It may be enlightening, therefore, to observe the generation of Democracy as a form of government. Though all of political history has been tending toward this event, its intelligibility is increased by examining the proximate causes which worked to produce it. We ,must consider, therefore, the first steps toward the Democratic constitution in the actual motions of modern political life, and the first anticipations of the theory of Democracy in modern political philosophy-the expression of those crucial insights which reached full articulation only in the very recent past. We turn to this at once in Section 2.


Image scrambling is an important technology in information hiding, where the Arnold transformation is widely used. Several researchers have proposed the application of Hénon map in square image scrambling, and certain improved technologies require scrambling many times to achieve a good effect without resisting chosen-plaintext attack although it can be directly applied to non-square images. This paper presents a non-square image scrambling algorithm, which can resist chosen-plaintext attack based on a chaotic two-dimensional Sine Logistic modulation map and Hénon map (2D-SLHM). Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has advantages in terms of key space, efficiency, scrambling degree, ability of anti-attack and robustness to noise interference.


Brazil is a vast country with a total surface area of 8.5 million km2, covering 47% of South America.1 It is the fifth most populous country in the world, with a population estimated at more than 207 million in 2015.2 The country is divided into 5 regions encompassing 26 states, 1 Federal District (Brasília), and 5570 municipalities. Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, and plenty of diversity exists with regard to both human development and the health needs of its population. The states with the largest areas have low population densities because of environmental issues, such as a high concentration of rivers and wetlands, which hinder settlement; furthermore, the provision of health care services is a challenge because of population dispersal.3 This variability also affects the pharmaceutical practices and profiles of pharmacies (Figure 1). In this context, this article presents information about pharmaceutical practice in Brazil and how it is organized, according to the "building blocks" of the World Health Organization's Health Systems Framework. Over the past few decades, the demographic and epidemiological profiles of Brazil have changed. Currently, the country's profile is similar to those of other developed countries. In 1991, the average life expectancy at birth was 66.9 years; by 2013, this value had increased to 78.5 years for women and 71.2 years for men.4 Similarly, infant mortality rates have decreased by 70.7% over 25 years. Birth rates have also decreased by 39.3%, from 23.4 per thousand in 19915 to 14.2 per thousand in 2013.6 Today, the Brazilian population is experiencing a double burden of disease, related to both noncommunicable and communicable diseases. As the epidemiological transition begins, noncommunicable diseases are starting to replace communicable diseases; however, infectious conditions continue to be highly prevalent in the country.7,8 In Brazil and other countries, a high burden of noncommunicable diseases exists, accounting for 72% of all deaths.9 The major causes of death include cardiovascular disease (30.7%), cancer (16.9%), external causes (13.4%), and respiratory disease (11.6%).5 The death rates due to infectious diseases were 6.2% in 1990 and 4.5% in 2011. Improvements in access to basic sanitation services, the development of new technologies, and the expansion of access to health care services are some of the interventions responsible for this reduction.5


A perfect plasmonic meta-grating absorber in near infrared region was simulated with maximum absorbance of 99.57% and mimimum reflectance of 0 .36% a t 1795 nm. The high absorbance and lost cost fabrication makes this device a robust candidate for applications in smart windows and photodetectors.


Objective:To investigate the effect of resuscitation promoting factor(rpf) on the growth of the tubercle bacillus,which was separated from the spinal tuberculotic pus.Method:25 tuberculotic pus specimens were collected from the spinal tuberculosis patients,who were diagnosed and underwent operation in the orthopaedic department of Ning Xia Medical College Affiliated Hospital.Specimens were routinely processed with NaOH solution.Each specimen was divided into 3 groups:low concentration group,high concentration group and control group.6 tubes were set up in high and low concentration groups respectively.Rpf A,B,C,D,E and rpf combination (contains 5 rpf proteins ) were added into each tube.Control group contains no rpf protein.The specimens were cultured in 7H9 liquid broth and incubated at 37℃,then the growth situation was checked at day 6,11,16,30 by examining OD600 value,7H11 plate colony count and acid fast staining with Lowenstein-Jensen(LJ) culture were performed to verify that the cultural colony was tubercle bacillus.Result:The positive rate of the resuscitation promoting culture group(84%) was higher than that of sputum smear group(60%) and LJ culture group(44%)(P0.05 and 0.01 respectively).The OD600 value of each resuscitation culture group were higher at day 11,16,30 than that of control group(P0.05).The OD600 value at day 11,16,30 in the same resuscitation group were higher than that of day 6(P0.01),but OD600 at 16,30 were no significant difference than that of day 11(P0.05).OD600 value of day 11,16,30 had no significant difference than that of day 6 in control group(P0.05).Between the protocols of used alone and used coordinate among 5 factors under the same timepoint and same concentration,except for the high concentration group of rpf A、B,rpf C、D、E,rpf ABCDE,rpf A and rpf B at the day of 30th,no significant difference were noted between each two other groups.Under the same condition of culturing and the same timepoint, the OD600 value of rpfAB in high concentration group was greater than that of rpfAB low concentration group(p0.05) ,while the OD600 value of low rpfD was greater than that in high concentration group(p0,05), and no statistical difference in other groups were noted11 of 25 the LJ culture and 21 of 25 resuscitation promoting culture colony were confirmed as tubercle bacillus by acid fast stain.Light yellowish cauliflowered colonies were seen on the 7H11 culture plates after 20 days incubation.Conclusion:Rpf can effectively accelerate the growth of tubercle bacilli which was harvested from the spinal tuberculosis pus.Resuscitation promoting culture could promote tubercle bacillus detection rate in spinal tuberculosis.


The development of information and communication technology has leads to a revolution in the education sector. The usage of conventional methods starts to be integrated with media and technology material. Mobile devices users for example iPad, tablet and Pocket PC users have also increased from time to time. This article attempts to explore the potential of mobile technology usage in education. Issues and challenges faced by the users are also identified to discover how the problems can be solved. The study uses qualitative method through literature study and document analysis. The study has also established that there are a lot of main challenges that need to be emphasized in mobile technology usage in education. Some of them are application developer, type of application, model instructional design choice and target group that will use the developed material. The conclusion is, the usage of mobile technology in education is still in early phase and needs to be improved from time to time to ensure the effectiveness of this method in the future.


FALL RIVER, Mass. — Diabetic patients and their families can learn about the advantages of insulin pump therapy at a free informational session and support group on Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Charlton Memorial Hospital, 363 Highland Ave. in the Mooney Auditorium. Tamer Yacoub, MD, and Lil Vozzolo, RN, CDE, will provide information on how an insulin pump works, the pros and cons of insulin pump therapy and cover new technology available.