The current paper presents an FDI (Fault Detection and Isolation) technique applied to the Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) of a Wind Turbine (WT). The method is based on the use of a Generalized Observer Scheme (GOS) using a Kalman filter. The fault localization is performed by the Page-Hinkley's test. The whole procedure is validated using a numeric simulator, then a real benchmark emulating a wind turbine. Finally, real time tests are performed to allow real time validation.


During the summer of 2006, wound infections in bathers caused by Vibrio species were reported from several European countries. In Germany, three people were reported to have developed Vibrio vulnificus infections


: Introduction: Family planning programs in Islamic Republic of Iran are faced
with limited resources. So evaluation of family planning programs, in order to
determine how much we have reached our targets, is extremely important. The
easiest way to evaluate the results of these activities is using the couple-year of
protection method.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted to determine the couple- year of
protection (CYP) of two methods of contraception of condom and vasectomy.
Two hundred condom users and 200 women whose husbands have undergone
vasectomy were selected by simple random sampling from the therapeutic and
health centers in Jahrom. The condom users and those resorting to vasectomy
were asked about the mean coital frequency per month and the age of using
permanent contraceptive method respectively, and then CYP was calculated.
Results: CYP was 0.011 for condom, 14 for vasectomy in this study. Mean live
children number was 2.68±1.32 for vasectomy. CYP of vasectomy was more
than Wishek coefficient.
Conclusion: Regarding the importance of age of using these methods in
providing protection, this method must be done in younger age. Also, CYP of
condom was more than Wishek coefficient (0.01).


BACKGROUND
Percutaneous vertebroplasty is commonly used in the management of osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures, although there is controversy on its superiority over conservative treatment. Here we compare pain and function in women with vertebral osteoporotic fractures who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty versus conservative treatment with a protocolized rehabilitation program.

METHODS
A longitudinal and comparative prospective study was conducted. Women ≥ 60 years of age with a diagnosis of osteoporosis who had at least one vertebral thoracic or lumbar compression fracture were included and divided into two groups, conservative treatment or vertebroplasty. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to assess pain and function, respectively, as the outcome measures.

RESULTS
We included 31 patients, 13 (42%) treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty and 18 (58%) with conservative treatment. Baseline clinical characteristics, bone densitometry and fracture data were similar in both groups. At baseline, VAS was 73.1 ± 28.36 in the vertebroplasty group and 68.6 ± 36.1 mm in the conservative treatment group (p = 0.632); at three months it was 33.11 ± 10.1 vs. 42 ± 22.21 mm (p = 0.111); and at 12 months, 32.3 ± 11.21 vs. 36.1 ± 12.36 mm (p = 0.821). The ODI at baseline was 83% in the vertebroplasty group vs. 85% for conservative management (p = 0.34); at three months, 36 vs. 39% (p = 0.36); and at 12 months, 29.38 vs. 28.33% (p = 0.66).

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with percutaneous vertebroplasty had no advantages over conservative treatment for pain and function in this group of women ≥ 60 years of age with osteoporosis.


We report spontaneous electric field and charge oscillations in dielectric confined Quasi-2D charged systems. A simple relationship is found for the oscillation wave number, which is solely determined by the dielectric mismatch and the length scale of confinement. We analytically show that the emergence of charge/field oscillation is due to the arising of a first-order pole in the quasi-2D Green's function. The oscillatory behavior is further validated numerically, and its influence on collective behaviors of the confined particles is studied via computer simulations. Interestingly, the substrate permittivity alone can trigger spontaneous formations of lattice structures, which may provide new insights in the study of Quasi-2D systems and the design of future nanodevices.


Heavy ion testing of the Xilinx Virtex II was conducted on the configuration, block RAM and user flip flop cells to determine their static single-event upset susceptibility using LETs of 1.2 to 60 MeVcm^2/mg. A software program specifically designed to count errors in the FPGA was used to reveal L1/e, values (the LET at which the cross section is l/e times the saturation cross-section) and single-event functional-interrupt failures.


Definition and connotation of forest ecosystem health were introduced from the aspects of the management objective approach, ecosystem approach, and integration approach. Furthermore, the evaluation indicators system and criteria of forest ecosystem health were analyzed. In a general way, social and economic facotrs, biophysical environment conditions, natural traits of forest ecosystem should be considered when evaluating forest ecosystem health status. With important biodiversity conservation, and water and soil conservation functions in West China, authors think it is essential to evaluate on ecosystem health for subalpine coniferous forests by adopting ecosystem approach concept emphasizing ecological function. Based on it we put forward the evaluation indicators and project of ecosystem health for subalpine coniferous forests.


This paper describes a block framework for generating discrete Gaussian components with arbitrary center and standard deviation. Simplicity makes it easy to implement secure, portable, effective, and time-resistant. This sampler is a good candidate for any sample analysis. Most importantly, it was recently introduced into the Falcon Signature Scheme. Gaussian sampling over integers is a central element of algebraic lattice cryptography, which is difficult to perform efficiently and safely. Given the vast number of uses of sampling processes, it is important to select Gaussian samplers that are effective provably secure, resistant to transient attacks, and generally easy to implement. Sampling with other distributions, other than Gaussian, is yet an open question.


In this paper, we propose a free deterministic equivalent for the capacity analysis of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) multiple access channel (MAC) with distributed antenna sets. In the analysis, we use the operator-valued free probability framework, which is much more straightforward than the widely used methods, i.e., the Bai and Silverstein method and the Gaussian method. By replacing independent random Gaussian variables with freely independent circular entries, we obtain the free deterministic equivalent of our channel model. To evaluate the capacity, we use the Shannon transform of the free deterministic equivalent to approximate that of the channel model. The free deterministic equivalent results are easy to compute, and simulation results show that these approximations are numerically accurate and computationally efficient.


OpenLDAP is the premier implementation of LDAP client and server software, providing full support of LDAPv3 and most popular standard and draft (work in progress) LDAP extensions. It has evolved over the years from its origins in the University of Michigan's reference implementation of LDAPv2 as a vehicle for experimentation into a mature, commercial grade package capable of supporting the most demanding environments. The current release has been proven to scale to hundreds of millions of objects in data volumes in excess of a terabyte, with performance in excess of 22,000 queries per second at submillisecond latencies. Reliability in production deployments has been flawless, with hardware failure being the principal cause of unscheduled downtime. This paper presents a brief overview of features in the newest release, along with a brief history and motivation for the new developments.


The role of arterial thrombosis in the genesis of human coronary artery disease remains controversial despite extensive study. Its occurrence has been shown to play a significant part in death from coronary artery disease in from forty percent to ninety-six percent of postmortem cases (Morgan, 1956; Harland & Holbum, 1966; Harrison & Wood, 1949). Thrombi form on atheromatous plaques in peripheral and cerebral arteries and these may act as sources of emboli (Crane, 1967), but arterial emboli in the coronary circulation, and their effects on cardiac function, are poorly understood. Investigation of this facet of coronary artery disease is difficult in patients, and many of the existing animal experimental models rely upon very abnormal methods of producing thrombi. An electrical method for inducing thrombosis avoids most of the undesirable features of previous experimental models, and has been used for the study of arterial thrombosis in the rat mesentary (Duval et al. 1970). However, the invariable occurrence of ventricular fibrillation has so far


In his studies of handicapped and 'difficult' children, Vygotsky applied one of his basic assumptions in the domain of affective development: that human individuals try to master themselves from the 'outside' through the development of higher mental functions. His theoretical accounts provide both a conceptualization of the unique methods employed by abused children to compensate and a conceptual framework to study the way new psychological tools can assist the further development of abused children's methods of compensation. In this respect, a Vygotskian therapeutic approach, together with current constructivist theories of the development of abused children, provides an alternative to psychodynamic and cognitive therapies that focus on the cause of 'original' traumatic experiences and the (cathartic) re-living of affective reactions to them. Clinical examples are discussed to illustrate this Vygotskian therapeutic approach.


The deenitions of a periodicity interval and P-stability, given by Lambert & Watson IMA., were designed for linear multistep methods with constant coeecients. In this paper those deenitions are modiied so as to provide a basis for linear stability analysis of exponential-tting methods for the special class of ordinary diierential equations of second order in which the rst derivative does not appear explicitly. The stability properties of several existing methods are analysed and a new P-stable method is proposed, to establish the existence of methods to which our deenition applies, and to demonstrate its relevance to stii oscillatory problems. The work is mainly concerned with two-step methods but extensions to methods of larger step-number are also considered.


The effective diffusivities of HD (Deuterated Hydrogen) and HDO (Deuterated Water) in a Pt/SDBC (Styrene Divinylbenzene Copolymer) catalyst under the conditions of a hydrogen-water isotopic exchange re- action were evaluated. The dynamic-pulse response technique for a helium-nitrogen system was used to de- termine the tortuosity factor of the SDBC pellet, and the effective diffusivities of HD and HDO were calcu- lated from it under the water vapor conditions. The SDBC single pellet was prepared using the bulk polymer- ization method; the experimental apparatus consisted of a diffusion cell, a pulse injection valve, a thermal con- ductivity detector, and the flow control valves. The tortuosity factor of the SDBC single pellet was 2.94. The effective diffusivities for HD were calculated to be 0.0096, 0.010, and 0.0101 cm 2 /s at 40, 60, and 80 o C, re- spectively; they were 0.0040, 0.0041, and 0.0042 cm 2 /s, respectively for HDO. These values can be used to calculate the Thiele modulus and the effectiveness factors that represent the mass transfer effect in a catalyst pore.


Intelligent terminal equipment is becoming extremely popular, and online learning has been increasingly accepted by people. In this context, it is particularly important to consider the ways of activating students' interest in learning, improving their learning efficiency, and perception of network learning, as well as whether they can meet the requirements of the curriculum. The participants of this study are university students from China's Fujian Province. According to the findings, it is suggested to improve the hybrid teaching resources, help teachers establish a correct outlook on learning, and improve their online learning management abilities.


Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment option for cancer. It can be used for drug-resistant and
inoperable tumors. However, one of the unsolved problems in PDT is tumor recurrence. The aim of this study is to
suppress tumor regrowth by including angiogenesis inhibitors that target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways, to the PDT protocol. Human bladder cancer (MGH cell
line) xenografts were induced in Balb/c nude mice. The animals treated with PDT received an intravenous injection
of hypericin followed by irradiation after 6 hours, with a broadband light source through a 560-640 NM bandpass
filter. A light dosage of 120 J/cm2 and 100 mW/cm2 was administered. Angiogenesis inhibitors, bevacizumab
and cetuximab were administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Treatment efficacy was assessed by monitoring the
tumor growth inhibition of xenograft tumors. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression
of VEGF and EGFR. Expression of the major proteins in the VEGF and EGFR pathways was investigated by
immunoblotting. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was performed to analyze the data. Tumors treated
with the combination of PDT and inhibitors exhibited significantly greater treatment response compared to control
and PDT groups. Downregulation of VEGF and EGFR observed in tumors treated with PDT + bevacizumab
and cetuximab respectively. Our results show that blocking VEGF or/and EGFR pathways along with PDT can
effectively suppress tumor growth.


AA2014 is a heat treatable aluminium alloy found its application in light weight structures owing to its superior strength to weight ratio. The alloy was welded with automatic gas tungsten arc welding. The microstructure and mechanical properties of each zone such as parent metal (PM), heat affected zone (HAZ) and fusion zone (FZ) of the weldment were studied using optical microscopy, microhardness survey and micro-tensile testing. The PM with elongated grains with evenly distributed Al2Cu phases showed a tensile strength of 456 MPa and 24% elongation; the HAZ and FZ offered a reduction in strength and ductility. The grain coarsening with segregation of continuous string of Al2Cu along grain boundaries in HAZ and the formation of coarse dendritic grains with continuous network of brittle Al2Cu and a minor fraction of porosity at interdendrite in FZ were attribured to the observed strength reduction in these regions. Keywords: AA2014 alloy; gas tungsten arc welding; optical microscopy; microhardness; micro-tensile testing.


The present situation in the LNG market should be seen as a 'crossroads' for the industry. The LNG industry has not been static over the past 5 decades and has already experienced many changes, but still the model of long-term contracts prevails and the majority of LNG is still bought at oil-indexed gas prices. There have however been considerable changes: an increase in short-term trading of LNG, buyer contractual flexibility and FOB contracts which have lead to around a quarter of the LNG is being traded under spot and short-term contracts, with aggregators play a far more significant role. All these factors have influenced project business structures. The industry has now embarked on a period of further change, with 180 bcm of new LNG export capacity (equivalent to more than 50% of LNG trade in 2014) under construction at a time when the assumed rapid LNG demand growth in Asia appears to be slowing. The absorption of this new supply will affect, not only trade-flow patterns, but also pricing dynamics, competition with other gas supply channels and (in the power sector) potentially other fuels. Key to this change is US LNG, with buyers becoming more selective about the price and delivery terms they are ready to accept. Sellers however are facing high costs and are reluctant to abandon a business model in which they have confidence. Oil indexation is under further attack with US LNG selling at HH indexed prices (plus costs), and other sellers and buyers have been pressured to adopt different pricing policies and secure more contractual flexibility. This volume examines the development of the LNG business over the past 50 years and examines how the industry will change over the coming 15 years, faced by unprecedented challenges to its historic business model. Contributors to this volume - Christopher Caswell, LNG and FLNG, KBR Anne-Sophie Corbeau, KAPSARC Sylvie D'Apote, Prysma E&T Consultores Andy Flower, independent consultant James Henderson, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Anouk Honore, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies James T. Jensen, Jensen Associates Ken Koyama, Institute of Energy Economics David Ledesma, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Chris Le Fevre, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Howard V. Rogers, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Brian Songhurst, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Jonathan Stern, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies


A 6-year-old girl was admitted with the chief complaint of heart murmur. Chest X-ray film, ECG and abdominal examination disclosed mirror image-dextrocardia with situs inversus. Heart catheterization was performed via femoral route. The catheter passed behind the heart, turned round, and then entered the right ventricle through the azygos vein and SVC, but could not entered the pulmonary artery. Then it was repeatedly performed to the pulmonary artery via the brachial route. There was oxygen saturation step up at the level of the right atrium with a 56% of left to right shunt. Final diagnosis was ASD associated with situs inversus, mirror image-dextrocadia and azygos continuation of IVC. The patient underwent radical operation using extra-corporeal circulation. It was found that the right atrium showed site-anomaly and IVC connected only to the hepatic vein. Fixation of IVC cannula was unstable. ASD was closed with direct suture. She was discharged without any complaints.


We have studied insulator‐quantum Hall‐insulator (I‐QH‐I) transitions in a two‐dimensional electron gas containing self‐assembled InAs quantum dots. Our experimental results demonstrate that localization and Landau quantization can coexist. We suggest that the effects due to the modulation of the density of states are important to the scaling behavior in the vicinity of the observed I‐QH‐I transitions.


A study has been conducted on the transformation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in simulated natural water conditions. It has been found that these forms are readily interconvertible under natural water conditions. The results of this study indicate that Cr (VI) is reduced by Fe (II), dissolved sulfides, and certain organic compounds with sulfhydryl groups, while Cr(III) is oxidized by a large excess of MnOz and at a slow rate by Oz under conditions approximating those in natural waters. Based on the results of these studies, water quality standards for Cr should be based on total Cr rather than on Cr(VI), as has been frequently done in the past.


The invention relates to pressure sensitive adhesive compositions comprising at least one electroluminescent additive, single- and double-sided tapes, which are equipped with such pressure-sensitive adhesives, and the use of such adhesives for the bonding of electronic components.


Learning involves synaptic plasticity, but it remains unclear how the brain determines which synapses should change and when. Plasticity is thus often considered as an approximation to gradient descent, despite drawbacks to the latter, interpretational difficulties, and seemingly contrary evidence. To address these issues, we introduce the "coordinated eligibility model", linking biology with function and generalizing neuroscientific theories. We show that gradients can be decomposed into factors related to correlated firing rate variability and dendritic inhibition, which control population response changes and receptive field re-weighting respectively. By determining plasticity according to products of these factors, our model computes directional derivatives of loss functions. These derivatives need not align with task gradients, allowing networks to overcome limitations of gradient descent like catastrophic interference, and they can facilitate important functions like compositional generalization. As such, our model introduces a powerful and widely-applicable framework for interpreting supervised, reinforcement-based, and unsupervised plasticity in nervous systems.


With regard to Liang Qi Chao′s later news thoughts, it is not exact to divide them into two respective periods as "freedom of speech" and "independence of speech". After Liang Qi Chao had accepted western theory of liberalism, he threw himself into unswervingly pursuing "freedom of press" for his whole life.


ABSTRACT Purpose: To validate if mindfulness practices contribute to increase the perception of clarity of the own professional sense of purpose. Originality/value: The research shows synergy of mindfulness practices with metacognitive reflections based on Otto Scharmer's Theory U attention modes, increasing the perception of authenticity in the statements defining the own professional sense of purpose. Design/methodology/approach: This is an exploratory, prospective intervention study, with pre and post-intervention data collection. Data collection was carried out with organizational professionals who voluntarily participated in the proposed course in the cities of São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto, in Brazil. Findings: The proposed educational program improved the perception in relation to the "meaning in life at work", "greater purpose in the work", "meaning in life" in general, the "satisfactory purpose in life" and the "level of mindfulness". We also concluded that mindfulness practices are synergistic with metacognitive reflections based on Theory U attention modes, providing a greater perception of clarity, focus and authenticity regarding the sense of purpose statements.


Laboratory studies investigated the influence of sulphur content in sediments on the mobilization of 6 heavy metals with bacterial leaching. The goal of the investigation was to test whether biological processes of the sulphur cycle may be useful for the cleaning of contaminated sediments. As a first step, sediments from the Weisse Elster river were stored under anoxic conditions in the presence of dissolved sulphate for 23 weeks. The sulphur content of sediments was raised up to 2.4-fold by activation of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). The quantity of sulphate that can be reduced with the SRB is limited by the amount of acetate available to the bacteria as their carbon source. In the second step, the pretreated sediments were subjected to bioleaching. After 7 days the solubilities of heavy metals in sediments with 1.1 (2.7)% sulphur were measured as follows: Cd 40 (95)%, Zn 60 (95)%, Ni 36 (63)%, Cu 1 (43)%; Cr and Pb were almost insoluble. The sediment suspensions were then inoculated with cultures of thiobacilli. After inoculation the solubility of copper increased to 57 (70)%; chromium was sufficiently leached only at a high percentage of sulphur. The results demonstrate that high sulphur contents in sediments promote the mobilization of most heavy metals. The microbial activity is the dominant factor for the mobilization


In this article the covariate quantile autoregression approach was used to test whether consumption is a constant unit root process, as predicted by the Permanent Income Hypothesis (PIH). The evidence suggests that at low quantiles of the conditional quantile function of consumption the persistence of shocks are lower than that predicted by the PIH. This asymmetry is consistent with credit constraints and/or buffer-stock savings.


Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is particularly enriched in neuronal tissues mainly as membrane phospholipids. Maintaining a high concentration of DHA in brain is essential for proper neuronal function, suggesting a unique role played by this fatty acid for an optimal membrane structure and function in the nervous system. In search for mechanisms supporting essential function of DHA, we have investigated the role of DHA in membrane modification and cell signaling leading to neuronal survival and development. We found that DHA promotes neuronal survival by increasing phosphatidylserine (PS), the major acidic phospholipid in cell membranes. DHA uniquely increases PS, specifically in neuronal cells by serving as the best substrates for PS biosynthesis. N-3 fatty acid deficiency and long-term ethanol treatment decrease the PS content selectively from neuronal membranes through the inhibition of PS biosynthetic activities. Reduction of PS from neuronal membranes affected membrane-protein interaction of Raf and Akt signaling, consequentially compromising neuronal survival. DHA also promotes neurite growth in developing hippocampal neurons, supporting often-observed positive effects of DHA in hippocampus-related functional outcome. DHA's role in promoting neuronal survival and differentiation along with associated molecular mechanisms will be presented.


A 56-year-old female patient was admitted with a history of pain during neck movements after cervical injury. Computerized tomography scan revealed type II odontoid fracture and fusion anomaly between C2 and C3 vertebrae. At surgery, the anteroinferior part of C2 vertebra corpus could not be reached; therefore, transodontoid screw was advanced from C3 vertebra toward odontoid process. At follow-up examination, the complaints of the patient had recovered, and fracture line was completely fused. Advancing screw from C3 to odontoid process via anterior cervical approach could be thought an alternative treatment option in the patient with short neck caused from vertebra fusion anomaly and/or obesity.


Primary care is the backbone of today's medical infrastructure and has many proven benefits including improved health, reduced healthcare disparities and lowered healthcare costs [1]. Despite this, there is a growing lack of interest in primary care among graduating residents. Although there are many deterrents to a career in primary care, the most significant is the failure of residency programmes to provide adequate education in this field. The majority of primary care training in residency occurs in the continuity clinic but this model is flawed. Residents see high volumes of patients but may not be able to participate in other aspects of patient care, such as following up on laboratory results or telephone calls. Residents also may not have continuity with patients, as there may be months where the resident is not available due to other responsibilities. Resident clinics are often the medical home for medically and/or socially complex patients, and the lack of continuity can make caring for these patients frustrating. Because of this, residents do not feel like the patient's Primary Care Provider (PCP) and do not receive an experience reflective of a career in primary care. In fact, in an internal medicine programme, continuity clinic was found to have an overall negative influence on residents' attitudes towards a career in general medicine [2]. More troubling still, there is a prevalent feeling that primary care is for those who are not smart enough to match into a subspecialty fellowship. Residents may receive criticism from mentors for their desire to enter into a career in primary care. These sentiments are subtly echoed on a system level, as primary care topics are rarely discussed during educational sessions, and paediatricians may be criticised by inpatient teams for 'missing' the diagnosis. Thus, it is critical that residency programmes prioritise changing the primary care experience. Within the literature, there have been multiple interventions piloted to improve primary care education, yet many programmes have not taken note. We propose programmes focus on a few key areas that could dramatically improve the resident experience. First, priority must be given to improving patient continuity. This could be achieved by implementing the empanelment model, which has been adopted successfully in some programmes. Similarly, granting residents the ability to self-schedule patients onto their own panel for subsequent appointments (rather than relying on schedulers) has improved continuity for residents in our clinic. Additionally, residents should be provided with the infrastructure and time to be more involved in office responsibilities like care coordination and lab followup. Improving communication systems through the electronic medical system or email could help residents stay connected with all involved providers. Programmes should also introduce residents to different practice types to give a better representation of a career in primary care. A primary care elective could be created, where residents would rotate through local private and hospital practices to experience the breadth of opportunities available. Or, allowing residents to customise more traditional elective time may serve as an easy way to improve education. To change the systemic perception that primary care is less prestigious, programme directors and mentors simply need to be supportive, which has been shown to improve perceptions about primary care [3]. Programmes can emphasise the importance of primary care by including relevant topics in educational sessions and minimising critiques of outpatient colleagues. In the face of an ever-growing shortage of residents entering a career in primary care, it is critical that residency programmes strive to better primary care education. By improving continuity, expanding opportunities to a range of practice settings and improving mentorship within primary care, programmes can foster interest in this important aspect of medicine.


Despite the increase of individuals with psychological disabilities (PD) attending college and universities, students with PD are less likely to complete their college programs than their nondisabled peers and peers with other disabilities. This qualitative study examined the perceptions and beliefs of individuals with PD attending a four year university regarding faculty characteristics and behaviors that promote academic achievement, as well as faculty behavior and characteristics that encourage disclosure and requests for accommodations or other supports. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 16 participants and utilized grounded theory research methods to collect and analyze data. Various themes emerged from the study, including participants' considerations when asking for accommodations, faculty characteristics and behaviors identified as impacting academic achievement, and suggestions for faculty members to help students succeed in their coursework.


The cosmopolitan Ganoderma is an important pathogen on arboreal plant hosts. Ganoderma is particularly diverse in tropical and temperate regions. It has long been used as traditional medicine because of its beneficial medicinal properties and chemical constituents. In this study, Ganoderma collections were made in tropical regions of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and temperate Yunnan Province, China. The specimens are described based on micro-macro characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of combined ITS, LSU, TEF1α, and RPB2 sequence data. In this comprehensive study, we report 22 Ganoderma species from temperate and tropical regions of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), namely G. adspersum , G. applanatum , G. australe , G. calidophilum , G. ellipsoideum , G. flexipes , G. gibbosum , G. heohnelianum , G. hochiminhense , G. leucocontextum , G. lingzhi , G. lucidum , G. multiplicatum , G. multipileum , G. myanmarens e , G. orbiforme , G. philippii , G. resinaceum , G. sinense , G. subresinosum , G. williamsianum , and G. tsugae . Of these species, 12 were collected from Yunnan Province, China; three species, were collected from Laos; three species, 2 new records, and one new species were collected from Myanmar; 15 species, and four new records were collected from Thailand; and one new species was collected from Vietnam. Comprehensive descriptions, color photographs of macro and micro characteristics, the distribution of Ganoderma in the GMS and worldwide, and a phylogenetic tree showing the placement of all the Ganoderma reported from the GMS are provided.


Microcantilever devices are widely used in biomedical because of its high sensitivity, better
performance, low fabrication cost, robustness, and improved reliability over other equipment. The dynamic response of the
device, in different medium i.e. air, water, gas, depends on the vibrational mode. Vibrational modes decide how effectively
the cantilever is going to respond while operating in a particular medium.

 In this paper, microcantilever having length 60µm, width 6µm, and thickness 1.5µm has been designed for
measuring density and viscosity of blood plasma. A finite element analysis (FEA) is adopted to obtain the eigenfrequencies
of the microcantilever device for different beam lengths in the 'vacuum' medium. The model for fluid-structure interaction
has been presented and analyzed. Since the properties of blood and glycerol are analogous to each other, thus different
concentrations of glycerol have been taken to deduce the rheological properties of the fluid.

The analytical results are found in close agreement with the FEA results. A comparative analysis of transverse and
lateral vibrational modes is put forward to understand the behavior of the device. Also, after simulating the model, it is
observed that the cantilever can measure viscosities from 0.86-3.02 centipoise.

 FEM analysis of microcantilevers vibrating in the vacuum has been presented. Resonant frequencies in the
vacuum of laterally and transversally vibrating microcantilever are calculated through an eigenfrequency analysis using
Comsol multiphysics software thus avoiding simulation time. A high degree of accuracy of the results is obtained. It is
proved experimentally the advantages of lateral vibrations over transverse vibrations. Also, the Simulink model is proposed
for measuring the rheological properties of blood. The design is capable of measuring the blood plasma viscosities range.
Our study shows that FEM analysis is a suitable tool for designing and simulation of bioMEMS.


to test that theory. Back in 1959, in Mount Vernon, N.Y., I spent several evenings filling and draining the kitchen sink. The water went down clockwise every time. ^ Just before midnight, however, the drainage direction became confused; and after midnight, the direction changed to counterclockwise. Until your item, I refrained from mentioning these facts for obvious reasons. Attempts to have friends duplicate this experiment have only brought the scorn and ridicule that is the lot of every budding genius. Speaking of geniuses budding, I have also observed that all of my morning glory buds whorl in a clockwise direction, while the morning glory vines twine in a counterclockwise direction.


The concept of eugenics played a significant role in the pre-war birth control movement. Some favored birth control from the standpoint of an individual's right to happiness, while others were against it from the standpoint of preservation of good stock for the nation. Yamamoto, Nobuharu (1889-1929), who translated Margaret Sanger's speech and her book in 1922, advocated birth control purely from a biologist's point of view. Birth control is necessary for the survival of strong healthy human beings capable of overcoming all the difficulties in their lives. Birth control is a form of natural selection consciously done to avoid overburdening and wasting individual lives. Nagai, Sen (1876-1957) was opposed to birth control from eugenicc' point of view. He became the 1st president of Japan Racial Hygiene Society in 1930 and founded Eugenics/Marriage Counseling Clinic in 1933. In his book on eugenics published in 1936 he stressed the importance of continuation of race by protecting good stock and eliminating poor stock by sterilization. Birth control was opposed because it will shorten the life of an ethnic group or a race. Furuya, Yoshio (1890-1974), also a racial hygiene major, supported population policies based on eugenics. He studied a trend in childbirth among women of different professions and geographical areas. Educated and cultured urban upper-middle class women showed a sudden decline in childbirth in their later years of marriage, suggesting the prevalence of birth control among them, while less educated low-income women continued to reproduce. He opposed to birth control but was in favor of sterilization for eliminating poor stock.


Navigating in large hospitals is a challenging task. The consequences of difficulties faced by staff, patients and visitors in finding their way in the hospital can be multiple. The HUGApp project goals are to identify the navigational needs and requirements of people within the premises of Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) before proceeding with potential solutions, such as an indoor navigation mobile app. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to staff members with the goal of understanding the current problems in wayfinding inside HUG, investigating the users' views on the creation of an indoor navigation mobile app, and specifying the user requirements for such an app. A total of 111 members of the primary care division of HUG answered the questionnaire, providing an insightful view of the healthcare professionals.


Article history: Received: October 2, 2018 Received in revised format: October 20, 2018 Accepted: November 29, 2018 Available online: November 30, 2018 Business process evaluation is a common norm in small-medium-large industries globally and information obtained during such evaluation have been used in simulating the future performance of most industries using mathematical models such as Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and artificial neural network (ANN). This study explored the possibility of predicting port productivity and berth effectiveness of a seaport using ANN and ARIMA. A comparative analysis of a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) back propagation algorithm and ARIMA performance was carried out based on ships days at port, days at berth and tonnage: the model's input parameters, while port productivity and berth effectiveness were the model outputs. The MLP-ANN and ARIMA (1, 0, 4port productivity) and (1, 0, 4-berth effectiveness) results were compared based on their coefficient of correlation and mean square error. The coefficient of correlation for port productivity prediction using MLP-ANN was 0.998. This value outperformed that of ARIMA (0.9862) for port productivity; berth effectiveness coefficients of correlation of 0.9956 and 0.9928 were obtained using the MLP-ANN and the ARIMA models, respectively. © 2019 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada.


Transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy (TNAB) is a useful diagnostic technique in the evaluation of thoracic disease. Previous reports have shown that this technique has a high positive but a low negative predictive value. The latter has limited the clinical usefulness of a negative biopsy. To improve the reliability of a negative TNAB, a series of thoracic needle biopsies was done using a team approach, having a cytopathologist, with the necessary equipment to rfransthoracic needle aspiration biopsy (TNAB) is a reliable diagnostic technique which has been useful in the diagnosis of both benign and malignant lesions of the chest.'5 Typically, after the collection of the biopsy, the sample is sent to pathology for interpretation at a later time. If the sample was inadequate, the patient returned for a repeat biopsy. The use of rapid cytologic evaluation has been reported to decrease the number of pleural punctures and consequently the incidence of pneumothorax.6 This involved immediate transport of the biopsy specimen to pathology, where it was stained and reviewed by the pathologist, who then communicated with the radiologist. We believe that rapid cytologic evaluation of the biopsy material is advantageous in that it determines both the adequacy of the specimen and any need for special processing. To achieve this, we have employed a team approach to TNAB. This involved a cytopathologist being present at the biopsy with the necessary equipment to allow immediate evaluation of the biopsy specimen. We report a series of biopsies performed using this team approach.


Mature ears (without husks,with moisture content of 29 %~31 %) of hybridize maize at different grain type (cvs.'Funong No.1','Zhengdan 958' and 'Liaodan 565') were used as material to determine electrical conductivity,soluble sugar content,superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities under low temperature treatment at 0 ℃,-2 ℃,-4 ℃,-6 ℃,-8 ℃,-10 ℃ for 8h,with 25 ℃ as the control.The results showed that seeds conductivity,soluble sugar content,SOD and POD activities gradually increased with the temperature decreased.The degree of increasing varied with different grain type.'Funong No.1' had the most superior anti-freeze physiological and biochemical basis,the second was 'Zhengdan 958',and the worst was 'Liaodan 565'.


The investigation was made for the biomanagement of lantana (Lantana camara L.) and congress grass (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) through vermicomposting using earthworm species Eudrilus eugeniae. The mixture of cowdung and raw material of both the weeds was used in the ratio of 1:1. The vermicompost was ready for use within two months. The nutrient composition of vermicompost prepared from lantana and congress grass was higher than that of its substrates as well as FYM. Further, the effects of vermicompost prepared from different sources were evaluated on soil fertility and yield of wheat (PbW 343). For this, a field experiment was carried out using three different sources of organic manures viz. lantana vermicompost, congress grass vermicompost and FYM and three levels of recommended NPK fertilizers i.e. 33, 67 and 100% along with control. The higher grain and straw yield of wheat, maximum concentrations of available nutrients in soil were observed at 67% recommended NPK along with the different sources of vermicompost. Among organic manures, lantana vermicompost was found to be superior to congress grass and FYM in terms of nutrient composition as well as in increasing the yield of wheat. Among different treatments, 67% recommended NPK along with 10 tha−1 lantana vermicompost was found to be the best treatment for increasing wheat yield and maintaining soil fertility.


Osteoarthritis is a disorder of the aging process. One of the risk factors for osteoarthritis is obesity or excessive body mass index (BMI). Weight loss in people with osteoarthritis can be done by doing exercises. Objective To determine the effectiveness of osteoarthritis exercise in stabilizing body mass index in osteoarthritis sufferers. This type of quantitative research uses a pre-experimental design one-group pretest-posttest design. Research Sites in the Village of Makam Haji Sukoharjo, Central Java Province, Indonesia, were conducted from January to February 2020 with 32 respondents, using the purposive sampling method. The inclusion criteria were 20-60 years old, did not experience pain attacks, the patient did not have other diseases. The calculation of BMI uses measurements of weight and height. Analyzed using Paired T-Test. The results were obtained at the pretest BMI the majority were overweight as much as 24 (75%), at the posttest the majority BMI was normal as much as 28 (87.5%), the results of the paired sample test with a P-value of 0.001. Conclusion: There is an effect of giving osteoarthritis exercise on body mass index. The average BMI after exercise is normal.


Neonatal gastrointestinal dysfunction is a common disease in neonatal intensive care unit.It is not only a beginning position of multiorgan dysfuction syndrome(MODS),but slso a stimulative position of MODS,so it takes an important role in MODS.Many aspects about neonatal gastrointestinal dysfunction in its pathogenesy,diagnosis and treatment is proceeding and becoming perfect.


The document disserts on multi-cultutal issues in nursery school. Theoreticel part engages in multi-cultural education and its particularity, race prejudice, about the inter-cultural communication and issues related to foreign child accommodation into a common nursery school class. The subject of the practical part of this work is a questionary. Application department is centred on teacher in nursery school, for their opinions, attitudes and experiences relating to the topic.


Objective
To explore the effect of feedback teaching on the exercise compliance of the patients with coronary heart disease.

Methods
Thirty-eight coronary heart disease (CHD) patients who met the criteria and were treated in the department of geriatric cardiology in 304 clinical department of People's Liberation Army General Hospital from June 2014 to December 2014 were included into the control group. Forty-one coronary heart disease patients who met the criteria and were treated in the department of geriatric cardiology in 304 clinical department of People's Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2015 to July 2015 were included into the observation group. The patients in the control group received the routine health education. The patients in the observation group received the feedback teaching nursing model based on the routine nursing. The state of mind, the exercise compliance, the grasp of exercise knowledge and the situation of illness improvement of the patients after the intervention were compared between the two groups.

Results
Before the intervention, no significant difference of the seven dimensions in the state of mind was found between the two groups (P>0.05) .After the intervention the improvement situations of seven dimensions were all better in the observation group compared to the control group (t=4.658, 4.251, 3.318, 6.123, 4.587, 5.487, 4.982; P 0.05) . Before the intervention, no significant difference was found in terms of the exercise compliance, the qualification rate of exercise knowledge and the time of daily exercise between the two groups (P>0.05) . After the intervention the exercise compliance, the qualification rate of exercise knowledge and the time of daily exercise in the observation group and the control group were all significantly higher than those before the intervention (P<0.05) . However, the improvement situation in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group (t=3.965, 4.521, 4.689; P<0.01) . In the observation group, 21 patients were improved and the improvement rate was 51.22%. In the control group, 6 patients were improved and the improvement rate was 15.79%. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=10.235, P<0.05) .

Conclusions
For the patients with coronary heart disease, the feedback teaching education model based on the routine health education can improve the exercise compliance of the patients, improve the illness and the state of mind, in order to improve the quality of life.

Key words:
Coronary heart disease; Feedback teaching; Exercise compliance


Brain function in 10 severely malnourished children and matched controls was assessed using spectral analysis of electroencephalographic responses to photic driving during slow‐wave sleep. The percentage power in the classical EEG broad‐band domains was derived from temporo‐occipital records. The malnourished group (5‐23 months old; z‐score height‐for‐age –3.2 ± 0.3, weight‐for‐height –2.5 ± 0.3) were tested on admission and on discharge from hospital. No significant differences were found between admission and discharge. Significant differences were found between malnourished and control groups, in the α1 band in the undriven EEG, and in the α/β1 power ratio while driving at 8 Hz. These electrophysiological abnormalities, persisting despite somatic rehabilitation, must be associated with the chronic rather than the acute aspects of malnutrition, and can index the deviation of brain function from normality.


Abstract In this study, we present the development of an innovative dry powder dexamethasone (Dex) nasal delivery system comprising Dex-loaded lipid/alginate nanoparticles incorporated within pectin microspheres (Dex/NPs-loaded pectin microspheres; DNM). DNM microspheres were characterized by the mean diameter of 2.76 ± 0.10 µm, zeta-potential of –36.2 ± 1.1 mV, and drug loading of 3.3 ± 0.3%. The morphology study revealed irregular microsphere surface forming external voids. In contact with simulated nasal fluid, DNM microspheres demonstrated desirable property of moderate swelling and ensured stronger mucoadhesion compared with conventional Dex-loaded pectin microspheres. The strategy of Dex incorporation within the lipid/alginate NPs resulted in prolonged Dex release in relation to Dex being directly entrapped within the conventional pectin microspheres. DNM microspheres showed excellent biocompatibility and rendered Dex permeation across the selected epithelial cell model similar to that of Dex solution. In conclusion, balanced biopharmaceutical properties of the proposed nasal Dex delivery system provides the potential for prolonged contact time with nasal mucosa, prolonged therapeutic effect, and improved patient compliance.


This paper discusses the subjects of urbanization and development of ethnic area. It is pointed out that implementing the strategy of urbanization is the inexorable trend of the development of human society, the concrete embodiment of Three Represent Theory and an essential measure to speed up the readjustment of the urban and rural economic structure. In implementing the strategy of urbanization, it is necessary to put it in a proper place, to make an allround plan, to place high priority on the focal points, to adopt a flexible policy to enliven the economy, and to tackle the problem in comprehensive way. 


Three are the mechanisms that influence quarkonium suppression in a medium: screening, thermal decay, and recombination. In recent years, a framework that can treat them consistently at the same time has been put forward, the open quantum system approach. In this talk, we will discuss how the combination of open quantum system and Effective Field Theory techniques are useful to understand quarkonium evolution in a medium in the regime in which the temperature is smaller than the inverse of the typical radius. In this case, the interaction parameter depends only on two transport coefficients $\kappa$ and $\gamma$, where $\kappa$ is the heavy quark diffusion coefficient. Combining these results with recent lattice QCD evaluations of the mass shift and thermal decay width of quarkonium we are able to obtain a non-perturbative determination of κ compatible with state-of-the-art results.


The present invention relates to a method of processing an optical element. (I) a hydrophobic crystalline gwanghan (photodefinable) polymer has a glass transition temperature greater than or equal to about 80 ℃ in the cured state; And (ii) the multiphoton photosensitizer and preferably at least one of the gwanghan-crystalline composition comprising a multiphoton photoinitiator system including at least one photoinitiator, which may be the photosensitive by said photosensitive agent is provided. One or more portions of the compositions are exposed image-wise (imagewise) to electromagnetic energy under conditions effective to form at least a portion of the three-dimensional optical elements with optical limiting.


The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) features a clause, dubbed 'anti-China', which sets out legal consequences in case one of the parties negotiates or enters into a free trade agreement (FTA) with a nonmarket economy (NME). A similarly worded objective appears among the negotiating objectives of the US for FTAs with the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom. This article examines the anti-NME clause, arguing that its concrete legal consequences are less relevant than its symbolic effects. The USMCA clause itself is difficult to replicate in bilateral agreements, since it depends on cooperation between the two nonsigning parties. Its operation is nonetheless similar to that of two unilateral remedies available under the law of treaties, permitting a reasonable assessment that the clause, if it follows its original design, will aim to permit termination of bilateral US FTAs in response to the other party entering into an NME FTA. While such a clause would offer little in terms of concrete effects if added to agreements that already permit unilateral withdrawal, its greatest value may not be in its legal effects but in its legitimating and signaling properties, which push USMCA parties to establish a common front in the 'geoeconomic' dispute between the United States and China.


There are several reports regarding the occurence of Fagus orientalis individuals at the hot margins of the beech distribution range in Romania. The aim of this paper is to analyse the morphological variation in marginal populations of beech, where two morphological forms (F. sylvatica and F. orientalis) might coexist according to the literature. The analyses focused on the most discriminating leaf descriptors: lamina length and number of secondary veins pairs. Additionally, comparative evaluations of the number of stomata per unit area (mm 2 ) were done. Only a limited number of individuals showed specific characteristics of F. orientalis in two out of the three populations sampled. However, the morphological differences between taxa were small.


Sex and the revitalized city offers a theoretically and empirically grounded examination of how condominium development, ownership, and governance affect the daily lives of female condominium dwellers in the city of Toronto. Drawing on a variety of sources, ranging from published journal and newspaper articles to condominium advertising, planning documents, interviews with female condominium owners, city planners, and representatives of condominium development firms, Leslie Kern sets out to explore the discourses that shape urban revitalization in Toronto, issues of housing tenure, and the definition of community inside and outside the condominium. She argues that new-build gentrification in the form of condominium development embodies a neoliberal economic and political strategy to reshape the urban and social fabric of downtown Toronto to attract new middle-class residents, especially women, to whom they are marketed as a means to gendered emancipation. According to Kern, they fall short of this goal and, in fact, reinforce patriarchal relations through "property relations, security features, and the promotion of consumption-oriented roles for women, none of which fundamentally challenges traditional domestic or public roles for middle-class women" (p. 201). Chapter One interrogates the discourses and policies that shape urban redevelopment in Toronto. These discourses refer to the city's need to enhance its tax base and become more competitive to attract knowledge workers for the post-industrial economy. Kern argues that a neoliberal ideology drives such policies, which are "designed to open the city to flows of capital investment. . . . to encourage new heights of consumption, and above all to create a widespread consensus that urban revitalization through intensification is a natural, beneficial, and effective solution for Toronto's current challenges" (p. 25). Chapter Two explores the issue of tenure, arguing "the home ownership element of condominiums reflects a neoliberal expansion of the spaces of capital accumulation in the city" (p. 13) and that advertising and media promotion of condominium ownership conflates gendered freedom with financial security reflecting neoliberal ideals of autonomy and self-governance. Chapter Three examines how planners and developers, by framing new-build gentrification positively as community building and environmentally and socially progressive, have removed the social impacts of high-rise or high-density living from the arena of public debate. Kern shows that, despite the rhetoric about community building, condominium development, the targeting of specific segments of the population, creates "new geographies of inclusion and exclusion that help to define who is thought of as a community member or fellow citizen" (p. 93). She goes on to show how condominium development may in fact undermine the ideal of stable community by attracting a highly mobile population that view condominiums as a route into ownership that may lead to a detached house elsewhere. The final two chapters consider the securitization of urban space and how condominium marketing works to promote a myth of urbanity that positions urban living as a progressive rejection of suburbia and a morally, socially, and environmentally superior choice. Kern argues that security features help to open otherwise risky areas of the city to investment, and work to "sell women on marginal neighbourhoods" (p. 138). She goes on to suggest that women, by moving to such neighbourhoods, purchase a "commodified, privatized, and securitized" (p. 150) lifestyle and engage in an identity-making process that positions them as ideal, desirable citizens in contrast to marginalized groups located outside the secured boundaries of the condominium. In this sense, security features operate as real and symbolic community boundaries, suggesting that condominiums are not fully expected to become part of the wider surrounding community. Contemporary media accounts tend to frame urban redevelopment and gentrification in a positive light. This book forces the reader to view the development process and its outcomes more critically and to ask important questions about urban citizenship and community. While Kern does suggest that residents do challenge developers' and planners' objectives in the city, she fails to explore this in any great detail, leaving the impression that condominium purchasers are manipulated by condominium marketers, discounting the democratizing power of consumerism. Overall, this book provides a welcome addition to the North American literature on urban development and should appeal to geographers and urban theorists.


In order to enable more garden landscape design enthusiasts to master the creation skills of perspective renderings, this article introduces CAD computer-aided technology in the creation process of perspective renderings of garden landscapes. In the research, through case analysis, the CAD technology is compared with the commonly used sketch master SketchUp, and the detailed steps of making the garden landscape perspective renderings for small-scale modeling of garden landscapes are compared in detail. Finally, an example analysis shows that the application of CAD technology to the creation of perspective renderings of garden landscape can make the creation process more scientific, reasonable, and more ornamental.


The development of rational crystallisation strategies in polymorphic systems requires the experimental manipulation of both kinetics and thermodynamics. We show for the first time the results of the interplay between these competing driving forces in an enantiotropic system, p-aminobenzoic acid. The outcomes are unexpected with temperature having no impact.


Abstract Background The association of plant‐based diets and biomarkers of bone, insulin, and inflammation is still unclear. Objectives We investigated the associations between biomarkers of bone, insulin, and inflammation and three plant‐based diet indices: an overall plant‐based diet index (PDI); a healthy plant‐based diet index (hPDI); and an unhealthy plant‐based diet index (uPDI). Methods We included 178 elderly subjects who referred to health centers in Tehran. Blood and urine samples were collected to measure osteocalcin. The Human C‐telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen (u‐CTX‐I), highly sensitive C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), 25(OH) D, and insulin resistance and sensitivity. We created an overall PDI, hPDI, and uPDI from semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data. Results Dietary groups of Vegetables (r = .15, p = .03), nuts (r = .16, p = .03), dairy (r = .25, p = .001), eggs (r = .27, p < .001), red meat, and animal products (r = .25, p = .001) were directly correlated with osteocalcin. Refined grains were also had a positive association with serum insulin concentration (r = .14, p = .04). PTH levels are inversely associated with PDI score (β = −0.18, p = .01). Also, serum insulin concentration was negatively associated with PDI score (β = −0.10, p = .04). Urine CTX‐1 levels were significantly associated with hPDI score (β = −0.06, p = .04). u‐CTX‐1 levels are inversely associated with uPDI score. This significance did not change with the adjustment of the confounders (β = −0.28, p < .001). Conclusions More adherence to PDI and hPDI and less in uPDI may have a beneficial effect on biomarkers of bone, inflammation, and insulin thus preserving chronic diseases.


Abstract This paper discusses the problem of finding the optimal network topological configuration by changing the feeder status. The reconfiguration problem is considered as a multiobjective problem aiming to minimize power losses and total interruptions costs subject to the system constraints: the network radiality voltage limits and feeder capability limits. Due to its complexity, the metaheuristic methods can be applied to solve the problem and often the choice is genetic algorithm. NSGA II is used to solve the multiobjective optimization problem in order to get Pareto optimal set with possible solutions. The proposed method has been tested on real 35 kV distribution network. The numerical results are presented to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed genetic algorithm. Keywords radial distribution network, multiobjective optimization, reconfiguration, genetic algorithms, NSGA II


Objective: To establish a Suxiao zhixie jiaonang Microbial Limit Tests.Methods: The bacteria count,mold and yeast count,verified by medium dilution method;control of bacteria by conventional method validation.Results: The bacterial count,mold and yeast counts,recovery of test bacteria reached more than 70%;control the conventional method for detecting bacteria.Conclusion: This method can be used for quick diarrhea capsule microbial limit test.


A garlicin injection for preventing and treating acute and chronic bacillary dysentery and enteritis, pertussis, fungus infection of lung and digestive tract, etc is prepared through ultrasonic treating to garlicin and tween-80, mixing with alcohol, ultrafiltration, pouring it in containers containing N2 in dark condition, sterilizing, and lamp examining.


Presentation of Case A 66-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of back pain. Except for episodic headaches he had been well until five years previously, when hypertension was found. On the day before admission there was the abrupt onset of pain in the lumbar spine; during the night abdominal pain and vomiting occurred. The temperature was 36.8°C, the pulse 100, and the respirations 16. The blood pressure was 110 systolic, 65 diastolic. On physical examination the lungs were clear, and the heart normal. The abdomen was mildly distended but soft, and the bowel sounds were active; there was . . .


According to the result of investigation, there was no distinction between the demonstrative pronoun and the third person pronoun in classical Chincse. Demonstrative pronoun could be freely adopted as the expressions of the third person pronoun. The expressions were realized by means of employing some characters, such as"彼". "是"," 此" as subject or occasionally as object, taking "其" as genitive attribute, and commonly using "之" as object. "The ancient demonstrative and Personal pronoun" is advised in this paper to refer to so-called the demonstrative pronoun and the third person pronoun in classical Chinese.


We define the visual complexity of a plane graph drawing to be the number of basic geometric objects needed to represent all its edges. In particular, one object may represent multiple edges (e.g., one needs only one line segment to draw two collinear edges of the same vertex). Let n denote the number of vertices of a graph. We show that trees can be drawn with 3n / 4 straight-line segments on a polynomial grid, and with n / 2 straight-line segments on a quasi-polynomial grid. Further, we present an algorithm for drawing planar 3-trees with \((8n\,-\,17)/3\) segments on an \(O(n)\,\times \,O(n^2)\) grid. This algorithm can also be used with a small modification to draw maximal outerplanar graphs with 3n / 2 edges on an \(O(n)\,\times \,O(n^2)\) grid. We also study the problem of drawing maximal planar graphs with circular arcs and provide an algorithm to draw such graphs using only \((5n\,-\,11)/3\) arcs. This provides a significant improvement over the lower bound of 2n for line segments for a nontrivial graph class.


Here, a near-zero permittivity (e) and permeability (μ) metamaterial superstrate is presented as a decoupling structure for a multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna. The proposed design offers peak isolation of 41 dB with reduced edge separation of 0.042λ o at the resonating frequency. To verify the simulation results, the prototype of the proposed superstrate and antenna is fabricated and tested. The two-element MIMO antenna has −10 dB impedance band of 5.5–5.92 GHz with a peak measured gain of 7.41 dBi and efficiency above 78%. The measurement results ensure an isolation enhancement of 30 dB with a correlation coefficient of <0.26 within the operating band. The proposed method offers a good design technique for high gain and a closely packed MIMO antenna system for WLAN applications.


The paper analyzes and sums up the eight common phenomena, such as the absence of novelty and creativity, and the absence of veracity and authenticity in writing thesis. It gives the reason of these abuses in writing and the techniques to refrain from them.


In this paper, the Reduction Method of ISO image for Operating System of Linux Distro (Open Source Based on Linux) is proposed. IGOS Nusantara as a Linux Distro is used on this study. The reduction method of ISO image for IGOS Nusantara consists of modules elimination and usage of an optimal compression technique. Using the reduction method optimally on the rpm files of the application packages of IGOS Nusantara will decrease their sizes. Experiment results demonstrate that some of the rpm files can be reduced from 40 MB to 29 MB. All reduced rpm files and other modules are processed into ISO image. By this method, the original size 890 MB of ISO image can be shrinked into 685 MB. The small and compact size of ISO image are very useful to save the internet bandwidth in downloading IGOS Nusantara and also to make it more responsive when it is used by users.


The article deals with the construction of mathematical and computer-dimensional models of complex radio systems, allowing to estimate the quality of their functioning, at the design stage, before carrying out natural tests. The features of modern radio systems, complicating the task of their research and design by simulation. These features include: hardware and software complexity of the RTS, the stochastic nature of the proceeding in the RTS, the processes, the combination of a high rate of change of radio signals with a relatively low rate of information flow. Provides specific ways to facilitate the process of constructing mathematical models of complex radio systems, radio signals and radar interference. A general sequence of steps for creating mathematical model of the radio system and conducting research with the help of the PC.


In order to identify the pathogens of hemorrhagic diarrhea of calves in a farm of Shandong province,stool samples of sick calves were collected.Bacteria were isolated and indentified by bacterial culture,Gram staining,biochemical identification and 16 SrRNA sequence analysis.Virus was isolated by inoculating the samples in MDBK cell and the nucleotides of the virus were amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced.The results showed that the isolated bacteria are E.coli O8,which had multiple drug resistance.The isolated virus is genotype 2bovine viral diarrhea virus.The disease was initially determined by pathogenic E.coli O8 and genotype 2bovine viral diarrhea virus mixed infection.


Background Vancomycin therapeutic guidelines suggest a loading dose of 25–30 mg/kg for seriously ill patients. However, high-quality data to guide the use of loading dose are lacking. Evaluate whether a loading dose 1) achieves a target trough concentration (Cmin) at steady state and 2) improves early clinical responses. Methods Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2 were included. A loading dose of 25 mg/kg vancomycin followed by 15 mg/kg twice daily was compared with traditional dosing. A Cmin sample was obtained before the fifth dose. An early clinical response 48–72 h after the start of therapy and clinical success at end of therapy (EOT) was evaluated in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci, or Enterococcus faecium. This study was conducted between April 2011 and May 2018. Adult patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of ≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 who were treated with vancomycin, and in whom therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) was performed, were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were patients with known hypersensitivity to vancomycin, pregnancy, below the age of 18 years, and body weight of ≥ 100 kg. Retrospective evaluation of the regimen without a loading dose was conducted between April 2011 and December 2015, and the evaluation of the regimen with a loading dose of 25 mg/kg was conducted between January 2016 and May 2018. A maintenance dose of 15 mg/kg every 12 h was administered to both regimens. An initial C min sample was obtained before the fifth dose. Vancomycin concentration was measured using a commercial reagent kit (Vanc Flex; Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Tokyo, Japan). function


Details of a local oscillator distribution system over 110 km of installed fibre with an r.m.s. stability of, 1 ps in 1 second, 2 ps in 1 minute and 4 ps in 10 minutes.


Total cross sections for electron scattering by molecules in the energy range 300 - 5000 eV have been measured with experimental errors of about 3%. The method was based on a transmission-beam technique and a detailed error-source analysis is included. Present results have been compared with available experimental and theoretical data. The dependence on electron energy of the total cross sections obtained shows an asymptotic behaviour, in agreement with the Born - Bethe approximation. In addition, an analytical formula is provided to extrapolate total cross sections to higher energies.


Methods: Extracts were obtained by successive solvent extraction using Soxhlet apparatus. Two doses (200, 400mg/kg) of ethanol and aqueous extracts of Humboldtia vahliana Wight was orally administered for one time to evaluate sleep latency and sleep time in Phenobarbitone Sodium induced sleep in mice, maximum electric shock induced seizure for the assessment of anticonvulsant activity where time duration of various phases in epilepsy were noted. Open field test for antianxiety activity, in which number square crossed with respect to cut off time and in forced swim test, immobility time duration was monitored for antidepressant activity.


This paper introduces the approach of V and Z analysis in solving the transceiver failure for the mix-signal product. It describes the methodology derived from the understanding of low voltage differential signal (LVDS) design at input/output (I/O) buffer. While conventional method of current/voltage (I/V) parametric analysis shows only the diode characteristic, the V and Z analysis is initiated to reveal the key parameters inside the LVDS design of the transceiver. This approach proved its feasibility for the failure analysis/fault isolation (FA/FI) that is sensitive to the fluctuation of voltage and impedance parameters.


Twelve new crystalline products (1–12) presented in the paper are the result of different or similar recognition of N-(4-nitrobenzoyl)-D- and N-(4-nitrobenzoyl)-L-serine by brucine dependent on the solvent used (methanol or ethanol), as well as how the sample for crystallization was prepared. Depending on the temperature at which the samples for crystallization were prepared, racemic resolution of N-(4-nitrobenzoyl)-DL-serine can be efficient or inefficient (4 and 1).


Linear acoustic calculations based on full aerodynamic data as input are presented and compared with measured cases reported by Boxwell et al. (1978). The full aerodynamic data are obtained using three programs giving radial loading, chordwise loading, and chordwise position of transition. It is shown that in the theoretical results the most significant noise source mechanism is due to blade thickness. Thus the conclusions of Boxwell et al. as to the importance of nonlinearities around the blades are upheld. These conclusions concern the width, shape and the level of the acoustic pressure calculated from linear acoustic theory. Some of the approximations involved in the application of acoustic analogy using quadrupole sources are discussed. It is necessary that the near- and far-field problems of rotating blades be treated together as shown for the case of an oscillating sphere.


--Outdoor feeding trials were used to determine gross energy intake, energy assimilation efficiency and metabolizable energy intake of captive adult Cape Vultures (Gyps coprotheres). The mean ash-free dry energy density of daily pooled samples of feces and urine was 14.0 + 0.2 kJ/g. A consistently high mean energy assimilation effidency of 86.2 + 2.7% caused daily energy content of excreta to fluctuate according to the quantity of energy assimilated. Mean gross energy intake was 2926.8 + 349.1 kJ/day and mean metabolizable energy intake was 2552.9 + 300.9 k J/day for birds with changes in body mass of 2% or less between start and end of feeding trials. The daily energy expenditure of a free-living adult, weighing 8.3 kg, was estimated to be 3006 kJ/day (DEE = 826.7 kJ/day x kg06'). Requerimientos de energia del buitre de la especie Gyps coprotheres EXTl•CTO.--Experimentos de alimentaci0n alaire libre, con buitres de la especie Gyps coprotheres en cautividad, fueron realizados para determinar: la cantidad total de energia ingerida en el alimento; la eficiencia en la asimilaci6n de esa energia; y la cantidad de energia ingerida y disponible para el metabolismo. La media de la energia, libre de carb6n de todas las muestras diarias de la combinaci6n de heces y orina, rue de 14.0 + 0.2 kJ/g. La media de la eficiencia de asimilaci6n de energia, que fue consistentemente alta: 86.2 + 2.7%, caus6 que el contenido de energia excretada por dla fluctuara de acuerdo con la cantidad e energia asimilada. La media de la energia total ingerida rue 2926.8 + 349.1 kJ/dla; y la media de la energia ingerida y disponible para el metabolismo fue 2552.9 + 300.9 kJ/dla, para aves con cambios en la masa corporal de 2% 6 menos, entre el comienzo y el fin del experimento. E1 gasto diario de energia de un adulto que vive en libertad, y que pesa 8.3 kg, se estim6 en 3006 kJ/dla (GDE = 826.7 kJ/dla x kg0-6'). [Traducci6n de Eudoxio Paredes-Ruiz] Vultures include some of the heaviest raptorial birds, yet constitute a poorly studied group in bioenergetics research (Komen 1991). Intrinsically difficult to study in the field, bioenergetic research of vultures has only been done under captive conditions, and has mostly been limited to measurements of gross food intake for a few vulture species (Jarvis et al. 1974, Hiraldo 1976, 1983, Houston 1976, Mendelssohn and Leshem 1983, Komen 1991). Like their congeners elsewhere, Cape Vultures (Gyps coprotheres) are scavengers ofungulate carcasses, and, in rural areas which no longer support wild ungulate herbs, scavenge domestic livestock (Mundy 1982, Robertson and Boshoff 1986). Foraging success of adult Cape Vulures is dictated by unpredictable food resources and climatic conditions (Boshoff et al. 1984, Robertson and Boshoff 1986), and, while rearing nestlings, vultures may only forage once every two days (Komen 1991). If we assume that the maximum food intake of Cape Vultures is dictated by stomach and crop caparty (Komen 1986), measurements of daily metabolizable nergy intake for existence, and estimates of daily energy expenditure in this study, provide an indication of energetic constraints on these large raptorial birds while breeding.


Abstract The correlation among multiple lines of business plays an important role in quantifying the uncertainty of loss reserves for insurance portfolios. To accommodate correlation, most multivariate loss-reserving methods focus on the pairwise association between corresponding cells in multiple run-off triangles. However, such practice usually relies on the independence assumption across accident years and ignores the calendar year effects that could affect all open claims simultaneously and induce dependencies among loss triangles. To address this issue, we study a Bayesian log-normal model in the prediction of outstanding claims for dependent lines of business. In addition to the pairwise correlation, our method allows for an explicit examination of the correlation due to common calendar year effects. Further, different specifications of the calendar year trend are considered to reflect valuation actuaries' prior knowledge of claim development. In a case study, we analyze an insurance portfolio of personal and commercial auto lines from a major U.S. property-casualty insurer. It is shown that the incorporation of calendar year effects improves model fit significantly, though it contributes substantively to the predictive variability. The availability of the realizations of predicted claims permits us to perform a retrospective test, which suggests that extra prediction uncertainty is indispensable in modern risk management practices.


ABSTRACT The study investigates the inter-relationship among the different dimensions of organizational culture, for example, group, hierarchical, rational and development. Furthermore, it explores how these four dimensions influence the development of hotel's agility. Perceptual responses collected from 186 hotel managers were analyzed using partial least squares in SmartPLS 2.0.M3. Furthermore, we also tested the robustness of the path coefficients by comparing them with OLS regression coefficients. Findings showed support for most of our hypothesized associations. Group, rational and development cultures are prominent enablers of hotel's agility. Furthermore, rational culture is a prominent enabler for group and development culture. While hierarchical culture was posited as a negative factor for the development of other cultural dimensions and hotel's agility, the path coefficients were insignificant.


The drive unit of this system consists of a constant-speed a-c. motor supplemented by an adjustable-speed d-c. machine of much smaller size. Both rotor and frame of the a-c. motor are mounted on bearings. The d-c. machine is mechanically connected to the frame of the a-c. motor so that the d-c. machine may drive or be driven by the frame. The d-c. machine is electrically connected through a motor-generator set of equivalent rating, to the source of a-c. energy. The shaft speed of the a-c. motor is increased above the fixed speed by rotating the frame of the a-c. motor in the same direction as the rotor, and it is decreased by rotating the frame in the opposite direction. The direction of rotation and speed are governed by adjusting the voltage impressed on the armature of the d-c. drive machine by the generator of the motor-generator set. When the unit is used to drive fans, the speed range is obtained by a combination of armature voltage control and field control of the d-c. drive machine. This permits a still further reduction in the rating of the d-c. drive machine so that for comparatively wide ranges of speed, it forms but a small percentage of the total drive unit rating. Twenty-four units of this type, aggregating 7020 hp., are now being built for Powerton Power Station for driving forced and induced draft fans. This system of fan drive is being installed in preference to the two-speed squirrel-cage type induction motor system previously used, because it shows large savings in energy, costs little more, and provides a simple method of fan control which permits the adoption of a simplified system of automatic combustion control. The versatility of the system is further illustrated by a description of a 2500-hp. unit of this type designed to drive a high-pressure reciprocating boiler feed pump. During the first seven months of 1930, orders were placed for 35 of these units ranging in size from 166-hp. to 2500-hp., aggregating 16,000 hp. for installation in four different power stations.


The choice of student freedom is motivated by both philosophical and practical concerns. Constraining what students can learn can inhibit the development of higher-order knowledge management strategies [11] and even enforce a curriculum that is personally offensive to them [5]. On the other hand certain knowledge and skills are important and there are limits to what a teacher can use to teach specific topics.


Recently, the electrodeless lamp is introduced as a new light source of a high efficacy and long life. Although electrodeless lamp's size is large, most of them is applied to general luminaire for HID lamps. It causes to decrease electrodeless lamp's efficacy. Therefore, refractor luminaires can be an option to maintain efficacy, so that reflector luminaires are developed for such lamps. The purpose of this study is to develope a optical numerical model of planar prism luminaire that is able to obtain various luminous intensity distributions.


How to discover services for users efficiently is the key for the application of the Web service technology. The current semantic-based service discovery methods are of great inconvenience to be used and have much potential improvement for their performance. This paper proposes an information model of registered services that isn′t limited to specific service models and languages and supports semantic-annotation and interface-dependency declaration. Then, a method of service discovery based on bipartite graph matching is proposed that translates the service matchmaking to the problem of extended optimal matching for bipartite graph. It enhances the recall rate and precision as it considers the interface dependency relations within a service in matchmaking. A serial of experiments illustrate the method not only improves its efficiency much, but also has a linear complexity in time consumption to fulfill users′ requests.


The White paper on primary care has now been published and looks set to accelerate further the pace of change. But, with the move towards a commissioning model of managed care, what are the implications for primary care? Western healthcare systems are going through a time of rapid change and these changes will affect all those involved in providing health care. Health systems are facing pressure to spend more as demand for healthcare services increase. As a result, the principle of managed care is being established to contain costs. As managed care develops, so health care professionals will become more accountable for their use oflimited resources. In addition, in the UK, healthcare expenditure is significantly lower than the level of national income would suggest, compared with other countries' expenditures. The pressure on resources appears to be greater in the UK than in other GECD coun. ., tnes." The principles ofcommissioning mean that all general practitioners are commissioners of healthcare, working together with other general practitioners on a locality basis. The process involves a commissioning cycle in which the medical problem and thus the specific health need of the local population is identified before the services are purchased. A strategic approach to the problem is taken that influences the contract specification. An evaluation of health gain is made afterwards, and this influences the need assessment for the next commissioning cycle. Health care is based on


We describe the sonographic diagnosis of ascaris‐induced acute cholecystitis and pancreatitis in a 2‐year‐old girl. Abdominal sonography revealed a grossly distended gallbladder with a thick (0.5‐cm) wall. The common bile duct was dilated to 0.6 cm without sludge or calculi. The pancreas was hypoechoic, with an enlarged, 3.3‐cm pancreatic head. Sonography showed dilatation of the small‐ and large‐bowel loops, with multiple roundworms in duodenal and colonic loops. Sonography has an important role not only in the diagnosis of this uncommon condition but also in the documentation of its unusual etiologic agent. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 29:254–259, 2001.


We identified all patients with breast cancer who were referred to our department for a skin eruption that was later diagnosed as a CLC from February 2018 to October 2019. We collected clinical and epidemiologic data, the type of breast cancer, the treatments received, the time interval between the diagnosis of breast cancer and the appearance of cutaneous lesions. Skin biopsies were done in all cases. Once the diagnosis of CLC was confirmed, we performed an extension assessment in all our patients. The followup of the patients continued through the oncology unit.


Education policy has always been an important component of a country's development agenda, but in the context of globalization and international cooperation, it has taken on even greater significance. With the rise of global interconnectedness, education has become a key factor in a country's ability to compete and succeed in the global economy. At the same time, international cooperation has become increasingly important as countries seek to share best practices, collaborate on common challenges, and promote global values such as democracy and human rights. This article will examine the educational policies of various countries (emphasis on the European Union and the Republic of Moldova) in the context of globalization and international cooperation. The article examines the impact of globalization on educational policy, including the emergence of global educational programs and the integration of technology into education. In addition, the article highlights the importance of international cooperation in the development of education policy, especially in the exchange of best practices and resources between countries.


University education as a learning organization started in Europe in the eleventh century, and one of thefirst universities in Africa was the one in Timbuktu. Fafunwa (1971) has indicated that the 1945 reportsof the Commission on Higher Education in the colonies have shown that since the world wars,Nigerians have always demonstrated an insuppressible desire for higher education because it wasseen as an important weapon against the colonial masters in the quest for emancipation and nationaldevelopment. As early as 1944 therefore, there were already about 10 Nigerians who were studying inSierra Leone at the Fourah Bay College of the University of Durham, about the same time educationalhistorians have reported that there were as many as 150 Nigerians studying for various first degrees inthe United Kingdom.


The finite volume based multi-block RANS code, WAVIS developed at KRISO, is used to simulate the turbulent flow field around the KRISO container ship (KCS) and the modified KRISO tanker (KVLCC2M). The realizable k- turbulence model with a wall function is employed for the turbulence closure. The free surface flow with and without propeller is mainly investigated for the KCS and the double model flow is concerned for the KVLCC2M which is obliquely towed in still water. The computed results are compared with the experimental data provided by CFD Tokyo Workshop 2005 in terms of wave profiles, hull surface pressure and wake distribution with and without propeller for the HCS and wake distribution and hydrodynamic forces and moments with various drift angles for the KVLCC2M.⨍怀܀㔵ㄮ㐶㬙E慲瑨⁳捩湥捥猠☠来潬潧礠


We tried to construct a comprehensive evaluation system on constructive land use intensity from the perspectives of inputs and outputs efficiency,land use structure,strength and trends of land size ,etc. Based on the reality of broadening difficulties of Longnan,with land use changing data and the second land survey data, we applied factor analysis to evaluate the intensive level of constructive land,analyzed its temporal changing trend and spatial differences,also clarified the reasons to provide references for urban land resources intensively use and establishing regional policy. The results showed that: 1) The constructive Land use intensity increased steadily during 2000-2007,the land use patterns were gradually becoming intensive; 2) Intensive level of constructive land of each county was lower,at the same time differences appeared significant. And factors affecting the intensity were various; 3) Hierarchy of land use intensity showed that intensity had strong correlation with regional economic stage.


Dynamic reconfigurable system came in to limelight in the current generation of VLSI design. Till now area, performance, cost and power are the priorities of design engineers overlooking the Multifunctionality of a single system design. Many researchers are focused on digital VLSI system as compared to the analog VLSI system, it is because of digital system is highly atomized and number of testing hardware and software platforms are available Also very few parameter are sensitive to input as compare to the analog system design. In this paper general concept of dynamic reconfiguration for various analog system design and application is illustrate Keywords-Analog, Digital, Reconfigurable FPGA, FPAA, VLSI. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 15-03-2018 Date of acceptance: 30-03-2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Replacement of SMe2 at the pseudo-alkylidyne μ-carbon atom of [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO){μ-C(CN)SMe2}]SO3CF3 by PR2H (PR2 = PEt2, PCyH, PPhH) results in the formation of the phosphonium salts [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO){μ-C(CN)PHR2}]SO3CF3 which upon deprotonation with NEt3 yield the corresponding neutral complexes [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO){μ-C(CN)PR2}]. These μ-(phosphanoalkylidene) complexes have been characterized on the basis of IR, 31P{1H}-, 1H-, and 13C{1H}-NMR spectra and by the X-ray molecular structure of [Fe2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO){μ-C(CN)PEt2}].


PURPOSE: To attain more efficient exclusive control by previously determining a system for managing the updating of a shared memory, and simultaneously with the start of updating processing, transferring exclusive control information to an updating management system. CONSTITUTION: Respective systems HOST1, HOST2 are respectively constituted of user application programs UAP1, UAP2 for accessing a shared data base(DB) C-1, DB accessing parts A-1, A-2 for attaining DB accessing, and DB distriibuting function parts B-1, B-2 for attaining transaction processing applied between plural systems. The HOST 1 is connected to the HOST 2 through a high-speed = bus such as a channel. In this case, a data updating system in the shared memory is previously determined, and simultaneously with the starting of a UAP for updating the shared memory, exclusive control information is transferred to the data updating system to execute the exclusive control of the memory. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio


After reading his first proposition in The Elements, a student inquired of Euclid, what do I get by learning these things?[1, p.357] Today, university students studying mathematics often ask us this question or the close companion question: will I ever use this? The place and prominence of mathematics in everyday life and education have clearly evolved since the time of Euclid. However, the challenge of teaching and engaging students in mathematics remains the same as 2300 years ago! The biannual Delta Conference on the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics and statistics brings together folks passionate about education and student learning from around the globe. Since 1997, the Delta Conference has attracted university mathematicians, educational researchers, tutors, students and teaching support staff to share the joys, struggles, glories, disappointments and successes of teaching mathematics at the tertiary level. Delta also offers a venue for extending our teaching practices and knowledge of student learning through the dissemination of scholarly inquiry and research. This special issue of International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology (iJMEST) features scholarship and research from the Ninth Annual Delta Conference, held in Kiama, Australia in November 2013. The Delta community includes mathematicians ranging from the pure to the applied ends of the mathematics spectrum, educational researchers from primary to higher education, tutors, PhD students and learning support staff. The range of papers comprising this issue exemplifies the diverse experience and knowledge of the Delta community. The authors contributing to this issue, like the attendees of the Delta Conference, come from a host of countries. We know that the unique educational systems of countries influence mathematics teaching and learning. The Delta Conference offers insight into the many similarities that transcend national borders and effect how students learn mathematics at the tertiary level. The international nature of the conference, and this special issue, further expands our understanding and knowledge of teaching and learning of mathematics. The overarching themes in this special issue capture the ever-challenging issues of transition and student motivation, and the teaching of mathematics to non-mathematics majors or 'service units'. Mathematics support programmes and the use of technology are discussed in the context of students with weaker mathematical preparation. Concern for the mathematical preparation of future primary and secondary teachers is also evident along with professional development for current school teachers. Broader themes have emerged at the level of departmental culture and assessment practices in mathematics. The central theme of teaching practices to enhance student learning in mathematics classrooms is the ongoing hallmark of Delta Conferences and this issue of iJMEST. Thus, many articles offer further scholarly insight into teaching practices with the author(s) being both educator and researcher. Martinez-Lauces, and Mofolo-Mbokane, Engelbrecht and Harding, explore the teaching of calculus (solids of revolutions) and algebra


This research is intended to investigate how generative leadership influences sustainable performance in Pakistan's tourist industry, utilizing green passion and green work behavior as mediators. This study gathered data from 343 frontline workers and 120 managers in various Pakistani tourist firms, utilizing a non-probability sampling technique and standardized measurement scales. Employing SPSS PROCESS macros (model 4), this study meticulously scrutinized both the direct and indirect associations among the variables. The results of this study reveal a robust connection between generative leadership and sustainable performance. Furthermore, green passion and green work behavior are found to partially mediate the relationship between generative leadership and sustainable performance. These findings empirically endorse the significance of generative leadership in instituting sustainable practices in the tourism industry, as well as the role that employee attitudes and behaviors play in mediating this relationship. However, it is important to note that this study's scope is limited to the Pakistani context, and further cross-cultural investigations may be needed to generalize these findings. Additionally, practical implications suggest that organizations in the tourism sector can benefit from fostering generative leadership to promote sustainability, offering valuable insights for industry practitioners and policymakers looking to encourage sustainable practices not only within Pakistan's tourism sector but also in similar contexts worldwide.