Intravenous injection of mercury is a rare event. This report describes such a case and reviews the literature on previous incidents. A 26-year-old woman with a personality disorder intravenously injected herself with approximately 8 grams of metallic mercury in a suicide attempt. Physical, radiological, biochemical, and neurophysiologic examinations were carried out. The patient experienced transitory chest discomfort shortly after the injection. Mild inflammatory reaction at the site of injection developed later. Radiologically, mercury particles were shown to be deposited at the injection site, and embolized to the lungs, the right heart, and the splanchnic and the pelvic regions. Highly sensitive neurophysiologic tests revealed subtle changes compatible with an incipient neurotoxic effect of mercury. No other clinical and/or laboratory abnormalities attributable to mercury were observed. No serious mercury-related acute health problems were observed in the patient during two postexposure weeks. The prognosis regarding late mercury-related sequelae is uncertain. Repeated follow-ups aimed especially at pulmonary functions, nefrotoxicity, and neurotoxicity are strongly recommended.


Candidiasis is known to be associated with iron deficiency (Higgs & Wells 1972), hypocalcTmia, and often follows excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics or corticosteroid or immunosuppressive drugs. It also occurs with diabetes mellitus and other endocrinopathies (Kunin et al. 1963). When these associations have been excluded there remain some rarely recognized predisposing conditions with demonstrable deficiencies of Tlymphocyte and/or phagocyte function (see Table


World is by far the most valuable of the three books. The title is flexible enough to accommodate Cavitch's twin interests. Ultimately the "new world" is a Lawrentian psychological construct in which the problems posed by his yearnings for Blutbruderschaft would be resolved: a community of the imagination in which the manly love of comrades could flourish side by side with Birkin's star equilibrium. This may sound like a NeverNever-Land, but Lawrence's wanderings around the world were in part a search for just that place. Cavitch believes that America was the most important way station in this quest. He treats the question of Lawrence and America more persuasively than has any other critic.


As the type of system for unloading the LNG to the floating structure 16 is moored from a tanker (30), the system comprising recovered to heat the LNG to convert the LNG to a gaseous hydrocarbon screen unit 36 and a hydrocarbon gas phase to, for example, is provided with a pump unit 38 for sending out a sobiji (6), such as a shore gas distribution facility. The system separates configured to allow faster loading and unloading oil tankers to be soon touring the tanker is more than up to the pickup location. In the moored floating structure, such as the LNG storage facility is provided with a heat insulation, such as LNG tanks (100), the equipment has a capacity to store the LNG regasification amount that is not during the loading the tanker. The regasification unit has sufficient capacity to recover the screen LNG amount binary received by a chuck of tanker shipment before the tanker is loaded and return to another LNG.


The time-dependent dielectric breakdown of thermally grown SiO2 films in M-O-S structures was studied using standard, PSG and HCl oxides. The time to breakdown was found to decrease exponentially with the increase of applied electric fields. The effect of mobile ion concentration and temperature on time to breakdown was also studied. Peek's law behaviour (Eαt-1/4) was verified for the contaminated samples. Contrary to previous reported results, the devices having comparatively low contamination level have been observed to obey Peek's law. The discrepancy in the result is attributed to the presence of comparatively large quantities of defects in our devices.


By Baljeet Kaur, M.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. Major Director: Shiv N. Khanna, Professor, Department of Physics Theoretical investigation of the structure and stability of neutral and cationic TixOy cluster series (where y =2x-1, 2x, 2x+1) have been performed. The lowest lying structures for the neutral clusters are usually found in the singlet state. Generally, in bulk and in the case of the neutral TixOy clusters, the 2x cluster series is relatively more abundant than the 2x-1 and the 2x+1 cluster series. But in the case of cationic TixOy clusters, the 2x-1 series is more abundant. To understand the origin of the stability of the TixO2x-1 + clusters, we use density functional theory within the NRLMOL set of codes. Different analyzing factors such as ionization potential, TiO2 removal energy, oxygen removal energy, binding energy per atom and HOMO-LUMO gap have been used to examine the relative stability of TixO2x-1 + clusters. After analyzing the above criteria, we find that the ionization potential and HOMOLUMO gap are more reliable, as the low ionization potential of the 2x-1 series generally implies low HOMO-LUMO gap and suggests that the 2x-1 cluster series more likely prefer to remain as cations. To further confirm this, we examine the density of states of Ti3O5 and Ti3O6 which show a larger HOMOHOMO-1 gap in case of Ti3O5, indicating that the cluster would like to lose an electron for enhancing electronic stability.


SI DNEY N. BROWER is currently Chief of Comprehensive Planning with the Baltimore City Department of Planning. He received a Master's degree in city planning from MIT and a Bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). He has published papers in journals of planning, architecture, and landscape architecture, and teaches at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. He is interested in the fit between spatial and symbolic elements in the landscape and user behavior.


The invention concerns a method for extracting acoustic parameters representing a voice signal, comprising: a step which consists in separating data representing a glottal excitation (b0, e1, e2, ..eN) and data representing a vocal tract resonance (a1, a2, ..aP) associated with each voice sample (s) of a voice signal; and a step which consists in estimating (606) in closed loop parameters of a filter associated with the vocal tract resonance. The invention also concerns corresponding devices (102) and a corresponding computer programme product.


FIELD: medical engineering. SUBSTANCE: device has anterior, posterior and perineal part, openings for waist and legs to pass. Anterior absorbing body for collecting urine and posterior absorbing body for holding feces and opening for removing the bodies are on the internal side of the posterior sheet impermeable for liquid. EFFECT: separate treatment of urine and feces; prevented intertrigo manifestations. 25 cl, 35 dwg


By introducing the goals and changesof the EU 2009 edition of "GUIDELINES ON A MEDICAL DEVICES VIGILANCE SYSTEM",to analyse and explain the two signals delivered by the Guidelines.Then it describes the control objects of the Guidelines,the responsibilities of all parties in the Medical Devices Vigilance System,and the top concern problems,by the medical devices manufacturers,such as the report range of medical devices adverse events and the due time of the reports in detail.


Confucius thought that education had two roles for society, the one was to promote the development of common's intelligence, the other was to train persons with ability for the country.The standards of persons with ability should include all of bellow qualities, such as "virtue","intelligence","physique", and "aesthetics".Confucius used "Hexateuch" and "Six skills" as textbooks to teach students in teaching activities, so, this pattern of teaching not only enable students received the edification of culture and arts, but also get the teaching and practice of primary science and technology.The educational thoughts of Confucius has positive meanings to the ultimate solving of problems in the course of China's higher education reform, for example, how to balance the educational equality and the educational efficiency? How to extend the quality education? And how to promote the innovative education?


Multi-crystalline silicon wafers were textured by double chemical treatments,which include acid-alkali and double acid treatments.By using SEM and reflectance spectrum,detailed study of surface morphology and optical properties of different etched surfaces was carried out.The results show that a large number of grain boundary delineation and pinholes will produce when the etching rate is too fast,and the reason is also discussed.And the results of acid-alkali treatment are better than that of double acid treatment.With PECVD AR coating of silicon nitride film,the reflectivity of texturing is reduced to be about 3% in the wavelength of 600~800 nm.Excellent preparation schemes are achieved.


The relevance of the subject of the research is determined by the fact that the problem of the genre differentiation of scientific literature in Latin is poorly explored. The research is based on the fragment of a medical text of the XVI century. The purpose of the research is the analysis of its genre originality. This fragment presents a dialogue – a genre borrowed from the philosophical literary tradition, there are no dialogues among medical essays, that is why the form of this text seems quite unusual. According to the main author's intention, the analyzed dialogue is an informative genre, according to the role of the addressee; it is a didactic and unison dialogue. The main character expresses the author's position; the remarks of the interlocutors perform meta-textual functions. The speech of all the characters in the text contains numerous lexical and grammatical means of dialogization. Imitation of professional dialogue occurs at all levels, starting with the plot and composition. The presentation of rejected opinions, remarks of solidarity, imitation of requests and motives bring into the text the features of informal professional communication: evaluation, phatic and imperative elements. The presence of digressions describing some medical cases from practice and stylistic devices bring this scientific text closer to works of fiction. It is concluded that the author of the fragment skillfully imitates a professional dialogue, he does not neglect his true (informative) purpose and considers the written form in which it will actually be presented to the addressee. Moreover, the reader observes a unique composition, scientific in content and artistic in the form of embodiment.


Aim We assessed the feasibility of telehealth spirometry assessments for children with cystic fibrosis (CF) living in a regional setting. Method Patients with acceptable computer hardware at home were provided with a SpiroUSB (Vyaire) spirometer. Spirometry was performed during 'home admissions' or for ongoing home monitoring in children living outside metropolitan Melbourne. At the end of the session, the family forwarded the data to the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. Results Twenty-two patients aged 7 to 17 years participated, with spirometry successful in 55 of 59 (93%) attempted sessions according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society criteria. The median distance between the subject's home and the hospital was 238 km (range 62–537 km) which equated to a travel time saving of 5 hours and 34 min per hospital visit. Conclusion Home-based telehealth spirometry is feasible in children with CF and can support the CF team during home-based admissions and for ongoing outpatient monitoring.


Abstract Pure cultures of anaerobic bacteria were grown in KCl- and NaCl-treated media, and NaCl was added to alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) inoculated with Clostridium butyricum to determine effects of salt on growth of silage bacteria and fermentation of potentially putrefactive alfalfa silage. Pure cultures of Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus faecium , and C. butyricum were grown in media containing 0, 100, 200, 400, 600, or 1200m M NaCl or KCl. Growth of C. butyricum did not occur with 100m M or higher NaCl and 200m M or higher KCl. Growth of the lactic acid bacteria, although slower compared to no added salt, was evident at all added salt concentrations. Freshly cut, fourth-cutting alfalfa (vegetative stage) was well-mixed and treated with 1) no inoculant and no NaCl, 2) C. butyricum and no NaCl, 3) C. butyricum and NaCl (4g NaCl/100g wet forage), 4) C. butyricum and lactic acid bacteria, or 5) C. butyricum , NaCl, and lactic acid bacteria. Total anaerobes, total N, pH, lactic, acetic, and butyric acids, and ammonia N were measured. Salt (NaCl) inhibited growth of Clostridium and, apparently, epiphytic lactic acid bacteria. Sodium chloride alone added to Clostridium -inoculated alfalfa did not result in a well-preserved silage. Inoculation with lactic acid bacteria was more effective than NaCl in contributing to a well-preserved silage.


The present invention discloses a glove for preparing the die for varying the thickness of the glove and their preparation, object of the present is to solve the conventional X-ray protection for the wall thickness of the glove, and the like prepared from the ordinary impregnation mold, the wall becomes not prepared problem thick gloves. The wall thickness of the glove becomes the die includes a base, an arm portion, a palm portion, a finger portion, a base, an arm portion, a palm portion, the finger portion connected sequentially, the palm portion comprising a palm member connected to the back member palm, and palm member . With this mold to the back part of the preparation can be an effective thickening gloves, so doctors were back under effective protection in advance, to ensure flexibility in other parts of the glove, taking into account the effective protection and use of flexible features, has good prospects . The present invention provides the die can be prepared with variable thickness in the glove, the glove in order to achieve a local thickening of the back, the back of the doctor to meet the demand for protection of the environment interventional surgery.


Grammatical and lexical similarities between languages can help promote adult language learning. However, even when learners are provided with a lot of input in the L2, they may not notice certain similarities and differences between their L1 and the L2 in the classroom if the linguistic structure is not salient. The purpose of this article is to discuss the benefits of making grammatical and lexical comparisons among languages, such as proposed in the EuroCom Project, and the importance of using a Meaning and a Form Focused Instruction with corrective feedback when teaching L3 learners, based on different studies carried out with multilinguals. The more the Brazilian learners of English as a second or third language notice the similarities among English, Spanish and Portuguese, the more advantage they will take of their prior linguistic knowledge, facilitating the L3 learning process.


Nowadays many software development tools support Custom Control type of control,and this kind of control makes the developer control it's display and behavior fully from the most fundamental of windows class.Because of it's flexibility and extensibility,Custom control plays an important role in the circumstance of complex or particular display.This page presents the design methods of Custom Control and usage of RICHEDIT20A as an example.


The international city is a complex phenomenon is a constant state of change. By one estimate, there are now 300 "city-regions" with populations of 1 million or greater and at least 20 city-regions with populations of 10 million or greater. This article examines the phenomenon of the emerging international city by looking at selected examples where cities link transportation with significant redevelopment activities and examining the current and future trends in the redevelopment of the international city. A critical aspect of this examination is an assessment of the sustainability of current and planned transportation, and redevelopment activity under way in international cities.


Alignment and mechanical-stability specifications are essential to the performance of low-emittance storage rings. Beam dynamics simulations are usually performed to establish these specifications. However, the simulation procedures and the input parameters related to magnet positions are not well established which leads to differences in the final specifications. In this paper we discuss important parameters of the mechanical/structural systems of the storage ring that impact on the alignment and stability specification. We reviewed the alignment and stability specifications used at modern light sources across the world that will help to propose an efficient model for a low-emittance upgrade of NSLS-II.


The invention discloses an automatic-assisting walking aiding vehicle device and belongs to the field of walking aiding devices. The automatic-assisting walking aiding vehicle device is composed of a frame, a first self-locking universal wheel, a second self-locking universal wheel, a third self-locking universal wheel, a fourth self-locking universal wheel, a motor, a first hydraulic cylinder, a piston rod, a pressing plate, a lifting rod, a screw, a first rod, a second rod, a third rod, a second hydraulic cylinder and a matching plate. The motor is connected with the first rod through the frame, the third rod is hinged to the front side of the frame, the second hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the third rod, one end of the second rod is hinged to the first rod, and the other end of the second rod is hinged to the second hydraulic cylinder through a matching block. The first self-locking universal wheel, the second self-locking universal wheel, the third self-locking universal wheel and the fourth self-locking universal wheel are installed on the frame and the lower portion of the second hydraulic cylinder. The pressing plate is hinged to the lifting rod and the piston rod, and the first hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the frame. Stair climbing can be achieved through a crank link mechanism, and the screw is used for adjusting the height of the lifting rod. The automatic-assisting walking aiding vehicle device has the advantage that automatic-assisting walking aiding in stair climbing can be achieved.


In this paper, a computationally efficient optimization algorithm for independent vector analysis (IVA) is proposed to accelerate iterative convergence speed and enhance the overdetermined convolutive blind speech separation performance. An iterative projection with adjustment (IPA) is investigated to estimate the unmixing matrix for OverIVA. The IPA algorithm jointly executes the iterative projection (IP) algorithm and the iterative source steering (ISS) algorithm to jointly update one row and one column of the mixing matrix, which can perform computationally-efficient blind source separation. It is achieved by updating one demixing filter and jointly adjusting all the other sources along its current direction. Motivated by its technology superiorities, this paper proposes a modified algorithm for the OverIVA, fully exploiting the computational efficiency of IPA optimization scheme. Experimental results corroborate the proposed OverIVA-IPA algorithm converges faster and performs better than the existing state-of-the-arts algorithms.


The physical and chemical characteristics of wet fly ash from coal gangue-fired power plant in shaanxi were studied by using chemical analysis,laser sizer,XRD,SEM and other techniques.The experimental results showed that the wet gangue fly ash has anomalous particles with 20-70 μm.The chemical composition contains mainly SiO2,Al2O3 and Fe2O3 with more than 70% content.It has lower calcium content and higher ignition loss,meeting the national standard of Ⅲ grade of fly ash.Fly ash consists of porous amorphous phase,carbon grain and a small amount mineral crystal which dominated by quartz,mullite and hematite.In filling and supporting of coal mine,the wet fly ash can be activated by combining with physical and chemical activation and adopting special techniques further.


Abstract The glycopeptides of purified bovine thyrotropic and luteinizing (interstitial cell-stimulating) hormones have been obtained by tryptic digestion of their reduced and S-carboxymethylated derivatives. A combination of gel filtration and countercurrent distribution yielded, in each case, fractions which were almost exclusively glycopeptides. Three different types of glycopeptides were in this fraction from thyroid-stimulating hormone, two of which were easily isolated. Their amino acid compositions and partial sequences are: Val-Glx-Asx-(Ser, Thr2, Glx, Cys3, His2)-(Tyr2, His)-Lys and Asx-Ile-(Ser, Thr2, Glx, Cys2, Ala2, Val)-Lys. These glycopeptides have amino acid compositions identical or nearly identical with those of the two tryptic glycopeptides from 1 of the 2 subunits of bovine-luteinizing hormone and are also very similar in compositions and partial sequences to the same peptides from ovine luteinizing hormone previously reported by Ward and his colleagues (Proceedings of the Third International Congress of Endocrinology, 1968). Considerable homology thus may exist between thyroid-stimulating hormone and one chain of luteinizing hormone in regions adjacent to two oligosaccharides, and peptide maps suggest that the similarity extends to other regions. A third glycopeptide from thyroid-stimulating hormone was more difficult to purify completely. Its probable amino acid composition is: Asx, Thr4, Gly, Ala, Cys3, Val, Met, Ile, Leu, Tyr, Arg. This peptide does not seem related to the third tryptic glycopeptide of luteinizing hormone, which originates from its other subunit. Each type of thyrotropin glycopeptide contains glucosamine, galactosamine, and mannose. A fraction of a residue of fucose is found in preparations of each type and, in one type, a fraction of a residue of galactose. The yields of these glycopeptides are consistent with attachment of 3 oligosaccharide units to each molecule.


In order to further understand the hydrochemical change rule of lake environment and provide fundamental data for lake fishery and lake water quality management,the author measured TN,NH4+-N,NO2——N,NO3——N,TP,PO43——P,DO,pH,CODMn,WT,SD and EC of the five aquaculture lakes,namely,Liangzi Lake,Futou Lake,Chaipo Lake,Nanhu Lake and Yezhi Lake,in Wuhan City in the 2007 summer,and conducted Principal Component Analysis(PCA)and Cluster Analysis(CA)of the results by means of SPSS software.The PCA result shows that the three principal components are nutrient environmental factor(including TN,NO2——N,NO3——N,T,pH,CODMn and EC),survival factor(DC)and ammonium absorption factor(NH4+-N).The Q cluster result shows that the 13 points of the five lakes can be divided into four categories:first,point 9,10,11,12 and 13;second,point 1,2 and 4;third,point 5,6,7 and 8;fourth,point 3.And the five lakes can be divided into three categories:first,Futou Lake and Liangzi Lake;second,Chaipo Lake;third,Yezhi Lake and Nanhu Lake,which has been caused by urban waste water,domestic sewage and aquaculture production.


AbstractClimate and urban environment changes lead to tropical building adaptation and resilient strategy. They focus especially on thermal comfort and noise propagation variation as the result of global warming and urban growth. This study analyzes a conceptual design of tropical urban model on integrated design of thermal and acoustic (thermoacoustic) issues. By experimental measurement and simulation method using Computational Fluid Dynamics, the findings are directed to meet the standards and to recommend the new guidelines for sustainable urban building. The research location is in Surabaya as the urban tropical lowland area and Eco-House of ITS, a tropical building model in an urban environment, was built as experiment model. The results highlighted that the noise barrier should consider 5.24% of the maximum window to wall ratio (WWR) in tree dimensionally analysis, horizontally and vertically. Providing vertical ventilation is the best solution for urban density, but the orientation and its flankin...


This article studied whether the motives for comparison of grades with those of others play a mediating role in the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and the choice of the level of comparison of students. The study was conducted among about 1,500 students in higher education. Of the five personality factors - Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional stability, and (intellectual) Autonomy - only Conscientiousness appeared predictive of the comparison level choice. Conscientious students were more likely to compare their grades lateral than upward. Furthermore, conscientious students appeared more likely to compare their grades for reasons of self-evaluation and self-improvement. Agreeable, emotionally stable and autonomous students appeared less likely to compare their grades for reasons of self-enhancement. Furthermore, self-evaluation appeared predictive of lateral comparison and self-improvement appeared predictive of upward comparison. However, no evidence was found for a mediator role of the motives for comparison in the association between personality and the comparison level choice.


We present a test of optical metrology for 800-mm spaceborne optics in the 6-m radiometer thermal vacuum chamber at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center of JAXA. Under the framework of the JAXA's large-optics study program for astronomy and Earth observations, we developed a test bench for interferometric metrology of large optics with an auto-collimation method in the chamber. The optical system was aligned in a horizontal light-axis configuration within the facility limit to handle a 3.5-m aperture telescope like SPICA. A high-speed interferometer was contained in an aluminum and titanmade pressure vessel, which was mounted on the five-axis stage. We tested the 800-mm lightweight C/SiC optics using a 900-mm diameter flat mirror. Alignment changes in tilts of about ten arcseconds were observed as pressure went down from 1 atm to vacuum. After we re-aligned the interferometer and flat mirror, the wavefronts through the optics under vacuum were observed to increase in astigmatism aberration by 0.07λRMS at λ=633nm from under atmosphere, which might be caused by a deformation in the test optics or flat mirror.


The characteristics of magnesia-, calcia-, and ceria-stabilized zirconia are described. They were determined by two techniques: (1) the National Bureau of Standards high-temperature X-ray analysis of sintered specimens and (2) room-temperature X-ray analysis of specimens heat-treated at 1180°C. up to 100 hours. Also reported is an investigation of the ternary system Ti-Zr-O, with particular emphasis on the binary systems TiO-ZrO2 and Ti-ZrO2. Data are presented on the stability of the compound ZrTiO4 and on the inability to confirm the existence of zirconium suboxides.


Polo-like kinases 1 is a highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinase that plays a key role in regulation of mitosis.In about 80% of human tumors,of various origins,PLK1 is over expressed;while,PLK1 mRNA is often absent in the normal tissues.Meanwhile,over-expression of PLK1 is associated with a poor prognosis in several tumor types and a lower overall survival rate.PLK1 inhibitors can interfere with different stages of mitosis,such as centrosome maturation,spindle formation,chromosome separation,and cytokinesis,inducing mitotic chaos and severe perturbance of cell cycle progression,which eventually lead to tumor cell death.Therefore,PLK1 is one of the most attractive and promising targets for antitumor drug development.This review introduces PLK1 inhibitors of different structures in preclinical or clinical development.


This chapter aims to review the ways that digital technologies may impact learning geometry. To be more focused, Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) is investigated as an assistant digital in the classroom for discussing the impact of learning geometry. Particularly, it is discussed whether DGS may have an effect on some knowledge accession skills suggested by constructivists approach. The chapter indicates that DGS has positive impacts on providing a constructivist classroom learning environment. Even though there is much research indicating the positive impacts of DGS in providing an environment shaped by the constructivist approach, some research provides different results. The reasons the results contradict each other could be explained by the prior knowledge, skills, and needs of students; a lack of time for whole class discussions; and insufficiency in the design of DGS applets and worksheets. Therefore, it should be noted that using DGS alone cannot create a learning environment shaped by constructivism.


Brushless DC motors are extensively used for electric vehicular applications owing to their excellent torque versus speed characteristics, good efficiency and high power density. This paper describes efficiency improvement of a position sensorless brushless DC motor with improved pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme for the inverter drive compared to existing ones. The inverter switching is based on Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE). Gravitational Search based Algorithm (GSA) is used to calculate the optimized switching angles for the purpose. The proposed method reduces Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) from the input current and armature flux thereby reducing the core losses. Also the power requirement with the proposed switching technique is much lesser than the existing switching schemes. The benefit of the proposed efficiency improvement can be of great importance in Electric Vehicular (EV) applications. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through simulation and experimental results.


Tacalcitol (1,24(R)(OH)2D3, TV‐02) inhibited the TPA‐induced inflammatory cell infiltration (largely neutrophils) histopathologically and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity dose‐dependently. Tacalcitol inhibited the mRNA expression and protein production of TPA‐induced macrophage inflammatory protein‐2 (MIP‐2) and KC, the functional analogue of human interleukin (IL)‐8, in the skin. Immunohistochemical staining of the TPA‐applied skin revealed that mast cells expressed MIP‐2, whereas KC was observed in keratinocytes, fibroblasts and outer root sheath of hair follicles. Furthermore, tacalcitol inhibited TPA‐induced mast cell degranulation 24 hr after application without influence on the total number of mast cells. In this study, tacalcitol was found to have an inhibitory effect on cutaneous inflammation such as inhibition of neutrophil infiltration, MIP‐2 and KC production, and mast cell degranulation in TPA‐treated hairless mice. These results suggest that tacalcitol modulates cutaneous inflammation as well as keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, and the inhibitory effect of tacalcitol on cutaneous inflammation may contribute to clinical the effectiveness in the treatment of psoriasis.


A description is given of the organization and powers of the Delaware River Basin Commission, established by a Federal-interstate Compact to manage and coordinate comprehensive planning for development of the water resources of the Basin. Some of the major coordinative problems and the handling of a drought emergency are described. Unless plans are made either for subregional diversions of waste to consolidated plants, or substantial low flow augmentation capability is introduced together with further in-stream treatment, the streams themselves will become almost totally effluent carriers during low-flow periods, and the value for other purposes—such as recreation, fishing, water supply below certain points and general esthetics—will be seriously impaired, if not completely destroyed. It is concluded that management of a river basin has to be done as a constant development of a system, and must be managed on a day-to-day basis by an agency cognizant of the various requirements and representative of many interests.


Many colleges and universities rely upon online programs to support distance delivery of personnel preparation programs in special education and related services. These distance education programs enable individuals who live or work in rural communities to access training programs to earn teaching certification and assist rural schools in providing much-needed professional development opportunities for preservice and inservice personnel. Instructors have begun to use real-time online formats, such as voice chat, teleconferencing, and virtual reality applications, to increase learner participation in online courses and promote a sense of community across individuals at multiple sites. This article describes promising practices for creating and implementing learning activities in Second Life®, a virtual world, in a teacher education program that serves prospective and practicing teachers in many rural communities. The authors present a rationale for using this virtual reality application, explain how it has been implemented in a distance education program, and outline future directions for using it with other emerging technologies.


Aceclofenac and paracetamol in combination is a leading prescribing drug by the physicians. There is no routine simultaneous estimation procedure developed till date. So a simple, rapid, accurate, economical and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of aceclofenac and paracetamol in pharmaceutical formulations has been developed. The method was based on the additivity of absorbances. Aceclofenac shows absorption maxima at 275nm and paracetamol shows absorption maxima at 256nm in ethanol. Beer Lambert's law was obeyed for both the drugs in the concentration range 1-lOmg/ml. The accuracy and reproducibility of the proposed method was statistically validated by recovery studies.


Mustard plants come from several plant species (genera Brassica and Sinapis). The most common types of mustard are Sinapis alba (also called Brassica alba, yellow mustard or white mustard) and Brassica juncea (also called brown or Indian mustard). Black mustard (Brassica nigra) fell out of use in commercial mustard products in the 1950s.


For semicrystalline thermoplastics, the temperature-time behavior during cooling of the melt can significantly affect the formation of crystalline structures (e.g., spherulite sizes, the degree of crystallization, crystal modifications, etc.) and hence, the resulting global component properties. In this paper, the crystallization of polyamide 12 at different cooling rates as well as process-based temperature-time profiles during cooling were investigated analytically with fast scanning calorimetry. Furthermore, based on analytical results, foils were extruded at different cooling conditions and tested mechanically and tribologically. The analysis reveals differences of the crystal melting behavior for different cooling conditions which is likely to originate in two different polymorphs of polyamide 12, γ, and γ′. Furthermore, mechanical investigations carried out with the extruded foils show that parts produced at high supercooling have less stiffness than parts produced at low supercooling, probably due to differences in the crystalline structures. Regarding tribological parameters, no clear differences could be measured. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers


ABSTRACT We investigate firm heterogeneity in productivity sources across technology sectors for Japanese manufacturers. Firm heterogeneity in productivity sources conveys more information about firm-specific differences in productivity. In this regard, large firms are more productive, largely because they are more innovative, despite being slow to catch up during booms or operating at a less-than-efficient scale. We find that the beneficial impact of exports on productivity is most evident when firms become exporters, and intrafirm trade causes enough inefficiency to offset the salutary effects of trade after a certain threshold. Notably, firm heterogeneity in productivity varies considerably across the technology sectors.


Report of Surgical Cases, treated in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, during the Years 1836-7. By Wm, Davidson, m.d., Surgeon to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Tins is a lojig and very valuable Report; but, as it consists, for the most part, of histories of single cases, we are prevented from laying a general analysis of it before our readers: it will, however, well repay a careful perusal. The cases are graphically described, and the remarks on them highly judicious and instructive. We can only find room for one or two brief extracts. Hydrocele. Two cases are related, which were treated by acupuncture, but without permanent benefit. On this subject Dr. Davidson remarks: " Were it in general ultimately successful, it would be the most simple, and at the same time the most extraordinary, operation that is recorded in surgery. Even upon the supposition that it is only a palliative or substitute for the common plan of tapping with a trocar, the discoverer is entitled to much credit; for a puncture with a sewing-needle is attended with scarcely any pain, and the most timid of men would submit to it without apprehension. The results arising from the treatment of two cases are not enough for drawing any certain conclusions; but certainly they tend to establish this point, that no particular change is effected upon the internal coat of the tunica vaginalis, and that the fluid reaccumulates as after ordinary tapping with a trocar. "It may be stated that the cases above mentioned were not well adapted for the plan; for in both the testicles were enlarged. This certainly is an objection to the suc-


. We formulate an extension of the Calabi conjecture to the setting of generalized K¨ahler geometry. We show a transgression formula for the Bismut Ricci curvature in this setting, which requires a new local Goto/Kodaira-Spencer deformation result, and use it to show that solutions of the generalized Calabi-Yau equation on compact manifolds are classically K¨ahler, Calabi-Yau, and furthermore unique in their generalized K¨ahler class. We show that the generalized K¨ahler-Ricci flow is naturally adapted to this conjecture, and exhibit a number of a priori estimates and monotonicity formulas which suggest global existence and convergence. For initial data in the generalized K¨ahler class of a K¨ahler Calabi-Yau structure we prove the flow exists globally and converges to this unique fixed point. This has applications to understanding the space of generalized K¨ahler structures, and as a special case yields the topological structure of natural classes of Hamiltonian symplectomorphisms on hyperK¨ahler manifolds. In the case of commuting-type generalized K¨ahler structures we establish global existence and convergence with arbitrary initial data to a K¨ahler, Calabi-Yau metric, which yields a new ∂∂ -lemma for these structures.


Sodium-glucose linked transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are members of the new group of drugs with unique mechanism of action. Besides hypoglycemic effect and weight loss, these drugs reduce blood pressure through diuretic and natriuretic effect. Flozins correct increased reabsorption of glucose in kidneys, which is one of the mechanisms of type 2 diabetes. Empagliflozin, canaglifozin and dapagliflozin are representatives of flozins used in antyclinical practice. The new one, ertugliflozin will be soon available. The aim of this publication is to summarize the results of finished studies (EMPA-REG OUTCOME, CANVAS, CVD-REAL) which proved antihyperglycemic effects and cardiovascular protection of flosins in patients with type 2 diabetes. If it is class effect, we will find out from results of DECLARE-TIMI 58, VERTIS CV studies, which will be published soon. EMPEROR might be the next crucial study (about using empagliflozin in pateints with heart failure [HF]) since it will give the answer to the question if sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors should be used in patients with HF without diabetes. The cardioprotective mechanism of flosins still is not known. Further studies are required. It is highly likely that cardioprotective mechanism of flozins is complex and is connected with their direct effect — antihyperglycemic and glucosuric which results in not known yet metabolic and hemodynamic effects.


eric delderfields second book of true animal stories is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our books collection saves in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the eric delderfields second book of true animal stories is universally compatible with any devices to read.


The 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act aims to promote the use of electronic health records by providing over $27 billion in financial incentives for eligible health care providers who become "meaningful users" of them. The goal of increased "meaningful" electronic health record adoption is to create a more efficient, patient-centered health care system by lowering providers' administrative costs, improving coordination of care among multiple providers, and increasing patients' participation in and responsibility for their own care. Recently published data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics indicate that the HITECH Act's passage has led to a significant increase in electronic health record use among physicians. However, everyone involved in the conversations surrounding the HITECH Act—health care analysts, policy-makers, and providers alike—must recognize that "meaningful use" of electronic health records can only be authentically meaningful to both clinicians and patients when certain structural issues are also addressed.


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently published a final rule requiring lap/shoulder seat belts in all new large motorcoaches and buses manufactured on or after November 28, 2016 (NHTSA, 2013). Studies of vehicle belt use in passenger vehicles demonstrate that many factors other than availability influence whether a seat belt is used by an individual in a particular circumstance. The present observational study examined passenger seat belt use in airport shuttle buses traveling short distances over urban roads with frequent stops, in four U.S. cities. Seat belts were used very rarely when provided - only 1% (2 out of 156) of passengers buckled up. These findings are consistent with other studies of passenger seat belt use in motorcoach buses, and suggest that without concomitant legislation mandating and enforcing seat belt usage, the vast majority of bus passengers are unlikely to use seat belts even when provided.


This thesis describes a series of pyridine-N-oxide derivatives of naphthoquinone that were prepared by the author. These compounds will be tested for medicinal activity by Parke-Davis and Company.


Data correlating in vitro drug susceptibility of Microsporum canis with clinical outcomes of its infections are lacking as well as the most suitable inoculum and incubation time in broth microdilution assays.


One of the most commonly seen adverseside effects in the treatment of psychic diseaseswith phenothiazine and butaperazine ismyospasm.Measures against this complicationin the clinic are reduction of the dosage,suspen-sion of medication or the use of anti-cholinergicsat the expense of curative effect.From Marchto December 1987,based on the meridian theory


Using a comparative-historical framework, this article examines how religious organizational responses to a shared stigmatizing scandal, arising from the sexual abuse of children by church personnel, differ across diverse locales – Ireland, South Africa, and the United States – of a single religious tradition, in this case the Roman Catholic Church. Drawing on previous literature, I identify three perspectives related to responses to sexual scandal in organized religious institutions: strategic self-presentation, lay activism, and church–media relations. Focusing on the Catholic episcopal conferences in the three settings and relying on an analysis of national-level bishops' discourses and practices in the 1988–2013 time span, I find that Catholic legitimations predominate, but appeals to Catholic discourses are more frequent in South Africa than in Ireland and the United States; lay mobilization exerts a partial influence on scandal responses even in contexts providing sociopolitical space for activism from below; and external accountability is influenced by media organizations, but differently so, in all three contexts. Implications for religion and society in general are discussed.


Exelon Corporation, one of the first U.S. utilities to advocate for federal climate-change legislation, has moved into uncharted territory as it seeks to fully engage employees in its ambitious goal for significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and its roadmap to a low-carbon future. Despite a multipronged internal communications program, enterprise-level efforts did not sustain the employee enthusiasm that accompanied the July 2008 launch of the Exelon 2020 low-carbon roadmap, and the company went back to the drawing board. The Exelon 2020 Engagement Team—this time rechartered around action rather than conversation about employee environmental initiatives—has driven a second round of efforts. The early success of an employee film festival, a contest around at-home energy conservation, and empowering local green councils to run with the ball has fueled cautious optimism that employees are finally jumping aboard. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Ethnicity is a complex phenomenon. The Analysis of the ethnic-related conflicts all over the word has proven to be a very difficult enterprise. The issues of ethnicity in Nigeria and Tafawa Balewa in particular have created conditions for the initiation and resurgence of conflicts. The 1991, 1995 and 1998 conflicts in Tafawa Balewa have left an aimost indelible mark on inter ethnic relations in the state. For example in 1991, 500 people were officially reported killed and 34, 000 others rendered homeless. In 1995 the resurgence of conflict left about 1, 400 people kil led and 38 vdlages and 77 churches destroyed. The issues relating to these conflicts, for example, the question of citizenship and identity, particularly, the issues of a separate chiefdom for the Sayawa ethnic group have remained almost total ly unresolved. The historical development of the ethnic question in Tafawa Balewa is aimed at identifying the specific basis of antagonistic relations between the HausaFulani on the one hand and the Sayawa ethnic group on the other. Introduction The literature of recent years on political development in Africa gives a prominent place to the twin themes of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts. These issues have accordingly dominated academic research (see for example, Egwu 1998, 1999; Otiti 1999; Osagie; 1994 Nnolt 1978; Ake 1993). Ethnic conflicts pose fundamental threat to political stability and national integration especially in plural societies of Africa. In particular, the resurgence of ethnic entities in parts of Nigeria, Rwanda Liberia and so on, have led to state collapse and huge human and material destruction. For example, in Zangon kataf in Kaduna State of Nigeria, two days of intensive ethnic violence between the Katafs and the HausaFulani in 1996 resulted in mass k i l l ings and destruction of properties of inestimable value. The protracted Ife/Modakeke Communal strife, Ofa-Ibeku disturbances of September. 1998, the age-long Urhobo / Itsekin and Ijaw communal strife have also left huge human and material loses. The list which has become legendry also include the ten year old depute between Garbawa and Dala villages in Yobe State in which 5 people were ki l led in 1992; the Kaduna ethnic/religious crisis of 2000, as well as the age long ethnic feud between the Jukun and Tiv communities. All of these have led to the redefinition of ethnic relations in these areas. The resurgence of ethnic identity and conflicts in Nigeria could be attributed to many factors.Some of these factors mclude.|The colonial heritage, the post colonial economic conditions in the country with struggle over scarce resources particularly after the introduction of the structural adjustment programme. Others may include the emerging democratization processes; the pattern of class formation and its consequences on the distribution of the nations wealth, the weak nature of the state, and the citizenship question. The focus of this paper is the historical development of the ethnic question in Tafawa Balewa area of Bauchi metropolis. The recent political development, particularly the local government creation in 1997, split the Tafawa Balewa local government into two, namely, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro. The entire area was called Lere district during the colonial period. Tafawa Balewa shares boundaries with plateau State in the South and Dass Local Government of Bauchi State in the North. The most prominent natural features in the area include the massive Mbula rock, and the Gongola River, which together with its numerous tributaries such as Lere, Maijuju, Jarawa and Bagel Rivers form the main drainage pattern of the place. Various ethnic groups inhabit the geographical area called Tafawa Balewa. These include, the sayawa, Hausa-Fulani, Jarawa and Sigidawa. Driberge ( 1 9 3 1 ) reports that Nine settlements emerged in the area in the_pre-calomal period where the people settled, the clan settlement pattern was supposed to have its own grinding place cal led "Vim Tonga." Nigerian Academic Forum, Volume 10 No. 2, May, 2006. Political Organization of the People Balandier (1970), has provided a three-fold typology which will enable us to come to grasps with the political structures of the various people in the area. The first is the 'Chief Priest' system in which the political sphere is part and parcel of the social and religious structure. Second, is the Territorially Defined-Chieftainship, in which the members of the Community live in compact villages and give their allegiance direct ly to the chief in whom territorial, secular and religious authorities are combined. Here Communal ties override lineage ones as principles of political allegiance and organization.Third, the existence of bureaucratic machinery for the implementation of decisions on behalf of the society. In the area of study, the type of political structure that emerged was the Territorially Defined-Chieftainship, while in the chief-priest system members of the Community lived in scattered villages and relate to the total Community in terms of their individual lineages. Before the 19" Century, the people lived in compact villages and gave their allegiance directly to the chief in whom territorial, secular, and religious authority were combined. The chiefs were responsible for the administration of justice and the settlement of disputes between lineages. Most of the settlements of the Sayawa had these features. (Dauda, 1999). In this case they were never at any period brought under any centralized administration. On the other plain was the type of political organization called a "State." This refers to the area in which centralized political system existed before the establishment of the emirate system of government. In this area, the machinery of governance was noticeable. In such areas political leaders exercised their powers and authority, not on the basis of ethnic or genealogical connections, although this may be relevant, but on the basis of coercive powers which enable them to maintain their positions. The state that emerged in this area was Lere, founded by the Hausa immigrants who traced thei r origin to Zazzau (Zaria). 'They were also referred to as Zage-Zagi (Dauda, 1999). Lere had a chief called Sarki and a number of officials (all of them hereditary) under him. These chiefs included; Ciroma, Madaki, Sarkin Noma, and Galadima. Thus a centralized State had emerged in Lere but it could not use its military superiority to subdue the whole of Tafawa Balewa and bring it under its tutelage (Garba, 1984; Howard, 1908). Economic and Social Relations The most important economic activity of the people of the area was farming. In the culture of the Jarawa, Sayawa, Gerawa and Sigidawa, there existed two types of farming, namely, the 'Kidn dihn' (Backyard) farm. This type of farming was done very close to the house. The second type of farming was the 'Kidn namtsih' (country farm). This was usually located very far from the homes. The proximity of the Kidn dihn to the home made it very suitable for women to cultivate. Maize, Okro and vegetables were found in the Kidn dihn (Aliyu, 1974). Men cultivated the more distant country farms. The Hausa Fulani were cattle rearers who were involved in seasonal transhumancc. Apart from those Fulani who lived in 'Ruga' (make-shift residence) and provided 'nono' (milk) for the other groups in the area, the main economic activity of the Fulani was cattle rearing. There was therefore a symbiotic relationship between them and the farming community, as they required the cow dung for manure, while the other provided foodstuff. It was exactly this kind of understanding that existed between the various groups that was referred to as very cordial. It is agreed that the Jarawa and Sayawa regarded themselves as playmates. Sayawa/Hausa-Fulani relation was equally cordial. The nomadic Fulani mainly concerned themselves with acquiring some form of guarantee for their right to graze their cattle, which was never denied (Dauda, 1999). Ethnic Formations and Inter-Group Relations The problem associated with the pattern of ethnic relations in Tafawa Balewa revolves around the question of the ownership of the place. This places a big border on the question of the foundation of the place, the origin of the name 'Tafawa Balewa'; and citizenship. The Origin of Tafawa Balewa A lot of controversy surrounds the history of the area of study, Tafawa Balewa. The Bauchi Emirate Council and the Sayawa people agree that the name Tafawa Balewa came from a dome of granite about 200 meters high, situated by the riverside on entering the town. However, both of them disagree that each inhabited the area before the other. Tafawa Balcwa is a Fulani word meaning 'black stone'. The Fulani used the name to describe the huge black rock found in the town. (Bauchi Emirate Council, 1991). According to the council, in a submission to the Bauchi State Committee on the Creation of Sayawa chiefdom in 1991. The leadership of Tafawa Balewa town should have been rested in the Fulani, its founders. However, because every dry season, they have to travel southwards with their catt le in search of pasture and water it became difficult for them to give meaningful leadership especially for their sedentary neighbours. The leadership went to their next earlier settlers, the Kanun. Tafawa Balewa witnessed six Kanuri warheads, often, succession to thrones break when there is no suitable candidates from the ruling family. It was this circumstance that the Kanuri "dynasty" in Tafawa Balewa was interfaced with that of Angasawa "Dynasty" bul NEVER the Sayawa who were in fact not in Tafawa Balewa until the 1970s. The Sayawa have equally laid claim to Tafawa Balewa as the earliest inhabitants, tracing their migration to the area to the 13 lh century from the south of Tchad, and the Kanem Bornu Empire. They claim to have settled first at the foot of the black stone, which was then called Puji. They refer to the


Managers or operators of optical dispensary shops can learn how to increase their sales by taking a page from the major department stores' playbook—a dispensary is most effective when it is located at the entrance of the practice, adjoining the waiting room and adjacent to checkout.


AIM: To evaluate the clinical effects and side effects of lower dosage of mifepristone added after the conservative laparoscopy in the treatment of patients with endometriosis and the influences on the pregnancy and relapse rates within one year after the mifepristone was withdrawed. METHODS: 158 cases of endometriosis patients with laparoscopic confirmation were orally administration either mifepristone 10 (mg·d~(-1)) (group M, n=82) or gestrinone (2.5) mg, twice every week(group G, n=78) for 3 months. The clinical symptoms, signs and side effects before and duration of the treatment in both two groups as well as their relapse rate and pregnancy rate one year later after the drug withdrawed were observed and compared. RESULTS: The clinical symptoms and signs in both two groups were significantly improved during the treatment(P(0.01)). Side effects including weight gain, acne, liver function damage, hot flushes, vaginal dryness and irregular bleeding in group M were less than those in group G (P(0.01)). The average time for the restoration of ovulation and menstruation after drug withdrawing in group M was earlier than that in group G (P(0.05)). The pregnancy rates of the infertile women in group M and G within one year after the drug withdrawing were (36.59)% and (38.16)%, respectively, and there was no statistic significance between two groups (P(0.05)). The symptom relapse rates in group M and G within one year after drug withdrawing were similar, and there was no difference between them (P(0.05)). CONCLUSION: Lower dosage of mifepristone added after the conservative laparoscopy can not only effectively control the symptoms of patients with endometriosis and improve the pregnancy rate for those complicated with infertility but also have the advantages of fewer side effects, convenient usage and economic price.


Background. Light touch with a stable object reduces postural sway by increasing axial postural tone in healthy subjects. However, it is unknown whether subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD), who have more postural sway and higher axial postural tone than healthy subjects, can benefit from haptic touch. Objective. To investigate the effect of light and heavy touch on postural stability and hip tone in subjects with PD. Methods. Fourteen subjects with mid-stage PD and 14 healthy control subjects were evaluated during quiet standing with eyes closed with their arms (a) crossed, (b) lightly touching a fixed rigid bar in front of them, and (c) firmly gripping the bar. Postural sway was measured with a forceplate, and axial hip tone was quantified using a unique device that measures the resistance of the hips to yaw rotation while maintaining active stance. Results. Subjects with PD significantly decreased their postural sway with light or heavy touch (P < .001 vs arms crossed), similarly as control subjects. Without touch, hip tone was larger in PD subjects. With touch, however, tone values were similar in both groups. This change in hip tone with touch was highly correlated with the initial amount of tone (PD, r = −.72 to −.95; controls, r = −.74 to −.85). Conclusions. The authors showed, for the first time, that subjects with PD benefit from touch similarly to control subjects and that despite higher axial postural tone, PD subjects are able to modulate their tone with touch. Future studies should investigate the complex relationship between touch and postural tone.


The endogenous neuropeptide nociceptin (N/OFQ) and its receptor, the nociceptin receptor (NOP1), are highly expressed in the hippocampus, where they regulate learning and memory by inhibiting synaptic transmission and plasticity. The L-type calcium channel (LTCC) Cav1.2 is also expressed in the hippocampus and is one of the major sources of Ca 2+ in the postsynaptic compartment of neurons. Activation of Cav1.2 regulates memory and learning-associated biochemical changes through activation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and NMDA receptor-independent long-term potentiation (LTP). It has previously been shown that activation of NOP1 receptor by nociceptin downregulates LTCCs as well as other voltage gated calcium channels in hippocampal neurons [2], but little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms of this modulation. We show that Cav1.2 and NOP1 receptor form a complex and co-immunoprecipitate from transfected tsA201 cells and from hippocampal brain tissue. Calcium imaging of cultured rat hippocampal neurons treated with nociceptin (1uM) and depolarized with 40mM KCl revealed a significant decrease in calcium influx. Treatment with the LTCC blocker, Nifedipine showed that calcium influx is partially mediated by Cav1.2. Subsequent imaging of cultured rat hippocampal neurons treated with nociceptin (100nM) and depolarized with 40mM KCl revealed a significant decrease in CREB phosphorylation in the nucleus, an important step for neuronal plasticity. Treatments with Nifedipine and NMDA receptor antagonists (MK-801 and APV) indicate that the activation of nuclear p-CREB results in part from the activation of Cav1.2, and is NMDA receptor-independent. Our data provide novel insights into the mechanisms by which the endogenous neuropeptide nociceptin affects hippocampal neuron function. Ultimately, this could identify new strategies for the alleviation of memory disorders.


This article identifies issues related to ending psychotherapy and suggests an addition to Berne's (1966) three methods of termination. Drawing on the professional literature concerning transaction...


The aim of this resarch is to know the development of the regional on tourism by Erau as a traditional event in Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province in the prespective of the economy. The method of  it is by library research which had been done from January to March 2015. The result of it that the tourism can encourage the economy of the region. The econmic point of view is that the tourism can open the labour opportunity for examples : transportation, accomodation and consumption. The transportation consists of local and regional and international. The accomudation can support the  business of hotel, cottage and villa. The consumption can share the profit for restaurant, coffee-house and the market.


The invention relates to a method for recleaning vanadium-titanium magnetite concentrate through forging, oxidative alkaline leaching and de-sliming. The method includes the following steps that CaO is added into the vanadium-titanium magnetite concentrate according to the weight proportion of 1 to 0.1-0.2, and forging is performed at the temperature ranging from 800 DEG C to 1400 DEG C; the forged product A is placed in an alkaline solution with the mass concentration being 5-52%; an oxidizing agent is added, then an alkaline leaching reaction is carried out for 0.5-2.0 hours at the temperature of 220-330 DEG C, and filtered liquid and an alkaline leaching filter cake B are obtained; and the filter cake B is de-slimed and recleaned. The method has the advantages that a compound containing S is oxidized by introducing O2 or H2O2 during oxidative alkaline leaching, the reaction is accelerated, the reaction temperature is lowered, and the reaction time is shortened; besides, iron concentrate with the content of TFe being 60-69% and titanium concentrate with the content of TiO2 being 42-50% are graded, the content of impurities, such as TiO2, S, Si and Al, entering a blast furnace is reduced, the utilization coefficient of the blast furnace is increased, and meanwhile the comprehensive utilization rate of titanium resources is increased.


The S curve is one of the most common phenomena in nature: the spreading of populations, tumors, contaminants, innovations, economic activity. Here we show that this phenomenon can be predicted entirely by recognizing in it a flow. The flow is not by diffusion alone, rather it is a combination of tree-shaped "invasion" by convection, followed by "consolidation" by diffusion perpendicular to the invasive lines. The S curve is not unique: its scales depend on the relative magnitude of the speed of the invading lines and the diffusivity perpendicular to the lines. Tree-shaped invasion covers the territory with diffusion much faster than line-shaped invasion. The predicted S-curve flow architecture unites the designs of spreading flows and collecting flows (e.g., mining, fossil fuel extraction, Hubbert peak) in all the realms of nature: animate, inanimate, and human-made.


Cephalopod haemocyanins are among the best understood of molluscan respiratory proteins. They are composed of a decamer of subunits resembling in the electron microscope a hollow cylinder with dimensions of 15 nm × 30 nm. Molecular weight of the whole molecule is 3.5–4.0 × 106 daltons. Subunit molecular weights are 350–400 K daltons. They resemble a string of beads with seven or eight immunologically distinct but covalently linked functional units, each containing a single binuclear copper oxygen‐binding site. Individual units are about 50,000 daltons. Protein sequences now exist for several functional units which allow structural and evolutionary comparisons between cephalopod and gastropod haemocyanins. Octopus haemocyanin exhibits highly cooperative oxygen binding (maximum Hill coefficient >3.5) and a strong normal Bohr effect (?logP50/?pH = ‐1.7). The subunit, produced by removing divalent cations, retains a small Bohr effect and displays heterogeneity of function, which means that differences in prim...


Extraordinary advances have been made in the treatment of mental illness. As a result, many mental health disorders can now be treated nearly as successfully as physical disorders. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is one of the most scientific and modern techniques for treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Recently it has been introduced in Ashiyan Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The aim of this review article is to introduce this new intervention and provide a clinically useful update about it. For this purpose twenty three articles were selected through searching internet and then reviewed. This article summarized its use in neuro-psychiatric disorders, mechanism of action, adverse effects and outcome issues. It is used in clinical and research practice around the world by psychiatrists. More research is needed to establish the role of TMS in clinical practice in Bangladesh Bang J Psychiatry June 2015; 29(1): 41-43


Datacenter operators rely on low-cost, high-density technologies to maximize throughput for data-intensive services with tight tail latencies. In-memory rack-scale computing is emerging as a promis...


Gastric acid secretion was studied in 19 patients with bilharzial hepatic fibrosis and in 19 healthy controls. The patients had significantly lower volumes and acid output than the control group. After splenectomy and vasoligation, the patients' gastric secretion did not increase significantly. Gastric secretion was similar in 19 patients with bilharzial hepatic fibrosis who had never experienced any episode of bleeding and in 19 who bled.


Objective To investigate the protective role and mechanismof Xuebijing injection in kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.MethodsNinety male Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham operation control group(SOC group),ischemia-reperfusion group(I/R group) and Xuebijing group (XBJ group),30 animals in each group.Xuebijing injection (5 ml·kg-1·d-1) was administered to animals in XBJ group for three days before operation.Six hour,twelve hour,twenty hour after reperfusion,venous blood samples and kidney tissue samples were taken for measurement. 10 rats were randomly chosen in each group.The levels of serum creatinine (Cr),Malon dialdehyde (MDA) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in kidney tissue were determined. The kidney tissue was examined under light microscopy.ResultsAfter reperfusion,serum levels of Cr and levels of MDA in kidney tissue of XBJ group were significantly higher than those in I/R group(P0.01).The histological changes of the kidney tissue under light microscopy in I/R group was more obvious than that in XBJ group.ConclusionXuebijing injection can protect kidney from ischemia-reperfusion injury.The mechanism of the protective effect of Xuebijing injection may be related with the decrease of oxygen free radical.


Recently the piano art has drawn more and more attention in our country and has become an important way for people to develop their intelligence and mould their character and energy in mastering the art and the shortcut to success is to grasp certain skills and methods.


Abstract Novel molecules have been synthesized that combine the phenolic nature of tannins and self-assembling properties of surfactants. These single-chain (C12) surfactants with potential biocompatibility have been synthesized with an ω-thiol or disulfide functionality, both commonly used anchors in self-assembly onto gold surfaces, using a modular route. Protecting groups for the phenol and thiol moieties played a key role for overcoming the challenges often associated with the purification of surfactants. The tasks of unmasking the thiol moiety and simultaneously deprotecting the acetyl protecting groups of the phenols were accomplished using sodium thiomethoxide. This modular route can be extended to synthesize other surfactants with the potential ability to form robust layers with biocompatible properties. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® for the following free supplemental resource(s): Full experimental and spectral details.] GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Device for non-invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure (1) comprises a measuring pad (2), the processor unit (3), the display device (6) and the network connector (7). Measuring pad comprising a processor unit (3) and a sensor, the at least one sensor (8) is moved by mechanical hemodynamic monitoring result. ICP calculation method using the relationship between the spring cavity and the first and second signal model, the relationship between the reflected pulse wave related header. Analysis of relative change in intracranial pressure Moens-Kortweg formula based on the use of hemodynamics.


Consistent, prolonged, and nurturing interactions of a primary caregiver with an infant is necessary for optimal development of the infant. Lowering parental stress can promote positive caregiver-infant social interaction behaviors. Studies show that when caregivers use rhythm-based music and movement strategies during interactions with their infants, non-verbal communication, mutual attunement, and self-reported stress levels improve. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine caregiver benefits (stress hormones and positive interaction behaviors) when learning rhythm-based music with movement strategies while interacting with their infant. This was achieved through randomization of caregiver/infant dyads to a treatment (instructional intervention) or control condition with no instruction. Significantly lower salivary cortisol levels and lower salivary cortisol/DHEA ratio values pre-post were observed for the treatment condition as compared to control. These findings suggest that learning and using rhythm-based music and movement interventions are promising for lowering stress in caregivers. The impact of the intervention with families at risk due to stress-related environmental factors should be further investigated. In addition, observing social emotional behaviors and stress hormone levels of the infant is suggested.


An unique random laser exhibiting quasi-single-mode, low background emission spectrum, and low lasing threshold is developed by a homogenized submicrometer-sized zinc oxide particle film dispersed with intentionally introduced polymer particles as point defects.


BACKGROUND
The impact of barefoot running and footwear choice on running economy (RE; steady state oxygen consumption) is heavily debated. Therefore, this study measured RE when running barefoot versus two shod conditions.

METHODS
Recreational male runners (N = 8) with experience running in both five- toed minimal (FTMS) and standard cushioned running shoes (SCRS), participated in RE trials while barefoot, FTMS, and SCRS for 5 minutes each trial at both 50% and 70% of speed at VO2max (sVO2max), while RE and step frequency (Sf) were measured. Separate one-way repeated measures ANOVA's were conducted for each footwear condition and each speed, on RE and Sf.

RESULTS
No significant differences in RE were found at 50% or 70% sVO2max. Step frequency was significantly different at 70% sVO2max F (2, 14) = 6.74, p = 0.009, partial ω2 = 0.06, as running barefoot (M = 173.00, SD = 10.50) exhibited a higher step frequency than running in FTMS (M = 168.81, SD = 10.94), p = 0.008 or SCRS (M = 166.62, SD = 8.42), p = 0.044 conditions.

CONCLUSIONS
No statistical RE benefit was found when running barefoot over FTMS or SCRS, possibly explained by a SF adaptation at higher speeds. However, practically speaking, when shoe mass is controlled for, footwear choice has a moderate but worthwhile effect on RE. Consequently, formal familiarization and/or training in the FTMS may improve RE when compared to running in SCRS or barefoot in certain individuals.


— The objective of this study was to investigate how well the professional practice of community pharmacy-based pharmaceutical care was being performed in Korea. Current status and problems of the professional practice were inves-tigated using survey questionnaire with ten questions regarding pharmaceutical care service such as DUR, written medication guide, patient consult, and therapeutic monitoring. Three hundred thirty one community pharmacies responded to the survey questionnaire. Of the respondent pharmacies, medium scale pharmacy (30-99 prescriptions daily) accounted for 66.47% followed by large scale (100-199 prescriptions daily), small scale (less than 30 prescriptions daily), and extra-large scale (greater 200 prescriptions daily). Prospective DUR was practiced in less than half of the community pharmacies (45.62%), and written medication guide was provided in only one-third of those (33.84%). Pharmacists' average patient con-sult time was 3-5 minutes in most community pharmacies. Furthermore, 25% of the respondents answered that the time was less than two minutes. Based on this survey results, professional practice of the community pharmacies in Korea appears to be suboptimal in terms of GPP standards jointly announced by FIP and WHO. Therefore, it seems necessary to enforce the GPP accreditation at Korean Pharmaceutical Association level.


Registration of multispectral images with other sensor image such as optical, SAR images, which is the process of estimating the misalignment between two images, is a crucial preprocessing for many applications of multispectral images [1], such as fusion and change monitoring. Recently, some methods have been proposed for multisensory image registration in remote sensing [2]-[5], such as Pixel Migration method proposed in literature [5] is effective to find the correct solution. Unfortunately, well registration performance is severely limited to the situation when geometric deformation is not significant, while it is unable to obtain satisfactory results when the deformation is large. In addition, how to choose appropriate bands of multispectral images to be registered is an extremely important problem related to registration accuracy, while there is little relative work. In this paper, to solve the problems, a step-wise algorithm combining Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is proposed for multispectral image registration with other sensor images. Firstly, information entropy as a rule is used to select a suitable band image from the misaligned multispectral images for registration. Secondly, a SIFT modified by combining with local invariant moment is used to search optimally matched points for coarse image registration. Then, the parameters of the coarse registration model are used to initialize an optimization process controlled by PSO where local gradient is used as a rule for searching optimal parameters for final registration.


In this paper we construct a two variables $p$-adic $L$-function for the standard representation associated with a Hida family of parallel weight genus $g$ Siegel forms, using a method previously developed by B\"ocherer--Schmidt in one variable. When a form of weight $g+1$ is Steinberg at $p$, a trivial zero appears and, using the method of Greenberg--Stevens, we calculate the first derivative of this $p$-adic $L$-function and show that it has the form predicted by a conjecture of Greenberg on trivial zeros.


This reexamination of the creator god of the Incas offers a fascinating look at pre-Columbian religion, culture change, and imperialism.


Objectives-As auranofin resembles some neutrophil activating sulphurcontaining compounds, itwasdecided toinvestigate whetherithad activating effects on neutrophil migration inaddition tothe published inhibitory effects. Methods-TheBoydenchamberassaywas usedtodetermine themigration velocity ofhumanneutrophils. Thedifference betweenchemotaxis andchemokinesis was established withachequerboard assay. Results-Low concentrations ofauranofin stimulated humanneutrophil migration; concentrations ofauranofin higherthan 1 gLmol/l wereinhibitory. Inhibitors of leukotriene formation, or of protein kinase C,hadthesameeffect onauranofin inducedpotentiation ofmigration ason fMLP activated migration. Auranofin, at a concentration of100nmolIl, causeda transient increase inthecGMP level of neutrophils. The auranofin inducedincrease inmigration wasstrongly inhibited bymethylene blueandbyLY83583, two inhibitors ofcGMP accumulation. Conclusions-The auranofin inducedenhancementofmigration ispartly duetoa chemokinetic effect, butmainlydueto a chemotactic effect. The potentiating effect ofauranofin on migration isnot specifically duetotheability ofthedrug toinhibit protein kinaseC activity or to generate leukotrienes. Theseresults suggest thattheenhancement ofneutrophilmigration bylowlevels ofauranofin isrelated totheenhancement ofcGMP levels inneutrophils.


This study was carried out to determine the effects of dietary linoleic acid to linolenic acid ratio on productive, immunological and physiological performance of Dandarawy chicks (Egyptian developed strain). A total number of 450 oneday old unsexed chicks were randomly equally divided, into five experimental groups of three replicates (30 chicks, each). The experimental chicks were assigned to 1 of 5 diets that had linoleic acid (LA) to linolenic acid (LNA) ratios of 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1 and 10:1, respectively by changing the proportions of soybean and linseed oils. At the end of the 4 th week of age, chicks of each experimental group had been redivided into six replicates (three female replicates of 20 chicks each and three male replicates of 10 chicks each). The chicks of each experimental group continued on the same diet till the end of the study (18 weeks of age). The criteria studied were growth performance (at 4, 8 and 18 weeks of age), some blood immunological parameters (WBCs, RBCs, IgG, HB, IgM, and PCV %) at 8 and 18 weeks of age and immune response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC's), avian influenza (AVI), and Newcastle diseases (ND) titters at 18 weeks of age. Also, at the end of the experimental period, some blood constituents, including total lipids, triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total protein, albumin, globulin, as well as AST, ALT and alkaline phosphates enzymes were determined. Results obtained indicate that chicks received LA: LNA ratios of 4:1 and 6:1 in the diets had the highest live body weight, body weight gain and the best feed conversion at all tested ages. While, LA: LNA at the ratio of 6:1 (at 18 weeks of age), followed by 4:1 and 2:1 (at 8 weeks of age) showed positive immune functions than higher LA: LNA ratios of 8:1 and 10:1 in the diets. Results of serum metabolites revealed controversial trends, where LA: LNA ratios of 4:1 and 6:1 in the diets had a negative effects regarding serum total lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, while, serum total protein, albumin and globulin were elevated with such levels. In conclusion, LA: LNA ratios of 4:1 and 6:1 in the diets of Dandarawy chicks are acceptable and recommended to improve the growth performance, physiological traits and immune response up to 18 weeks of age. Key Word: Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Immunological, Dandarawy.


Objective To investigate the changes in lung pathology and serum level of interleukin-8(IL-8) at different time points after smoking cessation in rats exposed to smoke for different durations,and to explore the effect of different durations of smoke exposure on lung and systemic inflammation.Methods A total of 170 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 30-day smoke exposure group(n =80),70-day smoke exposure group(n =80),and control group(n =10),and the two smoke exposure groups were divided into 8 subgroups(n =10 each subgroup) according to the duration of smoking cessation(0 day,3 days,1 week,2 weeks,4 weeks,6 weeks,8 weeks,and 12 weeks).The serum level of IL-8 was measured by ELISA,and the pathological changes in lung tissue were observed under light microscope.Results Compared with control group,the serum levels of IL-8 were significantly higher and the lung inflammation was more severe at each time point after smoking cessation in two smoke exposure groups(P 0.05).In 30-day smoke exposure group,the serum level of IL-8 reached the peak and the lung inflammation score was the highest after 8 weeks of smoke cessation,and then the serum level of IL-8 tended to decrease and the lung inflammation was alleviated.In 70-day smoke exposure group,the serum level of IL-8 continued to increase and the lung inflammtion tended to aggravate at each time point after smoke cessaion.The serum level of IL-8 and the inflammation score were significantly higher in 70-day smoke exposure group than in 30-day smoke exposure group(P 0.01).Conclusion The longer the smoking duration,the longer and more severe the lung and systematic inflammation after smoking cessation.When chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is developed,quitting smoking alone could not effectively prevent the disease process.Therefore,it is necessary to quit smoking as soon as possible.


This article is the second part of the author's research in textual additions made to the Franciscan Rule (approved in 1223). It consists in the examination of "new" texts inserted into chapters VII, X and XII. Again by his careful study of these texts he reaffirms and underscores the same redactional labor that he elucidated in the first part of his study, namely the intense and dialectical relationship between the intuitive spirit of Francis and the institutional spirit of Cardinal Hugolino. Both men were striving to make the kingdom of God a reality in their own day, and they accepted one another's differences, experiencing them as opportunities and not as an obstacles to understand and set one's heart on the will of God.


The novel hybrid multilevel storage system will be popular with SSD being integrated into traditional storage systems. To improve the performance of data migration between solid-state hard disk and hard disk according to the characteristics of each storage device, identifying the hot data block is significant issue. The hot data block prediction model based on wavelet neural network is built and trained by using historical data. This prediction model can overcome the cumulative effect of traditional statistical methods and has strong sensitivity to I/O loads with random variations. The experimental results show that the proposed model has better accuracy and faster learning speed than BP neural network model. In addition, it has less dependence on sample data and has better generalization ability and robustness. This model can be applied to the data migration of distributed hybrid storage systems to improve performance.


The main aim of the article was to present the specificity of dairy farms in Poland in comparison with other European countries, to analyse the causes of the existing state, and to present the possible directions for the development of dairy farms in Poland in the perspective of the proposed intervention mechanisms for the years 2014-2020 in scope of the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU. As shown by the research results, agricultural holdings which deal with milk production in Poland are characterised by a low volume of production in relation to the situation present in other European countries. In 2010, the dominating group of farms keeping milk cows were holdings owning up to 10 cows (83%). The majority of holdings breeding cows in Poland are non-competitive in the scope of production costs in relation to holdings from the Western Europe. The prices of factors of production (including labour) only widen the gap.


Implementation is at the core of all development initiatives and strategies and experience has shown that there exists a gap between formulation and implementation. This paper focuses on the attempts for implementing initiatives for promoting decentralised management and increased participation in developing countries arid identifies the obstacles in the process. It is generally seen that problems of implementation cannot be entirely anticipated and planned for in advance. Also decentralisation is attempted without assessing the capacity of local management skills of local personnel/leadership. An effective approach to implementation should include wide-reaching survey, strategic analysis and intervention and incremental sequential action, engaged planning, and lucid management procedures. This approach emphasizes a detailed survey of the environment and identification of factors crucial for successful implementation. Development initiatives cannot be implemented successfully by existing management through routine operations. Special modalities need to be set up and institutionalised.


Genetical investigation was carried out on the stability or transferability of the citrate-utilizing (Cit) character of 3 citrate-positive Escherichia coli strains isolated from a pigeon, a pig and a cow, respectively. The Cit character was less stable in Cit+ E. coli strains at an incubation temperature of 43°C than at 25 or 37°C. Its spontaneous loss increased by successive cultures. A Cit-ability stable clone (A) and an unstable clone (B) were obtained from each of Cit+ E. coli strains KE10 (pig origin) and C53 (cow origin). Each clone was further investigated for the stability or transferability of the Cit character. This character and drug resistance markers were more efficiently cotransferred to the E. coli K-12 strain at 25°C than 37°C. Cit+R- transconjugants were also obtained from Cit+R- donor strain. The Cit character of the Cit+R+ E. coli strains tested was transferred not only to the E. coli K-12 strain, but also to Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella abortusequi and Salmonella pullorum with drug resistance markers at 25°C. The importance of the potential transmission of Cit character among the enterobacterial strains was discussed from a taxonomic point of view.


This study was conducted at Kaha Research Farm of Vegetables Breeding Department, Horticultural Research Institute, (HRI), Agric. Res. Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt, during the period from 2008 to 2010. The study aimed to estimate heterosis versus the mid-parents and the better parent, general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability variances, nature of gene action, heritability in both broad and narrow senses in some summer squash for economic earliness traits. These traits included number of first female flowering node (No.1F.F.N); date of first male flower (D.1M.F.); data of first female flower (D.1F.F.); first picking date (1P.D.) and early yield per plant (E.Y./P.kg.). Seven imported squash varieties, namely Eskandarani (P1); Zucca Patisson custard white (P2); All Green Bush (P3); Courgette Orelia (P4); Sakiz (P5); Copi (P6) and Gapla (P7) were used as parental varieties in the present investigation. Diallel crosses (with reciprocals) were made between these parents to obtain 42 F1,1r hybrids according to the complete diallel crosses mating design. All genotypes were evaluated in randomized complete-blocks designs with three replications. The results indicated that the parental varieties Courgette Orelia (P4) and Gapla (P7) seemed to be the best combiners for earliness traits such as number of first female flowering node (No.1F.F.N); date of first male flower (D.1M.F.); data of first female flower (D.1F.F.) and first picking date (1P.D.). The parents Zucca Patisson custard white (P2) and Copi (P6) were the best combiners for early yield per plant (E.Y./P.kg.). In general, the performances of most F1,1r hybrids were variable and the results cleared that no hybrid was the best all for earliness traits. The results showed the importance of general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining abilities. GCA was larger than their corresponding estimates of SCA for most earliness traits. Reciprocal effects (r) were significant for most earliness traits. In the same time, the estimates of heritability in broad sense were larger in magnitudes than their corresponding estimates of narrow sense.


The paper analyses the potential of a theoretical comparison between communism and colonialism, focusing on the cultural dimension of the Stalinization process in Eastern Europe. The paper applies this theoretical perspective to late 1940s- early 1950s Romanian culture in relation with the appropriation of culture by the communist regime within the late 1940s political and ideological shift in Eastern Europe. The approach uses as a background for its argumentation a theoretical debate which started 2001 and has continued until today (Moore 2001, Kovacevic 2008), also reinterpreting on a series of theories developed during as well as at the end of the Cold War (Kulski 1959, Kolarz 1964, Horvath 1972, Katsenelinboigen 1990). The paper uses a series of conceptual tools such cultural transfer, cultural dependences, cultural identity, cultural export, which are applied for the first time to the Romanian culture.


Abstract : This technical memorandum represents a portion of the work being done on NEL Problem J714, AN/SQS-23 Performance and Integration Retrofit (PAIR) Program.


The National Serologic Survey (CNPq - SUCAM) for Chagfis'disease in Santa Catarina revealed 1,3% of positive results in 74.000 serum samples. The method employed was indirect immunofluorescence in filter paper. Fifteen cities have shown high prevalence (5,4% to 41,3%). In the present investigation the blood samples were obtained in 9 cities by venous punction of 222 persons: 140 from people serologicaly positive, 58 negative in the National Survey as well as 24 other persons in which the reaction was performed for the first time The serologic test (indirect immunofluorescence, indirect hemagglutination, direct agghxtination with and without 2-ME and complement fixation) carried out in three diferent laboratories detected 220 negative and only 2 positive sera. This result was confirmed by specific epidemiological aspects related to Chagas' disease such as housing conditions and absence of vectors. Those data are in disagreement with the results found in National Serologic Survey and confirms the previous knowledge about the inexistence of domiciliary transmission of Chagas' disease in Santa Catarina.


Six secondary school counselors worked as a summer counseling team with disadvantaged junior high school students. Most of the students who received counseling were making a transition from a familiar to an unfamiliar school situation, i.e., they were entering or leaving junior high school. Counseling sessions were conducted in homes as well as in the schools. Extensive use was made of staff sessions and referral agencies. The services of the counseling team were favorably accepted by students and parents and were evaluated by the counselors and principals as worthwhile. Some problems and recommendations are described.


A novel method is proposed for optimization of simultaneous thinlayer chromatographic separation of seven amino acids. For this purpose we used a useful combination of genetic algorithms (GA) with artificial neural networks (ANN). Methods investigated in this work were successfully used for prediction of resolution (RS) and optimization of the thin-layer chromatographic separation of model solutions containing the seven compound. Very good correlation was achieved between predicted and calculated RS data, and low absolute and relative errors were obtained.


The value of a mobile communication device is its ability to organize and access important information quickly. Mobile devices are often associated with the cutting-edge technology of the last 4 years. Although having gained an increasing popularity over recent years, mobile devices have a history of 15 years. The first generation of mobile devices was the analog mobile phone. They were large and cumbersome, resembling a small briefcase. With the launch of the second generation, mobile phone units became smaller and easier to handle. Currently, third-generation phones are starting to be released, advancing in design and dynamic capabilities. By the year 2005, 76% of consumers will own an Internet compatible device, 66% will own a cell phone, 45% will own an Internet cell phone, and 10% will own a personal digitial assistant (Forrester, 2001). In today's information surge, business never stops. IDC Research has forecasted that an average of more than 36 billion person-to-person e-mails will be sent daily by 2005 (Juptner, 2001). Hence, mobile communication plays a major role in the success of most of today's business operations (Jones, 2001), and all businesses are continually faced with the challenge of engaging with the rapidly changing information technology age. One area of mobile communications that has been growing exponentially is mobile computing.

Keywords:

code division multiple access (CDMA);
general packet radio service (GPRS);
global positioning system (GPS);
Internet cell phone;
mobile communication device;
personal digital assistant (PDA)


on beauty is good. Americans have much to teach us on philosophical aesthetic, and Dr. Wieman is no exception. So again his understanding of evil and his elaboration of the distinction between evils rooted in the nature of things not caused by man, and those originating in human life, is profound. I hope I have not given a total impression of damning Dr. Wieman's book with faint praise. The praise is grateful and sincere, though qualified by the criticisms I have made. Louis ARNAUD REID.


OBJECTIVES
To translate and adapt the University of California, Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract Instrument 2.0 (UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0) into Dutch and validate it among Dutch systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.

METHODS
First, the UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0 questionnaire was translated and adapted according to international guidelines. The resulting Dutch GIT 2.0 was, in combination with the SSc Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) administered to SSc patients participating in a standardised medical assessment. Moreover, all previous clinical examinations and confirmed medical diagnoses related to GIT were extracted from the medical records. Internal consistency was determined by calculating Cronbach's alpha. To determine the reliability, the questionnaire was re-administered with an interval of two weeks to a subgroup of patients and the intraclass-correlation coefficient (ICC) was computed. Spearman correlation coefficients between GIT scores, SF-36 and SHAQ were computed. GIT scores were compared among patients with and without previous gastrointestinal examinations and/or diagnoses.

RESULTS
Eighty-nine patients with a mean age of 53.6 (SD 12) years, and predominantly female (76%) were included. The median total GIT score was 0.17 (Cronbach's alpha 0.921). The test-retest reliability of the total GIT score was good (n=27; ICC 0.749). Overall, the GIT total scores correlated significantly with the SHAQ visual analogue scale intestinal complaints and the SF-36. Significant differences between GIT total and subscale scores of patients with and without previous gastrointestinal examinations and diagnoses were present.

CONCLUSIONS
The Dutch GIT 2.0 questionnaire showed good internal consistency, construct validity and test-retest reliability.