The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of methanolic extract of Crataegus azarolus (MECA) on the plasma antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress markers in liver and kidney of rats. Albino rats were categorized into four groups. The first group served as the normal control, the second and the third groups were treated with MECA at dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Fourth group (positive group) was treated with 100 mg/kg of vitamin C for 14 consecutive days. The levels of protein, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) activity were assayed in liver and kidney homogenates using standard procedures. The results showed that MECA (100 and 200 mg/kg) caused significant elevation of plasma antioxidant capacity using DPPH radical scavenging activity, whereas only the dose of 200 mg/kg was found to increase significantly the plasma reducing power. Also, the treatment with MECA increased protein level in liver and enhanced the antioxidant status in liver and kidney by reducing MDA level and increasing CAT activity and GSH level. These findings suggest that MECA has significant potential as a natural antioxidant to promote health and to reduce the occurrence or progress of diseases related to oxidative stress.


Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is rare in clinical practice. As its treatment mainly involves surgery, radiotherapy alone is seldom reported in literature. Here we report a case of lowly malignant cranial IMT with intracranial invasion in a female patient. As surgery was not suitable, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was administered. After radiotherapy, the cranial lesions tended to show efficacy.


More than one million patients will manifest colorectal cancer (CRC) this year of which, conservatively, approximately 3% (∼30,700 cases) will have Lynch syndrome (LS), the most common hereditary CRC predisposing syndrome. Each case belongs to a family with clinical needs that require genetic counseling, DNA testing for mismatch repair genes (most frequently MLH1 or MSH2) and screening for CRC. Colonoscopy is mandated, given CRC's proximal occurrence (70–80% proximal to the splenic flexure). Due to its early age of onset (average 45 years of age), colonoscopy needs to start by age 25, and because of its accelerated carcinogenesis, it should be repeated every 1 to 2 years through age 40 and then annually thereafter. Should CRC occur, subtotal colectomy may be necessary, given the marked frequency of synchronous and metachronous CRC. Because 40–60% of female patients will manifest endometrial cancer, tailored management is essential. Additional extracolonic cancers include ovary, stomach, small bowel, pancreas, hepatobiliary tract, upper uroepithelial tract, brain (Turcot variant) and sebaceous adenomas/carcinomas (Muir‐Torre variant). LS explains only 10–25% of familial CRC.


consumer of chilli (Capsicum annum L.) in the world. It is an important spice cum vegetable crop extensively grown in India. It is a rich source of ascorbic acid, capsicin and colouring matter used in pharmaceutical preparation for flavor and purgency. It has a vast potential to be processed into various forms such as sauces, ketchup, oleoresin and dehydration etc. Among them the dry power is the major form, which is largely used by the consumer. Chilli crop suffers from damage due to pests like thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood), aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover), fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hübner), cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon Rott) and mite (Polyphagotarsonamus latus Bank). The reduction in the yield of chilli ranges from 40-70 per cent due to incidence of mites and thrips. Dicofol, ethion and cypermethrin have been recommended to control these pests (Kumar et al., 2001, Amrit Phokela and Vishwanath, 2005 and Rai, et al., 2008). Processing of chilli leads to increase in the concentration of the pesticides in final product. Hence, in view of the possible residue problems posed by these chemicals to the consumers, this study was taken up to find out the magnitude of increase in concentration of these insecticides (processing factor) in processed chilli so as to prescribe the suitable processing factor for chilli.


According to the New Institutional economics, one of the formal institutions that can affect the performance of the industry is the quality of regulations governing the industry. The process of insurance regulatory reforms in the world shows that the system of financial supervision along with the regulatory institution, which is independent from the government's control, can bring about more profit and advantages for the society and develop the insurance industry by applying appropriate monitoring of market, and guaranteeing better quality of insurance services. The main problem this paper seeks to solve is that the regulation quality in the insurance industry has impacts on the development of the industry.
2. Theoretical frame work
Criteria such as qualifications to enter the market, tariff regulatory standards, standards of solvency and technical reserves and the governance of regulator can affect the quality of insurance regulation. Evidence gained from the process of reform of insurance regulation in different countries shows that the financial regulatory system along with independent regulation systems can be more advantageous to society and improve the performance and the growth of insurance industry by making use of appropriate supervision of the market and ensuring the quality of insurance services.
Due to the fact that this system does not harm insurance firms, reduce the probability of regulatory capture, and reduce regulatory compliance costs, it can improve the performance of insurance industry.
3. Methodology
In this paper, we selected ten countries whose development of insurance industry and insurance regulatory quality were evaluated in two groups. The first group consists of five developed countries including the USA, UK, Japan, Germany, and South Korea, and the second group includes five countries with average developmental level, including Turkey, Iran, Mexico, Singapore and Malaysia.
The problem this paper highlights is analyzed using a comparative analysis and econometric models with panel data. Two groups of countries, developed and developing countries are the study sample during 1989 to 2012.The quality of insurance regulation data was collected based on the Insurance Core principles (ICP) and Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), country reports of the IMF, as well as regulatory reforms in the countries during the period the study was being done and the data of insurance development were collected on the basis of insurance penetration.
4. Results and Discussion
The results show that insurance regulation in developed countries has more impacts on insurance industry development than in developing countries. Although the effect was small in all countries of the sample, results suggest that the effect of this institutional variable is incremental.
5. Conclusions and Suggestions
The following suggestions are given about the insurance regulation reforms:
First, the nature of regulation and supervisors must be in a way that is less influenced by politics and government decisions.
Second, the nature of the insurance regulatory and supervisory institutions should be in a way that all stakeholders are involved in the regulation.
Third, good de facto behavior of an official institution for insurance regulation is more important than having well de jure institution in the country.


The utility model relates to a flow adjusting valve for a water injection well of an oil well, and belongs to a valve. A valve core (14) positioned on the center of a valve body (2) is provided with two flow holes (15) with unequal hole diameters in the radical direction of the circumference. A sealing cushion ring (5) is arranged between the valve body (2) and the valve core (14). The utility model has the advantages that the structure is simple, the flow can be directly adjusted under the condition of no stop of the water injection well, and the test time is greatly shortened.


A Fragmented Feminism: The Life and Letters of Anandibai Joshee is the seminal work on social history about the first woman doctor of India, Anandibai Gopal Joshee written by the sociologist Meera Kosambi and Edited by Ram Ramaswamy, Madhavi Kolhatkar and Aban Mukherji. It provides insight into the psychosocial impacts of culture on Indian women through the life of Dr. Anandibai Gopal Joshee, India's first women doctor. The author collected the letters written by Anandibai, newspaper reports on her, her poems in Marathi and rare photographs of her to craft the biography of her life. This book resembles an epistolary style in its narrative quality accompanied by annotations and explanations by the author and Editors. Anandibai, who was graduated in western medicine at America, lived during the nineteenth century pre-independence India where access to basic education was a distant dream. This book stands as a witness to practices of child marriage, physical and emotional abusement on women. (Kosambi, 19) 'In childhood the mind is immature and the body undeveloped. And you know how I acted on these occasions. If I had left, you at that immature age, as you kept on suggesting, what would have happened? (And any number of girls have left their homes because of harassment from mothers-in-law and husbands). I did not do so because I was afraid that my ill-considered behaviour would tarnish my father's honour… And I requested you not to spare me, but to kill me. In out society, for centuries there has been no legal barrier between husband and wives; and if it exists, it works against women! Such being the vase, I had no recourse but to allow you to hit me with chairs and bear it with equanimity. A Hindu woman has not right to utter a word or to advise her husband. On the contrary she has right to allow her husband to do what he wishes and to keep quiet.'


Objectives To investigate the relationship between endogenous androgens and body fat distribution in early and late postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods We enrolled postmenopausal women consisting of an early group (≤5 years since menopause, n = 105) and a late group (≥10 years since menopause, n = 107). Each group was subdivided into normal weight (BMI <24 kg/m2) group, overweight and obese (BMI ≥24 kg/m2) group. Fasting total testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels were measured. Body fat distribution was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results Late postmenopausal women had a higher proportion of body fat than early postmenopausal women. The body fat of the overweight and obese women had a greater tendency to accumulate in the abdomen compared with the normal weight women both in early and late postmenopausal groups. The overweight and obese women had a higher free testosterone (FT) than the normal weight women in early postmenopausal women (P<0.05). In late postmenopausal women, the overweight and obese women had higher DHEA-S levels than normal weight women (P<0.05). No direct relationship was observed between the T levels and body fat distribution both in early and late postmenopausal groups (P>0.05).The FT in early postmenopausal women and the DHEA-S levels in late postmenopausal women correlated positively with the trunk/leg fat ratio (T/L) and the proportion of android fat whereas correlated negatively with the proportion of gynoid fat in the partial correlation and multiple linear regression analyses (all P<0.05). Conclusions Serum T levels do not correlate directly with body fat distribution, the FT in early postmenopausal women and DHEA-S levels in late postmenopausal women correlate positively with abdominal fat accumulation.


From the beginning of 20 th century to the founding of the People's Republic of China,library undertakings of China went through fundamental change from Storage House to modern library.It is divided into three stages:approved stage,absorbed and expressible stage and conformity development stage.


There's a lot of buzz around PLM solutions moving to cloud environments. This video explains cloud options for product development and provides sound advice for IT and business leaders looking to identify value and get started.


This paper presents the lessons learned from a case study about the integration of information systems in the health care sector. The company Triamun developed an ASP software solution for the seamless integration of a variety of different partners. The discussion of the integration project comprises four perspectives: business, processes, application, and technology. The case study contains a description of the company, its e-business strategy, parties involved, e-business software solution, and lessons learned. The case shows how a dominant market player created and implemented an industrywide software solution for an improved electronic data exchange in the healthcare sector. There are, however, limitations to an eventual industry-wide acceptance of the solution especially by players who are not part of the initiator's business network. The analysis shows that existing governance structures were the key to the acceptance of this software solution. The likeliness for other partner to join in remains an open question.


The sustained competitive advantage of a company today requires the management of internal and external knowledge and leveraging it to create innovation. The 21st century is rapidly moving into what is being called the "global knowledge economy," marked by the increased turbulence, uncertainty, and ambiguity of the current economic climate. Managing innovation requires research methods which evaluate: a) the technological abilities, b) the procedures, and c) the needs of a company/organization and propose specific actions for improvements, progress, and development. This paper proposes a process for managing innovation in small to medium size enterprise (SME). In order to support this process, this article elaborates on the innovation management techniques through a directory, which organizes techniques and tools into four generic types and 36 sub categories. Finally, to demonstrate this process a fictitious case example is presented.


The utility model discloses a washing machine with a novel detergent box, which comprises a washing machine body, wherein the detergent box is arranged in a rear end cover of the washing machine body; an opening is arranged at the front end of the detergent box and is communicated with a washing bucket in the washing machine; and the rear end of the detergent box is movably connected with a transparent cover plate which is in an up-down sliding opening type, an outwards-turning opening type or an inwards-turning opening type. According to the washing machine disclosed by the utility model, detergent powder can be added without opening a turning over of the washing machine; meanwhile, a transparent view window is provided, so that a user can clearly see the dissolving process of the detergent powder in the whole washing and water feeding process and the residual condition of the detergent powder; a fresh, clean and convenient washing process is provided; and meanwhile, the appearance structure of the washing machine is improved, thereby the competitiveness of products is effectively improved.


Objective. To determine the outcome of amyloidosis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in a hospital-based series. Methods. Patient registers and amyloidosis biopsy files of the Department of Pediatrics of Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, the main tertiary center for inflammatory joint disorders in children in Finland, were scrutinized from 1976 to the end of 2003 to look for amyloidosis in patients under age 19 years. Medical records were reviewed and patients were interviewed by telephone. The causes of any deaths were obtained from death certificates. Results. Twenty-four patients under age 19 years with biopsy-proven amyloidosis were found. As a sign of renal disease at the time of diagnosis of amyloidosis, 16 patients (67%) had proteinuria, but none had renal insufficiency. The 5-year survival rate of the series was 87.5% (95% CI 75% to 100%), and 10year survival was 75% (54% to 92%). Ten patients (42%) out of the 24 died during a mean followup of 15.4 (range 1.5–27.6) years. The main cause of death was related to JIA in all patients but one. Patients treated with prednisolone alone from the diagnosis of amyloidosis onward had a mortality rate significantly higher than those taking disease modifying antirheumatic drugs and/or cytostatics (p = 0.001). At the end of followup, 14 patients (58%) were alive, 12 with normal renal function (3 of them had undergone renal transplantation), one had renal insufficiency, and one proteinuria. Proteinuria disappeared in 4 patients who were proteinuric (2 with nephrotic syndrome) at baseline, and their renal function remained normal. All the live patients had completed at least the 9 years of compulsory education, and 4 had academic degrees. Two female patients had delivered healthy children. Conclusion. The outcome of JIA-associated amyloidosis is poor. However, renal disease regressed in some patients under vigorous treatment. Successful treatment makes an active life possible for these patients. (First Release Mar 15 2008; J Rheumatol 2008;35:907–12) Key Indexing Terms: JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS AMYLOIDOSIS From the Department of Medicine, North Karelia Central Hospital, Joensuu; Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, Heinola; and Department of Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical School, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. K. Immonen, MD, Department of Medicine, North Karelia Central Hospital; A. Savolainen, MD; H. Kautiainen, MD, Rheumatism Foundation Hospital; M. Hakala, MD, Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, Department of Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical School, University of Tampere. Address reprint requests to Dr. K. Immonen, Department of Medicine, North Karelia Central Hospital, 80210 Joensuu, Finland. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Accepted for publication December 7, 2007. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease in childhood. It is an umbrella concept for a heterogenous group of diseases, with chronic arthritis of unknown cause as the common characteristic. The outcome of the different forms of JIA varies greatly. Until recently, the most common cause of death in Caucasian JIA populations has been amyloidosis1. However, data have been published suggesting decreasing incidence and better prognosis of amyloidosis2-5. According to data from the Finnish National Renal Registry for Kidney Diseases there was no change in the number of new cases proceeding annually to renal replacement therapy [dialysis, renal transplantation (RTP)] due to inflammatory rheumatic disease-associated amyloidosis from 1987 to 2002. Instead, the mean age of patients admitted to the registry has increased significantly (unpublished data). Amyloidosis is a disorder that occurs as a complication of chronic inflammatory disorders. It occurs primarily in lymphoproliferative disorders, or as a complication of a wide range of chronic inflammatory illnesses such as JIA in susceptible individuals2,6. This form is also referred to as AA amyloidosis since the protein subunit of the amyloid fiber is amyloid A (AA). The persistently elevated serum concentration of the fiber precursor protein of amyloid A (SAA) is a prerequisite, but other, mainly unknown, factors are important in amyloidogenesis as well7. AA amyloidosis is practically the only amyloidosis type occurring in children with JIA. Amyloidosis is insidious and progressive, leading from an asymptomatic phase to nephrotic syndrome, kidney failure requiring renal replacement therapy, and finally death. Most often the cause of death is renal failure8, but at times involvement of other organs, e.g., the gut, may be fatal. Our series represents all subjects among roughly 3500 children with JIA seen at the Rheumatism Foundation Hospital (RFH) in the years 1976–2003 who developed amyloidosis before the age of 19 years. Altogether, 24 cases were found. Significantly, we noted that since 1991, no new cases of JIAassociated amyloidosis in childhood or in adolescence have been documented in Finland9. We will describe the prognosis of the 24 patients and the quality of life of the surviving patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS This series comprises patients with JIA according to the ILAR 2001 criteria10, 24 subjects altogether, who were identified in the patient registers and amyloidosis biopsy files of RFH, with amyloidosis diagnosed before the age of 19 years, from 1976 onwards9. The medical histories of most patients (medication, operations, renal function, HLA typing, renal transplants) were checked either in the RFH records, or in those of the treating hospitals. All surviving subjects were interviewed by telephone by one of the authors (AS) for details of marital status, fertility, number of children, type of residence, schooling, employment, other diseases, and joint prostheses. Patients were followed up until death or until the end of 2003. The data were collected in 2004. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the 24 patients are shown in Table 1. The oligoarticular disease type in 3 patients at disease onset changed to polyarticular in 2 patients, and to juvenile spondyloarthropathy in one patient. Two patients had refused medication for JIA: one refused disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD), the other a change from sodium aurothiomalate to cytostatics. At the time of diagnosis of amyloidosis, 19 patients were under 16 years of age, the youngest being 7.5 years old. The indications for searching for amyloidosis in the 24 patients were proteinuria (n = 15), goiter (n = 2), or continuously high disease activity as assessed by clinical condition and C-reactive protein (CRP) (n = 7). SAA concentrations were not measured. All the 24 cases were biopsy-proven, and the diagnoses were based on the demonstration of green birefringence in polarized light after Congo-red staining. Thirty-seven biopsies were performed altogether. The sites biopsied were subcutaneous fat (n = 8), buccal cavity (n = 10), gastrointestinal tract (n = 8), kidney (n = 9), and thyroidea (n = 2). Two or 3 biopsies at different locations were performed for 9 patients. At diagnosis of amyloidosis, 17 patients were taking one DMARD with prednisolone, 2 a combination of DMARD with prednisolone, and 5 patients were taking prednisolone alone (Table 2). Fourteen patients had undergone arthroplasties (2–9 operations per patient) by the end of 2003. The underlying cause of death was determined from death certificates in accord with the internationally established norm. Autopsy had been performed on all except one. Statistical analysis. Results were expressed as mean or median, range or interquartile range (IQR). The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to illustrate the information on the cumulative proportions of survival, and the difference between the groups was tested by a permutation-type log-rank test. The 95% confidence intervals of survival rate were obtained by bias-corrected bootstrapping (5000 replications). RESULTS At the time of the positive biopsy for amyloid, 18 (75%) of the 24 patients had clinical manifestations of amyloidosis, namely renal disorder (n = 16) and goiter (n = 2). Renal disorder.At the time of the verification of amyloidosis, none of the 24 patients had renal insufficiency (Figure 1). There were 16 proteinuric patients, of whom proteinuria cleared completely in 4 (2 with nephrotic syndrome at baseline) and almost completely in one with nephrotic syndrome. Four of them were taking chlorambucil and one methotrexate (MTX) after the documentation of amyloidosis. Three of the 5 have been completely free of proteinuria ever since. Eight patients out of the 24 showed no signs of renal disorder in the beginning, but 2 of the 8 developed renal insufficiency later. Renal biopsy was repeated after 2 to 15 years in 3 proteinuric patients whose proteinuria resolved. Amyloid material was still present in renal tissue in all of them, although initially positive rectal and/or subcutaneous tissue samples had turned negative for amyloid. Seven patients altogether had undergone RTP — including 2 without signs of renal disease at the time of diagnosis of amyloidosis — after a mean of 12.4 (range 4–21) years from the diagnosis of amyloidosis. Four of them died, one during the operation, and 3 others in the course of the following 7 years. Of the transplanted kidneys of the 3, there was an early rejection in one, and one showed amyloid material in biopsy 6 years after RTP, 2 years before death. In the third case, the family did not consent to autopsy, and the kidney had not been biopsied before death. At the end of followup, 14 patients were alive, 12 with normal renal function (3 of them with RTP), one had renal insufficiency and one proteinuria (the initial amount of 10 g/day decreased to 1.5–2 g/day). Hypertension needing treatment was documented in 42% of the live patients, in all but one in the post-biopsy period. Comorbidities.Other disorders among the 24 patients after the diagnosis of amylo


Laser-induced optical damage upon wave-mixing is investigated in single crystals of lithium triborate. Surface and bulk damages appear after simultaneous exposure to intense infrared, green and ultraviolet pulsed laser light. The build-up of a light-induced refractive index lense during the process of sum-frequency generation ( = 1064 nm+ = 532 nm ? = 355 nm) is suggested and we discuss the role of multi-photon absorption processes for the appearance of the damage.


Juliet John, ed. Dickens and Modernity. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2012. Pp. xii + 232. $70.00. 30.00[pounds sterling]. Readers of this journal will remember 2012 as a busy year in which conferences, special issues of journals and books placed the work of the Inimitable in contexts both new and familiar. This particular collection of essays, published as the English Association's Essays and Studies volume for 2012, defines itself "as an academic work of commemoration alongside the public festivities" of Dickens's bicentenary (16). In editing Dickens and Modernity, Juliet John has succeeded in gathering contributions that are "new, interesting and different" (9) and that analyze Dickens from an impressively diverse range of contemporary perspectives, including affect studies, thing theory and queer readings. In a thoughtful introduction, she offers a useful account of the shifting reception of Dickens as both a Victorian and a modern figure. As John notes, with the increasing emphasis on theoretical and cultural studies following Dickens's centenary in 1970, "a simple, Victorian Dickens" has been replaced by "a complex, modern" vision of the author (7). John concedes that the idea of defining Dickens as our contemporary is not new. In 1999, for instance, Anny Sadrin labeled him both "a great Victorian" and "a great precursor of Modernity." Another obvious forerunner of John's Dickens and Modernity is Eileen Gillooly and Deidre David's essay collection Contemporary Dickens (2009) though its focus was on theoretically-informed close readings of late Dickens. One benefit of John's collection is its attention to Dickens's earlier and more neglected writings and its innovative stress on the "modernity" of texts more often associated with the cheery, "Dickensian" Dickens. Although John's introductory definition of the "nebulous but resonant concept of modernity" could perhaps have been more precisely developed (3), her loose approach aptly reflects not only the "inclusivity, cross-fertilization and expansiveness" of the gathered pieces, but also of the excessiveness and "eclecticism" of Dickens's imagination (9). While resonances and connections link the ten chapters, several seem to be grouped into informal pairs of essays. The first two, for instance, analyze clocks from different perspectives. Jay Clayton's "The Dickens Tape: Affect and Sound Reproduction in The Chimes," an extension of his work on acoustic technologies in Charles Dickens in Cyberspace (2003), considers Dickens's affective use of sound reproduction devices such as "barrel organs, bells, clock chimes, train and factory whistles, theatrical sound effects, telegraph sounders, and more" (20). Clayton's contextualized, resonant discussion focuses largely on Dickens's second Christmas book. To understand Dickens's Christmas philosophy, he argues, we need to listen to the "collective character of the bells' allegory" as much as pay attention to their psychological effect on Trotty Veck (37). In "Dickens, Sexuality and the Body," Holly Furneaux is interested in another Dickensian timepiece: Master Humphrey's Clock. Bringing together Dickens's "fascination with stuff' and his queer interest "in strange bodies and strange things" (41), Furneaux provides an extended close reading of this "bizarre" and "overlooked" text (41, 44). The object of the clock itself is central to her reinterpretation of this early work, which she reads as a "tactile and emotional conduit" between members of Master Humphrey's circle (45). The essay therefore sees Master Humphrey's storytelling brotherhood as an important example "of one of Dickens's many thoroughgoing imaginings of a household not shaped by marital or biological bonds" (56). …


The unsteady fluid mechanics associated with use of a dynamically deforming leading edge airfoil for achieving compressible flow separation control has been experimentally studied. Changing the leading edge curvature at rapid rates dramatically alters the flow vorticity dynamics which is responsible for the many effects observed in the flow.


BACKGROUND
Skeletal mass depletion has been reported to be a prognostic factor for cancer patients. However, special and expensive devices are required to measure skeletal mass, and this is a major reason why skeletal mass is not used extensively for prognostic marker in clinical settings. We developed a new method to measure skeletal mass for use as a prognostic marker using CT images without special and expensive devices. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of skeletal mass as measured by this new method as a prognostic marker for gastrointestinal cancer patients.

METHOD
Patients who died from gastrointestinal cancer between March 2010 and October 2013 were included. We measured the right-sided maximum psoas muscle cross sectional area (MPCA) by using CT images before surgery and after the patients developed a terminal condition. The maximum psoas muscle cross sectional area ratio (MPCA-R) was defined as follows: MPCA-R=MPCA before surgery/MPCA after developing a terminal condition. We evaluated the correlation between MPCA-R and survival.

RESULT
Fifty-nine patients were included. The median survival was 44 days, and MPCA-R was significantly correlated with survival (p=0.001). On receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) to predict 30-day and 90-day survival was 0.710 and 0.748, respectively.

CONCLUSION
MPCA-R is a new and novel prognostic marker for gastrointestinal cancer patients in terminal condition.


A wafer having an abrupt metal-insulator transition is provided to mass-produce wafers with a large diameter by applying heat while using a heater fixed by a plurality of fixing units to a wafer having an abrupt metal-insulator transition wherein the wafer is covered with a thermally opaque layer. An abrupt metal-insulator transition can be performed in a substrate. A metal layer is coated or deposited on the substrate by using paste with good electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. The metal layer includes elements like Li, Be, C, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Ti, Pb, Bi, Po, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, U, Np, Pu and O or a multilayered thin film, alloy or a compound composed of the abovementioned elements.


Introduction:
 Obesity is more prevalent among minorities, increasing the risk for cardio-renal morbidity.

 Hypothesis:
 We explored interactions between race, body mass index (BMI), and the risk of hyperfiltration associated with Obesity Related Glomerulopathy (ORG).

 Methods:
 We created a cohort of women and girls ages 12-21 from the New York Metropolitan area using their longitudinal electronic health records (EHR). Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated in two ways: I) using the standard age recommended formulae, and II) eGFRr -without a race-specific coefficient. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relative contribution of risk factors for ORG associated hyperfiltration, defined by a threshold of ≥135ml/min/1.73m
 2
 .

 Results:
 7315 Black and 15,102 non-Black women and girls were evaluated for kidney function in parallel to body measures. Hyperfiltration was more frequent in Black compared to non-Black individuals when using standard eGFR but was lower after eliminating the race-specific coefficient. Black race was independently associated with hyperfiltration with standard eGFR calculation (OR=3.43, 95% CI 2.95-3.99) but the association was reversed when estimated by eGFRr (OR=0.56, 95% CI 0.45-0.70). Risk of hyperfiltration was higher for Black individuals across all BMI strata with standard eGFR estimates, but when estimated as eGFRr hyperfiltration risk was reduced for overweight (OR =0.70 95% CI 0.54-0.89) and obese (OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.37-0.60) black participants. Simultaneous removal of the race coefficient and adjustment to individual BSA provided the most accurate estimation of GFR compared to creatinine clearance.

 Conclusions:
 Estimated CKD prevalence among Black adolescents and young adults increases following removal of the race coefficient while fewer have evidence of ORG. Removing the race coefficient should be accompanied by adjustment to individual BSA in order to estimate more realistically GFR.


Abstract : Highlights of four years of research are described in four main areas which were investigated. These areas are (1) permethylpolysilanes, (2) polylithium compounds and their polysilicon derivatives, (3) organosilyl radicals, and (4) anionic rearrangements. (Author)


Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancy and has the worst prognosis of all gynecological cancers. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in ovarian cancer development. 9-β-d-Arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine (Fara-A), a nucleotide analog, is frequently used in treating certain types of cancer. However, the effectiveness of Fara-A on ovarian cancer cells is unknown. In this study, we found that Fara-A inhibited VEGF expression in human ovarian cancer cells. Fara-A inhibited VEGF transcriptional activation through hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). HIF-1 is composed of HIF-1α and -1β subunits. Fara-A inhibited expression of HIF-1α but not HIF-1β. Overexpression of HIF-1α reversed Fara-A-inhibited VEGF transcriptional activation. Our results demonstrated that Fara-A inhibited VEGF transcriptional activation through HIF-1α expression. Fara-A partly inhibited HIF-1α mRNA levels. Fara-A blocked the activation of AKT but not of ERK1/2. Overexpression of AKT reversed the Fara-A-inhibited VEGF transcriptional activation, suggesting that Fara-A inhibits VEGF expression via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT signaling. These results demonstrate a new function of Fara-A in inhibiting VEGF and HIF-1α expression and identify a potential molecular mechanism of the regulation.


This thesis proposes a planning methodology for customer-neutral orders in manufacturing companies with a huge product portfolio diversity. This methodology serves as a building block to realize efficient order processing.


Tacrolimus (FK506) is the first drug from the new class of drugs - calcineurin inhibitors. It has a great potential and can change
the current approaches to treatment of different dermatoses. Topical forms of Tacrolimus are activated due to the effect on T-lymphocyte
signal transduction, and they also inhibit gene transcription. As a result, the T-cell response to antigens is alleviated.
Percutaneous absorption of Tacrolimus in affection foci is higher than in healthy skin. Due to this a smaller amount of the drug
is absorbed by the skin as long as the skin is healed. Systemic absorption of Tacrolimus is low in the course of treatment. The
maximum clinical experience has been gained in the field of applying Tacrolimus for treatment of atopic dermatitis. In a number of
clinical studies, 0.03-0.3% Tacrolimus ointment efficiently reduced the severity of symptoms and course of atopic dermatitis in
adults and children. Moreover, topical treatment with Tacrolimus did not involve any substantial toxic effects. The patients most often
complained of local irritations in the area where the ointment was applied, which were transient by nature and did not demand
the drug withdrawal. Today Tacrolimus is a valuable and safer alternative to glucocorticosteroids for treatment of atopic dermatitis.
It can also be used for treating other dermatoses, which demands additional all-round examination.


In order to calculate 3-dimensional Ising model, we develop a method to build a much smaller transfer matrix containing the largest eigenvalue from the original 2 N 1 N 2 ×2 N 1 N 2 matrix V 1 . Firstly, the transfer matrix V 1 is written as the linear combination of several basic vectors. Secondly, we divide the basic vectors into several subgroups. The multiplication of a basic vector and V 1 can be written as the linear combination of basic vectors from the same subgroup. Finally, we use a new transfer matrix V 2 to describe the relationship between basic vectors of the same subgroup. V 2 is much smaller than the original transfer matrix and contains the largest eigenvalue of V 1 . We use this method to calculate the specific heat per atom C pa and the magnetic momentum per atom M pa . The results show that there exists a pair of temperature and magnetic field intensity where the specific heat gets to its maximum value. When N 1 N 2 increases, the maximum value of specific heat becomes larger.


Submitted for the MAR05 Meeting of The American Physical Society Effective potential for Folding Protein with Both Alpha and Beta Structures NAN-YOW CHEN, CHUNG-YU MOU, Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C., ZHENG-YAO SU, National Center for High-performance Computing, Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C. — A coarsegrained off-lattice model that can fold proteins with both helix and sheet structures is proposed. To predict the native structure in a reasonable time, the model has included the essential effects of water in an unbiased effective potential. Two new ingredients, the dipole-dipole interaction and the local hydrophobic interaction, are introduced and are shown to be as crucial as the hydrogen bonding. The model allows successful folding of both helix and sheet structures for a number of proteins and may have provided important hints to the study of protein folding. Nan-Yow Chen Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan, R. O. C. Date submitted: 29 Nov 2004 Electronic form version 1.4


Can, or should, archaeologists adopt the mantle of the public intellectual and bring archaeology to bear on contemporary issues within divided societies? The line between the archaeologist and the citizen is never clear-cut. How do we balance the recognition that our knowledge and expertise allow us to exert influence with the necessity to act as responsible members of our own societies? I define a public intellectual as one who is not afraid to step outside professional circles and comfort zones and to engage, challenge and comment on issues of broad relevance in the present. Employing Northern Ireland as a case study, I argue that archaeologists have a responsibility to provide leadership and commentary regarding the fraught relationship between past and present.


This paper presents a new methodology that provides the analysis of surface texture changes in areas adjacent to the volcano and its impact product of volcanic activity. To do this, algorithms from digital image processing such as the co-occurrence matrix and the wavelet transform are used. These methods are working on images taken by the Landsat satellite platform sensor 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM + sensor, and implemented with the purpose of evaluating superficial changes that can warn of surface movements of the volcano. The results were evaluated by similarity metrics for grayscale images, and validated in two different scenarios that have the same type of eruption, but differ, essentially, in climate and vegetation. Finally, the proposed algorithm is presented, setting the parameters and constraints for implementation and use.


Preventive geriatrics is not an oxymoron. It is, however, a challenging area of medicine for many reasons. (1) How can guidelines for prevention take into account the variability seen among older persons? (2) How can preventive geriatrics balance the dichotomy between the treatment of populations and the treatment of the individual? (3) How can clinicians handle the unclear areas or 'grey zones' of preventive geriatrics? (4) Does early detection or case finding equate with better outcomes? To deal with these questions, this chapter presents a model of preventive geriatrics called the Health Maintenance Clinical Glidepath, which is primarily for office-based practices. It addresses screening for geriatric specific areas (e.g. cognition, gait and balance) and also screening for common medical illnesses and diseases (e.g. certain cancers, heart disease).


We have investigated electronic transport of few-layer graphene (FLG) connected to superconducting electrodes. The device is prepared by mechanical exfoliation of graphite. A small mesa of FLG is connected to two tungsten electrodes, separated by 2.5 μm, grown by focused ion beam. Whereas the tungsten electrodes are superconducting below 4 K, the proximity effect in FLG develops below 1 K, and is characterized by a factor 2 differential resistance drop at low bias. We find multiple Andreev reflection peaks at voltages corresponding to submultiples of 2Δ/e (with Δ the superconducting gap of the electrodes), which persist up to fields of a few tesla.


The article touches upon a complicated and interesting problem of symbolism and allegorical imagery in the paintings of a great Dutch master of the XVI century — H. Bosch. The article suggests a possible interpretation of one of the symbols — a toad, depicted several times on the inner panels of the altar triptychs The Garden of the Earthly Delights and The Temptation of St. Antony. The interpretation is based on the data contained in the investigatory papers on the Inquisition which may be found in a book by J.-A. Llorente, Histoire critique de L'Inquisition d'Espagne, Paris, 1817.


This paper reports prices for aggregations of lumber grades that are representative of the quality and volume of lumber produced from small-diameter timber stands in the Intermountain West area encompassing Idaho and Montana and land east of the Cascade Mountain range in Oregon and Washington. Price data are reported for Douglas Fir–Larch, Hem–Fir, ponderosa pine, and lodgepole pine. Forest managers can use the grade aggregations in conjunction with the Financial Evaluation of Ecosystem Management Activities (FEEMA) software to evaluate silvicultural treatments for small-diameter timber stands.


The author shows that the cultural and creative industries (hereinafter-CCI) – valuable sector of the economy, a source of economic growth, especially EU exports, profitability. The existence of a colossally branched and multilevel support for the export of CCI has been established. It is shown that in the history of the EU there are about a dozen all-Union programs to support the creative sector. Various events, a number of tools and programs to stimulate the export of products of this segment of the economy for the EU countries, European world-famous companies of the creative sector are highlighted. The structure of the export European creative industry is analyzed, the classification of export promotion strategies used by them is carried out. This analysis allows us to identify the key tools used by the EU countries to stimulate the export of creative goods and services: consulting and analytical assistance in the field of foreign trade, credit and fiscal instruments to stimulate exports, grant and infrastructure support, matching the wording of clusters and network development of creative industries in different countries. It is emphasized that today the EU countries are working very carefully to improve the tax and labor policies for the implementation of business in the creative industries; the formation of a system of interaction between the creative industries with other sectors of the economy; the creation of creative hubs that would provide communication between cultural organizations and creative industries; overcoming the communication barrier between authorities and the public; conducting permanent and objective research in the field of culture. It is considered that significant state support is directed to the creative economy in the EU, which is manifested through procurement activity, implementation of financial and tax benefits, subsidies and promotion of employment in this sector. An analysis of selected us export strategies for creative industries in EU countries allows you to define a number of tools that are commonly used to promote exports of products in this segment of the economy.


Abstract Effects of welding parameters such as welding current, voltage and travel speed on the tensile strength of weld metal in flux cored arc welding were studied. The results were interpreted in terms of chemical composition and microstructural change in the weld metal. When heat input was increased to 2˙1 kJ mm–1 by increasing welding current, the tensile strength of the weld metal increased. However, the tensile strength of the weld metal decreased when heat input was increased from 2˙1 to 4˙5 kJ mm–1 by reducing travel speed or by increasing voltage. It showed that when heat input is higher than 2˙1 kJ mm–1 the decrease in tensile strength was related with the microstructural change. However, when heat input is lower than 2˙1 kJ mm–1 the increase in tensile strength was hardly related with the microstructural change. As Pcm value in the weld metal increases in the heat input up to 2˙1 kJ mm–1, it is believed that Pcm value has more powerful effect than microstructure in the heat input range. It showed that variation of the welding parameter resulted in different recoveries of the alloying elements in the wire. The recoveries increased with an increase in welding current and/or travel speed, but they decreased with an increase in voltage. The effects of welding parameters on the recoveries were rationalised with the time available for the reaction with oxygen during welding.


Abstract Pediatric low-grade gliomas (pLGGs) are the most frequent brain tumors in children and comprise a heterogeneous group of tumors with different locations, histologic subtypes, ages at presentation, and clinical behavior. Tumors frequently respond to treatment with chemotherapy or surgical removal, but they can regrow after a period of quiescence, requiring further therapy. Thus, a deeper understanding of the molecular processes involved in these tumors is required to develop therapeutic strategies that are effective against their disease mechanisms. To better understand the cellular behaviors of this heterogenous group of tumors, we have employed single-cell and single-nuclei RNA sequencing technologies to analyze a large-scale dataset (>250,000 cells) of pLGGs. Analysis of this data identified a heterogenous population of cell types and cell states, detecting mature and progenitor-like astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, as well as cells exhibiting senescence or cycling programs. Moreover, we identify a significant immune infiltrate, comprised primarily of microglia. In addition to heterogeneity within pLGG tumors, heterogeneity between LGG subtypes represents another layer that stratifies pLGG biology. We performed a compositional analysis of the cell types present in these tumors and compared transcription signatures and gene expression programs across shared cellular populations of histologically and genetically distinct pLGGs. Finally, we optimized our integration and batch correction analyses by using external 293T cells as spike in controls during our single-cell and single-nuclei data generation steps to determine the most suitable method for batch-effect removal. Our analysis of human pLGGs at the single-cell and single-nuclei resolution provides critical insight into the heterogenous biological activities that constitute these tumors.


Abstract : CHARTS OF AVERAGE TERRAIN HEIGHTS AT 1-DEGREE LATITUDE-LONGITUDE INTERSECTIONS OVER THE ENTIRE EARTH ARE PRESENTED. THESE ARE DEEMED USEFUL TO NUMERICAL FORECASTERS AS WELL AS SYNOPTIC METEOROLOGISTS FOR STUDIES OF RELATIVELY SMALLSCALE METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA (SUCH AS, CYCLONES, MOUNTAIN WAVES, AND CERTAIN MICROMETEOROLOGICAL PROBLEMS).


Abstract Background Post-operative platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard of care for resected NSCLC with nodal involvement. Expression of genes involved in DNA repair may have a prognostic role for the outcome. BRCA1 plays an important role in DNA repair pathways and could have a prognostic impact in this setting. The SCAT trial results found that for low BRCA1 levels subgroup Cis-Gem was superior to Cis-Doc and in high BRCA1 subgroup docetaxel single agent without platinum achieved similar survival to Cis-Doc. Risk of recurrence analysis according BRCA-1 levels has been performed. Methods From Jun/2007 to May/2013 591 patients were screened and 500 were included, 108 in the control arm treated with Cis-Docetaxel and 392 in the experimental arms treated with Cis-Gem, Cis-Doc or docetaxel alone according to terciles of BRCA1 expression level. With a cut-off September 30th 2018 and a median follow-up of 60 months, recurrence patterns were analysed for the whole group according BRCA1 levels in tumor tissue and comparison were made for risk of recurrence, single/multiple recurrence, thoracic/extrathoracic and metastatic sites (liver, bone, brain). Results Cumulative recurrence was evaluable in 232/456 patients (50.8%), 182/354 patients treated in the experimental arm and in 50/102 patients treated in the control arm (RR 1.04; 0.83-1.30) (p = 0.672). The majority of recurrences 159/232 (68.5%) were single site intrathoracic recurrences in 121/232 (52%) while 111/232 were extrathoracic (47.8%). Overall recurrence was 56.5% (113/200 p) for low tercile BRCA1 vs 48.8% (63/129) for intermediate tercile vs 44% (56/127) for high tercile (p = 0.025). No differences were seen between tercile groups for single site (p = 0.35), multiple site (p = 0.26), intrathoracic (p = 0.36), or extrathoracic (p = 0.38). More frequent distant metastatic sites were: bone (42 patients), brain (38 patients) and liver (11 patients). RIsk reduction was seen for brain metastases in patients with higher tercile BRCA1 (p = 0.003). Conclusions For NSCLC resected patients with lymph node involvement risk of recurrence remains high with a cumulative rate > 50%. Relative risk of recurrence was lower for tumors with higher BRCA1 levels. Distant metastases were seen in 47.8% of patients. Brain metastases risk was significant lower for patients with low BRCA1 expression. BRCA1 levels acts as a prognostic factor in early stages NSCLC. Clinical trial identification EudraCT: 2007-000067-15; NCT 00478699. Legal entity responsible for the study Spanish Lung Cancer Group - Grupo Espanol Cancer de Pulmon. Funding Sanofi Aventis. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Buddy-strapping is a method of finger splinting that allows protected active movement in situations such as stable phalangeal fractures, undisplaced stable metacarpal fractures and ligamentous interphalangeal joint injuries. We have found buddy-strapping with Tegaderm™ (3M Healthcare, Germany) a transparent adhesive dressing, has a number of advantages over tape. It is simple for patients to self-apply. A full range of movement is possible with full support provided throughout. The dressing is waterproof, easy to clean and does not discolour. Finally, it allows easy inspection and is cosmetically more appealing to patients. We have not found that it stretches.

Figure 1

Buddy-strapping of the little and ring fingers with Tegaderm™. This particular patient had a stable fracture of her little finger metacarpal.


The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness, relative advantage, and continuous usage of mobile payment e-wallet users. The research method used is a survey of 200 mobile payment e-wallet users in Bandung (Indonesia). This type of research uses quantitative so that a questionnaire is used to collect data and information from respondents. The data obtained were processed through SmartPLS by testing the Inner and Outer models and testing the research hypotheses. The results of data processing convey that perceived usefulness has a direct relationship with continuous usage but is not able to influence it properly. On the other hand, it is known that perceived usefulness is positively related and able to affect the relative advantage of mobile payment e-wallets. Another finding was conveyed that there was good support from a direct relative advantage in increasing continuous usage of mobile payment. This research has benefits for companies as mobile payment service providers, where there is user behavior that is able to continue to be developed through understanding perceived usefulness.


Intensive research work has been carried out in order to develop industrially available HTS REBCO-coated conductors under the NEDO project in Japan. Recently, several groups in the project succeeded in the development of high performance coated conductors. Their characteristic features have been evaluated in terms of mechanical properties and their influence on critical currents. The mechanical properties at RT and 77 K were analyzed on the basis of the rule of mixtures. The force-free strain (Aff) was analytically deduced, which indicates the strain at which the residual stress exerted on the superconducting layer becomes zero. Tensile strain dependence on critical currents could be divided into elastic and brittle regions. The reversible strain limit (Arev) was defined as a strain at which the critical current recovers elastically to the level of 99% Ico. Within the elastic region, the critical current showed a convex strain dependence, which is explained as Ekin's intrinsic strain effect. The degradation beyond the reversible strain limit was attributed to a fracture of the superconducting layer. As a whole, the present study made clear quantitatively the tensile strain behavior of critical currents and proposed a reasonable definition for the reversible strain limit.


Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is an uncommonly performed interventional procedure. However, it is essential in the management of patients with primary aldosteronism and several other rare hormonal disorders. AVS can be technically challenging, largely from difficulty with right adrenal vein catheterization. Recently described technical modifications have improved the likelihood of successful sampling in every case. This paper highlights the author's approach to patient selection and step-by-step details of his technique.


The value is a core problem related to the validity of university existence. However, in the argumentation of traditional philosophy, neither epistemological nor political theories pay attention to the fountain of university value, which basically use a "validity" as the basis of value theory and base the university value on "interest" and "demand" which are not the category of "existence"and "noumenon" but should be the rather original basis of value that the existence of university seeks. Human survival provides us with the basis of university value. Only established in human survival can university realize the regression of fountain of university value.


Purpose: To determine the effect of background tissue thermal conductivity on RF ablation heating using ex vivo agar phantoms and computer modelling. Method: Two-compartment cylindrical agar phantom models (5% agar, 5% NaCl, 3% sucrose) were constructed. These included a standardized inner compartment (2 cm diameter, 4 cm length, 0.25% agar) representing a tumour, surrounded by an outer compartment representing background tissue. The thermal conductivity of the outer compartment was varied from 0.48 W m−1°C (normal liver) to 0.23 W m−1°C (fat) by adding a fat-saturated oil-based solute (10–90%) to the agar. RF ablation was applied at 2000 mA current for 2 min. Temperatures were recorded up to 4 cm from the electrode tip at 1 cm intervals. Subsequently, a 2-D finite element computer model was used to simulate RF ablation of 2–24 min duration for tumours measuring 2–4 cm in diameter surrounded by tissues of different thermal conductivity with the presence or absence of perfusion (0–5 kg m−3 s−1) (n = 44). A comparison of results was performed. Results: In agar phantoms, the amount of fat in the background tissue correlated with thermal conductivity as a negative exponential function (r2 = 0.98). Significantly increased temperatures were observed at the edge of the inner compartment (1 cm from the electrode tip) as the fat content of the outer compartment increased (p < 0.01). Thus, temperatures at 2 min measured 31.5 ± 2.2°C vs 45.1 ± 3.1°C for thermal conductivities of 0.46 W m−1°C (10% fat) and 0.23 W m−1°C (90% fat), respectively. On the other hand, higher levels of fat led to lower temperature increases in the background compartment (0.2 ± 0.3°C for 90% fat vs. 1.1 ± 0.05°C for 10% fat, p < 0.05). Phantom thermal heating patterns correlated extremely well with computer modelling (r2 = 0.93), demonstrating that background tissues with low thermal conductivity increase heating within the central tumour, particularly for longer durations of RF ablation and in smaller tumours. Furthermore, computer modelling demonstrated that increases in temperature at the tumour margin for background tissues of lower thermal conductivity persisted in the presence of perfusion, with a clinically relevant 4.5°C difference between background thermal conductivities of fat and soft tissue for a 3 cm tumour with perfusion of 2 kg m−3 s−1, treated for 12 min. Conclusion: Lower thermal conductivity of background tissues significantly increases temperatures within a defined ablation target. These findings provide insight into the 'oven effect' (i.e. increased heating efficacy for tumours surrounded by cirrhotic liver or fat) and highlight the importance of both the tumour and the surrounding tissue characteristics when contemplating RF ablation efficacy.


In French public schools, the project of teaching about religions is being made possible thanks to various recent ministerial reports and pedagogical reforms. The latter put an emphasis on positive liberty, because they contain the view that pupils should commit to a way of self-realization. On the contrary, Polish laws on textbooks put an emphasis on negative liberty. This article is an attempt to evaluate the advantages and limits of enhancing each of these kinds of liberty, as far as pupils' own freedom to believe or not to believe is concerned.


The response surface methodology based on single factor experiments and Box-Behnken design principle was used to optimize processing parameters of ultrasonic-assisted extraction for pigments from Physalis alkekengi L.Results showed that the optimal processing conditions of extraction were liquid/material ratio of 7:1(mL/g),ultrasonic power of 160 W,ultrasonic temperature of 41 ℃,and ultrasonic time of 53 min.Under these conditions the pigment yield was 2.68%.


Migration of autoreactive B cells to target tissues and the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) is an important step in end-organ damage in autoimmune disease. TLSs are thought to be the main site of autoantibody production by autoreactive B cells, leading to immune complex formation and deposition in the affected organ. The formation of TLS was reported to be dependent on B cells as well as chemokines like CXCL13. Hence it is of importance to understand the migratory behavior of autoreactive B cells to these sites and how it is regulated. The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL was shown to play a role in the migration of cancer cells and expression of AXL in cancer cells is usually associated with worse prognoses. We found that AXL expression on B cells is highly induced by crosslinking of the B cell receptor (BCR) and not by TLR ligation as in dendritic cells and macrophages. Intriguingly, co-engagement of TLR9 together with the BCR inhibits AXL upregulation. This is unique to TLR9 and does not occur following co-engagement with other TLRs. Furthermore, we have found that AXL deficient B cells have a diminished potential to migrate in response to the B cell chemokine CXCL13. Also, in the pristane induced model of SLE, mice with AXL deficient B cells have lower numbers of TLS in the peritoneum compared to mice with AXL sufficient B cells, further supporting a role of AXL in the migration of B cells. Our data suggests that TLR9 plays an important role in suppressing AXL expression and the concurrent inhibition of B cell migration to TLS. Our studies have the potential to identify a novel and pharmacologically tractable mechanism for restricting the migration of autoreactive B cells and ensuing tissue damage.


Purpose: Ageing is a process of physical, psychological and social change through multidimensional aspects, both Vagbhata&Sharngadhara have described decade wise ageing process where one particular vitality is being lost by each decay of lifespan.Rasa Vagbhata has also mentioned Pantha (excessive walking) and Manas Pratikulata (unfavorable condition to mind) as specific causes of AkalajaJara in each decade of life. Old age is a stage of Dhatu Kshaya (due to Kala Prabhava) where the destructive (Hrasa) phenomenon occurs due to Rukshadi Gunas ofVata Dosha. The strategies mentioned in Svastha Catuṣka Of Charakasamhita helps to achieve and maintain Arogya and Taruṇya, ruling out the principle of 'Shiryate Iti Shariram'. Ayurvedaadvocates an excellent approach Abhyanga, whichis a unique therapeutic methodology to delay ageing and to minimize the intensity of problems occurring in this degenerative phase of one's life. Aim: To review the literature regarding prophylactic effect of Abhyanga in graceful aging. Material & Method: Information was extracted and documented from relevant Ayurvedic and Modern literatures &online published research articles. Result & Conclusion: Ayurveda reckons Abhyanga as a daily regimen owing to its univocal properties like Jaraapaha, Pushtirit (nourishing), Shramahara, Drishtrikara, Prasadkara, Ayu-pushtikara (prolonging age), Swapnakara, Vata shamaka. It is mentioned that Abhyanga should at least be done to the head, ears and feet regularly. Old age people experiencing physical, mental and emotional stress that can contribute to feeling of emotionally disconnected with each other, and from the world. This ancient regimen include the "Art of Self Love" that can heal and manage human physiological disconnections.Geriatric massage encompasses basic relaxation, stress relief and is also a beneficial tool in fighting many of the symptoms of aging. The chief aim of geriatrics is to "Add life to years" rather than "years to life."


This report covers the installation of two Self-Restoring Barrier (SERB) guardrails on Interstate-5 south of Ashland Oregon. The SERB design was developed to reduce repair cost and increase safety when compared to conventional barriers. This is accomplished by a design that allows the rail to deflect up and back on impact. This allows the vehicle to be redirected smoothly and minimizes rail damage. The installations were performed by contract and all work was inspected by Oregon Department of Transportation personnel. The contractor did not have any major problems with the installation but found the SERB rail to be heavy and cumbersome to work with. Ongoing evaluation will determine the cost-effectiveness and safety of the design. Part of the cost issue is concerned with the ease and cost of repair. As a preliminary evaluation, it appears that the internal splice design will make the rail difficult to repair. The manufacturer (SYRO Steel) recommends that future installations use a "lap-splice" design to improve the SERB's repairability.


Knowledge of the diversity and abundance of vertebrates in relatively undisturbed oak woodlands could be used as a baseline for evaluating natural and human-caused perturbations. High numbers of terrestrial vertebrates were found in well-structured oak woodland at a study site in the Central Coast region. Within classes of terrestrial vertebrates, woodrats, dark-eyed juncos and slender salamanders exhibited the strongest habitat associations. Dense oak woodlands with shrubby understory and downed woody material supported the greatest numbers of vertebrate fauna.


This paper presents the utilization of rice husk ash (RHA) as sand replacement and polypropylene mega-mesh 55 (PMM) as fiber reinforcement in foamed concrete. High pozzolanic reaction and the ability to become filler make RHA as a strategic material to enhance the strength and durability of foamed concrete. Furthermore, the presence of PMM optimizes the toughness of foamed concrete in resisting shrinkage and cracking. In this experimental study, cube and cylinder specimens were prepared for the compression and splitting-tensile tests. Meanwhile, notched beam specimens were cast for the three-point bending test. It was found that 40% RHA and 9kg/m3 PMM contribute to the highest strength and fracture energy. The compressive, tensile and flexural strengths are 32MPa, 2.88MPa and 6.68MPa respectively, while the fracture energy achieves 42.19N/m. The results indicate high potential of RHA and PMM in enhancing the mechanical properties of foamed concrete.


Self-limiting electrosurgical return electrode for use in electrosurgical procedures is disclosed. Return electrode includes a conductive element and a pad disposed on both sides of the conductive elements. Conductive elements, in combination with the pad optionally configured to limit the density of the current proceeds from the patient to the return electrode. Conducting element and the pad cooperate to define two separate working surfaces on both sides of the return electrode. Return electrode also without the need to adjust the power set value of the electrosurgical generator, it may also be safely used in any size of the patient substantially.


For decades, provisions of Belgian social criminal law were scattered among various pieces of social legislation. When the Social Criminal Code was implemented in June 2010, these provisions were made into a new, coherent system, meant to improve the readability of social criminal law, consequently precluding errors and legal uncertainties. Today, knowledge of social criminal law is key not only nationally speaking, but more and more in a cross-border, European context as well. Opening up the social criminal law framework in Europe and spreading information about the different social criminal law provisions within the European Union Member States, is one of the fundamental objectives of IRIS│international research institute on social fraud at Ghent University. Our research institute therefore considered it an important task to make the Belgian social criminal legal framework accessible to a broader public by making an English translation of the Social Criminal Code.


The invention discloses a method for breaking the cell wall of chilli by using cellulase, and provides a novel method for breaking the cell wall of the chilli to extract capsaicine. The method comprises the following steps of: purchasing fresh chilli from the market, removing seeds, airing, grinding, sieving with a screen of 80 meshes, and putting into a brown bottle for later use; preparing 100ml of acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer solution with the pH of 5.4, adding 10g of chilli powder and 75mg of cellulase, putting into a constant-temperature shake incubator, and culturing for three hours; and performing centrifugal separation on the obtained solution to remove supernatant, drying in a drying oven, extracting the obtained product by using acetone, concentrating extract by using a rotary evaporator, recovering the acetone serving as a solvent, and drying concentrate in the drying oven to obtain a capsaicine coarse product. The method is simple, convenient to operate, high in yield, pollution-free, and suitable for industrial production.


The paper presents a cointegration model in continuous time, where the linear combinations of the integrated processes are modeled by a multivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. The integrated processes are defined as vector-valued Lévy processes with an additional noise term. Hence, if we observe the process at discrete time points, we obtain a multiple regression model. As an estimator for the regression parameter we use the least squares estimator. We show that it is a consistent estimator and derive its asymptotic behavior. The limit distribution is a ratio of functionals of Brownian motions and stable Lévy processes, whose characteristic triplets have an explicit analytic representation. In particular, we present the Wald and the t-ratio statistic and simulate asymptotic confidence intervals. For the proofs we derive some central limit theorems for multivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes.


Human babesiosis is usually caused by Babesia microti, a tick-transmitted parasite of small mammals. It can also be transmitted by blood transfusion.


The system of the loan reserve for bad debts is universally adopted by the commercial banks to offset the bad debt loss of loans.In view of the difference between China and the advanced countries,China should better the current sysytem and this is one of the important aspects in today's financial system reform.


This supporting document contains the computer software release cover sheet and revision records for the 300 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (TEDF). The previous revision was controlled by CH2M Hill which developed the software. A 7-page listing of the contents of directory C:{backslash}TEDF is contained in this report.


Significant attention has been recently focused on the realization of high precision nano-thermometry using the spin-resonance temperature shift of the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) center in diamond. However, the precise physical origins of the temperature shift is yet to be understood. Here, the shifts of the center's optical and spin resonances are observed and a model is developed that identifies the origin of each shift to be a combination of thermal expansion and electron-phonon interactions. Our results provide new insight into the center's vibronic properties and reveal implications for NV- thermometry.


The invention discloses an electro-acoustic transducer and an audio device. The electro-acoustic transducer comprises a shell, a diaphragm and a motor assembly, wherein the shell has a cavity and comprises a shell upper part and a shell lower part; the diaphragm is arranged in the cavity to divide the cavity into a front cavity and a back cavity; the front cavity is adjacent to the shell upper part and the back cavity is adjacent to the shell lower part; the motor assembly is arranged in the back cavity; the shell comprises a positioning component which is formed therein; the positioning component is used for guiding positioning of the motor assembly when the motor assembly is placed in the cavity. The electro-acoustic transducer and the audio device disclosed by the invention are convenient to assemble and relatively good in stability.


Abstract Quadruped robots are regarded as a new trend in robotics due to their superior gait stability and robustness to disturbances. In recent years, many robotics researchers are making their best efforts to improve the locomotion speed, as well as the stability and robustness, of quadruped robots. The high-speed locomotion creates various challenges in the development of actuators, mechanical design, and control algorithms of the robot. In this paper, a linear actuation system for the high-speed locomotion of a quadruped robot is introduced. The proposed actuator is designed based on the principle of brushed direct-current electric motor systems. The mechanical and electrical properties of the actuation system, such as back-drivability, controllability, and response time, are verified by experimental results. A robotic leg, which is the rear leg of a cheetah-like robot, is designed with the proposed actuator, and is introduced briefly in this paper also.


The capturing properties of nonbridging oxygen hole centers with unpaired electrons /spl equiv/SiO/spl middot/ and hydrogen defects /spl equiv/SiOH in silicon oxide have been studied using the ab initio density-functional method. It was found that the /spl equiv/SiO/spl middot/ defect is an electron trap and should be the responsible candidate for better hardness against radiation for the metal-oxide-semiconductor gate oxide produced by wet oxidation. On the other hand, the /spl equiv/SiOH defect, which was proposed to be an electron or "water trap" in the oxide (A. Hartstein and D. R. Young, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 38, pp. 631, 1981), could not be an electron trap according to the present calculation results.


In this study, the wear behavior of a physical vapor deposition (PVD) AlTiN coated on the titanium alloy was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze input factors, such as load (A), sliding speed (B), and sliding distance (C), while wear mass loss (WML) and coefficient of driction (COF) were considered as the response parameters. The statistical analysis shows that main factors, that is, interaction of AC and pure quadratic terms B2 and C2, have maximum influences on WML. However, COF was highly affected by load, sliding speed, and interaction of AB and quadratic term A2. The present work attempts to carry out empirical modeling to predict output response on WML and COF. Desirability-based optimization technique was employed to obtain minimum WML and COF. Microscopy images of the wear tracks reveal visible grooves and scratches that confirm abrasive wear to be the primary wear mechanism accompanied by adhesive wear. The investigation concluded that AlTiN has better wear resistance properties and can be used to coat titanium implants for biomedical application. The result shows that the minimum WML and COF have been found at applied load 15 N, sliding speed at 0.5 m/s, and sliding distance 500 m.


The study covers the architecture of Kyoto blind and dumb school of the Meiji era, Method of the study was by analyzing, the archives of the Kyoto Prefectural School for the Visually Impaired, the newspapers issued in Kyoto, the documents of Kyoto Prefectural Library and Archives and the letters exchanged by the Kyoto prefecture or the Kyoto city and the Kyoto blind and dumb school. These materials were carefully checked to find related areas. The results from the analysis showed the following 4 aspects. 1. It converted the architectural characteristics of Kan-in and the Kyomei palaces to the Kyoto blind and dumb school. 2. For students living far away from the school, dormitories were built to create and control balance between vocational educational programs. 3. Basic plans and ideas were taken from form of the Bangumi schools and "Explanation of school design chart and design outline"(1895). 4. Deaf-mute and blind students were taught in different classrooms but they shared bathrooms and used the same dining hall.


A comparison between the effects of two colloidal stabilizing methods (electrostatic versus Brownian) on the reversible shear thickening transition in concentrated colloidal suspensions is explored. Five suspensions of monodisperse silica are synthesized via the Stober synthesis and dispersed in an index matched organic solvent to minimize van der Waals interactions. The residual surface charge is neutralized with nitric acid (cHNO3≈0.1 M) resulting in a near hard-sphere interaction that is confirmed by small angle neutron scattering measurements across a range of volume fractions. Rheological measurements demonstrate the effects of neutralization on the low shear and high shear rheology, which show that the onset of shear thickening moves to lower applied shear stresses and scales inversely with particle size cubed, in agreement with theory. Quantitative comparisons of both the low shear viscosity and the critical stress for shear thickening to predictions for hard spheres and literature data demonstrate...


This is the penultimate Issue of LJPC. In August, we will PAUSE to consider a new stage. LJPC started in 2008, the year of the 60th anniversary of the UK National Health Service (NHS) and the 30th anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Alma Ata Declaration. Both the NHS and WHO advocate whole system collaboration for a healthy society. This means much more than medical care. It means integrating multiple efforts to build local health communities, including self-care, shared-care and health promotion, as well as curative medicine. How to practically do this is the question that has dominated LJPC thinking ever since. In the last 10 years, LJPC has published over 300 papers about how to achieve the WHO/NHS vision of community-oriented integrated care and health promotion. Papers have evaluated systems of care and described what health means in complex situations. John Horder, one of the most visionary general practitioners of all time, serialised his autobiography in LJPC. In particular, LJPC has co-produced papers, bringing together many different perspectives to explore wicked problems. London Journal of Primary Care has now outgrown its origins. It has expanded beyond London to become an international, peer-reviewed, PubMed-cited journal. It is a social movement more than a journal. It is concerned with whole society health as well as primary care. So we have chosen to close the journal in its present form and offer what we have learned to others who might want to lead a next stage(s). We think of it as a PAUSE. The LJPC website will remain and the papers will also be available on the RCGP website as well as on PubMed. This Issue reveals the breadth of LJPC interests. It includes: John Ashton's Lecture at Manchester Medical Society on 31st January 2018 reminds us that the NHS was never meant to be the only thing to improve the health of the population, but 'one part only of an attack upon five giant evils: Physical Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness'. [1]. John reminds us that the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 agrees with NHS principles. It underpins WHO strategy for health care


Monitoring the evolution of the state of networks is an important issue to ensure that many applications provide the required quality of service. The first step in network-monitoring systems consists of capturing packets; that is, packets arrive at the system through a network interface card and are placed into system memory. Then, in this first stage, and usually in relation to the operating system, packets are treated and transferred from the capturing buffer to a higher-layer processing, for instance, to be analyzed in the next step of the system. In this work, we focus on the capturing stage. In particular, we focus on a Linux packet-capturing system. We model it as a single server queue. Taking into account that the server can be in charge not only of the capturing process but also of other tasks, we consider that the queue has vacations, i.e., there is some time when the capturing process cannot be carried out. We also assume that the queue has a finite buffer. We consider three different models and present a rigorous analysis of the derived Markov chain of each of the models. We provide standard performance metrics in all cases. We also evaluate the performance of these models in a real packet-capture probe.


This paper describes the use of dielectric spectroscopy to characterise the absorption of water by three different classes of polymeric materials: an elastomer, poly(dimethylsiloxane); a thermoplastic, poly(ether ether ketone); and two composites, polyester and vinyl ester glass fibre reinforced laminates (GRP). Novel approaches have been used to assess water absorption by the elastomer and the GRP and the results are critically assessed. The data for all the materials are discussed in the context of their molecular structures. The applicability and limitations of these dielectric methods for the assessment of water absorption in polymeric materials that have considerably different physical properties is demonstrated.


In Streptomyces lividans, a conditional lethal mechanism was obtained by inactivation of gylB in the glycerol operon. The resulting strain was efficiently counter-selected on glycerol-containing medium but the mutation had no effect on the capacity of the strain to be maintained in non-sterile soil samples and to transfer derivatives of the genetic element pSAM2. However, despite the efficiency of the donor counter-selection system, the transfer of a pSAM2 derivative from S. lividans to indigenous soil bacteria was not detected.


The problem of the rational use of the electric power aimed at the reduction of its cost is a very urgent current issue of the industrial enterprises, along with the issue connected the volume of consumption of fuel and energy resources for preservation of the environment of existence. The solution of this problem primarily requires reasonable planning of power consumption at the industrial enterprises. The actual forecasting methods based on a tendency research in power consumption of industrial years are widely applied. With these methods, only the steady tendencies can be modeled. At the same time, the initial information is set by one realization representing the dependence of the cost of the electric power on time. In this case it is impossible to investigate the concrete influence of economic, technological, and organizational factors on the mode of power consumption and the implementation of the planned decisions.


Those who enter L'Edipo dei Mille. Tragedia dei sensi per uno spettatore
know that they will be blindfolded; it is the single blindfold spettatore who,
led by a small group of actors, will be acting as Oedipus. This way M. Munaro
redirects Sophocles' tragedy to another pattern of Greek ritual drama,
that of Eleusinian Mysteries. In this paper we analyse the most significant
coincidences: both the spettatore and the initiated make a personal choice
which requires certain preliminary rites and which involves a journey in the
dark. The spettatore, as well as the μύστης, lives a true experience that provides
him or her with access to a decisive understanding; furthermore he/
she is guided by an affectionate mystagogus, the angelo. Finally, in both
cases the experience is recognized as a gift, and silence is respected as necessary.


Nigeria like other post-colonial states in Africa greatly suffered and suffocated from the pacification spree of colonialism. It was a most dreadful brutality which distorted and greatly disorganized the cultural bond of the people. All these were systematically orchestrated to achieve an economic objective. In fact, those who set out for colonialist imperialism in Africa and indeed Nigeria, were not engaged in an act of civilization nor the spread of enlightenment spirit. One of the lasting legacies of colonialism in Nigeria is the church. It was the handmaiden of colonialism that softened the mind of the people to embrace the values and ethos of capitalist imperialism. The spread of this consciousness was facilitated by western education. Education became a tool to enter and embrace the world of 'civilization'. This study seeks to examine the role of the church in Nigeria, particularly in Iwhuruohna. It is a qualitative study and data collection relied solely on secondary sources. These include a review of existing literature, journals, magazines and visit to some research institutes like the Centre for Black and African Arts and Culture in Lagos and Claude Ake School of Government in University of Port Harcourt, Choba. It was discovered that contrary to ex isting position, the church has played significant roles in Nigeria and Iwhuruohna, especially in the production of human capital that have immensely facilitated, the development agenda in Iwhuruohna Ethnicity Nationality (IEN). Rt. Rev. V.A. Ogbonna, Bishop of Ikwerre Diocese of the Christ Army Church is one of such products of the church. We, therefore recommend that men like Bishop Ogbonna whose virtues served as building blocks for the development of their area should be emulated and cherished at all times.

https://iiardjournals.org/get/JPSLR/VOL. 9 NO. 1 2023/The Role of the Church.pdf


Compared with the highway bridges, the relatively higher requirement on the safety and comfort of vehicle makes the high-speed railway (HSR) bridges need to present enhanced dynamic performance. To this end, installing a health monitor system (HMS) on selected key HSR bridges has been widely applied. Typically, the HSR takes fully enclosed operation model and its skylight time is very short, which means that it is not easy to operate the acquisition devices and download data on site. However, current HMS usually involves manual operations, which makes it inconvenient to be used for the HSR. Hence, a HMS named DASP-MTS (Data Acquisition and Signal Processing - Monitoring Test System) that integrates the internet, cloud computing (CC) and virtual instrument (VI) techniques, is developed in this study. DASP-MTS can realize data acquisition and transmission automatically. Furthermore, the acquired data can be timely shared with experts from various locations to deal with the unexpected events. The system works in a Browser/Server frame so that users at any places can obtain real-time data and assess the health situation without installing any software. The developed integrated HMS has been applied to the Xijiang high-speed railway arch bridge. Preliminary analysis results are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the DASP-MTS as applied to the HSR bridges. This study will provide a reference to design the HMS for other similar bridges.


A number of health and safety risks are associated with consuming beer. Longrunning programs, like Cheers, present a variety of social beer drinking situations which are important to examine because they provide abundant examples. Using a structuralist approach, this study investigated and identified how beer was naturalized through characters, dialogue, actions, consequences, and settings in one season of Cheers. Three narrative strategies identified were the use of humor, camaraderie, and detoxification.


Self-control and willpower have been found to be resources that can be
drained or depleted through use. This study aims to assess whether self
control and willpower can be drained by timing rock climbers on an
'impossible route' until they give up on the climb. Participants in the test
group (n=8) were given a draining task to reduce levels of self-control and
willpower before climbing. The control group (n=8) were not given the
draining task. Both groups were set a climbing task and were allowed to
climb until the route was completed or they gave up. The times until
participants gave up were compared to establish if those who had been
drained gave up first. However, the time until giving up was not significantly
different between the groups. Therefore, it could be assumed that self
control and willpower are not limited resources or that there are extraneous
variables, such as prior draining before testing taking place, effecting self
control and willpower levels. The overall conclusion was that many factors
effect self-control and willpower and future studies could focus on the
isolation of these factors in regards to self-control and willpower.


The Zeeman effect which causes splitting of atomic lines has been applied in atomic absorption spectroscopy to correct for background absorption. In this study, two aspects of Zeeman background correction were investigated: (i) Fourier analysis of the response of the instruments using a.c. magnetic fields; (ii) application to discharge cells used as atomisers operated at atmospheric pressure.


Abstract The effects of temperature on growth, sporulation, and spore characteristics, and of temperature, hydrogen ion concentration, carbon and nitrogen sources, and C/N ratio on growth and sporulation, have been studied in Pithomyces cynodontis and P. maydicus. The latter species differs from P. chartarum in the response of spore dimensions and septation to growth temperature, in the response of spore number to pH, and in the efficiency of nitrate as a nitrogen source in supporting sporulation.


We present a high resolution, finite-volume Cartesian grid method for simulating potential explosions in nuclear containment structures. The basic method is a Godunov-type method that relies on the solution to non-linear Riemann problems at the interfaces between cells of a uniform Cartesian mesh. We have extended these methods to general quadrilateral and hexahedral adaptively refined grids. Twoand three-dimensional results are presented for a simplified combustion problem in a nuclear containment facility.


This article describes the key principles underpinning human rights legislation in relation to health and social care services. It illustrates how healthcare assistants (HCAs) and assistant practitioners (APs) can take a human rights-based approach in everyday practice.


Optimization methods have long been used for computer-aided optical design. In most cases, the problems to treat are 1D. Furthermore, the number of parameters we can vary is relatively small. Ophthalmic lens design, and in particular progressive addition lens (PAL) design, is quite different from classical optical design. PAL design requires the use of nonsymmetrical diopters defined by geometrical, optical or physiological quantities calculated for each point of the lens by ray-tracing methods. The large number of parameters, the complexity of the cost function and the large number of constraints, require to implement specific descent, optimization and differentiation methods.


Objective To evaluate the effects of reconstructive plates in the treatment of clavicle fractures. Methods The effects of 30 patients with clavicle fractures treated with reconstructive plates from July 1999 to May 2003 were analyzed. Results The follow-up, ranging from five to 13 months, showed that bony union was obtained in all the cases, and that the function of shoulder joints recovered satisfactorily. Conclusion The treatment of clavicle fractures with constructive plates has satisfactory results with good replacement and firm fixation of the shoulder joints. It helps the patients to practise early exercises of shoulder joints.


We designed and fabricated a new half structure accelerator of 12 cells for exploring new fabrication method. The considering of alignment is unnecessary by milling two half of the accelerator separately. The gap between the two halves will damp the wakefield [1]. The frequency of the accelerator is 11.424 GHz, and the phase advance of each cell is 120°. We have fabricated this half-cell accelerator and the RF measurement results are presented. INTRODUCTION The half structure accelerator is a novel manufacturing method proposed by CERN which makes the accelerator much more convenient to assemble and reduces the fabrication cost. The gap between the two halves affects the surface field and 1 mm gap is the result of optimization in Ref [2]. The high precision milling of 3 μm tolerance are used in the fabrication to keep the structure close to the model in CST [3]. The RF measurement results show a good agreement with the simulation, both the electric field distribution and the S11 curve.


The present research was directed at quantifying possible alterations in cornea1 epithelial metabolic activity secondary to in vivo exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Microfluorometric energy metabolite assays on microgram (pg) sized, freeze-dried tissue samples were used as an in vitro means of assessing overall metabolic activity in the epithelium of control rabbit corneas and in the epithelium of UVR-exposed rabbit corneas 2 min after discontinuation of exposure. The specific assays were for glucose, glycogen, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). and phosphocreatine (PCr). The radiant exposures were kept constant at 0.05 J cm-* for all UVR wavelengths utilized (290, 300, 310 and 360 nm). Experimental UVR exposure conditions served to increase epithelial glucose and glycogen concentrations. Although the epithelial ATP concentrations were unchanged, the epithelial PCr concentrations (a high energy phosphate bond reservoir) decreased as a result ol UVR exposure. Overall, the data demonstrate a decrease in cornea1 epithelial metabolic activity, which may be wavelength-dependent. as a result of UVR exposure. It is suggested that immediate metabolic stress can be responsible for the pattern of epithelial cell loss seen in photokeratitis. INTRODUCTION exDosure to UVR. Their finding appears to signify Many investigations into the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR)* on the cornea1 epithelium have concentrated on tiorphological evaluations utilizing the biomicroscope, the light microscope, and/or the electron microscope (Verhoeff and Bell, 1916; Cogan and Kinsey, 1946; Pitts and Tredici, 19971; Ringvold, 1980; 1983). Such studies have provided information concerning the delayed structural changes characteristic of UVR damage that occur 4 to 12 h after exposure. As a result of the histological detection delay, information concerning either immediate or functional effects of UVR cannot be probed by such studies. an immediate effect of UVR upin the sensory neurons subserving the cornea1 epithelium. If such is the case, and knowing that these axons appear deep within the basal cell layer of the cornea1 epithelium and within the anterior stroma, it would be reasonable to assume that there might also be an immediate effect of UVR on the cornea1 epithelium itself. Knowledge of these immediate effects might help reveal the underlying processes or chain of events that eventually cause epithelial cell death and delayed tissue loss characteristic of excessive UVR exposure of the cornea. Delays in structural changes secondary to UVR exposure can imply that there is a similar delay in alteration of tissue function or in metabolic activity. Clinically, this has outwardly been suggested by the presence of a delay or latency in the onset of both the subjective and objective symptoms associated with excessive UVR exposure (i.e. conjunctivitis, erythema, foreign body sensation, photophobia, epiphora. and blepharospasm). However, Millodot and Earlam (1984), in their investigation of this phenomenon, revealed the presence of a period of decreased cornea1 sensitivity immediately following


Objective To understand the infections of HBV HCV HGV TTV in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to study the possibility and prevention of hepatitis transmission by blood in interventional treatment of HCC.Methods HBV DNA was detected by immune PCR and HCV RAN HGV RNA TTV DNA were detected by nest PCR.Results In 30 patients with HCC, the positive rate of HBV DNA 53.3%(16/30) HCV RNA 13.3%(4/30);the dual infectious rate of HBV DNA HCV RNA was 6.7%(2/30) HBV DNA and HGV RNA was 3.3%(1/30) HBV DNA and TTV DNA was 33.3%(10/30)? HCV RNA and TTV DNA was 3.3%(1/30)? HCV RNA and HGV RNA was 3.3%(1/30);the triple infection rate of HBV DNA HCV RNA HGV RNA was 3.3%(1/30).Conclusion HCC is related with hepatitis virus, it is possible to be affected in the interventional treatment of HCC and the prevention is very important.


functions for isolated volumes. The velocities are computed by finite element techniques and the Green functions by means of a geometrical approach. This allows the consideration of complex partitions with various boundary conditions as well as non uniform absorption of the walls. This method has been named GRIM for Green Ray Integral Method, since in former studies the Green function has been computed by means of geometrical methods. A much faster alternative to these computations, also based on decoupled pressure and velocity fields and using a modal approach both for the plate and the Green functions of the volumes, is presented here. Various boundary conditions for the plate can be introduced without significant increase of computation time. A computer program named GAIA has been derived which enables the study of various situations. Finally this program can be interfaced with other models for complex multilayered structures provided that they can be described by equivalent data for simple panels.


Three nonparametric measures of intraclass correlation based on the notion of concordance are considered. Their unbiased estimators and nonparametric tests based on the estimators are studied and it is shown that an analogue of the Kendall's tau provides small variance estimator and relatively powerful test. Furthermore, the approximate variance of the estimator is given when the correlation is small in the normal model.